CNN to offer a glimpse of black life in America
This view is a cop out! Perhaps it was more true 20 plus years ago. I remember the "N" word being hurled around constantly. All though it can still be heard from time to time, those folks are on the fringe of society and play no role in an individual making it. The heart of what we're talking about is personal responsibility and the ability to take it. The "collective " approach is what is hurting the black culture. (Jul 25, 2008 | post #405)
Poll: Michigan 'seriously off on wrong track'
I agree with you on responsible government, but ours is too corrupt. Special interests have a foothold that they would not have if we didn't have such a huge federal government. As it relates to Michigan we're going through now what would have happened in th 70's had OPEC not dropped oil prices back down. That 25 year period would have been ideal to diversify our economy while times were good. Where was government then to influence the future well being of it's citizens? No where, because government does not work that way. They were filling up and the till, growing larger, and spending away during a resurgent boon in the domestic auto industry. Now that it's dried up (oil went back up and they were still focused on gas guzzlers) things need to run their course. The weak need to be weeded out. The states economy will diversify painfully over time and the government really can't do anything to help it out at this late date. Those of you who have left are not weak by any means, but in this context you've been weeded out (seeking opportunity else where). All things operate in cycles, we're in the midst of an extreme one currently but the principles of capitalism and economic theory will prevail once it's cheap enough for other industries to focus on Michigan. (Jul 25, 2008 | post #198)
Poll: Michigan 'seriously off on wrong track'
Don't switch gears on me now...LOL I care about people, but I believe in personal responsibility to make your own way. The original debate between us was from your assertion..." This idea that the US developed entirely as a result of a completely free market system is propagandist mythology. Every step of the way, our economy has been supported by the taxpayers". Every step of the way is not accurate. We've changed along the way in a "reverse Darwinian" way. My point, and it is a valid one whether you choose to recognize it, is this: Our government was not set up originally to "look out" for the weak or to "support the economy". It was set up for people to have free choice in how they lived and to do nothing more than protect that right. As the majority of the voting population achieved less success than the minority of it, political pandering got out of control and we have become something totally different than what was intended. John Adams was an insightful founding father and he knew the perils of the new government he helped establish. He wrote, "Democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts and murders itself. There was never a democracy that did not commit suicide." John Adams, Letter, April 15, 1814 The question is are we almost dead as a society or just under the weather currently? Time will tell over the next generation. (Jul 25, 2008 | post #197)
CNN to offer a glimpse of black life in America
You're so right! You blame the present for sins of the past relating to slavery. You're not open minded to enough to understand slavery here was inherited and in no way could have been done away at the inception of this country. It was in fact discussed at the time but in fact there would have been no country to begin with if the issue was not tabled for a later date. So...the "black reality" is nothing more than a mindset of "we were done wrong" which continues to perpetuate itself through the cultures music, dress and over all demeanor. If you desire a different reality subscribe to a different paradigm. (Jul 25, 2008 | post #385)
Poll: Michigan 'seriously off on wrong track'
You got it. No demand for what they have they go out of business. As for Bush...he's big government too...very much like yourself. (Jul 25, 2008 | post #181)
Poll: Michigan 'seriously off on wrong track'
Ridiculous!! Government get's involved to the degree they do because as a society we refuse to allow nature take it's course. The weak and the ignorant if left to the whim of the flow of natural economic and social cycles could not make it with out government intervention. The development of our country as a free market did do fine without (and still would) that intervention. The result would be less population (survival of the fitest) a Darwinian theory that your liberal/socialist mindset should be able to grasp. Less ignorant, lazy, weak people in our society from less government equals stronger free market for those intelligent enough to grasp the workings of it. (Jul 25, 2008 | post #170)
Judge insisted she wasn't drunk
This is indicative of the power most judges believe they have. If they abuse this perceived power off the bench, think how they abuse it on the bench! (Jul 25, 2008 | post #6)
Granholm signs bill putting more children in safety seats
Let's be real here...We live in a society where our children are looked after and cared for. One need only look back 50-70 years to compare. The booster seat law (seat belt, helmet, ...pick any one of many) is nothing more than government legislating your right and ability to make decisions for you and your family away from who should be making it, YOU! At the end of the day these laws are truly put in place for various industries via kickback from special interest lobbying. Certainly not the safety of anyone. (Jul 25, 2008 | post #174)
Poll: Michigan 'seriously off on wrong track'
In 2000 MiSDU was incepted in response to both federal and Michigan laws that were legislated requiring the centralized processing of child support payments. The cost to do so was enormous! The Michigan Child Support Enforcement System Report to Legislature, dated January 1, 2006 confirms this on the final page of the 16 page report. The total program cost fiscal years 1996-2000(pre MiSDU) of $181,966,927 skyrocketed fiscal years 2001-2005(post MiSDU) to $490,202,186. That’s $182 MILLION increasing to $490 MILLION, equating to more than a 150% increase in program cost over the same time period. To be fair, some of the increase between pre and post MiSDU was due to higher development and implementation costs, which according to the same report, ceased accruing after 2003. One would assume that after the implementation of a centralized program, operational costs would be less or at a minimum, on par with Pre MiSDU operational costs. It stands to reason that in consolidating, operating costs are reduced. However, when you take out development and implementation costs, being left only with operational costs, from that same report you get something entirely different than the expected cost reduction. The Pre MiSDU program operation cost of $55,052,852 jumped to $201,373,670, Post MiSDU. So…operating through a centralized program caused an INCREASE of $146 million, or roughly a 275% increase to taxpayers in program operations cost to perform the same task. It’s hard to justify or understand this type of increase to disburse funds that were previously being managed through a more efficient and more cost effective decentralized program. The $25 fee being levied on child support payments is done so through a federal piece of legislation titled The Federal Deficit Reduction Act of 2005. 66% of all fees collected from Michiganders will be forwarded to the federal government to fund child support programs throughout the nation. At the time this was signed into law on the federal level it was touted as "...an important piece of legislation to restrain federal spending" It seems the portion of the act as it relates to this topic was in fact to pay for increased spending not restraint! It gets better though…! The requirement for assessing the fee is outlined in section 7310 of The Federal Deficit Reduction Act of 2005. It’s kind enough to exclude those not receiving more than $500 annually in child support, and does exempt for life any family who has EVER relied on public assistance programs, or those currently receiving food stamps. In part it reads the fee is to be "...PAID BY THE INDIVIDUAL APPLYING FOR SERVICES..." when in fact we’ve all ready established NO ONE in the system "APPLIES " for the services in Michigan. As I mentioned earlier, our local court mandates it in support orders when a family enters the system! It begs this question: How can child support proceeds legally have a fee levied upon them when the services said fees are for are force fed from the courts to begin with? I suspect the answer will involve some sort of opt out clause or form that no one is aware of and that the Courts don’t share with you. Should such an opt out exist, that information is certainly not shared on the Midland County Friend of the Court web site or half a dozen other county web sites I browsed while writing this. (Jul 24, 2008 | post #159)
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