I am continually disheartened how our governor and state legislators cannot seem to be able to work together for the benefit of us, the citizens of Michigan. At a time when the state is projecting a general fund surplus of $3.5 billion and gas prices are well above $4.00/gallon, one would think they could agree on a way to help reduce the burden on individuals by reducing one of the multiple taxes that are included in the price of a gallon of gas. Don’t count on it. Here are excerpts from an article that appears in today’s Detroit Free Press.
Michigan lawmakers of all stripes say they want to help residents pay a little less at the pump. But no one can agree on how to do it, likely imperiling any short-term gas price cuts driven by the state. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer wants Congress to slash the federal gas tax and supports rolling back the state’s 6% sales tax on gas. But she opposes changes to Michigan’s gas tax.
State Senate Democrats and Republicans appear to favor a sales tax holiday. But that might not matter, since a key state House GOP leader thinks this change is a bad idea. Instead, House lawmakers voted recently in favor of suspending the state’s approximately 27-cent gas tax for several months. Senate Republicans agreed but couldn’t muster enough support for the proposal to become law in 2022, effectively killing the plan. And there’s also the biggest wild cards, which are the oil companies that have appeared to be in no hurry to increase supply, which could theoretically help bring down prices, especially with high oil prices producing big profits. For now, the prospects seem bleak for any immediate state action that would curb fuel costs.
Today, the NY Time editorial board published an article titled “America has a Free Speech Problem’. The article supports what I have said many times over the last two years, the disagreeable extremist on the left and right are killing our democracy. Here are excerpts from the article.
For all the tolerance and enlightenment that modern society claims, Americans are losing hold of a fundamental right as citizens of a free country: the right to speak their minds and voice their opinions in public without fear of being shamed or shunned……How has this happened? In large part, it’s because the political left and the right are caught in a destructive loop of condemnation and recrimination around cancel culture. Many on the left refuse to acknowledge that cancel culture exists at all, believing that those who complain about it are offering cover for bigots to peddle hate speech. Many on the right, for all their braying about cancel culture, have embraced an even more extreme version of censoriousness as a bulwark against a rapidly changing society, with laws that would ban books, stifle teachers and discourage open discussion in classrooms…….. Freedom of speech and expression is vital to human beings’ search for truth and knowledge about our world. A society that values freedom of speech can benefit from the full diversity of its people and their ideas. At the individual level, human beings cannot flourish without the confidence to take risks, pursue ideas, and express thoughts that others might reject. Most important, freedom of speech is the bedrock of democratic self-government. If people feel free to express their views in their communities, the democratic process can respond to and resolve competing ideas. Ideas that go unchallenged by opposing views risk becoming weak and brittle rather than being strengthened by tough scrutiny. When speech is stifled or when dissenters are shut out of public discourse, a society also loses its ability to resolve conflict, and it faces the risk of political violence.
As I reflect on this article, I recall the many times I have stifled my discussion with others because I didn’t want to deal with the verbal reaction and personal attack that I would have received. Until I read this article, I never put into perspective that I was censoring myself and hurting democracy in a minute way. I have never shied away from disagreement, but I do shy away from people who are disagreeable. It is the people who are disagreeable who are stifling our democracy.
The round of 32 in the NCAA tournament was not kind to the B1G. It entered the round with 6 teams winning their first-round matchup. Of the six teams, only Michigan and Purdue advanced to the Sweet-16. This confirms what I have thought all along about the B1G the last few years. From top to bottom they are a very strong conference, but they have not had the elite team that can take it all home. It has been 22 years since the B!G last won the national championship when the MSU Spartans prevailed in 2000.
As a former basketball referee, I was astounded that Arizona was not called for a foul during their double team of the TCU player near the mid-court line during the final seconds of regulation in a tied game on Sunday night in the round of 32. The Arizona player all but knocked over the TCU player while attempting a steal. The ball came loose and Arizona nearly won the game in regulation. If the foul would have been called, TCU would have been sent to the foul line with less than 4 seconds to go with two free throws to win the game. Instead Arizona went on to win in OT and advance to the sweet-16. The trail and center referees at the time, who totally missed the foul, should not be allowed to work another game in this year’s NCAA tournament. See my the 10:07 mark of my Video of the Day, and make your call on the play.
Pray for peace. What are you doing to stop the violence? Get vaccinated and get your booster.
Orchid of the Day: The University of Michigan Women’s basketball team for defeating Villanova tonight in the round of 32, to make it to the women’s sweet sixteen. Hopefully, this is omen for the men’s team which has a date with Villanova in the sweet sixteen on Thursday of this week.
Onion of the Day: The two referees who totally missed a foul call against Arizona in the final seconds of the game with TCU. If they make the call, TCU probably wins the game in regulation. Instead, Arizona won in OT.
| Quote of the Day: “I’m just so proud of him. Joey works his nuts off every single day. So I’m just happy he hit his shots tonight …” fellow senior on live TV following Gabe Brown to the CBS sideline reporter about Joey Hauser’s 27 point performance in MSU’s victory on Friday. Coach Izzo was standing next Brown and asked Brown, “You realize, we are not on HBO?” |
Video of the Day: Arizona vs TCU on Sunday. Check out the foul that was not called at the 10:02 mark of the video.