Quote of the Day: “I am so tired of hearing about the Flint Water Prosecution. I am tired of hearing about Trump. I tired of hearing about Hillary’s email servers, Hunter’s laptop, who did what during Covid, and red versus blue. Note to any and all politicians. I am interested in the here, the now, and the future. I want to know how were going to deal with a sputtering economy, collapsing infrastructure, and out of control government spending. I want to know how YOU are going to support the communities you represent, not go after your rivals. We need to move the ball forward, not relitigate the past.”
I am starting off with the above quote of the day, which comes from a regular reader of my blog. As usual, he speaks from his heart with the big picture in mind. When I decide who to vote for in November, I am going to use the above quote as a guide to determine which candidates get my vote.
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I want to share excerpts from an article written by Charlie LeDuff of the Detroit News. It is a good follow up to the blog I wrote last week about our electric grid. This is specific to Michigan.
In Michigan, more than 800,000 people were without electricity the first night after last week’s storm. Forty-eight hours later, more than 570,000 people were still without power.
It seems to me that we are putting the electric cart before the horsepower when it comes to the dream of a zero-emissions future. Our current electrical system simply cannot handle today’s needs.
We in Michigan are hostage to one of the most unreliable grids in America, with some of the longest downtime after the power goes out. Our cost per kilowatt hour, on the other hand, is higher than all surrounding states.
What’s being done to fix the grid? It’s obvious, not enough. Utilities are guaranteed a 10% return on investment in Michigan no matter how well the investment works. Whether it be a new gas-powered electricity plant or a troop of orangutans peddling on bicycles, we still pay Wall Street.Michigan legislators, for their part, take millions from the utilities’ political action committees, and do nothing.
DTE is currently grubbing for another 8.8% rate increase. Meanwhile, the trees don’t get adequately trimmed from the power lines because that doesn’t earn the 10% vigorish. And the plan is to build the future on top of today’s decrepit grid?
“We’re going to wind and solar!” utility executives proclaim. We’re going to the future! But wind and solar are unreliable. On the precious few days when the sun actually shines in Michigan, there is not enough industrial battery capacity to store that power. If people are not consuming wind and solar generated electricity in real time, the farms must shut down lest they overwhelm the balky gird.
In the meantime, we continue to divest in nuclear power, clean coal and petroleum refining. Studies show that the electrification of transportation and other sectors of the economy may require a doubling of U.S. generation capacity by 2050.
We all want a clean sustainable world with zero-carbon emissions. But all want a kitty-cat unicorn as well. There needs to be a national infrastructure plan.
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Per multiple sources, a state Court of Claims judge ruled Wednesday Michigan’s 1931 law banning abortion is unconstitutional and granted a permanent injunction that stops enforcement of the law for the foreseeable future. Court of Claims Judge Elizabeth Gleicher’s injunction, a final ruling in Planned Parenthood of Michigan’s case against Attorney General Dana Nessel, includes instructions for Nessel to advise Michigan county prosecutors that the law has been declared unconstitutional.
Governor Whitmer had this to say about the ruling. “This decision is likely to be challenged, and we know that there’s a group of extremists who will stop at nothing to ban abortion even in cases of rape and incest. With our rights still hanging by a thread, the Michigan Supreme Court needs to provide certainty and rule on my lawsuit to protect the right to abortion in the state constitution.”
Since the U.S. Supreme has made abortion right a state’s right, look for this case and others to be appealed until the Michigan Supreme Court settles the issue for Michigan women.
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Elections Matter. Pray for peace and tolerance. What are you doing to stop the violence and mass killings?
Orchid of the Day: To Canadian law enforcement for the capture of the second brother responsible for the stabbing murders of 10 Canadians earlier this week.
Onion of the Day: Steve Bannon, who will surrender to authorities following an indictment for fraud related to fund raising to build the wall at the U.S./Mexico border.
Quote of the Day: See above.
Question of the Day: How many games will the Detroit Lions win this year?
Video/Image of the Day: Everyday People.