Lame Duck Governors and Former U.S. Senators Aside - What Do Your Neighbors Say About Proposal 1 ?

Before you vote on Proposal 1 on Tuesday, do you know what your friends and neighbors think about it? Does it matter?

Does lame duck governor Snyder drive to work every day on crappy roads and gasp each time he hits a pothole, wondering how much 'that one' will cost me? I don't think so, especially since for the next few months he'll be traveling around the country to tell other states how great Michigan is. And it is, but private jets don't hit potholes.

Did former U.S. senator Carl Levin cuss and swear about the lousy roads on the beltway in Washington? Not that he wasn't a good senator, but his radio ad for Proposal 1 didn't give me that "I feel your pain" impression.

To me what governor Snyder and Senator Levin say isn't real. What the people around me, who drive the same streets I do and pay taxes like I do, what they say is real. So I listen.

I travel around the state a lot. Sometimes I pick up local news papers to see what's going on in the towns I'm in, and I like to read the 'letters to the editor' page. Tells me what the locals are thinking. Sometimes the letters are kind of comical, and sometimes boring because I just don't know much about local matters. Still, they are from real people about real concerns and I like that.

One local weekly paper I picked up in early April had 5 letters in it, four about proposal 1. All four were clearly against it and urged a NO vote. Each gave well written and thought out reasons for a NO vote. Interesting. So I made sure to get that same paper the next week. Three letters in that issue, one for and two against.

Last week I got another issue and guess what. There were three letters about Proposal 1. Two asked readers to vote NO. Again with clear, concise and well thought out reasons. The other didn't exactly ask readers to vote Yes, but it did mention something about the 'compromise and sacrifice of previous generations' and 'freeing ourselves of cynicism and conspiracy theories regarding taxes'. Then a plea to 'not wait on invertebrate elected officials' and not to flow with the current 'like jellyfish'. What the f*#k ?? Well I guess that was for a Yes vote, I think...

Finally in that same issue, in a 1/3 page opinion article, Rep. Jim Runestad - 44th district - Western Oakland County, gave his view on why we should vote NO. Titled "Vote No On Proposal 1 Next Tuesday", the article gave what he called the "straight facts" and even had a graph! Well he must feel strongly about a NO vote to go to all the work of making a graph. Seriously, one point he did make which I have mentioned in this blog, is that over $800,000.00 of the supposed 1.2 Billion raised the first two years will go to pay off MDOT debt ! Not for new repairs !

So if you know what your friends and neighbors think about Proposal 1 and how they will vote, or if you even care, I just thought you might like to know what readers of some local papers are saying. A clear and resounding urging for us all to vote NO. Think about that when you go to cast your vote.

And one last thought. With the undertaker already putting the last nails in the Proposal 1 coffin (that is if we all get out and vote), there is still almost no talk about a Plan B. I guess our Michigan lawmakers will just cross that bridge when they come to it. That is if it safe to cross !

Quick Senator! On to Plan B!

Saw that one coming didn't you.


Drive Careful,
Will