The All New Michigan Road Kill News

Here it is. It might be Dead. It might Stink.
Or it might be good for something. You decide for yourself.

I get my news in a lot of ways from a lot of places. Print, Internet, Friends and People I Meet.

When it comes to news about the roads I pretty much pick up everything I can. I am very concerned about the condition of the roads in Michigan, that's one reason why I write this blog. The truth is most of the news about the roads in Michigan nowadays is worthless. Just repeated prattle from some congressman / lawmaker, or a journalist trying to fill some space .

A lot of the news about the roads includes some study about this or that, trying to prove some persons point of view one way or the other. I've seen studies and polls printed barely one day apart painting a complete opposite picture about the exact same subject.

And I l have heard politicians talk about infrastructure and our roads in Michigan, either completely uninformed on the subject, or being outright deceitful, just to look good in front of the reporters and their constituents.

Needless to say all that is time consuming and tiring. So I've decided to start more or less a regular post entitled "Roadkill News". Now there are jokes about things like the "Roadkill Cafe" or people picking up roadkill to bring it home for dinner. True story: I once told a co-worker about a dear that had been hit right across the street from my house. That evening he followed me home, asked me to help him put the deer in the back of his pickup truck, told me his butcher should be able to get good meat out of about half of the poor dead thing. It wasn't just a few days later he was offering me some deer jerky, you guessed it, from that road kill at the end of my driveway. I didn't eat it. With "Roadkill News", you don't have to eat it if you don't want to either.

"Roadkill News" is a lot like what it sounds like. Some of its Stinks, some of it might be good for something. So as a favor to you folks , whether you like it or not I'll put up as much of the news about the roads as I can find, kind of like just the headlines and a quick description. Stick it in the back of my pickup truck so to speak and drop it off here so you can sift through it in a hurry and decide which of it is any good and worth reading. Nothing fancy just headlines with links to the articles and web pages, and a few words. But don't worry, I'll still be getting into detail about the road news that really does mean something and needs to be talked about.



So here is some bits of news I've picked up on the roads, off the roads in the last couple of days.

Low-income tax credit eyed for road funding - Michigan Public Radio

By Rick Pluta • Jun 2, 2015

A state House panel considers elimination of the tax credit for working poor  families to help come up with more money for roads. That's right. Fix the roads by grabbing money out of the pocket of the working poor. Put those people to work. They don't have enough to do already.

Safe Roads Yes on Facebook.
Safe Roads Yes! Website

As of the 1st of June, the Safe Roads Yes! coalition continues to urge us to "Get out and vote YES on Proposal 1" - on Facebook and the Safe Roads Yes! web site. REALLY!

 

Take the Free Press Pothole Challenge - By Eric D. Lawrence, Detroit Free Press, March 9, 2015

The Detroit Free Press wants to see (and share) what you think is the worst pothole or stretch of potholes across Michigan. You can share your photos and videos on one of the Freep's social media channels. Just can't seem to make up my mind, so many potholes...so many potholes.

 

Highway Trust Fund Is 'Broke,' Ex-Transportation Secretary LaHood Says - STEVE INSKEEP, National Public Radio. May 19, 2015

The primary way that federal highway and transit programs are funded for state, local, and national projects across the country is running out of money for highways, bridges and mass transit. Not good for our Michigan roads, seeing we can't seem to raise any money for roads ourselves. Now our federal hand out just may go away.

Well that's about it for now. Stay tuned for more Road Kill News, where YOU decide if it's really worth the trouble. There is bound to be plenty more.


Drive Careful,
Will