JOHN CHERRY TO RUN ON 10 YEARS OF NEGATIVE GROWTH So What Good is the MEDC?

I Promise To Start the SOS Questions Tomorrow, but these two items need talking about in a timely manner.

1-Michael LaFaiave of the Mackinac Center advises us that MICHIGAN IS THE ONLY STATE IN THE UNION HAVING NEGATIVE ECONOMIC GROWTH FROM 1999 TO 2008. The new numbers of the Gross Domestic Product countrywide put together by the Bureau of Economic Analysis came out yesterday. I have a feeling the only positive numbers from the MEDC have to do with ink sold and headlines written as to the outstanding job they are doing put out by whom? Themselves!!!

So be prepared for another onslaught of "Engler and Bush are responsible for all the bad news in Michigan." Add to that the ridiculous taxes on business and the total time wasting (which equals dollars and cents) of going through permit processes and everything else it takes to do business in Michigan. Instead of being alarmed at the high unemployment figures perhaps we should be glad it isn't any worse.

2-A quote from then Senator Obama as to why he voted against Judge Roberts after saying that 95% of the cases are decided purely on the law, but the other 5% are hard cases and "can only be determined on the basis of one's deepest values, one's core concerns, one's broader perspectives on how the world works and the depth and breadth of one's empathy."

He goes on: "...in those difficult cases, the critical ingredient is supplied by what is in the judge's heart. I talked to Judge Roberts about this........He did say that he doesn't like bullies and has always viewed the law as a way of evening out the playing field between the strong and the weak. I was impressed with that statement because I view the law in much the same way. The problem I had is that when I examined Judge Roberts' record and history of public service, it is my personal estimation that he has far more often used his formidable skills on behalf of the strong in opposition to the weak." And he goes on "given the gravity of the position to which he will undoubtedly ascend and the gravity of the decisions..... I ultimately have to give more weight to his deeds and the overarching political philosophy that he appears to have shared with those in power than to the assuring words that he provided me in our meeting."

Bottom line: a vote against John Roberts' nomination.

So he feels it more important that even though a minority did not even apply for the fireman's job, those who passed the test and worked hard were also denied. Picture this: me shaking my head back and forth and back and forth.......So the Latina woman's heart is bigger and she has more wisdom. I don't see it.

Oh, well, since Obama won the election along with all those other Democrats we will certainly have a Justice named Sotomayor. We can only hope that those common sense and intelligent white men can make her see in the future what she does not see today.

God bless........

PS-This year, according to LaFaive, is the 10th anniversary of MEDC. Michigan at that time ranked 16th per capita GDP in 1999 and since then plummeted to 41st place. Three states experienced bigger real declines in 2008, but Michigan is the only state in the union whose real GDP has declined each of the past three years.

Check out www.mackinac.org--it's a great resource. Also, check out HB 4922 which provides for an amendment to prohibit granting targeted tax breaks to a firm that has a competitor in the state. (Giving breaks to new business when there are established businesses in the state seems counter-productive and basically unfair to me.)