seems my wonderful community, belleville, michigan, is on a spending spree. the town is in a loss for tax revenue for the next 5-10 years, but our D.D.A., downtown development authority, spends money as fast as they can print it. for the past 6-8 months, we have been fighting the city council on a digital moving sign board ordinance, that they want to pass, so the D.D.A. can replace the town's old sign board with a modern, moving sign board.
there are two main problems with this sign; one, being the placement of the sign, it is at a choke point where traffic comes into town and in the middle of a busy intersection. the second problem, is the federal government is going to put out mandates and guidelines of placements of such signs, as they have proven in government studies, to be a distraction to drivers, along the lines as text messaging. once the federal government rules on the signs, then the states follow suit and down to the local boys.
the city is trying to get their sign up a.s.a.p., as once it is up, it will be "grandfathered" in and allowed to stay up, regardless of the laws. the city council has been reminded, since the first month of this year, just how dangerous this action is, but refuse to see merit in the government studies and rules, only to allow the D.D.A. to run rife thru the community, regardless of the legal issues at hand. personally i have fought long and hard, being very vocal in the media as well as giving up a appointed city position, in defence of the upcoming government ruling concerning public safety.
when we had a city council meeting to pass the ordinance, the city brought in a group of church groups, wishing to have their own visual message signs; of the many excuses why they should have one as well, my favorite reason was so they, the church, could post city and governmental postings as well, as a favor to the city, in helping promoting good community service, besides the obvious reason, which they also quoted, of falling memberships. two issues here; first is the seperation of church and state; i don't want any church group, plying the media with their propaganda slanted to the bias of the churches views, on government or political agendas. it is what the consitution was based on, the seperation. the second issue, is the falling membership. i don't know about you, but when it comes to religion, it is pretty cut and dry; if you lean towards a religious point of view, you have already made your choice, so in a city of less than 4,000 people, i am quite sure, having a jesus christ happy meal, or a jihad to go, special or zionist bombing two for one deal; i see no real reason to have a visual message board. people already know where you are at, they know your religious beliefs as a group, so your need for a sign is invalid.
this town is a small town; we have a historical past, but alas, the citys leaders are trying to turn it into a tokyo by night lite, with all kinds of visual distractions and taking away from the history that is Belleville. i fear this is only going to get worse, before it is going to get better. this is no sign i wish to heed.
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Saturday, April 17, 2010
nothing but paint
as i write this, i am involved in a project that has me painting a 190 foot long wall with about 15 panels of my cartoons, for a community volunteer group, the Belleville Area Council for the Arts; each panel is 7'x12' in size and is fully colored to be bright and seen. even if i am not getting a dime for this work, about $7500.00 worth of time and art, i get to paint what i want and as fast as i want, as i have no helpers to slow me down.
no it was my understanding, Sumpter Township, whose fairgrounds i am painting on, has been wanting this done for years, but no one came forward with their time to do so. so, when Kay Atkins, the new president of the BACA, asked me and another artist to do the job, i had no issues and jumped to the task. i drew the thumb nail pictures and got my supplies and started ASAP...a week later, i am more than 3/4 done with the first wall (190ft) and getting ready to start the second (90ft wall). as an artist, the chance to do what you love to do, at this scale, is a godsend of sorts. since it is done in enamel paint on a public walls, it will be around for a while; poof!, instant advertising for them and me.
now of course, because i have been getting some media coverage, other local "artists" have been coming sniffing around, trying to get their face in the spot light as well. funny, all these years, the walls sat unpainted, now, because i am getting well recieved for my work, others want to come take a piece of that pie as well. i even had, one artist come up and ask me to hand him a brush and for me to draw out the area i need painted and he'd get to it. i politely told him no; i showed him the areas i was doing and will be doing and suggested he and others, to contact the council president and find out the other spaces there that could be done and go from there.
i have always said, you either lead, create or follow....no one will and shall follow on my coat tails and expect full credit on the process as well. if you are an artist or create ideas, make use of them your self and by all means, rise or fail on your own, not my accord.
as in politics, i see this in our own city council; those who chose to have their photo taken in every project, their name in the face of others and yet, never take the real lead; they rise or try to rise on the backs of others. i ask you, are these leaders?
Sunday, April 4, 2010
social taboo
i will go ahead and breach the wall with this modern take on the finger in the dike story; as the baby boomers are pretty much all near retirement years, me as well(born in 1961), the last sacred cow, the hidden agenda no one wants to face, is looming very large in the mirror, that of a huge bus about to run us over.
several local papers have gingerly attached articles remotely touching this hot issue, but since this is a highly unionized state, most are afraid to "push" this very issue, the one concerning retirement pensions, the legacy factor that is going to cripple most state and local governments, by the very nature of cause vs effect.
in a landmark bankruptcy case, the city of Vallejo, in the state of California, two years ago, filed for protection, from the very cause that forced them into the chapter 7 in the first place, the pension funds, that city employees had, was in the excess of $195 million dollars, behind in the funding. the magazine "Barrons" march 15, 2010 issue, columnist Liam Dillow, replied how underfunded pensions, faced by increasing retirements of state and city employees, was paying out almost 95% of the retiring worker's payroll, for the rest of his or her's life, forcing further cutbacks and laying off employees, to pay for these legacy expenses, hidden away in plain sight, for all these years. because of union contracts, many of these states and cities, allowed employees to trump up their final years salary, to take advantage of the loop holes, allowing them to retire at nearly the max rate of pay, vs a normal retirement package people in the private sector receive, if any. here in michigan, the city of Ann Arbor, is already facing this crisis; a newspaper article, showed the average city worker, with their platinum benefit package, averaged over $48k a year, a average rate of $26hr vs private sector at $18hr in pay, less the benefits, which in Ann Arbor, is rated at $31k just in benefits alone. Ann Arbor is facing shortages in funding for their retirement pool, which does not bode well for the rest of Michigan, which has less tax monies and funding avail.
the article in Barron's, was about bond issues, or more so, the once golden clad municiple bonds are starting to lose their luster and ratings are dropping. cities and states, once able to get funding for projects, based on their credit, are now finding their credit, like that of the private sector, is taking a drop, due to the underfunded pensions of at least 8 states and countless cities and counties across the country.
many towns and states, the countless government officials accepted such pension and benefit packages as part of government services; it was just part of the cost of running the government, which many had the power to reap those said benefits as well, so cutting those or accepting a lessor or more right sized package, was out of the question. even those who would not recieve any of those said benefits, aka, elected officials, out of fear or reprisal of the government workers vote, did not dare touch or bring up any bills or actions against said benefits. in the case of Vallejo, Ca, the pensions was the final nail in the coffin. like many other cities that was relying of manufacturing tax revenue, when the new depression hit, falling home values and drops in tax monies, killed the city's finances. but, because of the way the contract for the benefits and retirements was worded and signed, the debt that forced the hand to wipe the city slate clean from debt, still remained; it was untouchable and still had to be paid, and even now, 2 years later, still hung up in courts, trying to reword the contract and save the city from further ruin, the bill keeps coming up and being paid in full.
so much needs to be addressed; so much needs to be done. not only is the middle class effectively gone, creating and keeping a retired middle class, that will no longer be reachable for the younger generation, around is going to cost a whole lot more, and for many, too much to keep the government effectively operating at all.
several local papers have gingerly attached articles remotely touching this hot issue, but since this is a highly unionized state, most are afraid to "push" this very issue, the one concerning retirement pensions, the legacy factor that is going to cripple most state and local governments, by the very nature of cause vs effect.
in a landmark bankruptcy case, the city of Vallejo, in the state of California, two years ago, filed for protection, from the very cause that forced them into the chapter 7 in the first place, the pension funds, that city employees had, was in the excess of $195 million dollars, behind in the funding. the magazine "Barrons" march 15, 2010 issue, columnist Liam Dillow, replied how underfunded pensions, faced by increasing retirements of state and city employees, was paying out almost 95% of the retiring worker's payroll, for the rest of his or her's life, forcing further cutbacks and laying off employees, to pay for these legacy expenses, hidden away in plain sight, for all these years. because of union contracts, many of these states and cities, allowed employees to trump up their final years salary, to take advantage of the loop holes, allowing them to retire at nearly the max rate of pay, vs a normal retirement package people in the private sector receive, if any. here in michigan, the city of Ann Arbor, is already facing this crisis; a newspaper article, showed the average city worker, with their platinum benefit package, averaged over $48k a year, a average rate of $26hr vs private sector at $18hr in pay, less the benefits, which in Ann Arbor, is rated at $31k just in benefits alone. Ann Arbor is facing shortages in funding for their retirement pool, which does not bode well for the rest of Michigan, which has less tax monies and funding avail.
the article in Barron's, was about bond issues, or more so, the once golden clad municiple bonds are starting to lose their luster and ratings are dropping. cities and states, once able to get funding for projects, based on their credit, are now finding their credit, like that of the private sector, is taking a drop, due to the underfunded pensions of at least 8 states and countless cities and counties across the country.
many towns and states, the countless government officials accepted such pension and benefit packages as part of government services; it was just part of the cost of running the government, which many had the power to reap those said benefits as well, so cutting those or accepting a lessor or more right sized package, was out of the question. even those who would not recieve any of those said benefits, aka, elected officials, out of fear or reprisal of the government workers vote, did not dare touch or bring up any bills or actions against said benefits. in the case of Vallejo, Ca, the pensions was the final nail in the coffin. like many other cities that was relying of manufacturing tax revenue, when the new depression hit, falling home values and drops in tax monies, killed the city's finances. but, because of the way the contract for the benefits and retirements was worded and signed, the debt that forced the hand to wipe the city slate clean from debt, still remained; it was untouchable and still had to be paid, and even now, 2 years later, still hung up in courts, trying to reword the contract and save the city from further ruin, the bill keeps coming up and being paid in full.
so much needs to be addressed; so much needs to be done. not only is the middle class effectively gone, creating and keeping a retired middle class, that will no longer be reachable for the younger generation, around is going to cost a whole lot more, and for many, too much to keep the government effectively operating at all.
Sunday, March 21, 2010
every thing but kissing babies
i was at a comic event, and a lady comedian, who happens to be a PETA activist, upon hearing me talk about being involved with local politics, asked me how she could get involved in politics as such herself.
after the 2008 elections, which brought about the belief of "change", it is by far easier to evoke or start a platform of change at a local level, where its not always about political parties per se, more of the person and their ideals. in a small town like mine, where the only concern is repaving the roads, or who tipped over some dairy cows on a friday night, you will find, a few folks, pounding the pavements and pressing flesh, years before an election, trying to get their name or agenda defined, so as when election time does come, it is a much easier sell, to have been already in the public eye, than to be a unknown, and try to evoke "change" of a damaged system.
people get inolved in politics for one of two reasons, 1 being to further their own best interests, and 2, to act upon something that may impact ones own agenda(ie; taxes, property rights, legal issues, etc.). these reasons, make being envolved in local government, much easier, and far more impacting of your own personal rights, than trying to "change" a political system like the state or federal government.
like a computer, a government system, is only as good as the sum of its parts; there maybe laws in place to doctrine the way the system works, in its most basic format (ie; windows98, vista, etc) but the actual cause and effect of the "changes" we try to enact, generally are devoid of any political party cause, rather the social implications of the area and population of the voting public.
take any small town; you know when elections are due; the people who will benefit most from the attention, are and have been out, making the most of every photo op, store or business opening, gala events and even baby showers, if need be, to get as much face time, to be considered a 'public' face, a man of the people, when the time comes. throwing out a political party affliation may or may not really matter at this point, as the only real impact you are going to make, is on a smaller demographic, not a party machine per se. in this case, you, the canidate, are elected on the people's mandate, rather than buying power of the political party's cogs. until you get at a larger populace, does a political agenda of a party mandate, matter to the election.
still want to see politics in action; go to your city council meetings, learn the faces, know the names and their agenda's for your town; this is american government at its finest and most raw.
if you really want "change" and really want to make a difference in the say of your voice, and be heard, go out, make a difference and act on your local level and you will feel the difference that one person can truely make.
after the 2008 elections, which brought about the belief of "change", it is by far easier to evoke or start a platform of change at a local level, where its not always about political parties per se, more of the person and their ideals. in a small town like mine, where the only concern is repaving the roads, or who tipped over some dairy cows on a friday night, you will find, a few folks, pounding the pavements and pressing flesh, years before an election, trying to get their name or agenda defined, so as when election time does come, it is a much easier sell, to have been already in the public eye, than to be a unknown, and try to evoke "change" of a damaged system.
people get inolved in politics for one of two reasons, 1 being to further their own best interests, and 2, to act upon something that may impact ones own agenda(ie; taxes, property rights, legal issues, etc.). these reasons, make being envolved in local government, much easier, and far more impacting of your own personal rights, than trying to "change" a political system like the state or federal government.
like a computer, a government system, is only as good as the sum of its parts; there maybe laws in place to doctrine the way the system works, in its most basic format (ie; windows98, vista, etc) but the actual cause and effect of the "changes" we try to enact, generally are devoid of any political party cause, rather the social implications of the area and population of the voting public.
take any small town; you know when elections are due; the people who will benefit most from the attention, are and have been out, making the most of every photo op, store or business opening, gala events and even baby showers, if need be, to get as much face time, to be considered a 'public' face, a man of the people, when the time comes. throwing out a political party affliation may or may not really matter at this point, as the only real impact you are going to make, is on a smaller demographic, not a party machine per se. in this case, you, the canidate, are elected on the people's mandate, rather than buying power of the political party's cogs. until you get at a larger populace, does a political agenda of a party mandate, matter to the election.
still want to see politics in action; go to your city council meetings, learn the faces, know the names and their agenda's for your town; this is american government at its finest and most raw.
if you really want "change" and really want to make a difference in the say of your voice, and be heard, go out, make a difference and act on your local level and you will feel the difference that one person can truely make.
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
personal mana
i don't normally perscribe to endorsing any one person or political party in my means; i feel at times it labels you or causes a point of view to be taken of you by others. for that reason, i changed my mind, this one time, as i feel a Mr. Walter L Epps, is a perfect example of the best person in my mind for the job of Wayne County Sheriff, in the Michigan public elections. i have spoken to Mr. Epps on several occasions and i have felt a kind of warm and deication from him about the people and job he is commited to do. he has had a long and stellar career, not only in law inforcement, but in the military as well. He feels Detroit's pain and i think he even bleeds Detroit blue. a young man(younger than me), he speaks the right words and feels the passion we in this area need as a leader. Sometimes leadership is not just thrust upon us, it is a task one has to earn. many people can talk the talk, but i feel Mr. Epps, can not only talk the talk, but walk the walk as well.
i know, i will support him in his run for the sheriff's job; i see no other real choice in what is a tough enough job; we need his leadership at the helm and i will do what ever i can do, to help him in his quest.
Monday, March 15, 2010
easy over blues
we will begin our journey in this post and posts to come, with a small sampler of a laid back, home style breakfast, and as we sit back and enjoy small talk with the waitress and other diners, we will find time to address the current events and what has brought them to our attention, in this quest to seek the real truth, accountibility and transparency of small town politics, brought to you by way of a small town, called Belleville, Michigan. Enjoy
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
