For some awful reason more folks than usual have sought me out and asked my opinion on the upcoming election. Before you go there, I agree: there are really Eight Signs of the Apocalypse. Death, plague, trumpets blowing, earthquakes, horsemen of varying hues and the final blow to humanity is when people start asking, ‘So Don, what do you think??
Hopefully you’re stocked up on dry goods, water, penicillin and ammo, ‘cuz this election cycle I am gonna? answer them folks? questions.
Nationally, I don’t give two shakes of a cattail, so I won’t go there, but closer to home . . .
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. . . Most folks in the community I grew up in (Independence Township) have an identity crisis. Whether you and your family were from the hallowed and sacred community known as Clarkston, or a peasant like me who grew up in the hinter lands of Independence, we all considered ourselves from Clarkston (much to the consternation of the Blue Bloods).
And we had this library called Independence Township Library — even though all the folks who used it had addresses from Clarkston, which was a village and is now not a village but still really called The City of The Village of Clarkston. However, folks from Clarkston Proper paid different taxes than the ‘other? folks from the ‘other? Clarkston (which was really Independence Township).
It was all very confusing.
This past year Independence Township Library became not a township library, but rather the Clarkston Independence Library. And now that that is done, library folks want a new millage rate to make everybody even-steven. Sounds reasonable to me.
Were I still a living legend in Clarkston (or Independence Township for that matter) I would vote in favor of the millage increase. Of course I would vote in favor of the millage, and then make sure I would participate by attending library board meetings to make sure increases in tax dollars would be used wisely and not willy-nilly for library employee wage increases.
Growing up, the Rush clan were regular users of the library (I still am a once or twice a week library user in my hometown). My old man always preached, ‘Any man or woman could better their position in life as long as they could read and write. And, even if you can’t afford extra schooling, if you can read and write, you can go to the library to learn.?
It’s still the same today. Maybe you cannot afford extra schooling, to buy new books, or computer or internet access. But, if you can read and write, you can still go to the library and read new books AND go on-line AND get extra schooling.
(Another part of that ‘Dad? sermon was, ‘There are no excuses for not liking your lot in life. You can always improve if you can read.?)
My take: Knowledge is power and knowledge — power — is found in libraries.?
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In my hometown of Goodrich there is a ballot proposal to allow a certain number of homes to detach from the village and solely be a part of Atlas Township. Whilst I am all in favor (I think) of dissolving the village and just having one community (the Township of Goodrich), I don’t think I will vote for the detachment. It’s all or nothing at all for me, baby!
My vote is also a very selfish vote, by the way — not necessarily what’s best for the community as a whole. The way I figure it, if say 10, 20, 30 (pick any number) pieces of property leave the village, that only means there are 10, 20, 30 (pick the number) less pieces of property to tax, which means the rest of us tax payers will have to pickup the slack to pay for all the services the village pays, not to mention all the raises village employees get. Bottom line, I don’t want to pay more — I am selfish.
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For the six state proposals I will make it so easy even a sixth grader can understand. I am voting Yes on One and then I am done — No on the rest.
Prop One is about the governor’s ability to appoint a professional manager to manage bankrupt and failing local government (like Detroit). I’m all for it.
The rest of the proposals, all sound great and have merit on their own, but are all power grabs that will be cemented into the state’s Constitution. I do not want the state constitution opened for any of these issues — not collective bargaining, solar power, bridges, home-care — none of them.
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For judgeship: Anybody who claims to be for women and children (solely) I will vote against. I want folks on the bench who will listen to evidence and rule on each case based on its merits and current state law not on age nor on gender. I don’t want legislators on the bench.
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Okay, now that that is done, make sure you tell everbody you love ’em and get ready for zombies, ‘cuz I’m pretty sure they’re part of the Apocalypse.