Expanded Election Issue Letters Section
Letters 12-31-2012
Letters 04-23-2012
Letters 4-30-2012
Letters 11-26-2012
Letters 10-29-2012
Letters 04-16-2012
Letters
Letters 12-03-2012
Letters 05-07-2012
Letters
Thursday, October 5, 2006
Letters 10/5/06
Letters
Tipping controversy
I recently read Rick Coates’ article, “Tips on Tipping” and another in the Record Eagle. And I am sick of the whining by waitstaff and their spokespeople. Unless the public is really dense and are stingy tippers, waitstaff have little to complain about.
And 20% as a tipping percentage -- get real. There will come a day when diners say, “ENOUGH! The meals are outrageous, and you expect another 20% on top of that? It makes my $15 dinner $18.“
Recently, I was out to dinner with my family and the waitress was probably areound B+ to A-. The restaurant, however, was somewhere around C- this particular evening. I tipped her 20% because I thought she deserved it, not because that was the “proper” percentage.
I did a little calculating and thought the readers would be interested.
Assuming a waitstaff person works 4 p.m. - 12 a.m. and serves until 11 p.m., has on average three tables per hour (more during “dinner,” less during late evening and 4-6 p.m.), has an average table bill of $35, and is tipped 15%, at the end of the night they received $121 in additional earnings. After tipping out the bus staff and bartender say 10% each, they still take home an average of $13 an hour above their sub-minimum wage. For waitstaff to complain about not making enough money, think about that; tips and wages combined they make over $15 an hour. On average.
Rick did do the waitstaffers justice by pointing out the minimum amount and tipping on the before discount or before comp amounts.
Put the numbers to it and realize that if they perform adequately, and diners tip appropriately at 15%, waiters and waitresses are making pretty good money.
I used to work in food service and the waitstaff would complain in one breath about the poor tips, but in another brag about how they took home $80-$150 a night in tips (that was back in 1986). So don’t cry to me about waitstaff making sub-minimum and relying on tips to survive. That is true, but not as sorry a situation as these articles made it out to be.
David L. Moore • TC
I recently read Rick Coates’ article, “Tips on Tipping” and another in the Record Eagle. And I am sick of the whining by waitstaff and their spokespeople. Unless the public is really dense and are stingy tippers, waitstaff have little to complain about.
And 20% as a tipping percentage -- get real. There will come a day when diners say, “ENOUGH! The meals are outrageous, and you expect another 20% on top of that? It makes my $15 dinner $18.“
Recently, I was out to dinner with my family and the waitress was probably areound B+ to A-. The restaurant, however, was somewhere around C- this particular evening. I tipped her 20% because I thought she deserved it, not because that was the “proper” percentage.
I did a little calculating and thought the readers would be interested.
Assuming a waitstaff person works 4 p.m. - 12 a.m. and serves until 11 p.m., has on average three tables per hour (more during “dinner,” less during late evening and 4-6 p.m.), has an average table bill of $35, and is tipped 15%, at the end of the night they received $121 in additional earnings. After tipping out the bus staff and bartender say 10% each, they still take home an average of $13 an hour above their sub-minimum wage. For waitstaff to complain about not making enough money, think about that; tips and wages combined they make over $15 an hour. On average.
Rick did do the waitstaffers justice by pointing out the minimum amount and tipping on the before discount or before comp amounts.
Put the numbers to it and realize that if they perform adequately, and diners tip appropriately at 15%, waiters and waitresses are making pretty good money.
I used to work in food service and the waitstaff would complain in one breath about the poor tips, but in another brag about how they took home $80-$150 a night in tips (that was back in 1986). So don’t cry to me about waitstaff making sub-minimum and relying on tips to survive. That is true, but not as sorry a situation as these articles made it out to be.
David L. Moore • TC
Thursday, September 28, 2006
Letter 9/28/06
Letters
Unfair to dove hunters
His article in the Sept 21-27 Northern Express Weekly made it obvious that Robert Downes #1, isn’t a hunter; #2, is against hunting; and #3, wrote an article without getting the true facts. He had no input from any hunting group in defense of dove hunting. Where is the fairness there? His word useage was biased and used in such description to upset the public against hunting. Using terms such as “feathers will fly,“ “under the gun,“ and using “killed“ instead of “harvested,“ “easy kills, easy targets and practically sitting ducks“ showed his bias and ignorance on dove hunting.
And Julie Baker’s (from the Committee to Restore the Dove Hunting Ban) comparing the symbolism of shooting doves to burning the U.S. flag. Shame on her for that comment. And her comment stating, “The majority of hunters in Michigan are opposed to hunting doves,“ I find unbeliveable. There may be some that won’t hunt doves but aren’t opposed to ones that want to hunt doves. And her statement that, “When we travel around the state speaking out against dovehunting, a lot of sportsmen join us.” They‘re not truely sportsmen if they join up with her. Sorry, Robert & Julie, you can fool some of the people sometimes. I know most people will see the onesidedness of his article and the inaccuracies and will let their feelings be known.
Howard Parker • via email
I Object, part II
I found David Halperin’s letter, “I Object,“ amusing, but the responses to his letter have been absolutely hilarious! They have confirmed everything he was poking fun at.
Judith Albers • TC
(Halperin wrote a satirical letter about people objecting to the use of TC‘s Open Space and some readers missed the point. -- ed.)
Tips for Rick
Recently I came across Rick Coates’s article, “Tips on Tipping,“ and as a person who has worked in and out of the of service industry for the past 10 years, it intrigued me. He stated many good points regarding tipping percentages, service standards, and other key etiquette protocols for both guests and workers within the industry. However, I walked away feeling as though he was merely appeasing service workers with his opening paragraphs to get to his bigger point, as he stated to those in the industry to “Shape up.”
He continues by saying, “Great service is available everywhere, regardless of the community,” which is in response to those who excuse their efforts by saying this is not Chicago or New York, where supposedly the service is better and with a smile? I have patronized many of our local establishments on multiple occasions and rarely experience “below average” service as he states. Admittedly, there have been many times where the service has been average, but there have also been many times where the service has been above average.
However, by stating the service industry has “resorted to the goal of average service” is like saying journalism has resorted to those same standards by not looking at the whole picture. Later, he provides his “reasons” for such inadequate service such as “high turn-over rates, lack of training programs, and server attitudes,” and continues with his suggestions for servers on how to “earn” their tip, assuming they just expect it. In the past and the present, I have had the pleasure of working with many professional people whose main goal is quite contrary to what Mr. Coates assumes.
Although, those reasons do occur much like any other industry, I have to wonder if Mr. Coates has ever worked in the service industry before. If so, he would know it can be demanding at times, too.
Granted, no work is being taken home at night, but what about the guest who comes in 15-30 minutes after their reservation time without calling? Or the guest that wanted a reservation that wasn’t available, and comes in at that time anyway expecting to be accommodated. Or the guest that sits at the table way beyond the completion of their meal even when people are standing at the door. Or the guest that finally orders after sitting for about a half an hour or the one that wants their food immediately upon arrival.
Many aspects affect the spacing of tables and consequently, the overall flow of service within any establishment. As servers, you try to make each experience a great one for every guest, and would say it is the responsibility of the guests as well as the workers within the industry to raise the standards.
So, yes, Mr. Coates, “no one intends on giving bad service,” just like no one intends on providing bad journalism, but, thankfully, you still “earn” your wage.
Kelly Blair • Lake Ann
His article in the Sept 21-27 Northern Express Weekly made it obvious that Robert Downes #1, isn’t a hunter; #2, is against hunting; and #3, wrote an article without getting the true facts. He had no input from any hunting group in defense of dove hunting. Where is the fairness there? His word useage was biased and used in such description to upset the public against hunting. Using terms such as “feathers will fly,“ “under the gun,“ and using “killed“ instead of “harvested,“ “easy kills, easy targets and practically sitting ducks“ showed his bias and ignorance on dove hunting.
And Julie Baker’s (from the Committee to Restore the Dove Hunting Ban) comparing the symbolism of shooting doves to burning the U.S. flag. Shame on her for that comment. And her comment stating, “The majority of hunters in Michigan are opposed to hunting doves,“ I find unbeliveable. There may be some that won’t hunt doves but aren’t opposed to ones that want to hunt doves. And her statement that, “When we travel around the state speaking out against dovehunting, a lot of sportsmen join us.” They‘re not truely sportsmen if they join up with her. Sorry, Robert & Julie, you can fool some of the people sometimes. I know most people will see the onesidedness of his article and the inaccuracies and will let their feelings be known.
Howard Parker • via email
I Object, part II
I found David Halperin’s letter, “I Object,“ amusing, but the responses to his letter have been absolutely hilarious! They have confirmed everything he was poking fun at.
Judith Albers • TC
(Halperin wrote a satirical letter about people objecting to the use of TC‘s Open Space and some readers missed the point. -- ed.)
Tips for Rick
Recently I came across Rick Coates’s article, “Tips on Tipping,“ and as a person who has worked in and out of the of service industry for the past 10 years, it intrigued me. He stated many good points regarding tipping percentages, service standards, and other key etiquette protocols for both guests and workers within the industry. However, I walked away feeling as though he was merely appeasing service workers with his opening paragraphs to get to his bigger point, as he stated to those in the industry to “Shape up.”
He continues by saying, “Great service is available everywhere, regardless of the community,” which is in response to those who excuse their efforts by saying this is not Chicago or New York, where supposedly the service is better and with a smile? I have patronized many of our local establishments on multiple occasions and rarely experience “below average” service as he states. Admittedly, there have been many times where the service has been average, but there have also been many times where the service has been above average.
However, by stating the service industry has “resorted to the goal of average service” is like saying journalism has resorted to those same standards by not looking at the whole picture. Later, he provides his “reasons” for such inadequate service such as “high turn-over rates, lack of training programs, and server attitudes,” and continues with his suggestions for servers on how to “earn” their tip, assuming they just expect it. In the past and the present, I have had the pleasure of working with many professional people whose main goal is quite contrary to what Mr. Coates assumes.
Although, those reasons do occur much like any other industry, I have to wonder if Mr. Coates has ever worked in the service industry before. If so, he would know it can be demanding at times, too.
Granted, no work is being taken home at night, but what about the guest who comes in 15-30 minutes after their reservation time without calling? Or the guest that wanted a reservation that wasn’t available, and comes in at that time anyway expecting to be accommodated. Or the guest that sits at the table way beyond the completion of their meal even when people are standing at the door. Or the guest that finally orders after sitting for about a half an hour or the one that wants their food immediately upon arrival.
Many aspects affect the spacing of tables and consequently, the overall flow of service within any establishment. As servers, you try to make each experience a great one for every guest, and would say it is the responsibility of the guests as well as the workers within the industry to raise the standards.
So, yes, Mr. Coates, “no one intends on giving bad service,” just like no one intends on providing bad journalism, but, thankfully, you still “earn” your wage.
Kelly Blair • Lake Ann
Thursday, September 21, 2006
Letters 9/21/06
Letters
Lost opportunity
I enjoyed your article, “Real Diversity,” in last week’s Northern Express. Your sentence, “The Christian music Cloverfest produced some strange bedfellows,” really made me laugh. As a 54-year-old, I did feel that I might be a bit out of place as an attendee at a hip-hop-techno-house music event, but I went anyway out of curiosity.
I live in Traverse City, and went to the CloverFest on Saturday and Sunday. It’s a real shame that the community missed this event for whatever reason or reasons. Saturday’s weather with its rain and Miami-like humidity and heat would have ruined the day even for the Cherry Festival, I think. That’s no excuse for a thin crowd on Sunday, though.
One of the real highlights of CloverFest for me was an area they had set up called the “Audio Lab.” Participants were welcome to try out a variety of professional quality recording software programs on computers. As I’m interested in home recording, this was a rare treat. Though the emphasis was on house music production, anyone with an interest in computers and music recording would have enjoyed being in on that, and it was all free. Sadly, I think that when anything is offered for free, the public often perceives it as either having no value, or that there must be a “catch” (the cheese is always free in a mousetrap).
I’ve been a steady Northern Express reader for several years, and always look forward to the next issue. Thanks.
Hillar Bergman • TC
I enjoyed your article, “Real Diversity,” in last week’s Northern Express. Your sentence, “The Christian music Cloverfest produced some strange bedfellows,” really made me laugh. As a 54-year-old, I did feel that I might be a bit out of place as an attendee at a hip-hop-techno-house music event, but I went anyway out of curiosity.
I live in Traverse City, and went to the CloverFest on Saturday and Sunday. It’s a real shame that the community missed this event for whatever reason or reasons. Saturday’s weather with its rain and Miami-like humidity and heat would have ruined the day even for the Cherry Festival, I think. That’s no excuse for a thin crowd on Sunday, though.
One of the real highlights of CloverFest for me was an area they had set up called the “Audio Lab.” Participants were welcome to try out a variety of professional quality recording software programs on computers. As I’m interested in home recording, this was a rare treat. Though the emphasis was on house music production, anyone with an interest in computers and music recording would have enjoyed being in on that, and it was all free. Sadly, I think that when anything is offered for free, the public often perceives it as either having no value, or that there must be a “catch” (the cheese is always free in a mousetrap).
I’ve been a steady Northern Express reader for several years, and always look forward to the next issue. Thanks.
Hillar Bergman • TC
Thursday, September 14, 2006
Letters 9/14/06
Letters
Zoo a big loss
We just got back to our hometown (Ann Arbor) after a brief visit to the Manistee Forest, Traverse City and a few places in between. Our sole purpose in visiting your fair city was my desire to again visit the Clinch Park Zoo. I was saddened to learn that it will be closing within days and that many of the animals have already left.
Shame on you, Traverse City!!
Shame that you could not reach an agreement on keeping the zoo afloat -- possibly even at the planned new Nature Education Center.
To me, the embodiment of a nature center is the flora and fauna that make it up. Truly seeing wildlife in the wild is most thrilling. However, many animals can be so elusive in the wild that for many people, young and old, only a captive viewing is within their reach. The fact that the Clinch Park animals have already been placed in different environments needn’t deter any plans for including wildlife as part of the new Nature Education Center. Life in the wild is hard. It seems to me there will always be animals who can’t quite make it out there for one reason or another. Just ask the wildlife rehabilitators throughout Michigan.
I truly hope that your city can find the resources to have a wildlife park such as the Clinch Park Zoo that I’ve always enjoyed on our visits to Traverse City. I very much like the fact that the animals are all part of our State.
Put it to a vote.
Ann Fulmer • Ann Arbor
Object lesson
In response to Dave Halperin’s letter “I Object,” which finds fault with the Open Space being used for the following:
Christian music and dance festivals:
Okay, that makes sense, not everybody is a Christian; perhaps gatherings with religious preference should be held somewhere besides public property.
-- The Cherry Festival:
I can only assume that Dave is not from
Traverse City.
-- Film festivals (specifically “Dr Strangelove” and “Pee Wee’s Big Adventure”):
Well... it’s a film festival and his Dr. Strangelove is a contemporary work of art produced by Stanley Kubrick, and “Pee-Wee” is fun, if... you have a sense of humor.
-- Ocean liners:
Boats offend you? Fine. But whether they park at the open space or not they’re still on the water and consuming oil. Why not mention the fact that the roads are packed all summer long with SUVs, etc. I wonder how many miles Dave Halperin drives every day?
-- Bare footed kite flyers:
Okay, now the points made earlier in your letter are losing their validation. If not for flying kites, what is a park for? Are you serious?
-- Skateboarders:
A controversial subject for many years, I personally enjoy watching skate boarders maneuver and challenge themselves against varying environments.
-- Hot dog vendors:
If you don’t like hot dogs, don’t buy them. If you do like hot dogs...make sure you get some onions and mustard.
-- Folk guitar players:
Stop and listen, you never know who might be playing. It might be the next Leo Kottke you’re hearing.
My advice to Dave Halperin:
It’s called culture! You’re not teaching your kids to be diligent; you’re teaching them to be judgmental.
If you can’t relax, have fun, and relate with what Traverse City is about...Move.
Nick Raffaele • TC
We just got back to our hometown (Ann Arbor) after a brief visit to the Manistee Forest, Traverse City and a few places in between. Our sole purpose in visiting your fair city was my desire to again visit the Clinch Park Zoo. I was saddened to learn that it will be closing within days and that many of the animals have already left.
Shame on you, Traverse City!!
Shame that you could not reach an agreement on keeping the zoo afloat -- possibly even at the planned new Nature Education Center.
To me, the embodiment of a nature center is the flora and fauna that make it up. Truly seeing wildlife in the wild is most thrilling. However, many animals can be so elusive in the wild that for many people, young and old, only a captive viewing is within their reach. The fact that the Clinch Park animals have already been placed in different environments needn’t deter any plans for including wildlife as part of the new Nature Education Center. Life in the wild is hard. It seems to me there will always be animals who can’t quite make it out there for one reason or another. Just ask the wildlife rehabilitators throughout Michigan.
I truly hope that your city can find the resources to have a wildlife park such as the Clinch Park Zoo that I’ve always enjoyed on our visits to Traverse City. I very much like the fact that the animals are all part of our State.
Put it to a vote.
Ann Fulmer • Ann Arbor
Object lesson
In response to Dave Halperin’s letter “I Object,” which finds fault with the Open Space being used for the following:
Christian music and dance festivals:
Okay, that makes sense, not everybody is a Christian; perhaps gatherings with religious preference should be held somewhere besides public property.
-- The Cherry Festival:
I can only assume that Dave is not from
Traverse City.
-- Film festivals (specifically “Dr Strangelove” and “Pee Wee’s Big Adventure”):
Well... it’s a film festival and his Dr. Strangelove is a contemporary work of art produced by Stanley Kubrick, and “Pee-Wee” is fun, if... you have a sense of humor.
-- Ocean liners:
Boats offend you? Fine. But whether they park at the open space or not they’re still on the water and consuming oil. Why not mention the fact that the roads are packed all summer long with SUVs, etc. I wonder how many miles Dave Halperin drives every day?
-- Bare footed kite flyers:
Okay, now the points made earlier in your letter are losing their validation. If not for flying kites, what is a park for? Are you serious?
-- Skateboarders:
A controversial subject for many years, I personally enjoy watching skate boarders maneuver and challenge themselves against varying environments.
-- Hot dog vendors:
If you don’t like hot dogs, don’t buy them. If you do like hot dogs...make sure you get some onions and mustard.
-- Folk guitar players:
Stop and listen, you never know who might be playing. It might be the next Leo Kottke you’re hearing.
My advice to Dave Halperin:
It’s called culture! You’re not teaching your kids to be diligent; you’re teaching them to be judgmental.
If you can’t relax, have fun, and relate with what Traverse City is about...Move.
Nick Raffaele • TC
Thursday, September 7, 2006
Letters 9/7/0 6
Letters
Grayling‘s theme park
I have a few questions for those involved in the possibility of a “theme park” being built south of Grayling. Why? Why, when there are automotive and automotive-related manufacturing facilities going bankrupt and being closed down on practically a daily basis here in Michigan?
Tear down one of those old plants and build it there. Maybe where one of them is located near a metropolitan area with a population base that would provide workers AND people to buy tickets to attend the “theme park.”
Why build it out in the middle of nowhere, where land and animal habitat have to be destroyed for the sake of a few? Soon, it will be possible that only a few people are going to be able to afford to put gas in their car to drive to the theme park. Not that I would want the people of the area to be denied of more “seasonal employment,” but does it really make economic sense? Are those living in the area willing to cough up the cash to (along with the rest of the state’s resident’s, i.e. corporate welfare) and provide the necessary state and federal subsidies that will be required for the new infrastructure?
Are you prepared for the inevitable onslaught of additional development, traffic? Think of the town of Dundee, post-Cabela’s (a huge sporting goods store south of Ann Arbor - ed.); it’s like a three-ring circus. Why ruin such a great natural area that currently brings plenty of tourism? If people want to live where there is more than enough of failed development, come on down here to lower Michigan!
Michael Bonnell • Novi
Leave playgrounds alone
This has nothing to do with any article I’ve seen in the Express, lately, but there should be something said about playground safety. I just read a report on Fox News, about the huge push for safety on our playgrounds. Now, I’m for safety, but to what expense. These people are instilling a fear in children to the point that they no longer have any childhood initiative to push the envelope.
I find a huge problem with this in the fact that our nation is facing severe childhood obesity problems. We blame it on internet, TV, and video games, but lets look at these people that are convincing our kids that physical activity is dangerous. This is nuts!
They the people of the United States are killing the risk takers in their youth and squashing the hopes of a future generation. Don’t take away dodge ball, don’t ban tag, not everyone is a winner all the time.
Could you imagine if Lance Armstrong quit riding his bike the first time he fell off it. Or Michael Jordan, the first time he got elbowed in the nose on a childhood playground basketball court, he went home crying to Momma and took up a life of chess instead. No, these people learned the rights and wrongs early and those were life long lessons. Gosh, it hurts to turn my bike to sharp or if I don’t learn to move, my nose will pay.
Bottom line, let’s get back to parenting, leave the playground alone and teach our kids to be active and responsible instead of a bunch of sheltered blobs afraid to leave the safety and security of the overly-padded house.
Joe Deater • Lake Ann
I have a few questions for those involved in the possibility of a “theme park” being built south of Grayling. Why? Why, when there are automotive and automotive-related manufacturing facilities going bankrupt and being closed down on practically a daily basis here in Michigan?
Tear down one of those old plants and build it there. Maybe where one of them is located near a metropolitan area with a population base that would provide workers AND people to buy tickets to attend the “theme park.”
Why build it out in the middle of nowhere, where land and animal habitat have to be destroyed for the sake of a few? Soon, it will be possible that only a few people are going to be able to afford to put gas in their car to drive to the theme park. Not that I would want the people of the area to be denied of more “seasonal employment,” but does it really make economic sense? Are those living in the area willing to cough up the cash to (along with the rest of the state’s resident’s, i.e. corporate welfare) and provide the necessary state and federal subsidies that will be required for the new infrastructure?
Are you prepared for the inevitable onslaught of additional development, traffic? Think of the town of Dundee, post-Cabela’s (a huge sporting goods store south of Ann Arbor - ed.); it’s like a three-ring circus. Why ruin such a great natural area that currently brings plenty of tourism? If people want to live where there is more than enough of failed development, come on down here to lower Michigan!
Michael Bonnell • Novi
Leave playgrounds alone
This has nothing to do with any article I’ve seen in the Express, lately, but there should be something said about playground safety. I just read a report on Fox News, about the huge push for safety on our playgrounds. Now, I’m for safety, but to what expense. These people are instilling a fear in children to the point that they no longer have any childhood initiative to push the envelope.
I find a huge problem with this in the fact that our nation is facing severe childhood obesity problems. We blame it on internet, TV, and video games, but lets look at these people that are convincing our kids that physical activity is dangerous. This is nuts!
They the people of the United States are killing the risk takers in their youth and squashing the hopes of a future generation. Don’t take away dodge ball, don’t ban tag, not everyone is a winner all the time.
Could you imagine if Lance Armstrong quit riding his bike the first time he fell off it. Or Michael Jordan, the first time he got elbowed in the nose on a childhood playground basketball court, he went home crying to Momma and took up a life of chess instead. No, these people learned the rights and wrongs early and those were life long lessons. Gosh, it hurts to turn my bike to sharp or if I don’t learn to move, my nose will pay.
Bottom line, let’s get back to parenting, leave the playground alone and teach our kids to be active and responsible instead of a bunch of sheltered blobs afraid to leave the safety and security of the overly-padded house.
Joe Deater • Lake Ann
Thursday, August 31, 2006
Letters 8/31/06
Letters
I Object
I object to using Traverse City‘s Open Space as the site of a free Christian music and dance party. Why should my tax dollars support a veiled attempt to rob me and my children of their birth religion? What’s next, Baptism Bash on the shores of West Bay?
I also object to the use of the Open Space as an outlet for the anti-war diatribe movie, “Dr. Strangelove,” shown at this year’s film festival. A large portion of my tax dollars fund what this movie mocks. Then you have the Open Space showing of “Pee-wee’s Big Adventure.” Is Traverse City trying to become the home of the American Androgynist Society?
I object to the Open Space being the venue for a festival which showers embarrassing attention on a fruit. Why not hold Cherry Festival rites on a cherry farm and save us tax payers some money on Open Space upkeep?
I object to gas-guzzling ocean liners docked next to Open Space.
What kind of message are we sending by this display of excess at a time when we should be cutting our dependence on oil? Motor boats should be banned from docking next to the Open Space to promote the common good.
I object to bare-footed kite flyer’s frolicking around the Open Space on windy days with their heads in the sky. I am trying to teach my kids lessons about hard work and diligence. What they see, if they venture to the Open Space without my permission, are unrealistic displays of post-hippie love and freedom, on land my tax dollars support; that’s the kicker.
I am not going to even address the skate boarders, the hot dog roasters and folk guitar players. Space is limited.
David Halperin • TC
Goose Lake daze
Remember Goose Lake? Hell yes! I was inadvertently put in the position of becoming the poster boy after the event. The Sunday Free Press magazine put me on the cover. The article was somewhat of a slam at the hippie free-love movement. The tales to be told from that wonderful event might be a good book to read.
As you can see from the photo, it was in 1970. As Drew Abbott has said, “If you remember too much you probably were not there.”
Thanks for the great thoughts you awakened on that wonderful year. Peace, Man.
Jerry Aydlott, Sacred Sparks
East Jordan
Bad behavior
I always enjoy reading Random Thoughts, and I appreciate your analysis of the state of music festivals (8/17).
When you ask, “Does anyone remember the Goose Lake Festival of 1971?”, I have to admit, I remember it a little differently than you... but then, all of our memories are probably a little... umm...”hazy”. In my mind, I was thinking that it was in 1970, just the next summer after Woodstock, and that Joe Cocker actually didn’t show up.
I was just a small-town 18-year-old, awed by the amount of bad behavior. Not just hard-drug use, but also groups of bikers forcing their attention on unwilling girls and stealing other attendees‘ stuff at will.
Great music, but a crazy experience.
Bob Mittendorf • TC
(Thanks Bob -- not to mention the many people walking around the campground stark naked. Times sure have changed. -- R.D.)
I object to using Traverse City‘s Open Space as the site of a free Christian music and dance party. Why should my tax dollars support a veiled attempt to rob me and my children of their birth religion? What’s next, Baptism Bash on the shores of West Bay?
I also object to the use of the Open Space as an outlet for the anti-war diatribe movie, “Dr. Strangelove,” shown at this year’s film festival. A large portion of my tax dollars fund what this movie mocks. Then you have the Open Space showing of “Pee-wee’s Big Adventure.” Is Traverse City trying to become the home of the American Androgynist Society?
I object to the Open Space being the venue for a festival which showers embarrassing attention on a fruit. Why not hold Cherry Festival rites on a cherry farm and save us tax payers some money on Open Space upkeep?
I object to gas-guzzling ocean liners docked next to Open Space.
What kind of message are we sending by this display of excess at a time when we should be cutting our dependence on oil? Motor boats should be banned from docking next to the Open Space to promote the common good.
I object to bare-footed kite flyer’s frolicking around the Open Space on windy days with their heads in the sky. I am trying to teach my kids lessons about hard work and diligence. What they see, if they venture to the Open Space without my permission, are unrealistic displays of post-hippie love and freedom, on land my tax dollars support; that’s the kicker.
I am not going to even address the skate boarders, the hot dog roasters and folk guitar players. Space is limited.
David Halperin • TC
Goose Lake daze
Remember Goose Lake? Hell yes! I was inadvertently put in the position of becoming the poster boy after the event. The Sunday Free Press magazine put me on the cover. The article was somewhat of a slam at the hippie free-love movement. The tales to be told from that wonderful event might be a good book to read.
As you can see from the photo, it was in 1970. As Drew Abbott has said, “If you remember too much you probably were not there.”
Thanks for the great thoughts you awakened on that wonderful year. Peace, Man.
Jerry Aydlott, Sacred Sparks
East Jordan
Bad behavior
I always enjoy reading Random Thoughts, and I appreciate your analysis of the state of music festivals (8/17).
When you ask, “Does anyone remember the Goose Lake Festival of 1971?”, I have to admit, I remember it a little differently than you... but then, all of our memories are probably a little... umm...”hazy”. In my mind, I was thinking that it was in 1970, just the next summer after Woodstock, and that Joe Cocker actually didn’t show up.
I was just a small-town 18-year-old, awed by the amount of bad behavior. Not just hard-drug use, but also groups of bikers forcing their attention on unwilling girls and stealing other attendees‘ stuff at will.
Great music, but a crazy experience.
Bob Mittendorf • TC
(Thanks Bob -- not to mention the many people walking around the campground stark naked. Times sure have changed. -- R.D.)
Thursday, August 24, 2006
Letters 8/24/06
Letters
Role of the press
I am dismayed at the petition drive attempting to change the journalistic and editorial approach of the Record-Eagle. For all the denials about there not being a “Good Old Boys” network, this petition leaves just that impression.
The role of media in society is to report on issues affecting the community. As Patricia Kelly Vanneque stated in a recent Record- Eagle letter to the editor, “...print is the most important form of news because of its ability to tell the entire story no matter how involved or messy.”
Things have gotten messy for some of the “Good Old Boys,“ so let’s blame the messenger?
I think the Record-Eagle has done an outstanding job in digging for the truth and reporting its findings. Yes, they’ve been critical of some community leaders but it’s been deserved.
When you seek elected office or serve on a board, it’s your duty to act responsibly, accept consequences, and when you don’t, be open about your actions and understand that if you choose to be secretive, then we’re liable not to trust – or vote – for you or the issue you’re promoting. Have faith in your community and trust that it’s wise enough to sort through the facts they report and draw the proper conclusions.
Barb Mort • TC
Reasons to rock
I am a 28-year-old. In his 8/17 Random Thoughts column Robert Downes said that young people may not attend concerts en masse because they are used to being entertained at home. I have more to add to that.
I took band in elementary school, had music class in seventh and eighth grades, I have been to five concerts, gone to local bars a few times when bands were there, attended a few open mics, have been to dance clubs on two continents, have stopped by Bliss, and the Suttons Bay Jazz Fest. I have heard local jazz musicians, and folksingers, as well as random performances at coffee shops and street fairs.
I am just nonplussed by music; as you can see I have given it a try.
From what I have read, youth today feel isolated. Why? Suburban life, entertainment, and being alone often. Perhaps we don’t feel the same that the people of the ‘60s-‘70s did: that we are on the cusp of change, or that we are the ones that will change things, etc., and seek out large groups of our fellow youth/world changers to reaffirm that feeling.
I have to say that having people of various ages at a music venue hasn‘t ever turned me off to the scene/vibe.
Do I plan to go to the two concerts coming to town? Yes. To listen to music, expose myself to new bands or types of music I am not that familiar with? No. I go because I like groups of people, seeing so many in our area, when at other times of the year I can be the only person on the street in the middle of downtown, seems a surreal contrast. The same occurs at Cherry Fest, Film Fest and Friday Night Live.
Corina Rick • TC
(Thanks Corina, and thanks to reader John Hanasack for reminding me that the Goose Lake Pop Festival was in 1970, not 1971 as I had written. -- R.D.)
I am dismayed at the petition drive attempting to change the journalistic and editorial approach of the Record-Eagle. For all the denials about there not being a “Good Old Boys” network, this petition leaves just that impression.
The role of media in society is to report on issues affecting the community. As Patricia Kelly Vanneque stated in a recent Record- Eagle letter to the editor, “...print is the most important form of news because of its ability to tell the entire story no matter how involved or messy.”
Things have gotten messy for some of the “Good Old Boys,“ so let’s blame the messenger?
I think the Record-Eagle has done an outstanding job in digging for the truth and reporting its findings. Yes, they’ve been critical of some community leaders but it’s been deserved.
When you seek elected office or serve on a board, it’s your duty to act responsibly, accept consequences, and when you don’t, be open about your actions and understand that if you choose to be secretive, then we’re liable not to trust – or vote – for you or the issue you’re promoting. Have faith in your community and trust that it’s wise enough to sort through the facts they report and draw the proper conclusions.
Barb Mort • TC
Reasons to rock
I am a 28-year-old. In his 8/17 Random Thoughts column Robert Downes said that young people may not attend concerts en masse because they are used to being entertained at home. I have more to add to that.
I took band in elementary school, had music class in seventh and eighth grades, I have been to five concerts, gone to local bars a few times when bands were there, attended a few open mics, have been to dance clubs on two continents, have stopped by Bliss, and the Suttons Bay Jazz Fest. I have heard local jazz musicians, and folksingers, as well as random performances at coffee shops and street fairs.
I am just nonplussed by music; as you can see I have given it a try.
From what I have read, youth today feel isolated. Why? Suburban life, entertainment, and being alone often. Perhaps we don’t feel the same that the people of the ‘60s-‘70s did: that we are on the cusp of change, or that we are the ones that will change things, etc., and seek out large groups of our fellow youth/world changers to reaffirm that feeling.
I have to say that having people of various ages at a music venue hasn‘t ever turned me off to the scene/vibe.
Do I plan to go to the two concerts coming to town? Yes. To listen to music, expose myself to new bands or types of music I am not that familiar with? No. I go because I like groups of people, seeing so many in our area, when at other times of the year I can be the only person on the street in the middle of downtown, seems a surreal contrast. The same occurs at Cherry Fest, Film Fest and Friday Night Live.
Corina Rick • TC
(Thanks Corina, and thanks to reader John Hanasack for reminding me that the Goose Lake Pop Festival was in 1970, not 1971 as I had written. -- R.D.)
Thursday, August 17, 2006
Letter8/17/06
Letters
An error in judgment
I remember several years ago, 1997, when the skinheads planned to come to town to hold a music festival. In response, Hate-Free TC was born and, along with it, the wonderful idea of a Unity Festival - a musical festival for the entire Traverse City area, to show our unity and respect for the diversity we embrace.
The skinheads wanted national attention, which they got. That is why they planned their concert during the Cherry Festival. The Unity Fest was held in the City Opera House. It was a great success! And Hate-Free TC is still a part of Traverse City. We hope to keep Traverse City that way- free of hate.
So now there will be a three-day Christian concert, raising money for the Catholic schools. There will be singing and Bible study, and lay teen ministry 12 hours a day. This event will take place on the public property referred to as the Open Space.
The particular cause is not the issue- but is this open and welcoming to everyone? Will all our residents and visitors feel comfortable and welcomed? What about the atheists, the liberal Christian, Baptists, Jews, Muslins, Buddhists, etc.?
As TC lawyer Pete Doren said, “if you let Mr. A play his guitar in a park, you are going to have to let Mr. B play his guitar in a park, even if you do not like his music.”
Does that mean that the next time the skinheads want to come to town, they can play music in our Open Space instead of a cornfield?
This is a sad time for Traverse City. Let us in the future act with more forethought and consciousness, respecting our great diversity.
Please note that the Unitarian Universalist Social Justice and Action Committee will be showing a video about the hidden agendas of some of these Christian concerts becoming popular around the country. That event will be Friday Oct. 13 at 7 p.m. at the UU on Center Road, Mission Peninsula.
Emmy Lou Cholak • TC
I remember several years ago, 1997, when the skinheads planned to come to town to hold a music festival. In response, Hate-Free TC was born and, along with it, the wonderful idea of a Unity Festival - a musical festival for the entire Traverse City area, to show our unity and respect for the diversity we embrace.
The skinheads wanted national attention, which they got. That is why they planned their concert during the Cherry Festival. The Unity Fest was held in the City Opera House. It was a great success! And Hate-Free TC is still a part of Traverse City. We hope to keep Traverse City that way- free of hate.
So now there will be a three-day Christian concert, raising money for the Catholic schools. There will be singing and Bible study, and lay teen ministry 12 hours a day. This event will take place on the public property referred to as the Open Space.
The particular cause is not the issue- but is this open and welcoming to everyone? Will all our residents and visitors feel comfortable and welcomed? What about the atheists, the liberal Christian, Baptists, Jews, Muslins, Buddhists, etc.?
As TC lawyer Pete Doren said, “if you let Mr. A play his guitar in a park, you are going to have to let Mr. B play his guitar in a park, even if you do not like his music.”
Does that mean that the next time the skinheads want to come to town, they can play music in our Open Space instead of a cornfield?
This is a sad time for Traverse City. Let us in the future act with more forethought and consciousness, respecting our great diversity.
Please note that the Unitarian Universalist Social Justice and Action Committee will be showing a video about the hidden agendas of some of these Christian concerts becoming popular around the country. That event will be Friday Oct. 13 at 7 p.m. at the UU on Center Road, Mission Peninsula.
Emmy Lou Cholak • TC
Thursday, August 10, 2006
Letters 8/10/06
Letters
Praise for Record-Eagle
I read the item by Anne Stanton (“The Battle Goes On for Opponents of Local Daily) in the 27-July issue. Ross Childs sound like one of the “old guard” who is getting his or his cronies‘ ox gored.
I am familiar with several papers around Michigan and the U.S., and it is very clear to me - and to everyone that I know who actually reads it -- that the Traverse City Record-Eagle is among the very best anywhere.
It is objective in its coverage - regardless of what the far-right and the anti-tax crazies and the fundamentalists say -- but of course that is their usual rant about anything not backing their extreme viewpoints. The R-E’s columns cover the spectrum of political opinions, and the editorials are almost always factual and to the point. I don’t always 100% agree, but they are well thought-out and worth reading.
The Record-Eagle does really good investigative reporting on many issues that should be considered of significance and importance and general interest to people living in this area. The recent series on the almost certain conflict of interest that big money causes with a local politician is an excellent example.
People should look closely at just WHO is writing the criticisms of the Record-Eagle and weigh the credibility of the criticisms against the probable self interests of the writers.
James W. Alstrom
Bear Lake / Onekama
Keep digging
After reading Anne Stanton‘s column (7/27) I think Ross Childs should call Karl Rove. He is full of nasty ideas! I‘m sure Rove could come up with one of these to stop the Record-Eagle.
No matter if the stories are true, let‘s not offend the powerful. I only hope the Record-Eagle keeps digging. If your nose is clean, no one can hurt you.
Mary Coon • Lake Ann
Drugged drivers beware
Okay folks, if like me, you think the Michigan Supreme Court ruling on drugged driving, June 21, stinks to high heaven, now is your chance to do something about it! HB6311 has been introduced by Rep. Lamar Lemmons III (State District 3) to counteract this ruling.
To refresh your mind, the court ruled that the way the current law reads, a person with any trace of THC (the active agent in marijuana - ed.) in their body can be arrested and convicted whether they are impaired or not.
This is our time to do something about it, but it will only happen if YOU spread the word about HB6311, and call your Michigan House of Representatives member today, right now, asking him or her to support it. You can also call your State Senator and ask them to write a companion bill to HB6311.
Finally, before you vote this year, demand to know where the local, state and federal candidates personally stand on the issue of medical marijuana, then make your choice accordingly.
Currently, 80% of Michigan registered voters support medical marijuana, and yet we still have no state-wide protection against arrest and conviction of those of us who use this God-created plant responsibly as our medicine of choice. This will only change when 80% get involved and make their collective voices heard both locally and state-wide!
Rev. Steven B.Thompson
Benzonia
I read the item by Anne Stanton (“The Battle Goes On for Opponents of Local Daily) in the 27-July issue. Ross Childs sound like one of the “old guard” who is getting his or his cronies‘ ox gored.
I am familiar with several papers around Michigan and the U.S., and it is very clear to me - and to everyone that I know who actually reads it -- that the Traverse City Record-Eagle is among the very best anywhere.
It is objective in its coverage - regardless of what the far-right and the anti-tax crazies and the fundamentalists say -- but of course that is their usual rant about anything not backing their extreme viewpoints. The R-E’s columns cover the spectrum of political opinions, and the editorials are almost always factual and to the point. I don’t always 100% agree, but they are well thought-out and worth reading.
The Record-Eagle does really good investigative reporting on many issues that should be considered of significance and importance and general interest to people living in this area. The recent series on the almost certain conflict of interest that big money causes with a local politician is an excellent example.
People should look closely at just WHO is writing the criticisms of the Record-Eagle and weigh the credibility of the criticisms against the probable self interests of the writers.
James W. Alstrom
Bear Lake / Onekama
Keep digging
After reading Anne Stanton‘s column (7/27) I think Ross Childs should call Karl Rove. He is full of nasty ideas! I‘m sure Rove could come up with one of these to stop the Record-Eagle.
No matter if the stories are true, let‘s not offend the powerful. I only hope the Record-Eagle keeps digging. If your nose is clean, no one can hurt you.
Mary Coon • Lake Ann
Drugged drivers beware
Okay folks, if like me, you think the Michigan Supreme Court ruling on drugged driving, June 21, stinks to high heaven, now is your chance to do something about it! HB6311 has been introduced by Rep. Lamar Lemmons III (State District 3) to counteract this ruling.
To refresh your mind, the court ruled that the way the current law reads, a person with any trace of THC (the active agent in marijuana - ed.) in their body can be arrested and convicted whether they are impaired or not.
This is our time to do something about it, but it will only happen if YOU spread the word about HB6311, and call your Michigan House of Representatives member today, right now, asking him or her to support it. You can also call your State Senator and ask them to write a companion bill to HB6311.
Finally, before you vote this year, demand to know where the local, state and federal candidates personally stand on the issue of medical marijuana, then make your choice accordingly.
Currently, 80% of Michigan registered voters support medical marijuana, and yet we still have no state-wide protection against arrest and conviction of those of us who use this God-created plant responsibly as our medicine of choice. This will only change when 80% get involved and make their collective voices heard both locally and state-wide!
Rev. Steven B.Thompson
Benzonia
Thursday, August 3, 2006
Letters 8/03/06
Letters
Sen. Allen & big tobacco
State Sen. Jason Allen’s secret financial accounts are extremely troubling, especially given his ties with tobacco interests. While several other states now require all bars and restaurants to be smoke-free, Sen. Allen, as chair of the Commerce & Labor Committee, has refused to even allow a vote on a bill to ban smoking in Michigan restaurants.
In light of the fact that tobacco interests, and the Michigan Restaurant Association, each gave Sen. Allen at least $1,000 during 2005 (and possibly more money in 2006), it is easy to believe that there is some connection between these donations and the senator’s refusal to allow this potentially anti-tobacco vote to occur. One way to remove all doubt would be for Sen. Allen to allow this vote.
Perhaps feeling the heat, Sen. Allen recently stated that tobacco interests have not “bought” his vote, but rather that he has refused to hold a vote because “... he was opposed to regulation of businesses, and ... the [smoking ban] issue was handled best at the local level.” (Petoskey News-Review, 6/29/06. Emphasis added).
If Sen. Allen honestly feels that smoking bans are best handled at the local level, then he should vigorously promote legislation to rescind Michigan’s tobacco-friendly pre-emption law, in order to restore local control.
With the recent U.S. Surgeon General’s report emphasizing the importance of smoke-free bars & restaurants, the timing could not be better.
Sen. Allen, you can eliminate all doubt about whether the tobacco industry is buying your influence by actively promoting the elimination of Michigan’s pre-emption law. Doing this will definitely make Big Tobacco unhappy, but will allow Michigan’s local units of government to give the gift of healthy air to all the workers and patrons who spend time in restaurants and bars. Whose well-being do you value more?
Kenyon Stebbins, PhD (Medical Anthropologist)•Harbor Springs
Making things right
“Finding a Safe Passage,” the Express cover story (7/20), tells how northwestern Michigan volunteers travel to Guatemala with hands-on aid for the “garbage dump scavengers,” mostly children. These are the victims of 40 years U.S.-initiated and supported military dictatorships that fostered 250,000 killings, illegal land confiscation, and general oppression of the Mayan peasant peoples.
It began in l954, with the CIA overthrow of the democratically elected government of President Jacobo Arbenz. Four U.S. fighter planes with U.S. pilots and trained mercenaries carried out the coup. From then on a long list of U.S. officials put their stamp of approval and sometimes involvement in the bloody trail of revolving dictatorships. This list includes Secretary of State John Foster Dulles, the U.S. Information Agency, officials in U.S. Embassy in Guatemala, the School of Americas at Fort Benning, GA. among others. Under the guise of anti-communism U.S. policy often worked to protect the interests of the United Fruit Company.
A l998, four-volume report by “The Project for the Recovery of Historical Memory,” found that 89.7 of deaths in the period were attributed to the military and their surrogates (death squads, civil patrols, police military) and 4.8 percent ascribed to guerrillas.
Readers can follow the story in: “Through a Glass Darkly: the U.S. Holocaust in Central America,” by Thomas R. Melville, Orbis Press, 2005, or “Bitter Fruit: The Untold Story of the American Coup in Guatemala,” Anchor Press: Double Day, l982
Whether intentionally or not, efforts like “Safe Passage” are a gift of U.S. citizen-based reparation for the atrocities committed by certain factions of our U.S. government against the people of Guatemala and Central America.
Tom Shea • TC
State Sen. Jason Allen’s secret financial accounts are extremely troubling, especially given his ties with tobacco interests. While several other states now require all bars and restaurants to be smoke-free, Sen. Allen, as chair of the Commerce & Labor Committee, has refused to even allow a vote on a bill to ban smoking in Michigan restaurants.
In light of the fact that tobacco interests, and the Michigan Restaurant Association, each gave Sen. Allen at least $1,000 during 2005 (and possibly more money in 2006), it is easy to believe that there is some connection between these donations and the senator’s refusal to allow this potentially anti-tobacco vote to occur. One way to remove all doubt would be for Sen. Allen to allow this vote.
Perhaps feeling the heat, Sen. Allen recently stated that tobacco interests have not “bought” his vote, but rather that he has refused to hold a vote because “... he was opposed to regulation of businesses, and ... the [smoking ban] issue was handled best at the local level.” (Petoskey News-Review, 6/29/06. Emphasis added).
If Sen. Allen honestly feels that smoking bans are best handled at the local level, then he should vigorously promote legislation to rescind Michigan’s tobacco-friendly pre-emption law, in order to restore local control.
With the recent U.S. Surgeon General’s report emphasizing the importance of smoke-free bars & restaurants, the timing could not be better.
Sen. Allen, you can eliminate all doubt about whether the tobacco industry is buying your influence by actively promoting the elimination of Michigan’s pre-emption law. Doing this will definitely make Big Tobacco unhappy, but will allow Michigan’s local units of government to give the gift of healthy air to all the workers and patrons who spend time in restaurants and bars. Whose well-being do you value more?
Kenyon Stebbins, PhD (Medical Anthropologist)•Harbor Springs
Making things right
“Finding a Safe Passage,” the Express cover story (7/20), tells how northwestern Michigan volunteers travel to Guatemala with hands-on aid for the “garbage dump scavengers,” mostly children. These are the victims of 40 years U.S.-initiated and supported military dictatorships that fostered 250,000 killings, illegal land confiscation, and general oppression of the Mayan peasant peoples.
It began in l954, with the CIA overthrow of the democratically elected government of President Jacobo Arbenz. Four U.S. fighter planes with U.S. pilots and trained mercenaries carried out the coup. From then on a long list of U.S. officials put their stamp of approval and sometimes involvement in the bloody trail of revolving dictatorships. This list includes Secretary of State John Foster Dulles, the U.S. Information Agency, officials in U.S. Embassy in Guatemala, the School of Americas at Fort Benning, GA. among others. Under the guise of anti-communism U.S. policy often worked to protect the interests of the United Fruit Company.
A l998, four-volume report by “The Project for the Recovery of Historical Memory,” found that 89.7 of deaths in the period were attributed to the military and their surrogates (death squads, civil patrols, police military) and 4.8 percent ascribed to guerrillas.
Readers can follow the story in: “Through a Glass Darkly: the U.S. Holocaust in Central America,” by Thomas R. Melville, Orbis Press, 2005, or “Bitter Fruit: The Untold Story of the American Coup in Guatemala,” Anchor Press: Double Day, l982
Whether intentionally or not, efforts like “Safe Passage” are a gift of U.S. citizen-based reparation for the atrocities committed by certain factions of our U.S. government against the people of Guatemala and Central America.
Tom Shea • TC
Thursday, July 27, 2006
Letters 7/27/06
Letters
Get the facts straight
In response to the letter submitted by Jim Carruthers last week, I find it funny that it is called “Just the Facts“ as Mr. Carruthers clearly doesn’t have his facts straight.
As president of the Downtown Traverse City Association (DTCA), I would like to set the facts straight. The DTCA is NOT organized by the Downtown Development Authority (DDA). The DTCA is a membership organization guided by its own elected board of directors.
I don’t know where Mr. Carruthers came up with the 20% number, but all of the members of the DTCA pay taxes in Traverse City. I may live outside the city limits but I have two businesses in downtown Traverse City and own property. I am not able to vote in the city election but I AM a taxpayer. With my small retail business, I pay close to $15,000 in taxes. With this investment, I have the right to voice my support for this project.
I worry about the future of our downtown and work hard in my position not only for the sake of my own business but for all of downtown. This project is the right project at the right time providing the connections, parking, clean up and housing this end of town needs. Without a thriving downtown, there will be no neighborhoods.
There is NO special interest, just concerned business members of this community who know that having a vital downtown is in all of our (special) interest.
And finally, supporters of this project say that NO NEW TAXES will be incurred to the residents of this community.
I am disappointed and frustrated that this project has had so much misinformation reported by the opposition and the media. Please look at the facts: www.citizensfortc.com. Support downtown Traverse City and VOTE YES on City Proposal 1 - August 8.
Leisa Eckerle Hankins
My Favorite Things -- TC
Must be an optimist
The story “Unlimited Loopholes in Campaign Financing“ (June 22) confirmed my suspicions! Thanks to Anne Stanton’s superb reporting every thinking voter is better prepared for the coming elections.
Unworried about having scads of money, I plan to be the best volunteer possible in my community. By phone, on foot or conversing over coffee, I will promote my trustworthy women politicos: Governor Jennifer Granholm and U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow. Both are extremely competent and work diligently to improve the future of Michigan and our nation. Both are fearlessly standing firm for true democratic principles - including justice and liberty for women.
I must be an optimist because I see signs of citizens sick of elections being rigged by cooperate money-baggers and conscienceless media moguls. The vigilance of wide-awake voters - determined to bring back a healthy democracy - is alive and kicking!
M.E.Barrett • Glen Arbor
Full of loopholes
Duane Marcotte’s letter of 7/13 thanked the “great leadership by the DDA” in making a great downtown. I agree that they have made a difference in its appearance and vitality. However, I cannot agree with his push for the West Front Street Project.
This is not pushing healthy growth from competitive bidders. It is certainly full of loopholes to benefit the developer and his Federated Properties. Lets hear more about “the rest of the story.”
Karen Culp • TC
He‘s no rabble-rouser
I just read you piece on the Film Festival controversy in last week’s edition (re: Random Thoughts, 7/20). I want to thank you for including it in your paper. I was frankly surprised because this seemed to be a story that was being “protected” by the Film Festival. It needed to be reported and you are to be commended for doing so.
I have to disagree with your description of Bruce Peterson being the local rabble-rouser. That is a total misrepresentation of Bruce and also the email that he sent out. I think passion and dedication should not be confused with rabble-rouser. That misinterpretation is soooooooooo Bush-like.
Marilyn Bagdonas • via email
In response to the letter submitted by Jim Carruthers last week, I find it funny that it is called “Just the Facts“ as Mr. Carruthers clearly doesn’t have his facts straight.
As president of the Downtown Traverse City Association (DTCA), I would like to set the facts straight. The DTCA is NOT organized by the Downtown Development Authority (DDA). The DTCA is a membership organization guided by its own elected board of directors.
I don’t know where Mr. Carruthers came up with the 20% number, but all of the members of the DTCA pay taxes in Traverse City. I may live outside the city limits but I have two businesses in downtown Traverse City and own property. I am not able to vote in the city election but I AM a taxpayer. With my small retail business, I pay close to $15,000 in taxes. With this investment, I have the right to voice my support for this project.
I worry about the future of our downtown and work hard in my position not only for the sake of my own business but for all of downtown. This project is the right project at the right time providing the connections, parking, clean up and housing this end of town needs. Without a thriving downtown, there will be no neighborhoods.
There is NO special interest, just concerned business members of this community who know that having a vital downtown is in all of our (special) interest.
And finally, supporters of this project say that NO NEW TAXES will be incurred to the residents of this community.
I am disappointed and frustrated that this project has had so much misinformation reported by the opposition and the media. Please look at the facts: www.citizensfortc.com. Support downtown Traverse City and VOTE YES on City Proposal 1 - August 8.
Leisa Eckerle Hankins
My Favorite Things -- TC
Must be an optimist
The story “Unlimited Loopholes in Campaign Financing“ (June 22) confirmed my suspicions! Thanks to Anne Stanton’s superb reporting every thinking voter is better prepared for the coming elections.
Unworried about having scads of money, I plan to be the best volunteer possible in my community. By phone, on foot or conversing over coffee, I will promote my trustworthy women politicos: Governor Jennifer Granholm and U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow. Both are extremely competent and work diligently to improve the future of Michigan and our nation. Both are fearlessly standing firm for true democratic principles - including justice and liberty for women.
I must be an optimist because I see signs of citizens sick of elections being rigged by cooperate money-baggers and conscienceless media moguls. The vigilance of wide-awake voters - determined to bring back a healthy democracy - is alive and kicking!
M.E.Barrett • Glen Arbor
Full of loopholes
Duane Marcotte’s letter of 7/13 thanked the “great leadership by the DDA” in making a great downtown. I agree that they have made a difference in its appearance and vitality. However, I cannot agree with his push for the West Front Street Project.
This is not pushing healthy growth from competitive bidders. It is certainly full of loopholes to benefit the developer and his Federated Properties. Lets hear more about “the rest of the story.”
Karen Culp • TC
He‘s no rabble-rouser
I just read you piece on the Film Festival controversy in last week’s edition (re: Random Thoughts, 7/20). I want to thank you for including it in your paper. I was frankly surprised because this seemed to be a story that was being “protected” by the Film Festival. It needed to be reported and you are to be commended for doing so.
I have to disagree with your description of Bruce Peterson being the local rabble-rouser. That is a total misrepresentation of Bruce and also the email that he sent out. I think passion and dedication should not be confused with rabble-rouser. That misinterpretation is soooooooooo Bush-like.
Marilyn Bagdonas • via email
Thursday, July 20, 2006
Letters 7/20/06
Letters
My drug experience
I was reading your first piece about the lady addicted to drugs, and must say you have done a fantastic job with a very difficult subject. (re: “A Mother, A Daughter & a Drug Dealer,“ 7/13)
From my own personal experience addicted to methamphetamines -- over 20 years ago now -- I can say it is one of the most devastating experiences one can go through. The problem is that you just don’t realize what you are doing to yourself, and to your loved ones.
The high is incredible, and the lifestyle, as portrayed in your piece, is oftentimes exciting. I never got to the ‘glamorous’ part of it, instead hitting rock bottom real hard after staying up for a solid week with no food -- I made one of my friends take me to a hotel so I could escape the paranoia that was overwhelming. One of the many fringe ‘benefits’ of any drug -- the come down.
Pure hell.
I think Johnny Cash said it best, and I paraphrase -- “People take drugs because they make you feel good.” And he is right -- as sad as it is to say, a speed high is one of the most euphoric and amazing things I have ever ‘done,’ and I saw a lot of folks in my day who were not only addicted, like I was, but who ended up losing everything -- wives, cars, houses, all of it. I saw the wife of one of my friends leave him and hook up with the dealer man, a very common occurrence it would seem. She wanted the dope, and when her husband ran out... of everything, she left.
After a year-and-a-half long addiction, I finally got myself off the garbage, but it took a full six months to get back to “normal.” Everything was wrong, the world did not look right, and it felt as if I was moving through some alternate reality and then it eventually wore off and I felt normal again, the way I felt before the drugs.
Since then, I think I have done it two, maybe three times, but fortunately there was never enough around to get hooked hard again.
I was very fortunate, but I can say, and you already know -- too many are not, and are forever lost to a life only addiction can bring. Thank you for writing this, the folks need to know.
-- name withheld
(Part II of Anne Stanton‘s story continues in this issue. -- ed.)
Just the FACTS
It’s funny how supporters keep telling us that the parking deck on West Front Street will not use tax money. The FACTS are that TIF or Tax Increment Financing will pay for the deck, which is diverted tax money. We also know that Brownfield Redevelopment funds will be used which are tax moneys for environmental clean-up. Seventy-five percent of this project is being paid for with public money.
The FACTS are, public money is tax money. How can they keep saying no tax moneys will be used? This is just not true.
It is also funny that the Downtown Traverse City Association (DTCA), a group of downtown business owners organized by the Downtown Development Authority (DDA) unanimously support the parking deck project while the FACTS are clear (from the DDA themselves) that less than 20% of the DTCA members are voting Traverse City residents. The rest live outside the City limits. Is this not special interest or what?
Vote No Deck on City Proposal 1 - August 8.
Jim Carruthers • TC
I was reading your first piece about the lady addicted to drugs, and must say you have done a fantastic job with a very difficult subject. (re: “A Mother, A Daughter & a Drug Dealer,“ 7/13)
From my own personal experience addicted to methamphetamines -- over 20 years ago now -- I can say it is one of the most devastating experiences one can go through. The problem is that you just don’t realize what you are doing to yourself, and to your loved ones.
The high is incredible, and the lifestyle, as portrayed in your piece, is oftentimes exciting. I never got to the ‘glamorous’ part of it, instead hitting rock bottom real hard after staying up for a solid week with no food -- I made one of my friends take me to a hotel so I could escape the paranoia that was overwhelming. One of the many fringe ‘benefits’ of any drug -- the come down.
Pure hell.
I think Johnny Cash said it best, and I paraphrase -- “People take drugs because they make you feel good.” And he is right -- as sad as it is to say, a speed high is one of the most euphoric and amazing things I have ever ‘done,’ and I saw a lot of folks in my day who were not only addicted, like I was, but who ended up losing everything -- wives, cars, houses, all of it. I saw the wife of one of my friends leave him and hook up with the dealer man, a very common occurrence it would seem. She wanted the dope, and when her husband ran out... of everything, she left.
After a year-and-a-half long addiction, I finally got myself off the garbage, but it took a full six months to get back to “normal.” Everything was wrong, the world did not look right, and it felt as if I was moving through some alternate reality and then it eventually wore off and I felt normal again, the way I felt before the drugs.
Since then, I think I have done it two, maybe three times, but fortunately there was never enough around to get hooked hard again.
I was very fortunate, but I can say, and you already know -- too many are not, and are forever lost to a life only addiction can bring. Thank you for writing this, the folks need to know.
-- name withheld
(Part II of Anne Stanton‘s story continues in this issue. -- ed.)
Just the FACTS
It’s funny how supporters keep telling us that the parking deck on West Front Street will not use tax money. The FACTS are that TIF or Tax Increment Financing will pay for the deck, which is diverted tax money. We also know that Brownfield Redevelopment funds will be used which are tax moneys for environmental clean-up. Seventy-five percent of this project is being paid for with public money.
The FACTS are, public money is tax money. How can they keep saying no tax moneys will be used? This is just not true.
It is also funny that the Downtown Traverse City Association (DTCA), a group of downtown business owners organized by the Downtown Development Authority (DDA) unanimously support the parking deck project while the FACTS are clear (from the DDA themselves) that less than 20% of the DTCA members are voting Traverse City residents. The rest live outside the City limits. Is this not special interest or what?
Vote No Deck on City Proposal 1 - August 8.
Jim Carruthers • TC
Thursday, July 13, 2006
Letters 7/13/06
Letters
Go multilingual
Having lived and worked in a variety of countries where I didn’t necessarily master the native tongue, it was heartening to be consistently treated with respect despite my language barrier. I was never once made to feel a burden.
So when I read of efforts to deny immigrants the right to speak the language of their choice coming from people who are also critics of immigration, I can’t help but suspect a little creeping xenophobia.
When John Rohe, a man whom I respect for both his character and his writings, expresses fear that if we don’t limit the rights of immigrants we’ll end up, “....living in a nation with a permanent underclass of people that look and talk different than the rest, “ I can’t help but be concerned what truly motivates such thinking (re: Letters 7/6).
It’s clear to me how John wants to change the way people talk, but how and why would he care about the way people look?
And in the end, if John is really worried about an underclass, how in the face of billions of dollars being blown on unnecessary wars, graft in our nation’s capital, threats to our ecosystem - to which John writes so insightfully -- democracy for sale to the highest bidder, healthcare unavailable to 40 million citizens, the export of jobs, etc., etc., can John be seriously making the case that a multilingual society is a threat to self-governance when there are countless nations offering models of multilingual success?
Timothy Young • Empire
Ad sales strategy
I noticed with great interest that State Sen. Jason Allen included a piece of political advertising as an insert in the Monday Record-Eagle. How can this be?
Why, just last week Jason’s father Maurie wrote a blistering letter condemning the Eagle for daring to question Jason’s integrity. Maurie’s bitterness was so intense that he swore off advertising in the paper. In the prior week, Jason’s good friend Ross Childs also blasted the Eagle and encouraged the leaders of the community to abandon the paper until the paper conformed to the “Ross” style of journalism and cease their implications that Jason might have an ethical issue.
So why would Jason advertise in the Eagle? Maybe the Record-Eagle isn’t as bad as Maurie and Ross contend! Or maybe Jason simply uses his family and friends to front his dirty work all the while trying to keep his image lily white.
Maybe if the Northern Express spent more time investigating Jason, Jason might be willing to advertise more in the Express.
Jack Capehart • TC
Having lived and worked in a variety of countries where I didn’t necessarily master the native tongue, it was heartening to be consistently treated with respect despite my language barrier. I was never once made to feel a burden.
So when I read of efforts to deny immigrants the right to speak the language of their choice coming from people who are also critics of immigration, I can’t help but suspect a little creeping xenophobia.
When John Rohe, a man whom I respect for both his character and his writings, expresses fear that if we don’t limit the rights of immigrants we’ll end up, “....living in a nation with a permanent underclass of people that look and talk different than the rest, “ I can’t help but be concerned what truly motivates such thinking (re: Letters 7/6).
It’s clear to me how John wants to change the way people talk, but how and why would he care about the way people look?
And in the end, if John is really worried about an underclass, how in the face of billions of dollars being blown on unnecessary wars, graft in our nation’s capital, threats to our ecosystem - to which John writes so insightfully -- democracy for sale to the highest bidder, healthcare unavailable to 40 million citizens, the export of jobs, etc., etc., can John be seriously making the case that a multilingual society is a threat to self-governance when there are countless nations offering models of multilingual success?
Timothy Young • Empire
Ad sales strategy
I noticed with great interest that State Sen. Jason Allen included a piece of political advertising as an insert in the Monday Record-Eagle. How can this be?
Why, just last week Jason’s father Maurie wrote a blistering letter condemning the Eagle for daring to question Jason’s integrity. Maurie’s bitterness was so intense that he swore off advertising in the paper. In the prior week, Jason’s good friend Ross Childs also blasted the Eagle and encouraged the leaders of the community to abandon the paper until the paper conformed to the “Ross” style of journalism and cease their implications that Jason might have an ethical issue.
So why would Jason advertise in the Eagle? Maybe the Record-Eagle isn’t as bad as Maurie and Ross contend! Or maybe Jason simply uses his family and friends to front his dirty work all the while trying to keep his image lily white.
Maybe if the Northern Express spent more time investigating Jason, Jason might be willing to advertise more in the Express.
Jack Capehart • TC
Thursday, July 6, 2006
Letters 7/6/06
Letters
The dirt on DeVos
I wonder if people watching Dick DeVos’s political ads have noticed that he started running them in March, eight months before the election? He must have money to burn or is trying hard to brainwash the public. At least he has dropped the early ad about how he “rebuilt Grand Rapids” since, in fact, he did not do that. His dad and dad’s partner did it over 20 years ago.
People need to know more of the facts: In 1998 when Dick was head of Amway he cut 410 Michigan jobs at the Ada Michigan plant, but invested over $100 million from 1993 to 1998 in plants in China. In May 2000, DeVos cut another 900 jobs at Amway headquarters in Ada, Michigan, but invested another $120 million in China in 2003, increasing the Amway investment there to $220 million.
The October 22, 2004 Detroit Free Press stated “Because of DeVos’ decision to move the focus of the company from Michigan to Asia, Amway now admits it “considers itself an Asian company, with nearly 70% of its sales coming from the region.” Sounds like a type of outsourcing of our Michigan jobs to me, and I judge a man on what he has actually done, not what he says he might do. (Note that he has not told us of his actual plan to fix what ails Michigan; he is part of the problem, not the solution.)
He says in the ads that he would never move out of the state. No, instead he has moved our Michigan jobs and money out of the country. No matter how much money he has to spend on TV ads, the facts speak for themselves. He is not worthy of governing our state.
Evelyn Petersen • TC
Torch Fest finesse
I’ve read your article and would like to congratulate you for producing an accurate (from my perspective) and balanced piece of work (re: Rick Coates‘ “Torch Fest,” 6/29). In today’s “agenda driven” journalism, both print and media, it is refreshing to see work that provides information about both sides of an issue. Thank you for doing a good job!
Jack Graham • via email
Fan mail
Good to see Kenny Olson is actually playing again (re: Rick Coates‘ 6/22 interview.) To be frank, I was never able to sit through an entire Kid Rock song (song?), but then again you don’t have to go so far as to taste shit to know it’s shit.
Olson’s obvious skill still managed to seep through those banal lyrics somehow. For that he is to be commended.
By the way - Tell Coates he might want to take a few journalism coarses. That lengthy roller coaster analogy might have been clever to a 13-year-old, (hey, what do ya know? Kid Rock‘s audience!) but grown-ups expect a little more.
Oh, there’s more...
Carl Swanson • via email
(Rick says he‘ll get busy taking those “coarses.’ In the meantime, he passes on the news that Kid Rock will perform Saturday, Aug. 26 at Boyne Mountain. Tickets are now on sale. -- ed.)
I wonder if people watching Dick DeVos’s political ads have noticed that he started running them in March, eight months before the election? He must have money to burn or is trying hard to brainwash the public. At least he has dropped the early ad about how he “rebuilt Grand Rapids” since, in fact, he did not do that. His dad and dad’s partner did it over 20 years ago.
People need to know more of the facts: In 1998 when Dick was head of Amway he cut 410 Michigan jobs at the Ada Michigan plant, but invested over $100 million from 1993 to 1998 in plants in China. In May 2000, DeVos cut another 900 jobs at Amway headquarters in Ada, Michigan, but invested another $120 million in China in 2003, increasing the Amway investment there to $220 million.
The October 22, 2004 Detroit Free Press stated “Because of DeVos’ decision to move the focus of the company from Michigan to Asia, Amway now admits it “considers itself an Asian company, with nearly 70% of its sales coming from the region.” Sounds like a type of outsourcing of our Michigan jobs to me, and I judge a man on what he has actually done, not what he says he might do. (Note that he has not told us of his actual plan to fix what ails Michigan; he is part of the problem, not the solution.)
He says in the ads that he would never move out of the state. No, instead he has moved our Michigan jobs and money out of the country. No matter how much money he has to spend on TV ads, the facts speak for themselves. He is not worthy of governing our state.
Evelyn Petersen • TC
Torch Fest finesse
I’ve read your article and would like to congratulate you for producing an accurate (from my perspective) and balanced piece of work (re: Rick Coates‘ “Torch Fest,” 6/29). In today’s “agenda driven” journalism, both print and media, it is refreshing to see work that provides information about both sides of an issue. Thank you for doing a good job!
Jack Graham • via email
Fan mail
Good to see Kenny Olson is actually playing again (re: Rick Coates‘ 6/22 interview.) To be frank, I was never able to sit through an entire Kid Rock song (song?), but then again you don’t have to go so far as to taste shit to know it’s shit.
Olson’s obvious skill still managed to seep through those banal lyrics somehow. For that he is to be commended.
By the way - Tell Coates he might want to take a few journalism coarses. That lengthy roller coaster analogy might have been clever to a 13-year-old, (hey, what do ya know? Kid Rock‘s audience!) but grown-ups expect a little more.
Oh, there’s more...
Carl Swanson • via email
(Rick says he‘ll get busy taking those “coarses.’ In the meantime, he passes on the news that Kid Rock will perform Saturday, Aug. 26 at Boyne Mountain. Tickets are now on sale. -- ed.)
Thursday, June 29, 2006
Letters 6/29/06
Letters
Bad governors all around
As an Ohioan who spends summers in Michigan, I couldn’t help but take an interest in your upcoming governors race. I notice that, like Ohio, Michigan’s economy is struggling. Naturally, folks start to question state leadership when economic times get tough. However, the question must be asked, how much blame should be placed on business vs. the current powers-that-be, and what is the opposition offering as a viable alternative?
Our governor, Bob Taft, is widely considered the worst governor in America. Ohio has lost more jobs than any other state since 2000, with major layoffs at plants like GM in Dayton, for example. Democrat Ted Strickland is proposing to utilize Ohio’s corn farms to attract the ethanol industry as well as give incentives to Honda to build another plant in Ohio. Republican Ken Blackwell can’t seem to talk about anything but gay marriage. As in all things political, we must be careful what we wish for, lest it come true.
Jay Robertson • Dayton, Ohio
Hurrumph...
Wow! If I decide to start drinking I know where to move... I’ve been skimming your magazine for a year or so now, and it seems the folks that grace no small percentage of the Northern Express’ pages just love to pose with their alcohol! Yeah boy howdy! What exactly is the “Northern Scene”? Booze apparently. I can nearly hear the WOOOOO!!! of the pickled youngsters from here. Is everyone there still in high school or something?
Carl Swanson • Sault Ste. Marie
As an Ohioan who spends summers in Michigan, I couldn’t help but take an interest in your upcoming governors race. I notice that, like Ohio, Michigan’s economy is struggling. Naturally, folks start to question state leadership when economic times get tough. However, the question must be asked, how much blame should be placed on business vs. the current powers-that-be, and what is the opposition offering as a viable alternative?
Our governor, Bob Taft, is widely considered the worst governor in America. Ohio has lost more jobs than any other state since 2000, with major layoffs at plants like GM in Dayton, for example. Democrat Ted Strickland is proposing to utilize Ohio’s corn farms to attract the ethanol industry as well as give incentives to Honda to build another plant in Ohio. Republican Ken Blackwell can’t seem to talk about anything but gay marriage. As in all things political, we must be careful what we wish for, lest it come true.
Jay Robertson • Dayton, Ohio
Hurrumph...
Wow! If I decide to start drinking I know where to move... I’ve been skimming your magazine for a year or so now, and it seems the folks that grace no small percentage of the Northern Express’ pages just love to pose with their alcohol! Yeah boy howdy! What exactly is the “Northern Scene”? Booze apparently. I can nearly hear the WOOOOO!!! of the pickled youngsters from here. Is everyone there still in high school or something?
Carl Swanson • Sault Ste. Marie
©Copyright 2013 by Northern Express | Privacy Statement | Terms Of Use
