Letters

Call of the Wind

One sunlit and breezy summer day I had the pleasure of experiencing first-hand the beauty of what a wind farm could be.

Just off 115, south of Cadillac across rolling farmland not so unlike our own Benzie County, windmills stand in exquisite harmony with their surroundings. As I watched those marvels hard at their work it became clearer than ever; these are not things to fear or dread, for as in many manmade creations there is a gentle and artistic grace to them...

Features Erin Crowell

“It was a mad scramble,” Skiba said. “Chris ran to the tent and got the rifle. Me and the other cameraman, Jason, sprinted for the cameras and Casey kept calling the moose until he was just a hundred yards away.”

It was day 18 in the Alaskan wilderness and Trent Skiba was hungry. With only small rations of trail mix, granola bars and wild blueberries to tide over the Gaylord native and his group, all four men sat at their campsite—the second day since finishing the caribou, shot weeks before—and waited in the rain for hours, breaking sticks...

Letters

Welfare for the rich

One often sees in the media signs by the Tea Party calling Obama a socialist. Our socialistic policies began with the New Deal with its subsidies during bad economic times. Since then our economy has improved, but the subsidies continue to this day. For example, every $1 of profits earned by corn sweeteners costs consumers $10, and every $1 of profits earned by its ethanol operation costs taxpayers $30.

In 2011 the Tea Party was the reform party. Earmarks were blocked in the 2011 budget because the Tea Party insisted upon it. There is an Office of Congressional Ethics, the only independent watchdog ensuring that members live up to ethical rules because the Tea Party insisted upon it...

Letters

Saved by Obamacare

Over 60,000 Michigan young adults 26 and under are now back on their parents’ family coverage thanks to the Affordable Healthcare Act. This fall, Governor Snyder sought to exempt Michigan insurance companies from the Obamacare requirement that they spend at least 80 percent of the premiums collected on healthcare. Michigan was one of only 13 states seeking such an exemption.

The Obama administration fortunately denied Snyder’s request and an estimated 340,000 Michiganders will now be getting $89 million rebated from their insurance providers. Snyder argued that some private insurers (United Health, Assurant, Humana and American Enterprise) couldn’t survive on just 20 percent of your premiums for administrative costs (overhead and profit). Michigan actually asked that these insurers be approved to rake off 35 percent of your healthcare dollar...

Features Rick Coates Northern Michigan is rooted in Irish heritage. Just look at some of the county names: Antrim, Emmet, Wexford, Roscommon and Crawford all have Irish roots to them.

So this time of the year, our region is loaded with events that pay tribute to the people who settled this region in the late 1800’s. Here is an overview of events happening throughout Northern Michigan...

Letters

Man without a plan

Mitt and Ann Romney have five sons who have never served in the military but Mitt wants to expand the military budget. Mitt was of age during Vietnam but he didn’t serve either.

Since the Bush era, we have been in two wars, for what? Iraq isn’t fixed and the Afghanistan people have been fighting since well before Jesus was born and it’s never going to end until they end it themselves. Most times, the reason for going to war is to enable the manufacturers of munitions (and now services) to make money.

The Republicans have made it their mission to replace Obama. Not only is he a Democrat but he’s black. When you overhear someone in a crowd of very well-dressed, deck boat shoe-wearing, bling-dripping Americans say that he and his wife are just “uppity n____s,” it does not bode well for our country.

I really do want to see more tax returns from the Romneys. I’m also wondering whether the reason he’s not providing these returns is that he would owe more to his church for his tithe.

I don’t believe he’s a bad man, but he believes that he and his party can continue to climb to the top of the ladder on the backs of people who are trying desperately how to figure out how to feed their children or purchase their medications. Jobs for any American who wants to work would certainly be a welcome change, but I haven’t heard a plan from Mitt...

Letters

True meaning of MLK Day... Something about Paul J. Nepote’s letter lamenting the “hijacking” of Martin Luther King Day by the gay community seems a little disingenuous. It’s hard to tell if he’s attacking the gay community, the use of public funds for the celebration, or the holiday itself, but I did not find it to be in the spirit Dr. King’s life...

Racist rant... It’s too bad that Paul Nepote considers himself a viable voice for the African- American community, when it’s clear by his racist rant (Letters, 1-28-13) that nothing could be further from the truth. It’s too bad that anyone with a brain will see through his weak claim that “the majority of the black community do not support homosexuality...”

Sick of it... Is it just me or is everyone sick of hearing about Paul Nepote’s anti-Homosexual diatribes? And now he claims that the LGB&T movement has hijacked MLK day. Really? Ludicrous at best. Yes Mr. Nepote, you are entitled to your opinion, and I to mine...

Watch out for meddlers... While Barack Obama won the state of Michigan in November, Republicans successfully invested millions of dollars in local elections to impact policy decisions. Proposal 2, designed to guarantee collective bargaining rights, was defeated by a well-financed campaign...

Christian values violated... I found a copy of your publication on the break room table at work today. I was instantly upset and ashamed that you are proudly telling the story of the two homosexual men in Traverse City...

Features Rick Coates For the past 34 years Traverse City has hosted the annual St. Patrick’s Day Pub Crawl attracting not only locals but visitors from as far away as Petoskey. Now residents of Petoskey will have their own Pub Crawl this Friday, March 15 starting at 4 pm at Beards Brewery.

“I started discussing the idea with some of the bars and restaurants in Petoskey and they loved the idea,” said Charlie Ferguson, general manager of Northern Broadcasting.