Something is happening in the remote reaches of Kalkaska County that could have big implications for Northern Michigan.
If two Encana Corp. natural gas wells prove productive and profitable, they could be among the first of scores of deep shale fracking wells across the region.
Exposing duplicity
Northern Express’s fracking article portraying Don’t Frack Michigan’s JoAnne Beemon, both protesting and part of the press conference supporting the bills, exposes the duplicity of this group.
One may have the impression that Ms. Beemon of Don’t Frack Michigan (DFM) was there to protest the bills. That would be mistaken. Ms. Beemon was there to show support for the bills with DFM’s sign as a part of the press conference. After Rep. Mark Meadows’ team asked her to take it down as to not confuse the message, she did so...
Gov't not a business
Candidate Romney claims that his qualification for President is that he is a successful businessman. What he does not seem to understand is that government is not a business. A business produces products or services for a profit for its shareholders. A government provides services paid for with taxes collected from the citizens and businesses.
If the government were a business it could privatize the Defense Department. Following the Romney business tactic, the Pentagon Corporation could sell our surplus aircraft carriers to China, as Russia did. We do not need seven nuclear aircraft carrier task forces when no other country has more than one. We could level the playing field, sell off some of our ships and pass on the profits to the shareholders. That’s what businesses do.
If that meant laying off a lot of sailors, taking away their pensions and medical benefits and dumping them onto the distressed labor market, so be it. What matters to business is dividends for the shareholders.
Business thinks in terms of short term gains and quick profits. Governments think long term. It takes years to plan a bridge, for instance, and no private corporation is going to take that long range view...
Calling all women...
Women have struggled for the right to vote in 1920, for equal pay for equal work, equity in upper management jobs, the resources to care for their families, fairness in health insurance coverage, and the right to make our health care choices.
Today, with the problems confronting our nation: jobs, debt, education, wars, shrinking middle class, etc., the Republican Party has focused its priority on restricting, devaluing and disrespecting our health care choices and rights as women.
The GOP platform bans abortion in the case of incest or rape. VP candidate Paul Ryan sponsored the “personhood” amendment which would ban in-vitro fertilization and some birth control.
Romney/Ryan both support plans to prohibit all Planned Parenthood funding, such as cancer screenings or birth control...
A $50 million lawsuit filed on behalf of Knudsen’s estate describes the teenager’s harrowing last few moments alive...
Time for gun insurance... Guns are not toys. They are lethal weapons. Just as in order to drive my car it must be registered and insured and I need a valid license, a similar approach to guns should remind people that owning a lethal weapon is a serious responsibility. Instead of banning guns by type and magazine capacity, let’s require liability insurance and registration along with licenses to carry...
Incredible waste of water... A mind-boggling 21 million gallons of groundwater was mixed with toxic chemicals and used to frack State Excelsior well 3-25 HD1, located within the Mackinaw State Forest in Kalkaska County...Now showing at Northern Express Video Seen: Saving Michigan's Gray Wolves.
Seniors & taxes Regarding the 4/29 letter “Runaway Train.” What an entitlement attitude regarding senior taxes. I’d like to ask the question: When did the citizens of Michigan decide that the working folks could and would support retired individuals...
Disaster in Kalkaska Recently, the Canadian-based Encana corporation filed applications to drill 13 more gas/oil wells in Kalkaska County. The combined cumulative water estimated to hydraulically fracture these wells is in excess of 327,000,000 gallons. This water would be removed from the Manistee Watershed permanently, because the chemicals added to the water render it too toxic for any future use -- even for more hydraulic fracturing...
Solar & wind benefits People talk often about what wind turbines and solar panels are about. This is what they are not about -- gas explosions, oil spills, coal mining accidents, using millions of gallons of water laced with chemicals, some of which are carcinogenic...
Fracking giveaway There is a fracking gas/oil rush in Michigan because the state's DEQ and Office of Oil, Gas and Minerals give multinational energy corporations our fresh water for FREE and our state lands for pennies...
Need fracking moratorium Michigan citizens have recently been told that we possess a wealth of natural gas, and that the oil and gas industry will respect our environment in it’s production. The advertising campaign promoting “clean” natural gas in Michigan began appearing the same time residents of other states were reporting environmental problems with horizontal hydraulic fracturing, a.k.a. “fracking”...
Correction Last week's article on the new Uptown restaurant in TC included the wrong phone number. The correct number is 943-1344.Got Extra?
