Stephen Tuttle | Author

Debunking Defunding

Aug. 1, 2020

“Defunding” the police means different things to different groups. For some, it is synonymous with reforming the police. For others it means a diversion of some funding, now used by law enforcement, for social and mental health workers. Still others hope for a Utopian future in … Read More >>

The Parties Are No Party

July 25, 2020

The Republican Party was born on March 20, 1854, in Ripon, Wisconsin. Their first presidential candidate was John C. Fremont, the first Republican elected president was Abraham Lincoln. Democrats got their start earlier, forming officially in 1828. Andrew Jackson was their first presidentia… Read More >>

A Health Experiment

July 18, 2020

There is near unanimity regarding getting kids back to school. We all know it's important on multiple levels.

We know in-person classrooms with on-the-spot individualized instruction is most effective. We know some children, especially those left out of the digi… Read More >>

QAnonsense

July 11, 2020

There is an ongoing conspiracy. Not just any conspiracy but one writ large in capital letters followed by exclamation points.

It seems several hundred, or thousand, government employees — members of the so-called deep state— are involved in a plot to… Read More >>

Endangering Us is Not a Right

July 4, 2020

We know a little but still don't know much.

We know, for example, our refusal to social distance or wear a mask in public spaces makes the spread worse. We know the states that refused to mandate those simple actions are now epicenters of surging infections.

Chickens Not Yet Hatched

June 27, 2020

They should just slow down and take a breath.

The Biden fans and the anti-Trumpers — they aren't necessarily the same — are all atwitter lately over President Trump's stumbling presidency. They see November hope everywhere, even believing the president's halting wa… Read More >>

A Repugnant Cause

June 20, 2020

It was a flag of treason waved by traitors. It's hard to see it any other way.

The Confederate battle flag is an endangered species headed for public extinction. The Navy, Marines, and even NASCAR have already banned its public display. Others will soon follow.

The Privilege of Assumption

June 13, 2020

George Floyd's grotesque killing wasn't the only reason for the explosion of anger. It was just the last spark on a fuse that's been burning a very long time.

We say we understand and we sympathize, then we focus on the small group lighting fires and looting. We call them name… Read More >>

Unprotected Speech and Secure Ballots

June 6, 2020

Apparently we have to go over a couple of related items. Again.

Your speech is not protected by the First Amendment on social media platforms. There is no widespread, short-spread, or any spread of fraud surrounding mail-in ballots.

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 2017… Read More >>

A Big Dam Problem

May 30, 2020

We have a serious dam problem.

There are about 90,000 dams in the United States. The number is sketchy because the U.S. government only operates and maintains 1,500 of them, and the rest are operated by the state or private entities. Most are at least 6… Read More >>

Half Right

May 23, 2020

Traverse City's City Commission and Downtown Development Authority (DDA) recently floated two ideas, and they're batting .500.

The suggestion to close two blocks of Front Street to vehicle traffic is a good one. If the long-term objective is to keep vehicles out of do… Read More >>

Who Are We Willing to Kill?

May 16, 2020

“Who's willing to die for liberty?” That's what one of the protesters in Lansing barked at the crowd.

It was the wrong question. The correct question is this: “Who are you willing to kill?”

Some 45 states already have plans t… Read More >>

Stretching the Threads

May 9, 2020

Our national togetherness apparently only went so far and lasted so long. Now the inevitable partisanship and ugly parochialism have invaded our best intentions.

When states hit hardest by Covid-19 asked a thus-far very generous Congress for some financial help, it di… Read More >>

(Almost) Nothing is Immune

May 2, 2020

Searching for topics not impacted by COVID-19 is almost impossible. It has consumed, or at least intruded into, virtually every corner of our lives.

Politics, nationally and mostly internationally, is all pandemic, all the time. Both China and Russia have used the opp… Read More >>

The Dumbest Protests

April 25, 2020

The First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution guarantees that Congress “ ... shall make no law abridging ... the right of the people peaceably to assemble ... ”

We've been exercising that right for a very long time. It could be reasonably argued such a pea… Read More >>

Praise and Blame

April 18, 2020

COVID-19 has created plenty of opportunities for both praise and blame. We've seen people at their best, some at their worst, and are daily reminded of how inefficient the federal government can be.

Let's start with deserved praise.

There are the fi… Read More >>

D.C. Mischief, TC Persistence

April 11, 2020

While the rest of us have been focused on the virus, mischief is being made in Washington, D.C. We shouldn't be surprised. Locally, Traverse City’s Downtown Development Authority wants to expand the size of a third proposed downtown parking deck though they can't yet finance it. … Read More >>

We're on Our Own

April 4, 2020

It's moving that everyday citizens here are doing so much to help the medical community fight COVID-19. People making masks on their home sewing machines, autobody repair shops donating masks, manufacturers using 3-D printers to make parts for face shields, and now, auto manufacturers tryin… Read More >>

Way Behind the Curve

March 28, 2020

Wars require a coordinated national strategy and a leader who's providing accurate information, encouragement and empathy. We have no such strategy, and no such leader.

The first case of COVID-19 we know of was diagnosed on Nov. 17, 2019, in China. They got around to telli… Read More >>

Other Issues

March 21, 2020

There are other issues.

While we've been out panic shopping — seriously, how many dozen eggs and giant cans of beef stew do we plan on using? — and wishing President Trump would lighten his makeup and step away from the microphone, Lake Michigan has still … Read More >>