Opinion
Teaching our Real History
Spectator
By Stephen Tuttle | July 31, 2021
The Washington Post got it partially right: racism is a divisive issue in Traverse City. The “tearing the city apart” component was more than a little hyperbolic. Their recent article connected the appalling “slave trading” on social media undertaken by teenagers from local Traverse City Area Public Schools (TCAPS) to an equity resolution hurriedly produced by the school system. That was followed by overblown negative reactions of some parents. That resolution, now ... Read More >>
Here Here
Guest Opinion
By Cathye Williams | July 31, 2021
It’s fitting that Jeff Bezos and his fellow billionaires are contemplating life on other planets because they’re clearly not living on this one. You’d have to be living under a rock (or in an ivory tower) to ignore that devastating impacts of climate change are happening now — in many places, to many people. You can’t open a newspaper that isn’t talking about unprecedented heat, drought, fires, rains, floods, and more. ... Read More >>
Livin', Smokin', Drinkin' and Fishin'
Spectator
By Stephen Tuttle | July 24, 2021
The country seems to be devolving into near insanity with election deniers trying to delude us and anti-vaxxers trying to sicken us. It might be safer to look at things a little closer to home. Kudos to the Traverse City Housing Commission (TCHC) for their plan to help build 210 affordable apartment units out on LaFranier Road adjacent to the Bay Area Transportation Authority's (BATA) new headquarters and transfer station. Habitat for ... Read More >>
Apologizing in Advance, Just in Case
Guest Opinion
By Mary Keyes Rogers | July 24, 2021
Even in casual conversations, I find myself, and I bet you do too, presenting a cautiously crafted preamble meant to apologize in advance for anything that I might say in the next few sentences, which, although unintentional, might be considered insensitive to a microscopic slice of the population. Yes? Sometimes, I go on at such length covering my a** that I forget what I was even about to say. Each time I ... Read More >>
Another Depressing Campaign
Spectator
By Stephen Tuttle | July 17, 2021
The Republican campaign strategies for the 2022 midterm and 2024 presidential elections are now coming into sharper focus. They will push the notion that Democrats are in thrall to the extreme left and here, they say, is the proof: Democrats support CRT – Critical race theory (CRT) has suddenly become a hot-button issue at the national, state, and local levels. The theory holds that the U.S. was founded, and our laws created, ... Read More >>
The American Media Junk Diet
Guest Opinion
By Amy Kerr Hardin | July 17, 2021
America has an “info” structure problem, and it’s getting worse. People are getting their “news” from propaganda peddlers instead of serious journalists. We all know the type — devoted Fox viewers who couldn’t lay out a cogent policy position to save their lives yet remain convinced they are in possession of all the facts, as Sean Hannity flung at them like an angry chimp. Former President Barack Obama, who has experience with ... Read More >>
Freedom and Relationships
Guest Opinion
By Triston Cole | July 10, 2021
Freedom. Freedom of individual expression, personal choices, where we live and travel, what our home looks like, what kind of food we eat. Freedom to build relationships with decision-makers and vote. Freedom is the bedrock of our community, our state, and our country. This includes the freedom to agree and disagree on a variety of issues in a professional, adult fashion without being called or accused of being intolerant, racist, or hateful. ... Read More >>
Will This Bubble Burst?
Spectator
By Stephen Tuttle | July 10, 2021
There is a housing shortage, at all price points, locally and nationally. Materials needed to build housing are also in short supply, as are capable, skilled trades workers, a product of shutdowns during the height of the pandemic. With supply and demand in play, prices have been driven up at every level of the construction process. There is, however, no shortage of home buyers so the demand stays high in the ... Read More >>
Dishonoring our Country
Spectator
By Stephen Tuttle | July 3, 2021
We like to celebrate the Fourth of July though we typically do so superficially. We've all been taught the basics: unfair taxation from an oppressive absentee government, the Boston Tea Party, the Boston Massacre, Paul Revere, Lexington and Concord, Washington's ultimate victory, and the rest. It was bold, but, as we should have been taught, not nearly as inclusive as it promised, and the subsequent Constitution was intentionally exclusive. But neither ... Read More >>
Meaningful Public Dialogue Missing
Guest Opinion
By Fred Anderson | June 26, 2021
I continue to be concerned by the lack of meaningful dialogue with the public by several appointed Traverse City senior staff members and those involved in the planning and development process before major projects are approved. Recently, there has been a fast-paced effort to convert several publicly owned surface parking lots to more high-rise buildings under the guise of workforce housing. It looks as if these discussions occurred without any time or ... Read More >>
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