Opinion

Election Hangover

Spectator

By Stephen Tuttle | Nov. 17, 2018

Well, that was sort of interesting. Let's try to make some sense of it.  Locally, there were no big surprises. Republicans we expected to win, did. Traverse City reiterated their opposition to tall buildings downtown; perhaps the City Commission will eventually take notice.   Democrat Betsy Coffia out-campaigned incumbent Republican Dan Lathrop in a Grand Traverse County Commission race. Incumbent Commissioner Tom Mair, who stayed true to his Green Party affiliation, garnered only ... Read More >>

A Family Reunion Gone Very Badly

Guest Column

By Mary Keyes Rogers | Nov. 17, 2018

When it came to my attention that my deadline for this column would coincide with the midterm elections, I figured my rage or joy would fuel my words. Hardly. Election day came, and then it went. Meh. Some wins, some losses. I am happy to see the U.S. House go blue, but I see more wave in Grand Traverse Bay than what went through Washington, D.C. this last week. I’m not feeling too inspired, ... Read More >>

“All persons ... ”

By Stephen Tuttle | Nov. 10, 2018

Well, that was unpleasant, wasn't it? Now that it's over we can go back to the airwaves full of prescription drug commercials.   We should, however, take a few minutes to consider one of the proposals made by President Donald Trump during the campaign. He promised plenty … but none of it could have been accomplished since Congress wasn't even in session. Most interesting was the notion proffered by Trump and other Republicans that ... Read More >>

Trump, Putin, and Xi Ponder Nuclear Strategy

By Jack Segal | Nov. 10, 2018

On October 20, the President announced our withdrawal from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty after the required six-month warning period. That move could either spell the beginning of an arms race or a sea change in global security.  The INF Treaty banned for the first time an entire category of nuclear-armed weapons.  Such weapons destabilized the nuclear balance when they were installed in Europe in the mid-1970’s, but through negotiation, the ... Read More >>

Running Scared?

Guest Column

By Christie Minervini | Nov. 3, 2018

Earlier this month, six of seven Republican candidates for the Grand Traverse County Commission abruptly pulled out of a public forum hosted by the League of Women Voters of the Grand Traverse Area (LWVGTA). While they expressed no qualm with the local organizers or their long history of fairness and nonpartisanship, they took issue with League of Women Voters (LWV) National CEO Virginia Kase's civil disobedience surrounding the Brett Kavanaugh hearings. Republican Gordie ... Read More >>

Republicans Deceiving Us (and other ho-hum developments)

Guest Column

By Mark Pontoni | Nov. 3, 2018

Keeping track of issues in a complex society can be an exhausting task.  With over 300 million Americans living under the authority of nearly countless levels of government, it is not hard to imagine why many citizens sit out voting…even in those rare places where Republicans aren’t trying to obstruct our rights to get to the polls.  Recent actions in Republican controlled states to make it harder to vote are even more ... Read More >>

Find a Reason

Spectator

By Stephen Tuttle | Oct. 29, 2018

Are you going to vote? Do you vote for someone or against their opponent?  We know how people claim they make voting decisions. We also know they might be fudging.  Almost everybody claims they vote for the person, not the party. Yet, more than 70 percent of voters cast ballots for candidates in a single party. Well, the candidates in that party best represent us. We vote a party line and deny ... Read More >>

Ballot Proposals — Easy as 1, 2, 3

Guest Column

By Amy Kerr Hardin | Oct. 27, 2018

Michigan voters have a once in a generation opportunity to send a strong message to Lansing next week. Three ballot proposals, each unique unto itself, and borne of their own sources, are to be determined through our electoral process. Compared to other states, Michigan’s ballot is actually an easy read. The number of proposals on a typical California ticket is cause enough to stick a finger in one’s eye. In each precinct ... Read More >>

Find a Reason

Spectator

By Stephen Tuttle | Oct. 27, 2018

Are you going to vote? Do you vote for someone or against their opponent?  We know how people claim they make voting decisions. We also know they might be fudging.   Almost everybody claims they vote for the person, not the party. Yet, more than 70 percent of voters cast ballots for candidates in a single party. Well, the candidates in that party best represent us. We vote a party line and deny it.  ... Read More >>

A Mile In Someone Else’s Boots

A response from Up North Pride

Oct. 20, 2018

On October 13, Northern Express ran a guest opinion column written by Thomas Kachadurian entitled “Get Your Boots On.” The piece alleges that the political left in the U.S. uses tools like political correctness, “safe zones,” and media campaigns to repress free speech and censor truth. As examples of the types of truths that are being repressed, Mr. Kachadurian pointed to the “true, scientific description of biological sex assignment” and that “male humans ... Read More >>