Voter Guides Available for Aug. 3 Primary Election
With the Aug. 3 Primary Election just around the corner, the League of Women Voters Dearborn & Dearborn Heights (LWVDDH) wants all to know that Voter Guides for the upcoming Primary are available at their website, www.lwvddh.org
The guide from the nonpartisan LWVDDH is helpful because it covers Dearborn and Dearborn Heights candidates for the Michigan Legislature, U.S. Congressional Districts, Wayne County, the Wayne County Transit Authority millage and candidates for Michigan Governor.
Those interested in statewide races can access information through www.lwvmi.org
Hard copies of the Voter Guide may be obtained at the City Clerks’ Offices and city libraries. For more information, please call 313-278-6476.
July 25th, 2010 at 2:32 pm
I know this is totally irrelevant to the posted subject; but I thought it would give y’all a hoot. My Garbage Can Broke!!!! Did we get a warranty on these cans??? I have used it only twice. The metal pole on the front side fell out. I guess I don’t know why it was there in the first place–maybe to provide stability. When I got the can, I figured the wheels would be the first to go (they look pretty cheesy). I have tried to replace it–no luck–will try again. Guess I have to call the City and see what they have to say. Stay tuned–i will let you know.
July 25th, 2010 at 4:14 pm
I would like to add that they were blowing around in the street on Friday – I know it was a windy day but I thought that wasn’t supposed to happen.
July 25th, 2010 at 8:43 pm
My mom just got the smaller trash cans. Still over kill for one little Kroger’s bag of trash. She said it was not much different and just as difficult to handle.
July 26th, 2010 at 9:54 am
Thank you for the information on the up-coming election.
I guess that garbage cans are more important to the complainers of Dearborn than the people that will represent us on much more important matters.
July 26th, 2010 at 1:31 pm
cloe – I don’t think so, some of us knew who we wanted to vote for even before this was posted.
July 26th, 2010 at 3:08 pm
Can anyone tell me about the candidate the Freep endorsed? Steve Babkowski? Who is that?
July 26th, 2010 at 4:33 pm
Well, let me add to the garbage can saga. Our street has not been cleaned since Republic took over. If there are large items, they come the NEXT day and blow their horn if they need someone to move a car. Appartently, they do not pick up everything. We still have to rotting railroad ties in front of our house, which never has trash in front. We even sweep our own street and that of our neighbors. Now they are a good source of garbage conversation. Not complaining cloe, just find it funny. And don’t dare say a thing to the Mayor! He’ll be as rude as ever. BTW, love the headlines “residents adjusting to new trash cans”….or something like that in the P&G. Says who? Funny.
July 26th, 2010 at 6:44 pm
hey I seen a blue can that looks just like our green and gray ones on the curb somewhere, whats that for?
July 26th, 2010 at 7:00 pm
City’s answer – ‘we are still working out the kinks’.
July 26th, 2010 at 7:42 pm
Cloe,
I didn’t mean to create such a stir. I just found it ironic that I never complained about the new trash system, never bashed the City for their decision (I actually think it is quite progressive), but yet my can broke after only two uses. I only hope that I do not have to pay for a replacement as I did when my old recycle bin was stolen. I am, in fact, quite qeeked about the new recycle bin. There was a story on MPR the other day (of course, I didn’t hear the whole thing–If only I was in my car 24 hours a day), regarding single stream recycling. The jist of the story was that if we are vigilant about our recycling, up to 75% of normal household trash can be recycled. I have to tell you that my can was totally full the first time I put it out, and will probably be darn close this week. The story also featured single stream recycling in the City of Grand Rapids–oh if only we could be as progressive and proactive as they are!!! In Grand Rapids there is actually some sort of tag on your recycle bin that is read each time the bin is emptied. Citizens of Grand Rapids are rewarded, based on the amount that they recycle, with gift cards that can add up to $400.00 per year. On another note, in an effort to bring more transparency to city government, the treasurer of the City of Grand Rapids actually posts a copy of each check written by the City on line for all to see (also learned via MPR).
Regarding the upcoming primary elections–I truly believe that, unlike the general population, the majority of those who post on this blog plan to vote on August 3. I also believe that once again, unlike the general population, we are better informed, have done our homework, know what the issues are, know who the candidates are, and are aware of the subsequent impact that our vote carries.
That being said, here are my views on the upcoming primary.
Regarding the governers race–I wish I could vote in both the Republican and Democratic primary I obviously consider myself neither. I only wish that we could have the two strongest candidates running against each other. I wish that for once I was actually voting for someone, rather than against someone.
Regarding most of the local races, I find it somewhat hard to get too excited about most of them. The majority seem like incumbents running against some very weak opponents. In most cases, the incumbent will win, as they usually do, based soley on name recognition and the apathetic tendencies of most voters.
I feel that locally, it is the apethetic tendencies of most voters that could potentially have the most impact on our local city government. Potentially a new seat on the City Council could be opened up if one or two of the candidates advances to the election and wins the seat. I do realize that this is kind of like passing one kid from 8th grade to 9th grade–even though they may not have earned or deserved it. I am troubled by that; but that is the hand that we have been dealt. So, to me, it comes down to which seat do I most care about–the State Representative seat–or the local City Council seat?
Again, this comes back to understanding the subsequent impact of your vote.
July 27th, 2010 at 8:20 am
Sorry…the man who the Freep endorsed is named Dobkowski…can anyone tell me anything about this man? Who is he, what is his background….if you know him, please tell us something.
July 27th, 2010 at 8:46 am
It’s refreshing to see that at least the City of Grand Rapids has some “out of the box” thinkers in their leadership.
July 27th, 2010 at 9:59 am
Cornerstore – What a refreshing blog.
I agree with you. It is a shame that we have to vote for only one party in the primary election. I have voted in every election since I have been of voting age and, yes, it does seem that, sometimes, it is voting for the lessor of two evils.
I am going to go and pick up a voters guide from City Hall and really do cramming before the primary.
Everyone needs to get out and vote. It is a privilege that most countries don’t have.
July 27th, 2010 at 4:55 pm
I live in Westland, and we also have recycling bins where what you recycle adds up to points. These points can then be used for coupons, gift cards, or to donate to local charities.
July 28th, 2010 at 6:31 am
disanddat,
The blue trash containers you have seen were the ones used in the pilot area during the evaluation phase of the program. Most of those have been collected and replaced by the new gray ones, though there are still some out there in the pilot area. The blue ones are now being issued out to businesses that do not use dumpsters, so that they have a standardized pick up system as well, instead of placing trash directly on the ground for pickup.
July 28th, 2010 at 7:03 am
Lisa, I have heard of this … what company handles your recycling?
July 28th, 2010 at 10:56 am
Said or someone else -back to the election topic-Where does/has this Morris Hood III (who Polidori has a lawn sign for)said regarding Kwame Kilpatrick? I don’t want to cast my vote for a Kilpatrick cronie. Hoods like the Kilpatricks have been in area politics for generations.
July 29th, 2010 at 7:36 am
I’m copying my comment from the Wayne County Commission post a few weeks back, since nobody will likely see it and I can’t believe a would-be local government official is acting like this online:
Hey guys, noted former Democrat and political opportunist Scott Saionz called me a Marxist for questioning whether John Connolly should be representing the Republican point of view for the Press & Guide:
http://www.pressandguide.com/articles/2010/07/10/opinion/doc4c333f4c1d921217768191.txt#blogcomments
My grandparents would have been killed by Stalin if they hadn’t, as DPs in Europe after WWII, gotten a grant from the Tolstoy Foundation to come here. A Marxist is about the most insulting thing you can call me, and yet Scotty here did it without a second thought, presumably just to score points by defending his writing-skill-challenged political ally.
How’s that for connecting with your potential constituency, huh? I was undecided on the County Commission race, but will definitely be voting for Woronchak now. If nothing else, it demonstrates painfully clearly that Scotty can’t prioritize.
The funny thing is, when I wrote that comment originally, I had Scotty in mind as a possible candidate to replace Connolly. I mean, he’s an atrocious writer, but he’s better than Connolly at least. I’m starting to change my mind about that…
July 29th, 2010 at 10:33 pm
Read, read, read!!! I’ve been doing my homework for weeks regarding this election. Everyone needs to do their research AND think things through before making a decision. I see a lot of signs around for the state representative. I am concerned about lawn signs I see especially when the sign does not match what the homeowners say they want from government. That is very worriesome. This is so important, we do not vote for our friends like we did when we voted for prom king and queen. It’s quite disturbing but hopefully everyone makes the right choice.
July 30th, 2010 at 9:56 pm
I have to retract my previous statement: Scott Saionz is not a former Democrat. I was mistaken on that point. On the political opportunism charge, I have no evidence either way.
If anybody wants the text that I have of the exchange between us as background for your voting decision this November, please contact me. My contact information is easy to find online.
August 3rd, 2010 at 12:38 am
In February, Democrats promised the American people that by borrowing another $1 trillion to pay for their American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (the “stimulus” bill), national unemployment would peak below 8 percent and the economy would receive an immediate jolt. In reality, the “stimulus” bill has not worked as advertised and instead has led to more of the same from Democrats: record borrowing and government spending.
Deficits:
Through the first ten months of fiscal year 2009 the federal deficit is $1.3 trillion. CBO predicts that the FY 2009 deficit will reach a record $1.6 trillion, which is 3.5 times more than FY 2008’s record deficit of $458 billion.
Debt:
The total national debt is $11.6 trillion. Debt held by the public, which excludes intergovernmental debt and debt held in the Social Security Trust fund, is $7.3 trillion. The Office of Management and Budget predicts that the national debt will rapidly rise to $23.3 trillion by FY 2019 under the President’s budget. Treasury Secretary Geithner sent a letter on August 7, 2009, asking Congress to raise the debt limit above $12.1 trillion.
Jobs and Unemployment:
The unemployment rate in August was 9.7 percent, up from 7.6 percent in January when the President took office and is the highest level of unemployment in 26 years. 14.4 million job-seeking Americans are without jobs. Since the Democrat “stimulus” was signed into law in February, two million Americans have lost their jobs.
Income:
Personal income in the month of June was down $133.1 billion from the month before the “stimulus” was passed.
“Stimulus”:
To date, the White House reports that $80.9 billion of the $787 billion “stimulus” bill has been paid out. Of that spending, $26.8 billion has been spent on Medicaid grants to States, $13 billion for State education funding and student aid, $15 billion for unemployment insurance, $13 billion for one-time Social Security payments, and $3 billion for food stamps. Only $1.7 billion or 0.2 percent has been paid out for transportation infrastructure projects.
Government Spending:
In FY 2009, the government will spend an estimated $3.65 trillion, surpassing last year’s record for federal spending by $670 billion. Over the last year, Democrats have increased discretionary spending (including the “stimulus”) by 25 percent and non-defense discretionary spending by 57 percent.
August 6th, 2010 at 11:16 pm
Scott, you’re running for the Wayne County Commission, not national office. Put down the hookah and FOCUS.