Posse Incitatus

The Agony of Defeat

Are there any other "old folk" out there besides me who remember the opening of ABC's "Wide World of Sports," with the narrator proclaiming, "The thrill of victory, and the agony of defeat" — the last three words uttered simultaneously with footage of a skier heading down a ski jump and wiping out in agonizing, clusterf*ck fashion?

Well, we Michiganders have experienced some agonizing defeat in the past week.  I wrote about the Spartans' last-second loss to Iowa.  And for the Michigan Wolverines, the defeats of Oct. 24 and 31 were not last-second heartbreakers, but humiliating blowouts.  My sister is a University of Michigan alumna, and I've worked with some fine people who matriculated at U-M.  Not all of them are arrogant or insufferable. Many are quite nice.  It's just that, as any Spartan fan will attest, the Michigan fans who ARE arrogant and insufferable, are unbearably so.  And many of them never went to school there (or to any other college, for that matter).  So I don't particularly jump for joy when the Wolverines basketball or football teams fall upon hard times.  I know there are decent people who are hurting.  But when I think of the arrogant jerks with whom I've come in contact who root for the corn-n-blue, I can't help but smile.  So with that being said...

THE WHEELS HAVE FALLEN OFF —  The Michigan Wolverines showed signs of promise earlier this season.  They defeated Top 25 Notre Dame in a last-minute thriller; they took archrival Michigan State to overtime in East Lansing after trailing by 14 points until late in the 4th quarter; and played tough against undefeated Iowa in a 30-28 loss at Iowa City on Oct. 10.

Still, even casual observers would have known there was trouble when Penn State visted the Big House in Ann Arbor on Oct. 24 and thrashed the Wolverines, 35-10.  The fact that Penn State won is not shocking. But the margin and domination of the defeat are what caused jaws to drop.  Then today, a week later, Michigan played at Illinois, which many regarded as the worst team in the Big Ten (or at least the most underachieving team).  Big Blue was favored to win by 4 or 5 points, but what happened? The Fighting Illini, 1-6, shredded 5-3 MEEECHIGAN by a convincing score of 38-13.

The calls for head coach Rich Rodriguez's head are getting louder and more shrill.  It's not just that he came in and threw out the Michigan tradition of solid defense, power running, brute force from the offensive line, and NFL-caliber wide receivers, replacing all of that with a gimmicky spread offense and undersized defensive players.  It's his bold, brash demeanor, and the ethically challenged M.O. he's exhibited since Day One. 

When DickRod was hired about two years ago, Michigan had to come up with money to buy out his contract with West Virginia.  He has been sued for defaulting on a real estate loan, and his football program is under NCAA investigation for allegedly pressuring players to put in far more hours training and practicing per week than is permitted by NCAA rules.

On top of all that, approximately 15-20 players have said "Adios" since RichRod took over, transferring to other schools.  When an NCAA scholarship athlete elects to switch schools, the rules state that he must sit out one season before being eligible to compete again.  So it's a considerable sacrifice, and athletes willing to make that sacrifice must have a compelling reason to do so.

The standard line among M GO BLUE kool-aid drinkers is something like, "Oh, just wait until RichRod gets his players in place; we're gonna run the table.  We'll start beating Ohio State regularly, and we'll be back on top in the state of Michigan, the way it should be."

This is downright foolish.  It's becoming more evident that they're just whistling in the graveyard.

Michigan football right now reminds me of Michigan State football in the abysmal 2002 season, the final year of Bobby Williams' ill-fated tenure. Expectations were high heading into that season, but players having trouble with drugs, the law, and academics, among other things (Women? Serotonin deficiency?) caused the season to unravel hideously.

Star quarterback Jeff Smoker was suspended because of some kind of substance abuse problem that still has not come to light (Alcohol? Pot? Cocaine? Or all of the above?) ... He went through rehab and a rigorous training program to earn his way back onto the team in 2003.  Starting running back Dawan Moss was arrested for drunk driving AND resisting arrest, an ugly incident in which he dragged a police officer trying to gain control of the vehicle as Moss took off rather than submit to authority.  The team finished 4-8 that year, including beatdowns of 49-3 at Michigan and 61-7 at Penn State.  When it rains, it pours.  Bobby Williams got the ax before the season was over.  Will the same fate await Rodriguez next season? It won't be this year, as the university has way too much money wrapped up in this guy, but the ax could fall a year from now.

STRANGE COINCIDENCE — A week ago tonight, the football Spartans got their hearts ripped out when the undefeated Iowa Hawkeyes scored a touchdown on the last play of the game to defeat Michigan State, 15-13.  Last night, the MSU hockey team endured a last-second finish (or more accurately, a last split-second finish).  The Spartans led visiting Western Michigan 2-0 for much of the game, but gave up their first goal while shorthanded following a penalty at 13:23 of the third period. In the last 72 seconds, MSU won several faceoffs, but still was not out of the woods. With just a couple seconds left, WMU's Trevor Ludwig fired from the point; the shot caromed to teammate Max Campbell, who tapped it in just as the buzzer sounded.

The referee first called it a goal, but after reviewing a replay, overruled himself and declared that time had expired just prior to the puck entering the goal. WHEW!

BAD START — My Spartans dug themselves a quick 14-0 hole at Minnesota tonight, but clawed back to make it 14-10 in the second quarter.  If they're not careful, the Spartans will also suffer the agony of defeat.

Caught Red-Handed

The Obama administration's sophomoric demonization of Fox News is so hypocritical and outrageous, that even other networks have taken umbrage and made it clear they won't go along with it.

A week or so ago, President Obama had agreed to meet for a briefing or roundtable with a select group of news anchors and reporters from several cable networks EXCEPT for Fox News.  When the invited ones got wind of the administration's arrangement, they backed out on principle.  Kudos to them.

And on Tuesday, CNN's Campbell Brown was interviewing senior White House advisor Valerie Jarrett.  She confronted Jarrett with the obvious question (paraphrased here): The White House has stated that Fox News is not a news organization, and you have accused them of blatant bias.  Do you think MSNBC is biased?

Jarrett hemmed and hawed, explaining that Fox had broadcast "distortions" of the administration's health care plans, and stating she didn't want to generalize and paint with a broad brush regarding the entirety of the Fox News organization.

Brown pressed her on MSNBC, asking why the selective boycott when MSNBC clearly editorializes and slants the news.  (Click HERE for the transcript; scroll about halfway down.)

Backed into a corner, Jarrett resorted to that tiresome liberal cliche: the administration will always speak truth to power.  Utterly lame. Lame with a capital "L."  That is one of those phrases, like "social justice" and "economic justice," that liberal elitists love to toss around.  It's like a knee-jerk reaction liberals are hard-wired to emit.  While you're at it, Valerie, why not haul out your Che Guevera T-shirt? 

Forgive me if I expect more out of a University of Michigan law school graduate.

FBI KILLS MUSLIM FUNDAMENTALIST — FBI agents in Detroit shot and killed a Sunni muslim extremist Wednesday after he pulled a gun on them during a raid at a suburban Dearborn warehouse.  Luqman Ameen Abdullah, 53, of Detroit was an imam whose sect wanted to establish a separate country in the United States based on Sharia law.  Members of the group were allegedly involved in firearms trafficking and other offenses.

This story did not attract much attention in the mainstream media.  Too many reporters and editors like to downplay the threat of extremist Islam.  But rest assured, if it had been a Christian fundamentalist who engaged in a shootout with the FBI, and whose desire was to establish a fundamentalist theocracy, the news media would have played it up to the max.

Good News and Bad News

Ford Motor Co. is kicking butt — quality-wise, that is.  Check out this report on how highly regarded the blue oval is compared to its Asian and American competitors.

Financially, however, Ford still has a long way to go, and therein lies the problem.  The company has not been able to obtain as many concessions from the United Auto Workers (UAW) as General Motors and Chrysler, both of which wielded the bankruptcy hammer.  Therefore, Ford’s cost structure puts the company at a disadvantage vis a vis its Detroit rivals.

The UAW appears to be digging in its heels, as Detroit News business columnist Daniel Howes notes.  The union is so bullheaded, its members don’t seem to realize they are shooting themselves in the foot.  If their greed and intransigence prevent Ford from boosting profits, Ford will flounder and eventually have to lay off more workers. It also would conceivably reduce the value of Ford’s contributions to the UAW health care trust fund.

They say perception is reality, and far too many Americans still believe that all American-made cars are unreliable junkers.  The damage the Big Three did to their reputations back in the 1970s-1990s is incalculable, and will take years to repair.

The recovery of Ford and GM seems to be on track as far as improving quality, producing interesting, appealing models, and making inroads on cost containment.  However, Chrysler lags behind in those areas. 

The UAW and other organizations affiliated with Ford and GM ought to recognize that these two companies are far from out of the woods, and cut 'em some slack.  Their recovery is fragile, and Michigan’s devastated economy teeters on the brink.

You’d think that the dire economy and realities of high unemployment, lagging vehicle sales, and consumers who are flat broke would register with the UAW rank and file.  You’d think.

Stop me if you've heard this one...

The internet is abuzz with the startling rise of the British National Party.  Pajamas Media has one good piece (by Richard Fernandez aka Wretchard) and a much weaker one by Mike McNally.

I've noted before that Europe is a deeply fissured society.  There are the flawlessly moralistic elites, but the great masses are not so easily categorized.

Mark Steyn likes to point to shrivelling birth rates as evidence for Europe's impending doom, but I am not as convinced.

A few years ago, I was firmly in Steyn's camp.  Since then I've come to know more about Europe's social fabric and I've also actually been there.

The birth rates aren't evenly spread.  Of course Steyn brings this up often to prove that the ethnic Europeans are doomed because most of the babies being born are to non-assimilated Muslim immigrants.

But there are other groups within Europe.  I talked about this over a year ago and I stand by what I wrote then.

In fact, after visiting Europe, I remain even more convinced that there are portions of the ethnic European populations that are quite willing to do the dirty work their parents' wouldn't.

These people make up the professional long-service military cadres of the continent.  Call them the "military caste."  They hate the politicians who tie their hands and have quite a bit of nostalgia for the Good Old Days.  While I was in Germany, I was surprised at the prevalence of the old Imperial eagle.  Nazi nostalgia?  Not so much, but quite a bit of Kaiser nostalgia.

The German military types I spoke with seemed only slightly less zealous than Marines in terms of being seriously squared away and ruthlessly competent.  The Prussian pride and tradition is still there.  The same goes for the Brits, French and so on.

Our military is deeply devoted to the Constitution.  Europe's military caste is different.  Yes, they are bound to uphold the rule of law, but what if that rule breaks down?  France has had five republics.  If you are a French military professional, your loyalty is to France, not the current dusty piece of paper the politicians are using to enrich themselves.

My point is that the guardians of the current political order are increasingly less invested in that order and have more to gain by overturning it than in maintaining it.

Thus, the rise of the BNP illustrates that within the UK, there is a substantial group than wants the nationhood of the UK reasserted.  They want the immigrants to assimilate or get out - and the same ugly authoritarian impulses that currently are used to harry the foes of the current multi-culti elites can be turned around in a heartbeat to round up the new enemies of the state.

Political will waxes and wanes, and as the world economy deteriorates and public safety weakens, expect these radical nationalists to become more popular.  I would in turn expect the authorities to try to break them up.

But here lies the rub: many of police and paramilitary types probably believe in what the nationalists believe.  Maybe not as stridently, but if you can point to four or five generations of soldiers in your family tree, you may not be all that excited about annihilating your national heritage because a suit-wearing bureaucrat tells you to.

So thus you have the potential for the police to join the people they are supposed to be persecuting - the military as well.

And let me be clear - given the huge overreach that many of these governments are already making, the police would likely be fully justified in refusing to enforce the diktats of their masters. 

Whether we are talking about the enforced re-vote in Ireland or the harassment of Geert Wilders, the EU and the British government have each forfeited much of their claim to legitimately reflected the will of the people.  The latest revelations that Labour purposefully imported immigrants to bolster their political fortunes destroys any moral authority the party might have over the BNP.  Both are bigots - they simply favor different groups.

It will be interesting to see how this plays out. 

Bull in a China Shop

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is as clueless as he looks.  Despite vociferous opposition to a public option in a health care reform plan (remember those August town hall meetings?) and a lack of votes in the Senate, Reid is stubbornly pushing ahead with his stupid idea.

Even former health care ally Sen. Olympia Snowe has spoken out against Reid's plan.  And Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut has threatened to join Republicans in a filibuster if Reid tries to ram his plan through the Senate.

Despite what President Obama has promised people about being able to keep their present health plan and doctor if they are satisfied, many private companies would be driven out of business by the government option.  To reiterate, the government is a nonprofit entity, and it can fund its health care initiatives with endless deficit spending and limited accountability.  Think about it: Can private companies, which have to make a profit and answer to shareholders, really compete against such an entity?  No.

And when the government swallows up a bigger and bigger chunk of the health care market, the inevitable result will be longer lines, shortages of physicians and other health care providers, denial and rationing of care, longer waiting periods for certain tests, evaluations, and procedures, and MAYBE, just MAYBE, Americans traveling to other countries to get treatment or other medical attention much quicker than they could get it here.  That would truly be tragic.

Not to mention, Uncle Sam is swamped in red ink, with no hope of paying down our national debt.  Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security all are broke.  Medicare and Social Security have unfunded liabilities up around $60 trillion in the next 50 or 60 years.  And Sen. Reid wants to take on more.  Utterly, incredibly idiotic and insane. To quote Michigan Wolverines announcer Frank Beckmann, "It's CRIMINAL!"

Okay, here's tonight's analogy: I have a few too many cold ones, and start shooting my mouth off.  I walk up to a Michigan football player at the bar and start mouthing off about the Skunkbears.  He starts pummeling me, but I just won't shut up.  Matter of fact, when one of his buddies comes along to pile on, I give him some lip, too. Hell, why not take on another one? I'm feelin' no pain!

In case you hadn't guessed, I'm playing the role of the United States, which is getting beaten to a pulp fiscally.  My big mouth, and the alcohol fueling it, are the reckless spending by out-of-control politicians. If someone doesn't step in and break it up pretty soon, it will be too late.  The consequences ain't gonna be pretty.

Fighting Through Adversity

They say adversity builds character.  If that's true, the Michigan State Spartans football team must have tremendous character.  Having endured gut-wrenching losses to Central Michigan by 2 points, and Notre Dame by 3 earlier this season, the Spartans oudid themselves Saturday night.

The undefeated and first place Iowa Hawkeyes came to East Lansing, and the two squads engaged in a hard-hitting defensive struggle for much of the game.  With 1:39 left, Michigan State scored a go-ahead touchdown, capping off a drive that included a crucial third-and-18 conversion.  Tight end Brian Linthicum caught an 11-yard pass, then tossed a lateral to teammate Blair White, who ran for another 27 yards. A few moments later, a Kirk Cousins TD pass to White put MSU up 13-9.

Ah, but the dreaded "PREVENT" defense reared its ugly head again.  (The old joke is, they call it the "prevent" defense because it prevents you from winning.) Iowa marched down the field, with quarterback Ricky Stanzi picking apart the Spartan secondary with a lot of underneath passes due to the secondary playing "soft" coverage. 

The Hawkeyes ended up with first and goal at the MSU 7 with 15 seconds left. Three straight pass plays failed to reach the end zone.  On the fourth play, as MSU attempted to blitz (leaving its cornerbacks vulnerable), a slant pattern burned MSU cornerback Chris L. Rucker.  Stanzi connected with Marvin McNutt on the slant for a touchdown as time expired. Final score, Iowa 15, MSU 13. 

Just another in a long, agonizing history of bitter, gut-wrenching defeats for the Spartans (including a triple overtime loss at Michigan in 2004, and a major meltdown against Notre Dame in monsoon-like conditions at home three years ago, among many others).

Michigan State is 4-4, and still must face a tough Penn State team at home in a few weeks, plus travel to Minnesota and Purdue, neither of which is a guaranteed win. They might finish the regular season 7-5 or 6-6, but I still think they have a pretty good shot at 8-4.  Coach Mark Dantonio and his staff have upgraded recruiting, built depth, and done a fine job of teaching the fundamentals, reducing stupid penalties, and minimizing turnovers.

The Spartans are just a little short of the talent they need to put them over the top.  In particular, they need better secondary players and at least one game-changing defensive lineman like Jonal St. Dic, whose last year at MSU was 2007 and now plays in the NFL.

The loss was tough to take, but when I realize how many millions of people are hurting with unemployment, home foreclosures, empty bank accounts, anxiety and desperation, it really puts things in perspective.

By the grace of God, a diligent job search, and some apparently good references, I have found a full-time job after being unemployed for nine months and working part-time for about three months.  Perseverance and persistence paid off.

And somehow, a painful setback in the world of sports just isn't so painful after all.

Democratic Cacophony

As many have noted over the years, the Democrat Party is a collection of fractious constituencies, not all of them in agreement on key issues.  Teachers’ unions, labor unions, environmentalists, gay rights activists, trial lawyers, African Americans, hispanics… 

Sometimes disputes are obvious and inevitable, such as when Michigan Democratic Congressman John Dingell defended his auto industry constituents by opposing draconian environmental standards mandating much higher CAFE fuel efficiency requirements and Henry Waxman’s radical cap-and-tax bill, for example.  In fact, his defense of the UAW at the expense of the green weenies cost him his chairmanship of the House Energy and Commerce Committee.

Lately, the fissures within the Democratic Party have not been so much among constituent groups as among individuals with different agendas, or perhaps different political landscapes with which they must contend.

Case in point: New York Governor David Paterson and President Obama.  Obama has been pressuring Paterson, who replaced Elliot Spitzer last year, not to seek re-election next year for the good of the Democratic Party because Obama believes Paterson is likely to lose. Paterson is having none of that.

Matter of fact, Paterson has been on the warpath about the Obama administration’s crackdown on Wall Street executive salaries.  It seems that a lot of these fat cats who rake in big bucks have paid huge sums of taxes into New York State’s coffers over the years.  New York, like just about every other state, is hurting fiscally, and drastically impeding this cash cow will really hammer the state.

Obama is also finding that certain Democratic candidates running for office in November’s election are distancing themselves from him.  Creigh Deeds, Virginia gubernatorial candidiate, is an example.

Meanwhile, the far-left fringes, feeling like jilted lovers, are upset with the Annointed One because of issues like Guantanamo Bay, Iraq, Afghanistan, wireless wiretaps, and beaucoup bailout payments to Wall Street fatcats.

Even certain unions have grave reservations about Obamacare.  So all is not hunky-dory for the Democrats and leftists who wept with joy on election night, 2008.

Will Rogers said it best: "I'm not a member of any organized party. I'm a Democrat."

Let's Hear it for the Underdogs!

There has long been a tendency among the national press to dump on Detroit; to pile on whenever bad things happen in the Motor City.

It’s been 25 years since “Bubba,” the chubby, troubled teen, famously posed holding up a Tigers pennant near a burning, overturned car following the Detroit Tigers’ World Series victory over the San Diego Padres.  That ugly picture on that dark and chaotic October Sunday night, published worldwide, inflicted heavy damage on Detroit’s already tattered image in the public consciousness.

Since then, the Detroit Red Wings have won four Stanley Cups, and the Pistons three NBA championships.  Yet during none of those post-victory celebrations did things get so hideously out of hand.  By contrast, violence, vandalism and drunkenness have reigned supreme in cities such as Los Angeles, Boston, Denver, and Montreal following pro sports titles, yet none of that generated near as much adverse publicity or piling on.

In recent months, Time magazine and others have published unflattering portrayals of the Motor City.  Detroit News editorial director Nolan Finley examines outsiders' views of Detroit in today’s column.

I blogged a few months ago about some of Detroit’s redeeming qualities.  Yes, it has had corrupt leaders and crooked school boards; yes, it has a sky-high homicide rate, more than its share of drugs, gangs, wretched schools, and blighted neighborhoods.  But so do hundreds of other medium-sized and large cities ruled by liberal Democrats and in the grasp of corrupt unions.

Detroit has been on my mind a lot of late, because after nearly a year of being without a full-time job and just a few months of working part-time, I was offered and accepted a full-time position in downtown Detroit.  My first day is this Monday.

I will stay at my sister’s house in Ann Arbor for the first couple of weeks (38 miles away), and should be able to line up some living arrangements after that as I have several good leads from friends and contacts in metro Detroit.

Having spent a fair amount of time in downtown Detroit, I know the city is not the apocalyptic nightmare it’s portrayed to be. (But parts of it are, certainly.)  My family and I have attended Tiger games at Comerica Park and dined at Greektown.  We’ve strolled along the upgraded riverfront and socialized with artists and other vendors.

When I worked in Windsor, Ontario, I frequently stopped in downtown Detroit to grab a cup of coffee or a bite to eat, or even just to go check out one of the newly renovated hotels.

Here are a few pictures of Detroit’s majesty, from art deco skyscrapers (The Guardian Building lobby 1 & 2) to the Fox Theatre to gorgeous churches (St. Josephat) to stately homes. & 2

Look, I’m not naive. I realize Detroit has serious issues.  Deep-seated problems that will take decades to overcome.  Much of it stems from the welfare state and breakdown of the family structure.

I’d better be careful in the big city, because bad things can and do happen.  But I am also not going to be paranoid like the suburbanites who haven’t ventured downtown in decades.  The Detroiters I’ve met have been down-to-earth, friendly people.  I’ve never had any problems with anyone downtown, not even the panhandlers.

I know there are many influential citizens who have worked long and hard, and/or given of their own finances to help rebuild and revitalize Detroit. I also know that outsiders often form inaccurate impressions based on sensationalism from the news media.

On a related note, I lived in New Jersey from 1988-90.  That state is often the butt of people’s jokes, e.g, “Oh, you’re from New Jersey? Which exit?”

But contrary to the public’s image of chemical refineries, ugly turnpikes, and swarthy looking thugs lurking amongst the row houses, New Jersey actually is replete with natural beauty, a rich history, and charming towns.  (The political corruption and crooked politicians are both real, as is the high cost of living, but we won’t go there.)

My uncle has a place in Sussex County near the New York border.  A beautiful, mountainous region with crystal blue lakes. 

For two years, I lived in Hunterdon County near the Pennsylvania border.  Rolling hills, horse farms (maybe not as many now, 20 years later), and picturesque little towns.

Some of the towns I had the pleasure of visiting included Princeton, Morristown, Bound Brook, South Orange, and Freehold, Bruce Springsteen’s home town.  Victorian homes, tree-lined streets, real character.  Not to mention out of this world pizza and plenty of great Italian restaurants.

My experiences have convinced me that what we read or hear about places often is utter B.S. resulting from lazy reporting and/or an unwillingness to tell the whole story because, as in the case of Detroit, it would lessen the “wallop” of a dramatic Mad Max scenario.

After all, why let the truth stand in the way of a good story?

Pope: All your Anglicans are belong to us

The Posse has been following the fissures within the Church of England for some time.

Now, via The Anchoress, we learn that Pope Benedict XVI has made an amazing and sweeping move to bring traditional-minded Anglicans into the Catholic Church.

I've been a huge fan (if that's the appropriate term) of the Blessed Benedict and this latest move demonstrates his dynamism and courage.  This  could pretty much result in the end of the Church of England.

Consider:  The UK is already a very secular society where Anglican churches spend most of their time empty.  The Archbishop of Canterbury is largely treated as a joke.  Why, then, bother with the Establishment?  If traditionalist Anglicans convert en masse, the pews could get very empty indeed.  Why, in a time of deep government debt, should the Church of England receive state support?

At the same time, the tradition-minded Anglicans in the developing have been upset for years with how the leadership in the UK and the US seem determined to undermine the core tenets of the faith.  These people are on the front line against radical Islam's penetration into sub-Saharan Africa.  I am sure they find the Pope's public conversion of a Muslim far more compelling than the hip new Seattle phenomenon of an  Anglican/Muslim hybrid priestess.

Of course, this is about more than shuffling the interdenominational cards.

What it is really about is strengthening Christianity for the fundamental challenges of our time:  radical Islam and decadent secular society.

The Church has defeated Islam before, and the victory was so resounding that many historians considered the issue settled.  Similarly, the fall of Communism 20 years ago was thought to have destroyed the notion of state-run social engineering - now packaged in a bright-green eco-friendly label.  Alas, no bad idea stays forgotten forever.

His Holiness understands this.  All of his actions have been based around the central concept of strengthening the Church - not through the false comfort of numbers - but in its faith and adherence to fundamental truths.  These are the things that really matter.

State of Joblessness

Michigan is only 11 days away from another budget meltdown, as the clock keeps ticking on the temporary FY 2009 extension hastily adopted in the wee hours of Oct. 1.

Our inept governor has dug in her heels, utterly delusional about how grave Michigan's fiscal condition is.  She refuses to ask for modest sacrifices from her union cronies or the schools, which typically receive approximately $7,000 or $8,000 per pupil in "foundation grants" from the state.

As today's Wall Street Journal editorial eloquently describes, Gov. Granholm tried raising taxes in the 2007 budget stalemate, yet projected revenues didn't live up to expectations.  Now, reneging on her word, she goes to the well once more. ENOUGH!

Earth to Jen-Jen: You can't get blood from a stone.  If hundreds of thousands of people are unemployed or underemployed; if businesses are closing up or moving out of state; if industry is still mired in a stagnant economy with pitiful sales revenues; all the tax increases in the world won't increase revenues.  They will only serve to drive more companies and people out of Michigan.

It wouldn't surprise me at all if Gov. Tinkerbell gets a job with the Obama administration after her term is up.  After all, she'd be right at home.  When it comes to the economy, she's got a flair for that wrecking ball thing.