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Waste water treatment plant

The recent article about the waste water plant spending $400,000 for odor control is rather comical. A few months ago in a meeting with the city council and mayor, they blamed septic trucks for the odors . They stopped receiving septic waste along with the revenue it generated, around $400,000 per year, then one week later raised everyone's sewer and water rates. They are also still paying a loan payment to the State of Michigan for money borrowed to build the septic receiving facility, so with no revenue from the haulers and the building and equipment sitting idle, people should ask ...

I know you’re angry

I know you’re angry. You’ve done everything right, but you can’t get ahead. If you’re anything like me, there may be periods of your life when you didn’t know whether you were coming or going. You were so busy working, raising a family, getting your education, or a combination of these things. Yet, the American Dream seems out of reach. One chronic illness, accident, divorce, death or other life-changing situation derailed your whole life. Or, you gradually sank into more debt, only to find yourself barely treading water financially. Extreme hardship has become a way of life ...

Success is no longer a monolith

The recent editorial, "Why Americans Have Soured on Higher Education," accurately captures growing public skepticism, but it risks throwing the baby out with the bathwater by equating all postsecondary pursuits with the failings of elite four-year institutions. While concerns regarding tuition costs are valid, viewing the landscape solely through the lens of traditional "prestige" overlooks the most vital engine of our modern economy: a diverse range of success paths. The narrative that a degree is no longer "worth it" ignores the shifting reality of the 2026 labor market. Success is no ...

Hope for future generations

I’m not alone in experiencing an array of emotions in response to the damage from the latest ice storm. Sadly, it is a foreseeable result of decisions being made by corporate interests every minute of every day. So is the plethora of climate-related disasters that are becoming commonplace across our planet. In fact, these are precisely the types of events scientists began warning us about in the early 1970’s. I was 9 years old when I asked a trusted authority figure about global warming. He said it was a hoax. Since then, I’ve learned a lot. As a business attorney, I came to ...

President Donald J Trump is in Charge

Love him or hate him in the world of energy: the Rule-of-Law, international free trade, the strength of the United States Constitution, and having friends and allies and trading partners have no meaning. Under the direction of President Donald J Trump, The United States of America has become little more than a private vassal to Russian energy policy. The basic tenet of a strong and united democracy - I protect your rights and you protect mine and we all stand together is gone. For all of its meaning in the world of energy "The United States of America" is an oxymoron. We stand entirely ...

Recall is a democratic process

A recall is a democratic process used to remove an elected official from office before their term expires. Recalls serve as a tool for accountability. The process requires submitting and a petition with specific, factual reasons for the recall for approval by election board and obtaining a designated number of signatures from registered voters in the voting district. Then an election is held for the voters to decide. Elected officials can be recalled when voters are dissatisfied with their performance, often due to actions perceived as violating the oath of office, neglecting ...