Why should Northeast Michigan residents bail out a failing educational system in Detroit?

The answer is obvious – because of the students, who are innocent pawns in the debate over how to deal with a situation that, over the years, has gone from bad to worse. If we ever hope to rise above the problems that face us, we need to invest in the education of our young men and women who represent the hope of tomorrow.

Still, to the single mother of two in Rogers City who is working two part-time jobs trying to make ends meet, that sale becomes a hard one.

And, when so many teachers in the Detroit district call off sick two days this week that it requires canceling classes, it does nothing to endear public support to their cause. If anything, it raises the anger level of the naysayers all the more.

As this column was being written the House had just concluded a 15-hour marathon session that began Wednesday and extended into Thursday that resulted in a House bill to address the funding. It now will be considered with a separate Senate version, neither of which look very similar other than the fact both deal with trying to solve the Detroit dilemma.

While the issue really has garnered very little discussion Up North, until Flint’s water woes appeared on the radar the end of last year, this probably would have been the most controversial and potentially divisive issue lawmakers would have faced all year.

I fear that if a man on the street poll was taken about how to address the problem, most residents here would say “shut them down” or “take away all financial support and make them pass millages like we have to.”

Those are reactions, however, and not solutions.

Like it or not, we’re all in this together. Once again, Detroit’s problems become Michigan’s problems. The two are inseparable.

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This year’s presidential election continues to both amaze and disappoint me. I see where Hillary Clinton was met with less than enthusiastic support in West Virginia and other coal country states this week. Monday U.S. Sen. Gary Peters visited the office and we talked about the disappointing tone and the lack of respect being shown on the campaign trail over the past year.

He agreed with me that this lack of civility was something never before seen, and was adversely impacting the real messages that candidates should be addressing, but which seem to be taking a backseat this year.

As we were talking Clinton was stumping in West Virginia where protesters were yelling and screaming at her, along with blatantly flipping her the finger.

It was but the latest of a long string of actions this election cycle I find irresponsible and deplorable.

The 1st Amendment grants us the freedom to disagree with someone, thus I have no problem with the protesters. What I do have a problem with is the disrespect people were showing Clinton, especially those who chose a derogatory hand gesture to express their frustration.

Both Peters and I worry that when a society begins to lose common civility and respect, the threads of that society slowly begin to fray.

The lack of respect this year has not been limited to one party versus the other – most all the candidates have been forced to deal with it at one point or another during their campaigns.

As far as I’m concerned it has to stop. My mother never would have tolerated such action from me.

Why then should we tolerate such behavior from others?

Bill Speer can be reached via email at bspeer@thealpenanews.com or by phone at 354-3111 ext. 331. Follow Bill on Twitter @billspeer13. Read his blog, More BS?(Bill Speer) at www.thealpenanews.com.