After a restful but productive weekend at the lake I just wanted to express a great big old Thank You to our wonderful State of Michigan legislators for introducing some common sense legislation regarding this dilemma along the Tittabawassee River floodplain and in the city of Midland. For those who haven't read it, here is the Midland Daily News article 'Legislators jump in on dioxin issue' written by Kathie Marchlewski , Midland Daily News 05/28/2004. I was able to read it because I registered with the MDN website. If you can't read it, let me know so I can just copy it for you.

I took this photo a couple of weeks ago... it represents the relationship between the city of Midland and the company that made it grow. I just thought it was a quiet comforting and beautiful spot in one of my favorite cities!

Now for the commercial... Governor Granholm, we need you to agree with us on this dioxin issue. We realize you want to revitalize Michigan. You want us to have jobs. You want us to have 'cool cities.' You encourage tourism. Governor, if you let the MDEQ and their entourage of environmental extremists follow through on their desires, they will destroy ALL of those goals! You will win the admiration of all of us ordinary people if you pay attention to what we are saying. MDEQ's scientists have a whole different philosophy than what we look upon as the real scientists in our country. Our cities will not be 'cool' if you destroy the City of Midland and their neighbors... that would be MY neighborhood, the Tittabawassee River area.

Governor Granholm, you can visit the schools, kiss the babies and ride your bicycle on our rail trails, but if you allow DEQ to continue in their unscientific venture to destroy us, there will be no people to pay the taxes!

Governor, I have no big fancy degrees... just a Liberal Arts Associates and a lot of common sense, but I DO know that the scientific method... as defined by real scientists says... first define the problem. Then fix it! Since that dioxin has been in our soil for many years... prior to the current cleanup plans and efforts..... look for that geographical 'pocket of disease' associated with the so-called problem. Where are all the sick people? We were all here before the few who are complaining about what could happen to them in the future... and we are NOT sick! Please Governor, I beg you to really think about it!