Regulating the Regulators... and other follow-ups

Yesterday was a busy email day. After I read all about how wonderful the State of Michigan is since Ms. Granholm became governor... and wondered where this Utopia lies... I read this..."Michigan at the Crossroads" and decided the following information was important enough to share here:

'Consider the following five jobs, output and income figures, based on recent federal statistics.

From December 1995 through December 2004 — years in which the state invested most aggressively in what it calls "economic development initiatives" — Michigan finished 50th out of 50 states in percentage employment growth.

Even when you focus only on private-sector employment growth and broaden the time frame to December 1994 to December 2004, Michigan placed 50th in the nation.

Michigan was one of just two states to lose jobs in 2004, and the only one to lose a significant number. Our 7.3 percent unemployment rate is now worst in the nation.

From 1993 to 1997, Michigan’s percentage increase in per-capita gross state product was 18th in the nation, but from 1998 to 2003, it had fallen to 44th, suggesting a shift from somewhat respectable at best to dismal at worst.

Michigan is traditionally a wealthy state, but by 2003, our per-capita personal income had dropped to 19th in the nation. Our per-capita personal income growth was an anemic 43rd in the United States from 1995 to 2003'.

You can check these figues at the U.S. Department of Labor Statistics website. =========================

...and for how long have we wondered who monitors the MDEQ's decisions? Hmmm! I guess others are wondering the same thing... who regulates the regulators? It was comforting to see people more influential than I are concerned about the same thing...Regulating the Regulators: Adopt a “No-More-Stringent” Law

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I was pleased to read in the Bay City Times that a 'Pilot project aims to clear more beach along shoreline at park.' Read all about it in this article
Attack on monster beach weeds set for state rec area by Jeff Kart, Times Writer. They are still waiting for federal approval but sure sounds promising based on the following excerpt from that article:

The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality in Bay City approved the permit for dual purposes, said Daniel H. Morgan, district supervisor for the DEQ Land and Water Management Division in Bay City.

"Phragmities are becoming an ever-increasing problem on Saginaw Bay," Morgan said.

"We're looking for this to provide not only a control, but a demonstration project and educational tool so that we can get some guidelines out to property owners."

For a visit to the referenced beach, visit my little photo album... Beach, featured right here at TRVoice last summer. We will definitely visit the Bay City State Park beach again this summer!