Of Sceptics and Accusations...

...Yesterday's Bay City Times proclaimed - Purchase proposal muddies the waters of dioxin debate. I was astounded by the tone of this article. I had not yet met Dr. Shaheen when I read about his offer to buy properties along the Tittabawassee River floodplain, but I heard his message - LOUD and CLEAR!!!This man is an astute businessman and would not make an offer such as he made 'on a whim.' Dr. Shaheen, like most of us along the floodplain, (and he DOES already own property on the floodplain) considers the actions, accusations and scare-tactics of local environmental extremists as nothing more than examples of Chicken Little screaming that the sky is falling. His offer is genuine. I have heard, but cannot verify, that approximately 40 pieces of riverfront property are being considered for purchase by Dr. Shaheen.

My friend Bill was so disturbed by the BCT article that he sent me the following comments:

"muddies the waters" and "public can't consider the buyout a serious offer" ?!?

Only people who do not respect and understand PRIVATE property rights and VOLUNTARY free enterprise would reach a "muddy" judgment of Dr. Shaheen's offer.

Dr. Shaheen and any prospective sellers owe NOTHING to the general public about their transactions. Dr. Shaheen has plenty of known credibility in following through on his entrepreneurial projects. That should be enough explanation for the general public. These are PRIVATE property transactions being considered, not PUBLIC ones.

The dioxin issue has our State imposing intrusive facility labels on private property and trying to enforce overreaching regulation with total disregard for the private OWNERS of the Health, Property and Quality of Life. The Dr. Shaheen offer is extraordinary, not because of his lack of explanation, but because our Saginaw Valley's vitality has been so under attack by the MDEQ that an offer like this gets made.

If anyone warrants pressure to explain their motives, it's the MDEQ and not Dr. Shaheen.