Alicia Keys and Adam Levine - Wild Horses

So Long, Senator Levin

Courtesy Associated Press

Just who do you think you are, Senator Levin – the pope?


I met Carl Levin, Michigan’s senior U.S. Senator, once – I attended a meeting in his Grand Rapids office years ago when I was working in environmental protection and he was considering legislation to protect the Great Lakes – and was impressed and intimidated by his wisdom and intellect. At the time he was being depicted in his campaign literature as a rumpled, Columbo-esque professorial type, a “regular Joe” kind of fellow, so I wasn't prepared to be floored by his vast public policy expertise and knowledge of political nuance and mechanics. I don’t recall what became of his proposal but I remember to this day thinking I was lucky to be able to sit across the table from such a formidable man.

I had mixed feelings when I heard that Mr. Levin, who’s represented Michigan in the U.S. Senate since I was a junior in high school, isn't running for re-election when his current term expires in 2014.

On one hand, 34 years is a long time in any job and fresh blood might be in a good thing. (State Democrats just selected a new party chair, Lon Johnson, to replace Mark Brewer; Brewer had only held that gig for 18 years.)

On the other hand, Senator Levin, 78, has probably done more for my state than anyone in office today. He’s worked to improve education, keep gas prices low, ban drilling in the Great Lakes, clean up Detroit’s riverfront and promote energy efficiency and alternative-technology vehicles (which is odd since he opposed raising mandatory fuel efficiency standards but whatever).

He did rub me the wrong way a few years ago when he proposed the indefinite detention of American citizens by the U.S. military, without charges or trial, if officials think they might be terrorists. (He insisted he had the backing of the U.S. Supreme Court.) But he’s supported gun control and embryonic stem cell research, wrote the Whistleblower Protection Act of 1989, voted against sending soldiers to Iraq and has earned an 84 percent lifetime rating from the American Civil Liberties Union. (I know it’s not cool to like the ACLU but I do.) And as chair of the U.S. Senate Committee on Armed Services, he wields considerable power. (I always like it when someone representing me is in control.)

Furthermore, he’s pro-choice, supported stimulus spending in 2008, wanted to allow travel between the U.S. and Cuba, believes in the separation of church and state, opposes making English our official language, supports consumer protection and affirmative action, voted to repeal automatic Congressional pay raises and opposed making it harder to vote in federal elections. Did I mention he received a zero percent rating from the Christian Coalition? (That factoid alone warrants a complimentary blog post.) Oh, and he voted against a Constitutional amendment banning flag burning. (Has there ever been a dumber proposal in the history of humankind?)

The man may look like a “kindly old shoemaker,” as Jon Stewart has called him, but he’s one of the toughest, shrewdest politicians around. (Click here for video highlights of him giving Wall Street investment bankers a hard time.) I sure wouldn't want to be summoned to appear before Carl Levin.

One never wants to agree completely with any politician – I’m told that doing so brings on a nasty skin rash, an inability to digest solid food or both – so it’s good that Senator Levin’s voted the wrong way at times. His record includes few of these blemishes, however, which is downright surprising given the extensiveness of said record.

The only names I've heard so far of folks who might want to replace him include former Michigan Governors Jim Blanchard and Jennifer Granholm, State Senator Gretchen Whitmer and Congressman Gary Peters, all Democrats, and state Attorney General Bill Schuette and former Congressman Vern Ehlers, both Republicans. (Saying Bill Schuette and Vern Ehlers are the same, however, is like saying hot dogs and filet mignon are both meat.) Regardless of which candidates emerge in the coming months and who ultimately succeeds Carl Levin, the shoes he’s leaving behind are going to be awfully challenging to fill. Thank you for your service, Senator.


Update: According to Lansing-based political expert Walt Sorg, Schuette’s already said he’s not running. The list of potential Republican candidates also includes former Secretary of State Terri Lynn Land, Congresspeople Mike Rogers and Candace Miller and Lieutenant Governor Brian Calley. And possible Dems also include current Congressman Dan Kildee and former Congressman Mark Schauer.


Sources: Ontheissues.org, ProgressMichigan.org.

I Feel Ya, Mr. Guitar Man

Louis Armstrong - The Bare Necessities

$5 for Bear Cub Photos; We’ll Throw in the Salmonella for Free

My state lawmakers are like nasty little children who've been inadvertently locked in a candy shop and can’t resist the urge to not only steal candy but leave wrappers strewn around, break glass jars and counter tops, spit on the floor and urinate in the display cases. They don’t care about others or about the future – they’re all about ME and NOW.

There are exceptions, of course. Some of the more mature legislators – those with foresight and consciences – are trying to block the delinquents, return the candy, straighten up the counter tops and pick up the garbage and broken glass. But they’re outnumbered, unfortunately. There’s too much candy being stolen, too many mistakes being made at once. And to make matters worse, the police and passersby outside are just like the miscreants – they all share the same selfish, ill-advised, illogical opinions – so there’s no one to listen to those who object to the terrible behavior, no one to put a stop to it, to end the trashing of the once-beautiful store before it’s too late.

Except, hopefully, the electorate.

The latest unruly behavior relates to Senate Bill 48, a proposal to amend the Large Carnivore Act to allow people to handle, pet and photograph black bears up to nine months old or weighing up to 90 pounds at roadside attractions masquerading as accredited zoos. The Republican-controlled state House of Representatives approved the bill 56 to 52 yesterday; it now goes back to the state Senate (which approved the bill last month) as a formality and then to Governor Rick Snyder (R), who’s expected to sign it into law.

According to the Associated Press, “the legislature passed a similar bill last session, but it was vetoed by Snyder. It had been tied to another bill Snyder had concerns about, but he encouraged the Legislature to re-introduce this bill on its own this session.”

For the actual text of the legislation, click here.

It doesn’t matter that the Michigan Humane Society and real zoos like Potter Park in Lansing, Binder Park in Battle Creek, John Ball in Grand Rapids and the Detroit Zoo in Royal Oak have all communicated their strong opposition to the legislation. All that matters to the misguided, unscrupulous GOP politicians and their supporters who currently control all three branches of state government is that a single facility, the Oswald Bear Ranch – which is located in the Upper Peninsula and which raises money by letting tourists hold and pose for photos with real live bear cubs – insists that Senate Bill 48 is good economic policy, especially for a struggling area like Newberry where the roadside petting zoo is located.

Experts know that bears of any size and age can pose a significant threat to humans. But expertise means about as much as science and logic to politicians who put public health at risk in order to satisfy a single constituent.

In the words of the Michigan Humane Society, “We believe strongly that raising baby bears in captivity and using them for profit is wrong, and sends the wrong message about safety around bears. Qualified wildlife rehabilitators do not put baby bears on display or allow for the petting of the animals. We should not weaken our laws just to allow these roadside zoos to profit by exploiting these animals.”

Displaying an astonishing level of compassion and professionalism, Dean Oswald, owner of the Oswald Bear Ranch, told MLive.com, “You take a young puppy dog, he'll nip at you, but you slap him and he won't nip any more. Bear cubs are the same way. At three months, they might nip, but by four months we have them pretty well calmed down. They put a lot of smiles on a lot of faces."

That’s what I want to do – pay $5 to hold an 80-pound wild animal with sharp claws and teeth while it’s slapped by an untrained petting zoo employee until it submits to my picture-taking. I wonder how many folks will smile if they suffer bites and scratches or catch roundworm, rabies, tuberculosis, salmonella, leptospirosis or another disease.

I sure hope voters are paying attention and will send these judgment-challenged twits packing the first chance they get. If making Michigan a “right to work” state (read: sticking it to unions), limiting public assistance, cutting business taxes, making it tougher to recall state officials, ignoring the will of the people who voted down the state’s anti-democratic emergency manager law or further restricting the right of women to control their own bodies aren't enough to send folks running to the polls, maybe this latest example of myopia and idiocy will be.

Michigan used to be such a cool candy store.

In the interest of full disclosure, the Potter Park Zoological Society is a client of Singh & Diehl LLC.

Sources: ABC12.com, Michigan Radio.org, the Center for Michigan, MLive.com, Michigan Humane Society.

Sunset

Ballade Op. 15 for piano by Teresa Carreño