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ICHIGAN
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AGE
6
June 13, 2013
Letters
There are 15 candidates who
want to serve on the Romulus City
Council.
Fifteen. And four people want
to bemayor.
Such a long list of peoplewilling
to put themselves through the rigor
of a political campaign with the
accompanying expense and emo-
tional investment means either
that the current administration has
done a great job and people want
to be a part of that, or that things
need changed, and fast.
We strongly believe it is the for-
mer, despite the fomenting rheto-
ric already flowing fromsome cam-
paigns. There are, of course, issues
that need addressed in the com-
munity, as there always are in any
municipality.
Romulus has faced some seri-
ous economic problems during the
past years, not unlike most others
in the state. The city council,
finance director, economic direc-
tor, mayor and other administra-
tors in Romulus, however, didn't
"kick the can down the road" or try
to sugarcoat or hide the situation.
They faced the problems head on
and took some unpopular actions
to get back on the right track.
Before other communities dis-
covered it, Romulus found an inno-
vative way to cut costs for utilities
and services and implemented
some cost saving ideas to try and
get the budget back into the black.
Other communities did the same
and came up with ideas of their
own to save their budgets but
Romulus took what we thought
was a unique and effective
approach.
The administration listened to
everybody. There was no propri-
etary mandate. Ideas to help cut
expenses and save funds were
accepted frommembers of the city
council, the finance department,
Look, I love gossip as much as
the next guy. Maybemore.
But when a certain New York
publication (notice I did NOT say
newspaper) filled the front page of
their tabloid with a screaming 400
point headline about Michael
Douglas blaming his throat cancer
on marital predilections, I had
enough.
Enough.
What is wrong with these peo-
ple, anyhow? I realize that a major
industry in America and through-
out the world is gossip, really, I do.
But when did the entertainment
value overtake genuine news? It
was obviously a slow erosion of any
professional ethics or credibility
that left us with things like the
above mentioned publication or
(shudder) FOXnews.
As I already admitted, I really do
love gossip and the more salacious,
often the better I like it. Hey, I'm
just as shallow as the next guy. I
love hearing about Blake and
Amanda's problems and don't get
me started on Brad's devotion to
Angelina and the kids. Where I'm
having difficulty is in the failure of
way, way too many people to tell
the difference between entertain-
ment and news. The line separat-
ing the two is so blurred that most
people, particularly the younger
and older generations, cannot dif-
ferentiate between them. That's
just sad and pretty scary, themore I
think about it.
Before the emails and calls start,
I'm really not bashing ole FOX
news, that kind of entertainment
has a place. As entertainment. Just
don't, please, call it news or think
that those over-groomed and ethi-
cally-challenged talking heads
have any concept of what real news
is or their responsibility to present
an unbiased, objective accounting
of it. And please, don't ever for even
a minute think that the crap they
are espousing as their considered
“viewpoints” are anymore than the
scripted and required propaganda
dictated from their bosses' comput-
er to their teleprompters. Trust me
on this one.
Hey, they are entertaining as all
get out, and I admit that I get a few
chuckles watching them, but I don't
take anything they say as factual
and I sure don't buy into the 'opin-
ions' they profess as facts when
they sit around pretending to be
outraged about
some issue or
another. They
are good for a giggle, though.
It's entertainment, often, bad
entertainment at that, but still, peo-
ple continue to watch this brain
plaque because it entertains them
and provides ready-made opinions
so they don't have to bother think-
ing for themselves. They can just
repeat whatever one of these over-
paid performers spews and
BINGO, they have an opinion.
Which takes me to the scary
part. The number of folks who form
their opinions and world view
based on the directives of the man
controlling the news they hear and
see is growing exponentially. It
really is. Way too many folks
believe whatever Rupert Murdoch
decides they should believe, based
on the slant he specifically directs
his news operations to provide.
How many parents, we wonder, are aware that the build-
ing to which they send their children for several hours every
day has not been inspected for fire safety by local public safe-
ty officials?
How many understand that these buildings, where their
children walk through hallways, sit in classrooms and attend
classes five days every week, is not subject to local building
restrictions and codes?
We were astonished to learn recently that a local charter
school which has been criticized by neighbors, hasn't been
locally inspected for fire or building codes because in
Michigan, the state is responsible for those inspections. State
employees are also responsible for code enforcements and
the issuance of a certificate of occupancy, certifying the safety
of any school building.
In an effort to ensure that we had received the correct
information about this and to find out a little more about it,
we attempted to contact theMichigan StateFireMarshal and
the Michigan State Code Enforcement office. That was an
effort in futility. We are still waiting for a return call and
haven't even had the opportunity to ask our questions, much
less listen to the answers.
We're going to keep trying, but if the first revelation was
surprising, the lack of response to our questions is evenmore
curious and perplexing. The local municipal building depart-
ment and the local fire chief assured us that we had been
given the correct information and that these inspections are
under state auspices. In fact, the local fire chief said, “We
can't even enter the buildings for a routine fire inspection
without the express permission of the school principal.”
According Dr. Greg Baracy, superintendent of the Wayne-
Westland School District, a school building is only inspected
by the state whenever there is a renovation, remodel or addi-
tion or during initial construction. “We, however, work closely
with our local fire department to ensure the safety of our stu-
dents. When it comes to student safety, with us that is priority
one,”Baracy toldus last week.
Baracy's attitude seems to be shared by all our local dis-
tricts where fire marshals routinely take a look at schools at
the invitation and urging of school administrators who work
to ensure the safest classroomenvironment possible. Charter
schools, however, are businesses, run as for-profit corpora-
tions, and fire inspections after construction seem to be as
rare asRhodes scholars at those pole barn-like buildings.
In any other business, the local fire marshal can walk in
just about any time to take a look around to make sure there
are no frayed electrical wires, overloaded outlets, shorted out
light fixtures or other fire hazards that simply seem to devel-
opwithbuilding use over time.
We think a business that houses 500 children under the
age of 13 five days a week should have to comply with higher
standards than an office or shop, and should not be allowed
to skirt routine safety standard inspections.
We are even more troubled by the fact that the school
building in question is located in Plymouth Township where
there is only a skeleton department of four firefighters on
duty at any given time.
Parents obviously enrolled their children in this charter
school in the hopes of providing what was touted as a better
education. No matter what kind of superior curriculum is
promised, we cannot believe that the risk to the safety and
lives of these childrenwas factored into that decision-making
process.
We strongly believe that regular, stringent safety and fire
inspections of all school buildings shouldbe required.
We strongly believe that regular,
stringent safety and fire inspections
of all school buildings should be required.
”
School safety requirements deserve failing mark
Public
service
flourishes
They can just repeat whatever one
of these overpaid performers spews and BINGO,
they have an opinion.
”
Entertainment can’t replace real news
Lions serving pancakes
To the editor;
Once again it's time for Liberty
Fest and the Canton Lions Club
has been invited to participate in
its annual Pancake Breakfast.
Don't know what Liberty Fest is?
You are missing out on all the fun.
Canton Township has designated
June 13-15 as the time for all good
people to come together for three
days of fun at Heritage Park. There
are classic cars, bands playing on
stage and lots of good food to eat
and to top it all off, fireworks.
The Canton Lions Club over the
years, has developed a cooking
methodwhich causes folks to come
back year after year. The Lions will
begin with eight griddles heated to
the right temperature causing the
pancakes to cook a golden brown.
You see, while the heat is impor-
tant, the pancake mix must be per-
fect so the Lions obtain it from
areas around the state frompeople
who are specialists.
Co-chairs, Lion Bob Boyer and
LionPatWilliams, haveworked for
weeks planning and organizing so
all goes well. They understand that
this is a fund raising event and
people are dependent on the Lions
to assist them in their time of need.
The Lions buy many pairs of eye-
glasses for kids whose parents can-
not afford them. They have assist-
ed a 75- year-old partially blind
woman who was filled with joy
when the Lions purchased her a
low vision reader, enabling her to
read letters from her family. The
Lions Club also sponsors a scholar-
ship program for visually or audi-
torially impaired to obtain a col-
lege degree.
Leader Dog School for the
Blind, Michigan Eye Bank,
Penrickton Center for Blind and
multiple handicapped children
are also supported by the Lions as
is theLionsHearingCenter.
Some of the state and district
projects the Lions support will be
available during the Pancake
Breakfast. It's a perfect time for
individuals to learn about them.
The Lions Hearing Center will
conduct hearing tests and advise
people of the necessary correc-
tions. Michigan Eye Bank will
See
Letters,
page 7
See
Hopefuls,
page 7
See
Rupert,
page 7