Daily Grit by Wes Thorp

Do politicians-U.S. Congress and Michigan Legislature-deserve better healthcare than us?

Read this story from the LA Times about the healthcare that members of the U.S. Congress receives and see if you don't choke on the oatmeal you're eating for breakfast.

We-the taxpayers-have created a political ruling class, like it or not, and they don't want to give up the benefits that we provide.

They get the best healthcare and we get less or none at all.

In Michigan, ask our well-compensated state legislators about their healthcare coverage.  Ask for details and don't let them slide with a squishy answer.

Could Michigan politicians take lesson from Harriet Beecher Stowe and Abe Lincoln?

Do Michigan politicians-in Congress, the Michigan Legislature and local government have a strong moral compass?  What or who is it?

There are lots of good people involved in elected offices, but who are pushed and pulled on all kinds of issues where there's a right and wrong.

Lincoln said:  "Nothing is politically right which is morally wrong."

Today's devotion from Our Daily Bread talks about how Harriet Beecher Stowe affected Lincoln and the country over the issue of slavery.  And, there's the question of how this applies today.

Chances are that most politicians would point to their moral uprightness without taking an honest look at themselves and how they measure up to what God wants.

Guantanamich? Why not? | Freep.com | Detroit Free Press

Biggest negative for Michigan in taking Guantanamo prisoners at the Standish Maximum Security prison might be the ribbing the state would take from late night talk show hosts, according to Detroit Free Press editor Ron Dzwonkowski.

He makes a strong case for the state to lease the soon to be closed prison to the feds to house terror suspects.

Standish's (MI) enthusiasm grows for Gitmo prisoners

Standish (MI) which is a couple hours due north of Detroit and about 20 miles from Bay City is getting excited about keeping open its soon to be closed maximum security state prison. 

But, in its new incarnation, it would be home to the terror suspects at Guantanamo, Cuba.

The Detroit Free Press adds details about how this part of Michigan could soon become a hotspot in the war on terror.

How will housing these prisoners here affect this rural area by Saginaw Bay and Lake Huron?

Does Standish (MI) know what it's doing by wanting Guantanamo terrorist suspects?

I know Standish (MI) where the federal government is considering housing the 400 terrorist suspects who are now in Guantanamo Cuba. 

I grew up about 20 miles south in Bay City which is a doorway to Michigan's north country and which right now is suffering from an economic depression.  During my childhood it was an engine for manufacturing with auto plants, parts plants, Dow Chemical, a major shipbuilder and much more.

Now there's healthcare jobs, teachers and all the associated education jobs, fast food jobs, along with an assortment of various other service jobs.

The Detroit Free Press this morning reports that the soon to be vacated state prison at Standish is being considered as a place to house suspects and perpetrators in our war on terror.

The local leadership appears to be anxious for the jobs and all the economic benefit.

But what will it do for the area?  Will this sleepy area at the foot of the Saginaw Bay and Lake Huron become the focus for the conflict that brought us 9-11?  Has or will this be thought through about how this will change life for an area where I still have many friends and family?

Are we losing our representative government in this country?

Is this video by a modern-day Thomas Paine, the writer of Common Sense during the days of the American Revolution, too over the edge or does it reflect a growing reality in this country?  Have we allowed the formation of a ruling class in Washington and our State Capitols where we work for them, rather than them working for us?

Is John Eldredge's book "Wild At Heart" worth reading?

I first heard of John Eldredge's book "Wild Heart" several years ago at a Promise Keepers conference.

It seemed to be a book saying that men all men were created by God to be adventurers and warrior types trying to save a fair damsel or something like that.

In this video, the publisher of the book, Michael Hyatt of Thomas Nelson Co, reviews the book again, eight years after it was published and he tells what the book meant to him.  Because of his blogging, Twittering and other use of social media, I feel like I know Hyatt.  I really like him.

Given the hyper-challenging times we are living in, is this book worth a read?  Does Eldredge's message have a fresh relevance for men of today?  Who's read it out there and what did it mean to you?

General Motors' Lordstown, Ohio plant reopens today

Manufacturing used to be king in Ohio's Lordstown and Youngstown corridor.  The Detroit New's this morning profiles the area's struggles that started with the closing of the steel plants in the 1970s and hangs on with a thread with today's reopening of GM's plant where its new Cruze model will be built.

What can Michigan learn from Ohio's experience or vice-versa? 

What will post-manufacturing life look like in our part of the country?

Ford sales bump: Good news for Michigan?

Are things looking brighter for Michigan with the news that Ford Motor Co. sold more vehicles last month than it did in July 2008?

The Detroit Free Press reports this morning that the Dearborn (MI) based auto company did something no other domestic car company has done since Jan. 2008 which a year-to-year sales increase. 

Economic news in Michigan has been glum for some time.  Is this changing or is it just reaction to the federal government borrowing billions of dollars to use as incentives for car buyers to buy a new vehicle?