Michigan’s Hot Political Issue, “Garbage”
Ken Hughes
October 21, 2003
Not just any garbage but imported garbage from Canada. Toronto and five surrounding communities in the area ship more than a million tons of garbage and trash to Michigan landfills each year. There are one hundred trucks more or less that pass over the Blue Water Bridge between Sarnia Ontario and Port Huron Michigan each day filled with Canadian garbage returning to Canada with Michigan air.
Its 230 miles between Detroit and Toronto, why would Toronto need to export its trash when 230 miles north of Toronto there’s little but wide open spaces. Canada is 100 thousand square miles larger than the United States and has a minuscule population in comparison. Why Canada can’t find a place for their garbage is beyond most in Michigan, could it be Canadian environmental regulations that prohibit dumping of trash in their landfills?
This is the basis for the Michigan political debate. Governor Jennifer Granholm has been accused of not doing enough to correct the situation. Her opponent Dick DeVos the former CEO of the Amway Corporation is accused of sending his Amway garbage, [products] to China to be made neither of these allegations is factual. Another allegation is the DeVos family is a contributor to George Bush’s campaign fund, I didn’t know he had one. The battle between the two is heating up and is nearly a dead heat at this point.
The real battle over garbage is between Senator Debbie Stabenow and Oakland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard. Its Senator Stabenow’s position neither President Bush or the United States Congress has done anything to control the Canadian garbage from flooding Michigan landfills. I fail to see how this is a problem for either the United States or the Canadian governments problem. It should be between the Province of Ontario and the State of Michigan it certainly precedes the Bush administration.
Senator Stabenow is taking credit for an agreement that limits the amount of trash coming from Canada that she and Michigan Senator Carel Leven worked out with the Ontario Government. Senator Stabenow makes several disingenuous statements, 1] She claims her opponent then Michigan legislature Mike Bouchard cast the deciding vote allowing Canadian trash to be deposited in Michigan landfills. I’m not sure it’s possible to determine which vote is the deciding vote that would need to be a highly contested bill in order to make that determination. This wasn’t debated it slipped through without much discussion. 2] Senator Stabenow claims to have eliminated 100 million tons of garbage from coming into Michigan from Canada. The facts are the agreement doesn’t take effect until 2010 and then it doesn’t halt all garbage it restricts some garbage from coming across the boarder. 3] Canadian trash haulers are negotiating the purchase of land in Michigan to be used as landfills for Canadian garbage it’s their way of circumventing the agreement.
Senator Stabenow doesn’t need to resort to lying, she’s far ahead in the polls and has very little to worry about, She’s been a lackluster Senator for six years so she hasn’t created any kind of negative record. Mike Bouchard is a local Detroit area name that has little state wide recognition. The most inspiring thing about Mike Bouchard’s campaign is his 16 year old daughter, Mikayla. Mikayla Bouchard is an attractive intelligent young lady many predict will go far in politics in the future.
These two races should be all about who can best represent a state that for all purposes is in the tank. Michigan has an Automobile dependent economy, years of excess by management and labor have drained the profits until the cost of manufacturing a car exceeds what it can be sold for and be competitive with foreign manufactures here and abroad. No one saw it coming because no one was looking. The automobile industry per say isn’t in trouble the same amount or more cars will be made and sold the demographics are changing.
Governor Granholm’s solution is to have the federal government bail the automobile industry out. A boat with no bottom can’t be bailed out. The solution is to let those who created the problem resolve it, management, labor and the consumer all have a degree of responsibility. If it hurts so be it.
This is something that can’t be attributed to George Bush It can be attributed to greed and lack of attention by those in charge and those making purchases. The only way to create American jobs is for the consumer to buy American products
Its 230 miles between Detroit and Toronto, why would Toronto need to export its trash when 230 miles north of Toronto there’s little but wide open spaces. Canada is 100 thousand square miles larger than the United States and has a minuscule population in comparison. Why Canada can’t find a place for their garbage is beyond most in Michigan, could it be Canadian environmental regulations that prohibit dumping of trash in their landfills?
This is the basis for the Michigan political debate. Governor Jennifer Granholm has been accused of not doing enough to correct the situation. Her opponent Dick DeVos the former CEO of the Amway Corporation is accused of sending his Amway garbage, [products] to China to be made neither of these allegations is factual. Another allegation is the DeVos family is a contributor to George Bush’s campaign fund, I didn’t know he had one. The battle between the two is heating up and is nearly a dead heat at this point.
The real battle over garbage is between Senator Debbie Stabenow and Oakland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard. Its Senator Stabenow’s position neither President Bush or the United States Congress has done anything to control the Canadian garbage from flooding Michigan landfills. I fail to see how this is a problem for either the United States or the Canadian governments problem. It should be between the Province of Ontario and the State of Michigan it certainly precedes the Bush administration.
Senator Stabenow is taking credit for an agreement that limits the amount of trash coming from Canada that she and Michigan Senator Carel Leven worked out with the Ontario Government. Senator Stabenow makes several disingenuous statements, 1] She claims her opponent then Michigan legislature Mike Bouchard cast the deciding vote allowing Canadian trash to be deposited in Michigan landfills. I’m not sure it’s possible to determine which vote is the deciding vote that would need to be a highly contested bill in order to make that determination. This wasn’t debated it slipped through without much discussion. 2] Senator Stabenow claims to have eliminated 100 million tons of garbage from coming into Michigan from Canada. The facts are the agreement doesn’t take effect until 2010 and then it doesn’t halt all garbage it restricts some garbage from coming across the boarder. 3] Canadian trash haulers are negotiating the purchase of land in Michigan to be used as landfills for Canadian garbage it’s their way of circumventing the agreement.
Senator Stabenow doesn’t need to resort to lying, she’s far ahead in the polls and has very little to worry about, She’s been a lackluster Senator for six years so she hasn’t created any kind of negative record. Mike Bouchard is a local Detroit area name that has little state wide recognition. The most inspiring thing about Mike Bouchard’s campaign is his 16 year old daughter, Mikayla. Mikayla Bouchard is an attractive intelligent young lady many predict will go far in politics in the future.
These two races should be all about who can best represent a state that for all purposes is in the tank. Michigan has an Automobile dependent economy, years of excess by management and labor have drained the profits until the cost of manufacturing a car exceeds what it can be sold for and be competitive with foreign manufactures here and abroad. No one saw it coming because no one was looking. The automobile industry per say isn’t in trouble the same amount or more cars will be made and sold the demographics are changing.
Governor Granholm’s solution is to have the federal government bail the automobile industry out. A boat with no bottom can’t be bailed out. The solution is to let those who created the problem resolve it, management, labor and the consumer all have a degree of responsibility. If it hurts so be it.
This is something that can’t be attributed to George Bush It can be attributed to greed and lack of attention by those in charge and those making purchases. The only way to create American jobs is for the consumer to buy American products
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