Michigan Issues on a Saturday Morning

The state of Michigan has put off a decision about putting an emergency manager in charge of Detroit for another month. If Lansing did it to keep the heat off of Republican candidates stumping the state ahead of Tuesday's primary, then the action is rather silly. Detroiters won't vote for the GOP anyway, and outstate areas likely support an emergency manager. Nothing is served by the delay, except perhaps keeping at bay a liberal media which might pounce on the juxtaposition of Republicans kicking a city while its down. But the media will harp at the GOP just the same, so the move still seems, well, cowardly.

The Democrats, Barack Obama, and the UAW are going after Mitt Romney even though he hasn't actually sewn up the GOP presidential nod just yet. Protests and adverts attacking his stance against the auto bailouts in 2008 have been abounding in the days heading up to February 28th. They should be careful what they wish for, if a defeat of the former Massachusetts governor is their aim. A true conservative challenging the President this fall would hurt them more than help. Romney isn't that guy.

About 100 people attended a session seeking comments about cuts to Detroit bus services (which are scheduled to take effect March 3rd) at the Northwest Activities Center. Their feelings were widely expressed through stenographers or at easels where they could write their complaints themselves. While we acknowledge that stripped down bus service could be a hardship for many, what strikes us as most interesting and even unfair in itself was the lament of one bus rider that 'they don't care' about those who depend on the bus lines.

Why the presumption that the powers that be don't care? Why not presume that it bothers them to do it, yet they have no alternative? We're not saying that that is necessarily the case either, but we do wonder why officials in charge and especially the vague yet readily available and obviously evil 'they' always 'don't care'. Maybe you are in an unfortunate position, and maybe charity does ask the rest of us to help. But things are what they are, and if city cannot afford bus service as it is, it hardly makes the decision makers bad people. For charity is not the obligation of the haves only, and everyone at times must make adjustments to their daily lives which they would prefer not to face. At the end of the day, we're responsible for ourselves. That sort of dignity goes beyond local issues, and is something everyone needs to strive towards regardless of circumstance.