Obama Over, or am I just Over Obama?

I think I'm moving past my earlier-declared enthusiasm for Barack Obama. I suppose I'd be open to seeing him mount an amazing comeback and step forth as the kind of visionary leader and national unifier that he aspires to be. But I watched the Democratic debate in Philadelphia last night and I just didn't see the dynamism that I think he needs to supply in order to draw in the uncommitted, much less the skeptics who question his readiness to be president for whatever reason. It's too bad because I was really hoping that some kind of consensus candidate could emerge who could do something more than squeak out a narrow win over Hillary Clinton and whoever the Republicans nominate. I suppose the fantasy of seeing the nation as a whole rally behind a new kind of leadership is just too much to expect of reality. But the fact is that Obama's not really supplying the fuel to run that engine anyway. He answers the questions just fine if you listen, but the energy and clarity of vision are lacking in the debate format and there's something about his laid-back style and non-linear thought process (which I can relate to myself quite easily, because that's how I operate too - but I'm not aspiring to the presidency either) that just doesn't seem to suit the role he's aiming to fill. And I don't see him offering a compelling reason to people who don't just naturally like the idea of someone like him being President of the USA.

So where does that leave me? I find myself thinking about guys like Joe Biden and Chris Dodd, actually. There are things about John Edwards that I could like but he is beginning to grate on my nerves as too canned and smooth. I could still vote for him but I'm attracted by the idea of just finding a competent, insightful, experienced and solid, non-controversial candidate (like Dodd) who puts forward good ideas and seems committed to actively restore the degradations to our government and constitutional system that Bush has initiated. I think there are a lot of people who want to see something bold and dramatic happen to counteract the Bush years (first woman president, first black president, a visionary like Kucinich or whatever) but there are serious risks that come with breaking new ground, including the prospect of seeing a corrupt buffoon like Rudy Giuliani take over in the White House. I think he's the only candidate I've seen who seems to me even less qualified than GWB to be president and it astonishes me that he's really being taken seriously as a front-runner.

Baseball Is Over (for now, sort of)

As I expected (and hoped), the Boston Red Sox did indeed solidify their reputation as a team for the ages by thoroughly dominating the Fall Classic. I had the TV on for most of the four games but can well understand that this series was probably not very interesting or compelling to anyone who's not already a die-hard baseball fan. There were a couple of close games but the outcome never seemed to be in the slightest degree of doubt. The Rockies rode a super hot streak into the WS and I'm just glad that this struggling franchise enjoyed a boost and a chance to step onto the big stage. They were clearly overmatched by a Boston lineup that gelled at just the right time, holds a few guys destined for the Hall Of Fame, a few others who might wind up there if they keep it up, and some otherwise pretty admirable veterans who perform their role with class and professionalism. It is weird to think of the Red Sox as the clutch-hitting, dominant franchise of our era, after decades of coming agonizingly close or just outright bumbling. But we're in a new millennium after all. Once again, I'm ready for baseball to be over for a few months and the off-season sure didn't waste any time getting under way with Alex Rodriguez' poorly timed leak that he's opting out of his contract with the Yankees before the champagne corks had even popped.

Across The Universe

After weeks of anticipation and enduring the knowledge that several of my friends and my own children had seen it before I had a chance to, I finally made my pilgrimage to see the new Julie Taymor film "Across The Universe." Now I knew from the minute I heard about this project that I would ultimately want to own the DVD and watch it multiple times. The people who told me that they'd seen the movie all said it was great and that I would really love it. So my expectations were high but I am pleased to say that I was in no way disappointed - in fact, I think it surpassed what I was hoping for because there wasn't a scene or probably even a frame of the film that I feel the need to overlook or minimize in order to say that this is a thoroughly enjoyable cinematic experience.

I was enthralled right from the opening shot of a young man sitting on the beach singing "Girl." I have the entire Beatles official catalog pretty much burned into the root sector of my internal hard drive and I've also assembled a pretty decent collection of various cover versions of Beatles material as well, but I really appreciated the way that their music was used in ATU. The film was vastly improved by having the actors sing the songs rather than dubbing in the originals in the soundtrack. Hearing a bunch of young people singing the lyrics, particularly the straightforward love songs at the beginning, brought the messages forward and freshened up the listening experience considerably. I don't have the soundtrack yet and I don't know that I'll be zipping right out to get it either - I'll wait for a good bargain somewhere in the future - but the application of Taymor's incredible visual imagination with these timeless and well-crafted songs was simply brilliant to behold and I could have happily sat through an additional hour or more of watching what she came up with. But this was perfectly satisfying enough just as is.

So what is ATU about? I would call it a multisensory mythologizing of the 1960's that utilizes historic events, archetypal characters and images, vivid colors, set designs, costumes, choreography, puppetry, animation and of course the music to evoke a range of emotions as it tells coming-of-age stories that most of us can relate to in some way or another. I thought of "Forrest Gump" on a few occasions as I saw various recreations of scenes familiar to and central to the lives of American Baby Boomers in the 1960's. Though of course there are big differences between those two films - ATU being a lot more daring, provocative and politically uncompromising (even though I consider Forrest Gump to be an excellent, entertaining film in its own right.)

It helps - a lot - to have a thorough-going familiarity with the Beatles' canon in order to fully enjoy all that Taymor and crew have packed into the production. Not just their music, but the visuals and the story and the context of each of the Beatles' albums as they were released in those pivotal years between 1963 and 1970. There are tons of inside jokes, visual quotes and subtle twists thrown in all throughout the film. I imagine that there are already websites or chatrooms full of Beatle-fanatics who've deciphered and cataloged the references much the same way they did when the "Free As A Bird" and "Real Love" videos were released in conjunction with the Anthology CDs in the mid-90s.

But even if you only know the hits, I imagine that this film will easily generate a devoted cult-following among those who enjoy the trippy visual effects, innovative animation and dance sequences and the appealing performances of the young and attractive cast members. Evan Rachel Wood did a wonderful job portraying her transformation from a rich, naive "Suzy Creamcheese" into a socially-conscious but disillusioned young woman. She is an exceptional young actress who has already demonstrated a willingness to take on adventurous roles. Jim Sturgess looks like the genetic hybrid of a young Paul McCartney (eyes, hair and puppy dog air of vulnerability) and a young George Harrison (the sharper angular features), perfect for the part of a dock worker from Liverpool who finds his way to America. There's also surrogate "Janis Joplin" and "Jimi Hendrix" characters as well as several others who fill the requisite parts to create an alt-universe version of the 60's as many of us would like to imagine it, and now can quite easily with the assistance of Ms. Taymor. She is clearly now in the upper ranks of film-makers who I will be tracking anytime she has a creative hand in something. I watched "Titus" again last night in preparation for ATU today and I'm so impressed with her craftsmanship and freewheeling, psychedelic sense of style.

What else can I add here? The narrative hits most of the high points of the 60's cultural timeline. The transition from straight-laced and sheltered "sock hops" youth culture to a more open, grittier outlook on life. Civil rights, urban riots, the draft, Vietnam, pot and acid, the radical left, mass demonstrations, assassinations, free love and student protests. About the only thing that didn't get included was the bitter aftermath of calamity following the Altamont debacle and the deaths-by-overdose of Joplin and Hendrix. Oh, I guess the NASA space program didn't get much mention at least that I can recall. But pretty much everything else was there.

As always, I'm willing to expand on this in the comments section, but I will conclude by giving this movie my highest recommendation. It's easily the most enjoyable time I've had in the theater this year and I don't know of anything coming out that's likely to top it.

Screen time

I spent my workday getting advanced training on PowerPoint. It was kind of fun to learn a bunch of new stuff but at the same time, the training felt kind of formulaic. I would have gotten more out of the time if I had been given some freedom to get some actual work done on real projects I have in front of me than in putting together bogus reports and learning some tricks that didn't really appeal to me. But that's training for ya...

Then tonight I spent most of the evening rearranging my media collection. I picked up three different shaped-and-sized bookcases from work last night - we are closing down a woodworking shop in advance of a campus relocation coming up next year and they had some decent cases for sale, super cheap. My books and CDs have been piled up and double-stacked for a long time and now they have room to be displayed neatly and in order! So that's a nice improvement to our newly improved living space (now that we have empty space and less stuff filling up our house, with the twins moved out.)

In other news, my daughter just got offered another book contract with Zondervan Publishing to do a series of six children's books that will be published sometime in early 2009. This is a more professional and lucrative deal than the first one she got, a very nice step forward for her budding career as an illustrator and artist! BTW, her second book is now out. Unfortunately, the publishers haven't updated their website so I can't borrow an image from there to put up here.

Wait, I'll just scan it myself and upload it from there. Here you go.

Manufactured Landscapes

Went to go see this documentary with my son Derek last night. (Julie was home feeling sick but didn't mind us leaving her alone.) "Manufactured Landscapes" caught our interest because of his trip to China last year and I enjoy these cinematic experiences that show us what's happening in parts of the world I normally don't get to myself.

The film documents the work of photographer Edward Burtynsky who travels the world capturing images of industrial impact on the environment. The film is loaded with amazing visuals and the reality behind them, what's happening to the people who live in these places, is kind of stunning to think about, especially compared to the relatively static and tranquil patch of suburbia that I inhabit. It's not a political film, not a guilt-trip or a blame-fest, which I appreciate. The Chinese path toward economic expansion and industrial development is a massive story and this film just brings it a little closer to home than merely browsing the shelves at Wal-Mart and Meijer and noticing how many things they sell are marked "Made in China."

This is cool.

Check out this press release explanation statement thing issued by the awesome indie band Yo La Tengo on their website:

The Freewheeling Yo La Tengo Tour is a rare opportunity to see this ever-surprising band in a setting more intimate and interactive than any tour in their 23-year career. A little bit "Storytingboellers", a little bit "Unplugged", with a soupcon of their famously varied Hanukkah shows, it will feature the band playing an almost-acoustic set of songs from their entire catalog, with stories about their life as a band, and an encouraged back-and-forth with the audience. Already famous for never playing the same show twice, this fresh look at Yo La Tengo offers rare insight into one of the most important, unique, and beloved bands in American rock. Yo La Tengo's latest CD, I Am Not Afraid Of You And I Will Beat Your Ass, will be the springboard for these shows, though anything can and will happen from there.

Even if you are not already a fan of YLT, I hope you appreciate and admire just how accessible and adventurous this group is willing to get while performing.

And what's even cooler is that I am going to go see them tonight! Now that, I'm sure you will agree, is stupendously awesome! I just found out two days that Yo La Tengo had scheduled a show at Calvin College of all places. Note to self: pay closer attention to the Calvin Alumni newsletters and event schedules that are sent my way every few months.

So that's what I'm going to be doing tonight. Review to follow!

And if you wonder just exactly what Yo La Tengo is about or what they sound like or any of that, their website offers plenty of music that you can download 100% guilt-free.

I Love Library Clearance Racks!

I was out on my lunch break today and swung by the library to return a few items that were coming up close to their due dates. As I often do, I took a glance at the shelves full of old stuff for sale. Much to my delight, I noticed a huge blockbuster of a book laying on its side, across the top shelf, basically crushing a bunch of flimsier titles under its sheer bulk: Total Baseball, the 8th Edition, published in 2004, containing just about every conceivable stat, roster and abounding in trivia on everything that's happened in the major leagues between 1871 and 2003. What an awesome collection of information and lore. The cost for me to lug this 2676-page behemoth out to my car was exactly $1.oo. One slim buck. I didn't even have to pay sales tax! The book retailed for $59.95 when it was first published, and other than a couple stamps that say WITHDRAWN on the edge of the pages, it's in perfect condition. And so what if it's a bit outdated now that we've finished four more baseball seasons since this edition came out? Stats for the past four years are easy enough to find. And in today's hateful atmosphere, I know that there won't be any more versions printed up with Barry Bonds on the cover, so I'm content with the one I've got.

It's amazing the quality merchandise that one can find in our prosperous and information-saturated society. Just last week I got an unblemished hardcover first edition of Kevin Phillips' American Theocracy that I'm going to dig into once I finish my current reading (a cyberpunk paperback by Rudy Rucker called Software.) I've gotten some pretty nice books, CDs and DVDs at local libraries for ridiculously low prices over the past several years, but this has to be the best overall bargain yet.

Seismic Shift in the Music Distribution Biz

This morning I received my unique link to download the new Radiohead music collection. I'm not calling it an album or a CD because it wasn't released in that form. (It will be eventually though.) It's called "In Rainbows," 10 mp3s that are available to anyone for whatever price (including free) that they feel like paying for it. You just have to find the website, and I think googling "radiohead.com" will get you there. Follow a few steps and then you'll get the files sent to you, zipped up.

I voluntarily paid 2.5 pounds (converts to about $6 American, after adding a 45 pence transaction fee) out of respect for them allowing me to set my own price. I like this system and hope that it flourishes. I've already heard that Nine Inch Nails (who I don't like) and Oasis (who I do) are seriously considering going this route and leaving the corporate labels behind. Fine with me. I'd much rather deal directly with the artists than with the intermediaries.

Musically, I'm on my second go-round through the tracks and it basically sounds like a Radiohead project, nothing terribly striking or innovative about it, but that's fine. I don't consider them "the best band in the world right now" by any means, though they have that reputation in some circles. I don't really get what that's about, but they are fine musicians and obviously willing to be adventurous in their careers and I respect that. A lot.

Imagine Peace

Yoko Ono (with whom I am friends on Facebook) dedicated a new installation piece to her late husband John Lennon yesterday on what would have been his 67th birthday. It's called the Peace Tower, and it's made of light. Basically, a powerful shooting beam projected straight up into the sky from an island off the coast of Iceland, energized by geothermal sources. It's a pretty cool thing, I think. You can see some videos and read more about it here.

Ehlers on the Environment

I had a chance to interact with my U.S. Congressman on Sunday. Representative Vern Ehlers spoke at Ada Congregational Church after their regular service, talking about his views on the environment. Ehlers is a fairly conservative Republican who has frustrated me over the past several years by consistently following Bush's lead on the Iraq War, never seriously deviating from the establishment line throughout the whole ordeal and even going so far as to try and defend the invasion on the basis of "just war" theory. That to me is more offensive than if he were just a run-of-the-mill red-meat chompin' flag-wavin' redneck chicken-hawk kind of guy. Ehlers is a physicist who used to teach at Calvin College and likes to present himself as a thoughtful, reflective and theologically informed guy. And I think for the most part he is, but it really bugs me when he tries to dress up his party loyalty and his unwillingness to seriously rock the boat with intellectual justifications that ring hollow to me and many others.

He was there to talk about energy and climate change issues, so we didn't press too hard on the war issue. He decided to try and get that one out of the way in any case by saying something like, "The Iraq War, it's a terrible situation, a big problem and I don't know what to do." And he tried to be light-hearted about it but that was pretty much his way of putting the controversy to the side. Thing is, Ehlers is a nice guy and it's hard to really get mad at him or press the issue as hard as I might wish if he were in a different setting. (The room was a little church parlor with comfy sofas and kindly senior citizens all around.)

So he proceeded to go into a fairly lengthy discussion on the growth of human energy use, as he put it, "from Adam to the Atom." He had a little overhead graph that shows how spectacularly the expansion in per capita energy consumption has grown from earliest agricultural societies up through the Industrial Revolution and into the Technological Age we live in now. He did a nice job getting us to reconceptualize how energy can be viewed as a resource, the only natural resource that is completely non-recyclable. Once the material has been used, there's no way to re-energize it and capture what was spent. He has this line about how he wishes "that energy was purple." If we could see it in some way, we would perhaps be drawn to be more conservation-minded - I think he's imagining "ordinary citizens," not people who are probably more in touch with this sensibility than he assumes most of us are. His points are relevant but in some ways he seems more like an elder who has a lot of knowledge that is worth learning and preserving but lacks some awareness of younger and more contemporary attitudes and perspectives. Which makes sense because of the circles he travels in. And to be fair to Ehlers, he is a lot more progressive on environmental issues than perhaps any other significant Republican politician in Congress. He's very involved in Great Lakes preservation efforts and is willing to cut against the grain when it comes to the kind of breaks that many GOP activists and politicians want to bestow on polluting industries.

Anyway, one woman asked during the Q & A why it seems so difficult to convince politicians to take the environmentalists more seriously and his reply was that the politicos are representing their constituencies who are not as well read or are sometimes confused or in denial about these issues, so it only makes sense that their representatives speak from similar positions. I wasn't really satisfied with that response, since I see so many of his Republican colleagues as being actively involved in the obfuscations and sowing of skepticism when it comes to enacting environmental reforms and addressing issues like global warming, emissions regulation, endangered species and more. I am still confused as to why he seems so willing to give President Bush so much benefit of the doubt about walking away from the Kyoto Protocols and doing basically nothing except posturing about it in recent months. I think Ehlers is just one of those nice guys (like me) who is reluctant to get strident about his views, confident that over the long haul, needed changes will occur. But I followed up to ask him about this phenomenon of politicians, pundits and industry lobbyists basically stirring up skepticism and defending the status quo to the point where it effectively creates more resistance to the kind of legislation he'd like to pass, and he replied with a vague and diplomatic statement where at least he was willing to pin down the head of ExxonMobil who he admitted was completely opposed to regulations that aim to address climate change and more or less scoffs at all the environmentalists out there who are trying to affect public policy. But it was clear to me that he did not want to get into either defending or criticizing his political party or the ideologues who seek to speak on its behalf.

So while I found it interesting and memorable to have this time of close encounter with a real live member of the US House of Representatives, I walked away a bit dissatisfied that we couldn't really get down to the heart of the matter. But that's how it goes so much of the time...

Tightly Wound Baseball

Just a quick word about baseball before I head to bed for the night. This weekend offered plentiful illustration of just how gut-wrenching it can be for a major league team to make the playoffs - especially when playing in a city where there's a long history of frustration and futility. The suffering fans of the Chicago Cubs and Philadelphia Phillies had to swallow some bitter pills this fall, adding yet another layer of angst to reservoirs of pent-up tension that are already way too deep. Both teams had seasons that with time and perspective will be seen as positive and validating, but neither were able to take the next step and deliver a World Series appearance that in all honesty I think would mean more to the fans in those cities than such an event would mean in either Phoenix or Denver. In fact, neither team was able to even win a single game in these best-of-five series. There was no doubt about it - they were not ready nor were they deserving to move on when it came to baseball performance, and so instead the National League will be represented by younger expansion franchises that have meager histories when it comes to the lore and tradition that I think makes baseball still unique among the major American sports.

And honestly, it makes it hard for me to root for either of the two NL finalists. I will go with Colorado, given the choice. I look at the Diamondbacks and I just don't see anything happening there that catches my attention other than the grudging admission that they sure seem to play well for having such a young, no-name lineup. Perhaps they have some players who will go on to establish strong reputations in years to come, but the thing that Arizona especially lacks is a sense of having paid dues and finally arrived after a lengthy, considerable labor to get to this point. Even the Cardinals of 2006, who in my opinion are the least respectable World Champions of any team to have ever hoisted that trophy, had some players who I could see as worthy of wearing the crown. I really would hate to see the Diamondbacks win another World Series - it was enough to see the Snakes get it in 2001, but that was clearly the team of Curt Schilling and Randy Johnson and a few other solid players. And they beat the Yankees, though I think seeing New York take another Series would have been OK that year considering all that the city had been through the previous month.

As for the Rockies, they have Todd Helton, a veteran whose great career threatened to languish in relative obscurity because of the generally poor performance of the team overall in recent years. I'm pleased to see baseball succeeding in a town where before this season the main distinction was how easy it was to hit home runs in the mile-high air up there.

But from a pure poetic and nostalgic perspective, I think a Cubs-Phillies NLCS would have been so much more engaging and interesting for longtime baseball fans. The burden of hopes and dreams that both franchises operate under may have been simply too much for the players wearing those uniforms to bear. I don't know how else to explain just how frozen up, tentative and apprehensive both teams seemed to be throughout their brief post-season appearances. And Ted Lilly's horrific-yet-classic glove-slam on the mound after giving up a three-run homer serves as the iconic moment that will replace the memory of Steve Bartman when it comes to recent post-season failures. I tried to find a picture of it on Google but it seems to have been erased from the servers, so I had to settle for a picture of him brooding after the fact. Too bad, but I know the video will be replayed for years to come.

Not to pick on these teams too much. I've seen the same thing happen to the Giants in years past, and I will say that the first round of playoffs in baseball are the most nerve-racking. Losing those is almost enough to make you wish the team had never even made it that far. Getting to the LCS is a decent outcome in itself even if your team ends up losing. And at least the Cubs and Phils weren't the most overmatched teams in the playoffs - that dubious distinction belongs to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, who were blown out brutally by the Boston Red Sox. But then again, the Red Sox are a full-throttle "team for the ages" cut from the classic mold. The kind of team that, if they wind up winning the World Series, will be seen as one of the best from their era - not flukey champs like the '97 Marlins, '02 Angels, '03 Marlins or '06 Cardinals were.

Out and On Their Own (Sort Of)

My twenty-year old twin sons Brandon and Curt moved out today. While Julie, Derek and I were at a high school marching band competition this morning, they and a few friends loaded up Brandon's truck, our minivan and another vehicle I think and emptied out most of their belongings to an apartment about 3-4 miles down the road. Here's a picture of the scene this afternoon (taken from the upstairs loft where Brandon and Curt will live - their roommate Brad gets the downstairs bedroom.) The guys got the sofa set up, the TV out and the XBox plugged in, and now they are ready to embark on the adventure of independent young adult living. Wow, what an adventure. I can tell you this, it's a step up from the sketchy basement storage area I first moved into when I was just a bit younger than my boys are now... so in terms of our family history, this represents slow, methodical progress.

Michael Card

Last night I had a chance to listen and talk to Michael Card, a well-known Christian songwriter, musician and author. The occasion was Wedgwood's Annual Dinner, a fundraising event that is held each year to raise awareness of our agency's work of helping hurting kids and families. My role in the event was to help set up and operate the computer that played the PowerPoint slideshows that had been created especially for the event.

Michael Card is pretty famous in the world of contemporary Christian music. He's probably best known for the song "El Shaddai" which was first popularized by Amy Grant in the early 1980's, though his own performance of that song is also quite well-known. Though I'm not one who puts on a lot of Christian music to listen to, there are a few performers whose music I keep on my computer and Card is one of them. Phil Keaggy, Rich Mullins and Bruce Cockburn are the others, unless you want to count U2, Elvis Presley and Johnny Cash. :o)

The thing I like most about Card's recordings is the way he uses paradox to convey meaning. It's a theme that runs consistently through his work - you might even consider it a device he uses to considerable effect, as it makes a lot of his lyrical images very memorable and thought-provoking. Foolishness that reveals wisdom, frailty that conveys strength, poison that heals, majesty clothed in humility, and more, are just a few examples of Card communicates biblical and theological insights through his songs. And he has a strong track record of doing this quite well with a large number of Christians over the past couple of decades.

Since I was part of the set-up crew for the event, he and I had some time to chat a bit. He seemed pretty interested in learning more about Wedgwood and the work we do there, and I learned about his ministry interests. He's a big supporter of "rescue missions" that serve the needs of homeless and other people. He lives in Tennessee and told me of the work along those lines that goes on in Nashville, which I imagine to be the kind of city that draws a lot of dreamers whose dreams come crashing down and put them in a place in life where rescue mission work might become a necessity.

It was a nice evening and a cool opportunity to get more familiar on a person-to-person basis with someone who I've heard and recognized for quite a few years. I really appreciate his support for the organization I work for and the program he put together for so many of our donors and friends who came to hear him sing last night. He's a warm-hearted, generous guy, quite accessible and down-to-earth as I saw from all the chatting he did with audience members after the show last night, and it sounds like he'd be willing to come back and work with us some more. He reflects the grace, humility and kindness that he sings and writes so eloquently about, and I enjoyed the encounter.

Paid Political Focus Group

I made an easy $75 last night. A few weeks ago I was contacted by a local market research broker and quizzed briefly about my political views and general demographic profile. Having been through this drill a few times, I made a slight effort to frame my answers in ways that I thought would fit the profile the screener was looking for while also not misrepresenting myself in any way. And it worked. After running the gauntlet of questions, I was booked for an appointment which, judging from the nature of what they were asking me, I was pretty confident had something to do with an anticipated political campaign planned for next year.

My hunch turned out to be correct, though if you had asked me beforehand I would have guessed that it would be more about potential individual candidates or positions on issues than what we wound up discussing.

The process began by asking for a general sense from each of us how things are going in Michigan. Most of us tended to be subdued or worse in our response - my word was "ambivalent" which was seconded by a few of the other guys in the group. Oh yeah, let me just say that I was in a room with nine other guys in their mid-40s or so, all white, all fairly suburbanite in our demeanor, though one guy said he did actually live in the city of Grand Rapids. Of course, all in the news right now is the on-going fiscal crisis, economic woes, legislative gridlock and ideological rancor that casts such a pall over pretty much anything having to do with state government. So that obviously set us up to see the situation pessimistically, though in some ways I'm fine with a "slower" economy here in Michigan because I really don't want to see continual suburban sprawl and rampant development of the open spaces in our state such as seems to be the case in the Sunbelt states. And I like the affordability of life in this area, the environment, the proximity to the lakes, the pace of life, etc. in West Michigan. So I'm not all down on it like some guys seemed to be last night. My biggest beef is ideological politicians. I'm feeling so burned out and fed up on ideology at this point in my life, to put it plainly. Anything that would drive our politicians toward the center where they are actually capable of listening to and thoughtfully considering the points that the other side is trying to make sounds like a good thing to me.

I don't feel the need to go into great detail on the focus group except to say that the gist of this ballot initiative that some group is contemplating would be to reduce the number of legislative districts (and elected representatives,) cut their salaries, benefits and opportunities to become lobbyists, and redistrict the state to be more balanced between historically Republican and Democratic constituencies. There are some serious questions and risks that an ambitious plan like this wouldn't produce the level of cooperation and comity that idealists like myself might envision, but overall I found myself favoring the idea.

If anyone wants to pursue this in comments, please ask me a question and I'll have more to say. I don't want to ramble indefinitely if this topic doesn't interest anyone!

Anarchy In Da U.P.

Anarchy? Unfortunately, no. I had that headline ready to use just in case the State of Michigan went ahead with it's threatened shut-down of government services today. However, some late-night bargaining took place over the weekend and a budget deal got done that will cut some costs, raise some taxes and keep the government in business for at least another year. So there won't be any all-out chaos and mayhem in either the Upper Peninsula or Lower Peninsula of Michigan now that our government remains intact.

I haven't read up on the details yet but it appears that the Republicans swerved just a bit from their "no new taxes" ideology and made the needed compromises since I don't think they were quite ready to go public with the kind of drastic cuts in programs that perhaps some of them would like to see implemented. I'll be interested to see how this all plays out politically, and if it has any effect in helping the state get out of the economic doldrums that have been overshadowing so much of our politics the past few years.