Week in Review: HR Sinecures & Clammy Hands
September 16, 2023
Week in Review
County Board of Commissioners’ Meeting, September 12
Dan Rutan got the meeting kicked off with a bit of controversy, reading a letter from the Michigan GOP censuring Brett Leininger, the Hodshires, Penny Swan,1 and those associated with their side of the county GOP disagreement.
Later, three candidates nominated from that faction of the local GOP were considered for the GOP seat on the Board of Canvassers. Steve Lanius reasonably suggested tabling the vote on the nominations until after the controversy is settled. His resolution failed due to lack of support. The board chose Lawrence Peter for the GOP and Mary Rogers for the Democrats.
A well-dressed fellow from the Michigan Association of Counties (MAC) delivered death by Powerpoint to the Board of Commissioners. Despite that poor decision, MAC seems to be fighting the good fight of maintaining local control against overreach by Lansing.
The commission considered re-instituting a part-time secretarial-like position to help with practical matters related to the Board of Commissioners. Further, Benzing, Wiley, and others suggested hiring a full-time HR (!) representative.
The new arrangement for Medical Examiner among Hillsdale, Lenawee, and Branch counties is still being sorted out. During the discussion, Commissioner Benzing pointed out that the number of deaths in Hillsdale County is remarkably consistent from year to year, including 2020, 2021, and 2022. The only significant increase was for a brief period in 2020, which, according to Benzing’s report, was due not to COVID deaths but to fear from COVID that discouraged people from seeking medical treatment they needed for other issues.
Upcoming Events
Monday, September 18: City Council. The City Council has a number of amusing agenda items lined up. See the packet here.
Streetlight Letter from James Edward and Kristine Thomas (page 48):
The Thomas family wrote a level-headed letter to the City Council asking for permission to install a shade on the streetlight near their house in order to (1) block the night-splitting LED light from disturbing the silence of their evenings, and (2) allow their garden plants to rest and grow. In addition, they asked that the bulb be changed from what we call “frenetic white”—the city’s go-to choice for over-illumination—to soft yellow, and they volunteered to cover the costs of supplies and installation.2
Pets & Public Cemeteries (49):
According to some, it is a self-evident natural right for poorly-trained dogs and persons alike to poop, literally or otherwise, on the graves of the dead. The Council, one hopes, will prohibit this, no matter how much the deceased loved his pet.
Assessing/Code Enforcement Vehicle (51):
The tax collector is back with her vehicle demands. According to Jason Blake, the DPS Director, police vehicles are heavily used, as one might expect. Making matters worse—and you’ll notice this if you walk near City Hall—at least one of the police cars is always idling. Blake’s report lists three police cars that, in their collective 24 years of service, have idled for approximately 41,000 hours, which comes out to 1700 hours—71 days—per year. Incredible. For this reason, we are instructed to conclude, Assessor Thomas needs a brand new Ford Explorer.
Joint Early Voting Site Agreement (68):
In order to satisfy the demands of the state of Michigan, the city and the county will have to spend a lot of money and waste a lot of time with the “early voting period”, which now extends out nine days before elections.
Dial-a-Ride Title VI Provisions (82):
The feds are back, demanding compliance with their regulations in order for small towns to have dumpy buses (that hit pedestrians only on occasion). At some point it may become necessary to choose between HR grant-getting and hard independence.
City Hall Automatic Door Opener (107):
The city will spend $15,500 to have an automatic door opener installed at City Hall in order to comply with the American’s with Disabilities Act. (The current door viciously discriminates.) Given the cost, one hopes the doors will at least have heated handles for Ms. Thomas’s clammy hands.
External Links
“No constitutional right, including my oath, is intended to be absolute.” New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham has issued an emergency “public health order” temporarily suspending the right to bear arms in certain counties. See Auron MacIntyre’s thread on “the state of exception.”
“To say that a section of the 14th Amendment is election interference and considering how to uphold the Constitution is election interference is un-American. . . . there are big constitutional questions around that provision as to whether [Trump] is disqualified from the Colorado ballot.” Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold.
“If the government can force us to lie about the basic fabric of reality—man and woman—the government can force us to lie about anything. We must draw a line, or our basic freedoms will be lost.” Chris Rufo responds to a Department of Education Office for Civil Rights complaint alleging that he failed to use properly a New College of Florida bureaucrat’s “ze/zir” pronouns. More from Rufo here.
“Musk blocked access to his Starklink satellite network in Crimea . . . effectively sabotaged a miltiary operation by Ukraine . . . against Russia . . . Should there be repercussions for that?” CNN anchor Jake Tapper demands that Secretary of State Anthony Blinken treat Elon Musk as an enemy of the state.
“In terms of their targeting decisions, it’s their decision, not ours.” Blinken absolves the United States of whatever blame might attend upon sending long-range missiles to Ukraine.
“Because I grew up in poverty, I’ll never be able to afford to live by the sea in the Cornish village where I was born & raised, where the average house price is £700,000, I can only visit, collect the fragments of me that I left in the undercurrent, before leaving again.” Natasha Carthew.
“Nearly one of every five (18%) millennials and 12% of Gen Zers who replied to a recent housing survey believe they will never own a home.” Redfin.
“The place had not been Romney’s first choice for a Washington residence. When he was elected, in 2018, he’d had his eye on a newly remodeled condo at the Watergate with glittering views of the Potomac. His wife, Ann, fell in love with the place, but his soon-to-be staffers and colleagues warned him about the commute. So he grudgingly chose practicality over luxury and settled for the $2.4 million townhouse instead.” The sacrifices Mitt Romney has made for his country! And what did he get in return? J6!
“Why is this embrace of natural rights more helpful than accepting biblical morality, or than restoring traditional communal and hierarchical relations as a basis for human interrelationships?” Paul Gottfried and Michael Anton debate natural rights in the pages of Chronicles. Too eager to appear friendly — Anton addresses scathing remarks to a certain “Z-Man” while Gottfried defends the Claremont Institute — these gentlemen are in danger of failing to be interesting on an interesting subject.
“An average of about 15 students from Hillsdale convert to Catholicism each year, Kelly Cole, a volunteer and member of the parish council at the nearby St. Anthony Catholic Church, which ministers to the students, told CNA.” Catholic News Agency.
“But bad boys are also not men, since they have childish urges. Johnny liked beauty, but not decency—there is something humiliating in the obedience required by modern life.” Titus Techera reviews Untold: Johnny Football.
Farewell
But wasn’t Swan a player in what is now the America First Republican group? the simple, naive, unsophisticated reader might ask. Not to worry: she was duped (by a group of people who make no attempt whatsoever to disguise themselves). But she has since seen the frenetic white light of her salvation that emanates from the office of the County Clerk. Still, we vaguely recall some commotion she caused at a rally back a few years ago. . .—Clovis
The Review supports the Thomas’s request, and would back anyone else interested in not having their eyes stabbed.