As February winds down and snow piles up, Michigan is stuck in a dangerous rut.

There was some good news out of Lansing this week: legislators agreed to end the practice of lifetime taxpayer-funded health care for legislators who turn 55.

The bad news? The legislators decided to exempt themselves from losing this little perk.

Speaker of the House Andy Dillon says he thought current legislators should be included, but he didn’t put it in the bill because he was afraid it wouldn’t get through the Senate. (Gosh, legislating is hard!)

As inelegant as the blog title may be, it’s a pretty accurate description of how I felt after the 2010 State of the Union address.

Last week, we talked about Lansing’s preference for politics over public service. After seeing the Congressional response to the SOTU, it was déjà vu all over again.

Pundits across the country are all a-twitter over Scott Brown’s Senate win. What does the loss mean to the Democrats? Can the Republicans capitalize on this in November? Should Martha Coakley have asked Mrs. Obama for wardrobe advice? Will Scott Brown keep his pickup truck when he goes to D.C.? (Maybe, but the barn jacket is definitely a goner.

Michigan politicos are happily joining in, but you have to wonder if jockeying for position in the 2010 elections is the best way to serve the people of Michigan.

It’s only snow, my fellow Livingstonians. Don’t be afraid.

Livingston County is located 42 degrees north of the equator. We’re hardly the UP, but we do get our fair share of snow. We live in the state that invented the car.

So why is it that when it snows, we lose our collective mind? 

Budget cuts may have reduced the amount of plowing and salting, but there are a few common-sense steps to increase safety on winter roads:

There’s been too much heat and not enough light in recent discussions of what health care reform means for the average Livingston County resident. For a little perspective, here are a few points to consider:

There isn’t a final version of health care reform... yet.

Anyone observing the Senate health care debate this week could be forgiven for thinking it had turned into a preschool playgroup. 

Between the Copenhagen climate conference and the EPA’s finding that carbon dioxide is harmful to human health, free- marketers are outraged by the job-killing unfairness of it all.

They’re missing the point: smart environmental policy isn’t just good for the environment – it’s good for business, too.

As February winds down and snow piles up, Michigan is stuck in a dangerous rut.

There was some good news out of Lansing this week: legislators agreed to end the practice of lifetime taxpayer-funded health care for legislators who turn 55.

The bad news? The legislators decided to exempt themselves from losing this little perk.

Speaker of the House Andy Dillon says he thought current legislators should be included, but he didn’t put it in the bill because he was afraid it wouldn’t get through the Senate. (Gosh, legislating is hard!)

As inelegant as the blog title may be, it’s a pretty accurate description of how I felt after the 2010 State of the Union address.

Last week, we talked about Lansing’s preference for politics over public service. After seeing the Congressional response to the SOTU, it was déjà vu all over again.

Pundits across the country are all a-twitter over Scott Brown’s Senate win. What does the loss mean to the Democrats? Can the Republicans capitalize on this in November? Should Martha Coakley have asked Mrs. Obama for wardrobe advice? Will Scott Brown keep his pickup truck when he goes to D.C.? (Maybe, but the barn jacket is definitely a goner.

Michigan politicos are happily joining in, but you have to wonder if jockeying for position in the 2010 elections is the best way to serve the people of Michigan.

It’s only snow, my fellow Livingstonians. Don’t be afraid.

Livingston County is located 42 degrees north of the equator. We’re hardly the UP, but we do get our fair share of snow. We live in the state that invented the car.

So why is it that when it snows, we lose our collective mind? 

Budget cuts may have reduced the amount of plowing and salting, but there are a few common-sense steps to increase safety on winter roads:

There’s been too much heat and not enough light in recent discussions of what health care reform means for the average Livingston County resident. For a little perspective, here are a few points to consider:

There isn’t a final version of health care reform... yet.

Anyone observing the Senate health care debate this week could be forgiven for thinking it had turned into a preschool playgroup. 

Between the Copenhagen climate conference and the EPA’s finding that carbon dioxide is harmful to human health, free- marketers are outraged by the job-killing unfairness of it all.

They’re missing the point: smart environmental policy isn’t just good for the environment – it’s good for business, too.