Chronic carpers
No single person in recent history has done more for Traverse City and northern Michigan than Michael Moore, yet some people heap criticism at his every turn. Richard Smith's letter on Jan. 30, where he actually compares and criticizes a charitable act, is a case in point.
I have to wonder ... what have all of these chronic carpers ever done for Haiti? For Traverse City? For our country?
Jim Kulczyk
Traverse City
Hire a grant writer
I would like to compliment the Grand Traverse Band for its donation of nearly $1 million to local governments this year. However, I couldn't help but notice that Kalkaska County is not on the list. It must be an oversight. I wonder about the history of Grand Traverse Band donations and how many of the dollars have gone to Kalkaska-related needs.
When some of the wealthiest counties receive funds and one of the neediest does not there must be a reason. Either the county does not apply for the grants or the grants are not approved. Maybe Kalkaska needs to apply for money to hire a grant writer.
Pat Corcoran
Williamsburg
To protect the water
After reading the misleading Jan. 29 forum article by Mark and John Zientek, my first thought was it must have been written by the Nestle propaganda department.
The "Public Trust" doctrine is designed to prevent large corporations from shipping large quantities of Michigan water around the world, as Nestle (Ice Mountain brand) wanted to do in Reed City.
Before Nestle was stopped by Michigan Citizens for Water Conservation, Mecosta County streams and lakes were drying up because the Ice Mountain wells were pumping the county dry.
Ask the Zientek's neighbors how they will feel if they lease their land (to Nestle?) and pump and sell enough water that local wells and streams run dry. This is the kind of abuse that House Bill 5319 is trying to prevent.
The "Public Trust" bill has nothing to do with taking over private property rights or groundwater. It has always belonged to the public, and private landowners have always enjoyed the right to use it if lawful and reasonable.
This is an instance when the public and private rights in our water are on the same side. The letter from the Zienteks would divide us.
Dennis Pace
Beulah
We'd like to know
I just received an unbelievable "mid-day update" from the Record-Eagle that leaves me just stupefied.
First Obama announces a $3.83 trillion budget -- $1.56 trillion more than we have. He just spent more than $900 billion last year to "stimulate" the economy, and national unemployment increased from 8 percent to 10 percent.
What do we have to do to make Washington understand that spending money we don't have will destroy, not fix, our economy. Since neither he nor anyone in his cabinet has any experience whatsoever producing tangible goods and services profitably, he would be better served to talk to the captains of industry to find out what it would take to get people back to work.
Next I see Jennifer Granholm has been working the talk show circuit over the weekend, spewing unfounded rhetoric about 42,000 jobs created in Michigan and 3 million nationally with stimulus money.
Really? Where? We'd like to know. We can't even get stimulus money for road repair!
Mark Mather
Traverse City
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