Category Archives: Bad government

Setting an example at UM

Posted on October 24, 2010 by hro50ta1

By Joel Thurtell The Detroit Free Press’s Drew Sharp was right on the money when he wrote that Coach Rod needs to fess up, shoulder the responsibility for a third miserable University of Michigan football season and stop blaming assistant … Continue reading →

Posted in Bad government | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

How to fix Wayne County

Posted on October 20, 2010 by hro50ta1

By Joel Thurtell Wayne County could resolve its problem of incompetence at the highest elected levels. It would require the help of Timothy Kenny, presiding judge of the Wayne County Circuit Court’s criminal division. I’m referring to the feud between Prosecutor … Continue reading →

Posted in Bad government | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Memory hole

Posted on October 3, 2010 by hro50ta1

By Joel Thurtell I waited for heated letters responding to Gina Kolata’s landmark article about Alzheimer’s disease in the Sunday, August 29, 2010 New York Times. “Years Later,” the Times headlined, “No Magic Bullet Against Alzheimer’s Disease.” Kolata’s article drummed … Continue reading →

Posted in Alzheimer's, Bad government | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Slow worker? Off with her head!

Posted on September 23, 2010 by hro50ta1

By Rival Pong JOTR Labor Writer Finally, a solution to the worker productivity problem. If only Henry Ford had known this trick. There would have been no slow-downs, no work-to-rule, no strikes and indeed no contracts between management and labor. … Continue reading →

Posted in Bad government, Unions | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

‘Privacy’ for snitches

Posted on September 14, 2010 by hro50ta1

A clerical error appears to have allowed Mr. Withers’s identity to be divulged: In most cases in the reports, references to Mr. Withers and his informant number, ME 338-R, have been blacked out. But in several locations, the F.B.I. appears … Continue reading →

Posted in Bad government, Chicago '68, Joel's J School, Politics | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Who’s corrupt?

Posted on September 7, 2010 by hro50ta1

By Joel Thurtell A retired newspaper reporter was fuming about John and Monica Conyers. How could John Conyers, the Detroit congressman, not have known his wife was awash in bribe money while she was a member of the City Council? … Continue reading →

Posted in Bad government, JC & Me, Joel's J School | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

The ‘rainmaker’ and the Senate

Posted on July 18, 2010 by hro50ta1

Here, followed by my introduction, is the 1992 Detroit Free Press article that set off the “Sewergate” scandal in Canton, Northville and Plymouth townships. I reprinted it on May 29, 2010, and now that one of the key actors is … Continue reading →

Posted in Bad government, Muni bonds | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Rainmaker

Posted on July 17, 2010 by hro50ta1

By Joel Thurtell Well, well. So Abe Munfakh, the “self-made man,” is running for state senate. Seems just yesterday that his $10 million inside deal — the no-bid contract his engineering firm received from the Western Townships Utilities Authority while … Continue reading →

Posted in Bad government, Muni bonds | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Turning rain into smoke

Posted on July 12, 2010 by hro50ta1

By Joel Thurtell Mostly, I let people post comments on JOTR without adding my two cents. Now and then, though, a comment will contain some quality that seems to cry out for my reaction. It may be very interesting, very … Continue reading →

Posted in Adventures in history, Adventures on the Rouge, Bad government, Lakes and streams, Muni bonds, Politics | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Not the Middle Ages

Posted on June 25, 2010 by hro50ta1

By Joel Thurtell In the Middle Ages, the Roman Catholic church got to act as prosecutor in cases touching every walk of life. The church’s behavior was justified by authorities as “defending the faith.” Legally, in many countries, the Church … Continue reading →

Posted in Bad government, Politics | Leave a comment