Tag Archives: Michigan

CABs, me and The NY Times

Posted on February 8, 2013 by hro50ta1

By Joel Thurtell If you get a mention in The New York Times, be grateful. Even if it’s baloney. Remember what P.T. Barnum said about not caring what the papers said about him as long as they spelled his name … Continue reading →

Posted in CAB scams, Muni bonds | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Lowell’s oddball bridge

Posted on November 18, 2012 by admin

By Joel Thurtell LOWELL, Mich. — It doesn’t attract as many tourists as Italy’s Ponte Vecchio, but Lowell’s Main Street Bridge bears a certain similarity to that 14th-century pedestrian span over the Arno River in Florence. Lowell’s bridge, barely 100 … Continue reading →

Posted in Adventures in history | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Props 1-6: How I voted

Posted on November 2, 2012 by admin

By Joel Thurtell No on Prop. 1 — emergency municipal managers. Michigan has had an emergency financial manager law since 1990 that has returned many local governments to solvency. The constitutional amendment would give managers power to tear up municipal … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Little brown jug o’ lakes

Posted on October 28, 2012 by admin

By Joel Thurtell The football rivalry between the Wolverines and the Golden Gophers over the little brown jug isn’t the only bone of contention between Michigan and Minnesota. [The game will be played at noon Eastern time Saturday, November 3, … Continue reading →

Posted in Adventures in history, Lakes and streams | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Michigan CABs and the ‘Big Graphic’

Posted on August 27, 2012 by hro50ta1

MICHIGAN SCHOOLS LOAD THE FUTURE WITH DEBT By Joel Thurtell April 5, 1993 was doomsday for Capital Appreciation Bonds in Michigan. On that day, the Detroit Free Press exposed the horrendously bad deal almost 100 Michigan school districts had dished … Continue reading →

Posted in CAB scams, Muni bonds | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Dayton & CABs

Posted on August 27, 2012 by hro50ta1

By Joel Thurtell Thanks to Kevin Dayton for his latest post on California CABs. What Michigan did by banning CABs in 1994 is relevant to what’s been happening in California with school CAB debt since at least 2000. A Detroit … Continue reading →

Posted in CAB scams | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

CABs: What I get

Posted on May 27, 2012 by hro50ta1

By Joel Thurtell A few days ago, joelontheroad registered more than 5,500 hits in a week. Not Facebook, but for a guy without the resources of, say Huffington Post or The New York Times or even a small town weekly, … Continue reading →

Posted in Bloggery, CAB scams, future of newspapers, Joel's J School, Muni bonds | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Hey, California! Michigan school sued lawyers & won $15 million

Posted on May 19, 2012 by hro50ta1

By Joel Thurtell Think about this, Californians: In the early 1990s, a Michigan school district actually sued its attorneys in a CAB deal turned sour. Amazing! Pontiac schools won a $15-million-dollar settlement against their bond counsel, the prestigious firm of … Continue reading →

Posted in CAB scams, Muni bonds | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

See no evil: CABS and media

Posted on May 16, 2012 by hro50ta1

By Joel Thurtell Thanks to Kevin Dayton of the Dayton Public Policy Institute for noticing my recent columns about the evils of Capital Appreciation Bonds. He covered the May 11, 2012 meeting of California’s League of Bond Oversight Committees annual … Continue reading →

Posted in CAB scams, Muni bonds | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

CABs and consequences

Posted on May 14, 2012 by hro50ta1

By Joel Thurtell Gray Davis. If I were a member of the Poway Unified School District in San Diego and my name was Penny Ranftle Linda Vanderveen Andy Patapow Mark Davis Todd Gutschow, I’d be wondering how soon I’d make … Continue reading →

Posted in CAB scams | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments