SAGINAW OPINION

Local Columns, Blogs, Editorials, Letters and Guest Columns

Voice: Bob Wood, Caro Last month, Hawaii senators voted unopposed in favor of a bill to reduce possession of 1 ounce or less of marijuana from a criminal misdemeanor, punishable by up to 30 days in jail and a $1,000 fine, to a civil infraction punishable by a fine of $300 on first offense and $500 on every violation... Full story »

Happy's Pizza and the Court Street Cafe opened for business last month. Both enterprises have enough menu selection to keep patrons delighted during dinnertime. More important, the businesses show there's still a market to tap in Saginaw. Full story »

Some prescriptions for what ails the nation may have a more Michigan tinge for the rest of this year, as Michiganders from the industrial east side of our state hold top positions on the powerful U.S. House Committee on Ways and Means. Rep. Dave Camp, R-Midland, already was out front on issues such as health insurance reform as the... Full story »

Saginaw has been doing a lot of things right to combat the violence plaguing its streets, including hosting the presence of state police troopers and beefing up community policing efforts.  Police Chief Gerald H. Cliff said department figures showed violent crime was down about 24 percent in 2009 from the previous year, which saw Saginaw in the top spot... Full story »

Voice: Dan Princinsky, Saginaw In 1935, the Supreme Court emphatically ruled that Congress did not possess any constitutional authority to create either a voluntary or mandatory government benefits program like a national health care insurance mandate or social security system. Consequently, the U.S. government cannot lawfully, under the U.S. Constitution, compel any American citizen to participate in any benefits,... Full story »

Voice: Jeanie M. Young, Saginaw How many of our children and young adults have to be taken by some sex offender or pedophile before we create laws to take care of these people permanently? First, my advice is to castrate them. Second, after their first offense and being castrated, lock them away for the rest of their lives. These... Full story »

Voice: Jerry M. Roethlisberger Sr., Saginaw Township The myth of Japanese automotive superiority is crumbling under the weight of multiple recalls of Toyotas and Hondas.  Various Toyota models, with more than 5.3 million in the United States alone, accelerate on their own due to sticky gas pedals and/or interfering floor mats. Priuses with brake failures. Corollas and Tundras with... Full story »

Voice: Catherine Giallonardo, Thomas Township I am stunned at the sympathy for the killer whale that killed Dawn Brancheau. This tragedy is about profit and greed on the part of SeaWorld. Dawn Brancheau was a human being, and the whale was a whale; a whale that had killed before. Shame on SeaWorld and any family who gives them one... Full story »

Voice: Bill Kalmar, Lake Orion If you saw or heard the “sorry,” script-laden monologue from Tiger Woods, you may wonder if he is truly sorry for his off-course trip into a sordid lifestyle of debauchery and for his own golf-inspired “skins” game! His remarks were filled with the mandatory mea culpas, but in my mind he left out a... Full story »

Voice: Dr. Mitchel Osman, Mount Pleasant There is an ongoing ruckus over health care, death panels and the public option. Readers should be aware that death panels have been in operation for some time. Health insurance companies hire a death panel company to deny claims, care and medicine. The death panel company handles policy holders’ requests for health needs.... Full story »

By Bob Ciaffone On our 2010 ballot, Michigan voters will have an opportunity to approve holding a state constitutional convention (Con-Con, for short). Our present constitution has a provision that says voters must be presented every 16 years with a ballot proposal that calls for a constitutional convention. The next 16-year vote is due for 2010. (A newly drafted... Full story »

“Caution Ahead,” a lot of state and local lawmakers say about proposals such as highway tolls to raise money for roadwork. This, just as the pavement begins to open up like a zipper under the freeze-thaw cycle of spring. Caution, sure, but don’t stop driving toward a solution for fixing our crumbling roads and bridges. The stakes are too... Full story »

Voice: Chris Abell, Hermosa Beach, Calif.  I grew up in Michigan and plan to return in a few years to retire. I hope to live near Lake Michigan and fish for walleye. How sad if I catch only carp instead. The locks from Chicago to Lake Michigan must be closed immediately until a solution is found. It is our... Full story »

Officials this year appear ready to order up tax renewals that could save a community entertainment venue, bus transportation, recreation programs, museum funding and one-third of Saginaw's police and fire forces. That's five requests for money. And all this comes at a time when residents are turning their pockets inside-out in search of spare change. Full story »