Granholm and DeVos in Dead Heat

From the Lunchbucket Conservative comes the results of a poll by Rasmussen Reports that shows Governor Jennifer Granholm and her challenger, Dick DeVos, in a tie at 44% each. It is always tough for an incumbent to be re-elected when the economy is in shambles. No matter if Governor Granholm inherited the current mess that Michigan is in or not. She is the presiding Governor while our state economy is in the tank.

Bloated Budgets in Detroit Questioned

Boy, the city of Detroit just can't stay out of the limelight these days. This time they are making headlines for their city council requesting almost $3 million more than last year for their annual budget. The $15.7 million breaks down to $1.7 million per council member. That goes to pay for salaries and benefits for the council members and their staff. Detroit's spending is stuck in the days when the city had a lot more people and businesses creating a much larger and richer tax base. I will say that Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick did cut his budget by 40% and that should be an example for the city council to follow. This just smells of people in positions to take what they can get while the getting is good. If it helps to bankrupt the city of Detroit then so be it. At least they got what they could, right?

Read all about it in the Detroit News

In relation to this, you might want to read the Detroit News article - Detroit Needs to Borrow $130 million or it Will be Broke by June

Detroit Wonk's Thoughts About Tiger Stadium

Chris over at the Detroit Wonk blog has an interesting post asking Could Tiger Stadium Have Been Saved? Here's my previous post regarding my thoughts about the possible demolition of Tiger Stadium

Is Your Green Thumb Itching to do Some Gardening?

Is your green thumb itching to get back to work in the garden? Then we have some interesting tips for you to have a great gardening season in Michigan. Vegetables prefer a full day of sun, but if you live in a shady suburb you don't have to give up the idea of growing vegetables. Here are some minimum sunlight requirements:

• Fruiting Vegetables - 8 hours of sun. This includes tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, and vine crops such as cucumbers, melons, and squash
• Root Vegetables - 6 hours of sun Carrots, beets, etc.
• Leafy Vegetables - 4 hours of sun. These are your "greens" such as lettuce, spinach and collards

*Keep in mind that these are minimums. Increasing the amount of sunlight your vegetables receive will increase the yield and quality of your crop.

The benefits of manure await your garden. Behold the mysterious powers and follow the suggestions below:

• Don't use dog or cat manure. These manures often carry diseases that can be spread to children
• Never use fresh manure, since it contains soluble nitrogen compounds and ammonia that can burn plants and interfere with seed germination. Manure that is well composted or has aged for about six months is best. When added to the compost pile, manure will speed the composting process.
• Manure tea can be used for periodic feedings or diluted and used every time you water. Do not allow undiluted manure tea to come into direct contact with foliage. To make manure tea, simply place a shovel or two of manure in a large container filled with water, and after a week or so, strain out the manure. To make the straining process a little easier, you can tie the manure in a burlap bag before placing it in the water.
• Horse manure may contain a good many weed seeds, so compost it in a hot compost pile before adding it to your garden.

Check Out the Sugar Shack

The sap is running. No, not the village idiot that has cabin fever and runs through the woods in nothing but his flannel pajamas. The sap from Maple trees, of course. Sap will run for approximately 15 hours after it thaws, then it waits for the next cycle to run again. The folks at the Sugar Shack in Maple City offer free tours and tasting. They eagerly anticipate this annual ritual so they can process gallon after gallon of the sweet stuff.

The sugar house is set in the rolling, wooded hills south of Glen Lake. The farm consists of pumping stations, miles of tubing, and the sugar house with its country store at the front. Miles of tubing and a huge stainless steel evaporator help to boil 40 gallons of sap to make just one gallon of maple syrup. If you think you have had real maple syrup, check the label on the grocery store syrup. Chances are there isn't even a drop of real maple in its contents.

If you go: The Sugar Shack is located 15 miles west of Traverse City. From M-72 turn north on Fritz Road and in a quarter mile turn west on Baatz Road where the farm is 1.5 miles on the left. During syrup season and summer the store is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and until noon on Saturday. Tours and tasting are free.

MiPC Program Gives Michigan Residents Computer Deals

The MiPC (pronounced My-PC, how cute) program is intended to get more Michigan residents up to speed in computer usage. The program is accepting bids and will announce the pricing and packages in May or June. No state funding is involved in creating the reduced prices. As Michigan struggles to become technology focused, Governor Granholm's administration has created MiPC to make it possible to place computers in more Michigan households. Most jobs in the future will require some form of computer knowledge and Michigan residents need to develop an edge in that arena. I like the theory behind this program and especially the fact that taxpayer dollars are not being used to finance the computer discounts. The discounts depend on the bids that the state has sent out.