Devos vs. Granholm

I predict the race will be fairly close unless some dramatically bad economic news comes out.

Devos is going to be hampered just by the fact that he is so wealthy. That wealth is handy right now because it pays for all these commercials he's running. But, many people will not trust him to look out for the best of the people because he's so wealthy. Can someone who's got such an insulated life look out for the good of the people? I think it's a valid question to ask and something he will have to overcome.

Granholm will have the support of the traditional base in the eastern side of the state. The unions are still influential in Michigan politics and they will surely endorse her. The Michigan Educators Association has already endorsed her (without even interviewing Devos). But, it will take more than endorsements to win an election. She will have to show that she's taken positive steps to pull Michigan out of the economic doldrums. She may struggle to do that.

To her credit she's had to work with a Republican controlled House & Senate. And, not surprisingly, they've not worked well together. As a result, any agenda she might have wanted to pursue was blunted by Republican opposition.

Devos is leading

Devos is leading Granholm in the latest poll 48% to 40% with 12% undecided.

For quite a while Devos had been trailing mostly because no one had ever heard of him outside of West Michigan. But, over the past few months he's spent 6 million dollars of his own money running ads for his campaign. The ads are effective and have given him name recognition.

The Granholm campaign has not run any ads yet. But, partly because of his success, a Democratic organization has started running ads on behalf of Granholm.

Jennifer Granholm is going to have a tough run against Devos. She's the governor of a state that has one of the highest unemployment rates in the country. That alone puts her in a very vulnerable position no matter who the other candidate may be.

Governors, much like presidents, get voted in and out because of the economy. Yet, they are people that have very little control over the economy. So, Jennifer Granholm is going to get beat up on the economy in Michigan even if its not her fault.

Because of the woes of Ford & GM the state of Michigan has struggled and will continue to struggle for the next few years. You don't replace high paying jobs in manufacturing quickly. That's going to mean an unemployment rate that will be higher than other states. Even though Devos has shown himself to be good businessman, that doesn't necessarily equate to success being governor.

Who will win in Michigan?

The 2006 Michigan governor's race should be very interesting. Dick Devos, the Republican, and Jennifer Granholm, the Democrat, are the shoe in candidates running for governor in Michigan in 2006.

Dick Devos is the son of Rich Devos who started Amway and has become a very rich man. No doubt his son Dick has become very wealthy too. Dick ran the company for a while that used to be called Amway and is now called Alticor. Dick's wife, Betsy Devos, was the Republican party chairperson for the past few years.

Jennifer Granholm came into office almost 4 years ago. She was a very popular candidate that drew a fair amount of support in the more conservative West Michigan. Part of her popularity came from the fact that John Engler had been governor 12 years. The Republican running against her had been Engler's Lieutenant governor Dick Posthumus. Lots of people were weary of the Engler years and were looking for a change. Jennifer fit that profile perfectly.

Life as a Baby

Wouldn't it be great if people smiled at you every time you smiled?

Wouldn't it be great if people cheered you on each time you farted?

Wouldn't it be great if people hooted in congratulations each time you burped?

Wouldn't it be great if people smiled and talked back to you each time you uttered a noise?

Wouldn't it be great if people got exited about your poops?

Ah, the life of Sam.

Interpretive Dance

I danced an interpretive dance tonight to John Denver's Annie's Song. If you know me this is not normal behavior.

It was 8pm. It was close to Sam's bedtime. He's tired and getting hungry. This is a very hard time to keep him from getting upset. At times we'll do desperate things to keep him happy.

He was into it. He lasted all the way through Annie's Song and I actually got a couple of smiles from him during my stunning performance.

My wife confirmed that my performance was stunning.

Where did they go?

Not far from work is a cool new Target. My wife & I like to shop at this Target store. It's new and spacious.

Then, I noticed that there's a marsh right next to the Target parking lot. This whole area that's now a parking lot and store must have been a marsh.

Where did all the birds, fish, frogs, and assorted other animals go now that their home has been paved over? Were they killed when the bulldozers pushed dirt over their home? I hope not. Hopefully they were able to find a new home.

I'm conflicted. I like new Target but I wouldn't want this store if it meant thousands of animals displaced or killed in the process.

Is there a way to bring new development that doesn't wreak havoc on the animals that call that area home?