Detroit Importing Unwanted Protesters

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By Doctor

What the hell Wisconsin? First you bash the Spartans Rose Bowl hopes in the Big Ten Championship game, then you ridiculously start a lost cause of a Mitten war, and now you are flooding our streets with protesters. Are you that upset over Prince Fielder choosing the Tigers over the Brewers that you felt a need to fill buses and come to Detroit to preemptively rain on our World Series parade? Isn't there a cheese or sausage festival somewhere in Wisconsin for you to do?

Nearly 200 people boarded buses in Milwaukee, Wisconsin this morning to protest General Electric's (GE) annual shareholders meeting being held this weekend in downtown Detroit at the Renaissance Center. Most are from the group, Wisconsin Jobs Now, basically a Service Employees International Union (SEIU). Their homepage shows activists gearing up for "the Showdown in Motown" by practicing the "we are the 99%" chant in preparation for protesting GE's tax payments (or lack thereof) and calling for GE and the "1%" to "pay their fair share."

Now we agree that GE has some very good accountants, tax lawyers, and lobbyists that do a very good job of minimizing their tax burden, and they are ripe for criticism.

The problem is that Detroit doesn't need these demonstrations to reaffirm the idea "that Detroit is still in the clutches of militant unions, hostile to business and a lousy place to plant money." Basically, the opposite reason then-Governor Jennifer Granholm worked to persuade GE to hold their shareholders meeting in Detroit. 

Fortunately, it looks like Bob King and the UAW have decided that damaging Detroit's image isn't in their best interests. However, the folks from Wisconsin don't seem to care and decided to load buses, bring bullhorns, and stage demonstrations outside and inside of GE shareholder events this week.

Unfortunately, most national news outlets probably won't note the fact that the majority of the protesters were bused in from out-of-state and Detroit and Michigan's reputation as a difficult to do business will continue.

Please go home to Wisconsin. There's a place for politics, but this is an instance when politics need to be put aside for a few days to improve Detroit and Michigan's reputation as a place to do business, so we can improve investment and jobs. 

More:

GE's commitment to Michigan highlighted (Free Press puff piece)

Hundreds gather in Detroit's Hart Plaza to protest GE (MLive)

GE CEO Announces Investment, Deals with Protesters (CBS Detroit)

Trashing GE Will Hurt Detroit (Nolan Finley, Detroit News)

Time for another "Not So" Pure Michigan video

Tigers Stadium Centennial

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By Doctor

The Boston Red Sox host the Yankees this afternoon at Fenway and have taken over all ESPN outlets to celebrate 100 years at Fenway Park. BTW - screw you Boston for stealing all the headlines today. So glad the Tigers swept the Sox to start the year.

There will be no national televised game or role out of franchise stars at the corner of Michigan and Trumball today, just a few fans grilling and playing catch, but Tigers Stadium (Nevin Field) also turns 100 today.

Props to the Detroit Free Press for their coverage of Tigers Stadium centennial, you can find more @freepsports. I'll turn you're attention there if you'll looking for a nostalgic trip along the lines of Ty Cobb, Willie Horton, Al Kaline, Hank Greenberg, Kirk Gibson, Alan Trammall and "Sweet" Lou Whitaker, Sparky Anderson, Cecil Fielder, and other Tigers great.

I remember my lone trip to Tigers Stadium as a kid. It was 19 years ago this week (wow). It was memorable for two reasons. I got a signed Ernie Harwell highlight cassette as we entered the gates. Second, the Tigers beat the Oakland A's as Sparky picked up his 2,000 victory. I was ten and didn't remember that the Tigers scored 2 runs in the bottom of the ninth against Dennis Eckersly sparked by a Rob Deer single, but that's what this recap tells me. *The internet is awesome. I found the box score.

Former All-Star Robert Fick hit a grand slam in the eighth inning in the last game at Tigers Stadium as the Tigers beat the Royals 8-2, September 27, 1999. The following spring, the Tigers moved into Comerica Park. It's been a good move for the Tigers franchise and the city of Detroit as Comerica Park, Ford Field, and a renovated Fox Theater have drastically improved downtown. Unfortunately, the years since have not been kind to Nevin Field at Michigan and Trumball and the poor leadership of the City of Detroit deserves much of the blame.

Instead of preserving or protecting the Tigers historic legacy at The Corner, the City of Detroit holds out hope for a special development project such as a Walmart at the historic site. 

After ten years of rejecting plans to use the Stadium and just as Ernie Harwell and Tiger Stadium Conservancy were making strong headway into raising funds to preserve the Stadium and make it viable once again, the City of Detroit hurried the demolition of the Stadium, and one of the cities greatest landmarks.

A year ago, the Detroit Economic Development Council rejected a $65 million redevelopment plan for the site that included two non-profits, a charter school, housing and retail space that would have also maintained the field as a community resource and green space. What might have been?

Just last fall, Chevolet presented a fully funded plan to keep baseball at The Corner by pledging the funds and labor maintenance to turn the site into a Little League baseball field, so that future generations could continue to play the game at Nevin Field. The DEDC rejected that plan.

People still show at The Corner. They mow the lawn, grill, and play ball. The site still has meaning and history for Tigers fans. 

Check out Preserve Tiger Stadium

It's a damn shame that the City of Detroit fails to recognize, let alone try and preserve, the historic legacy of the site of Tigers Stadium. That the DEDC views it as just another empty lot (not exactly a rarity in Detroit) to be development is beyond disillusioned. It is a statement of the lack of leadership from the City. Instead of celebrating the future of the next 100 years at The Corner we're left shaking our heads at how such a treasured place of so many memories can be so devalued by the city.

How Michigan Screws Auto Owners

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By Doctor

I thought the outdated and unnecessary government mandated trips to a certified safety and emissions service provider at $30-$50 a pop in Virginia was bad, but it's got nothing on how the state of Michigan fleeces auto owners with the highest insurance rates in the nation which are going to go up for everyone, again.

The Michigan Catastrophic Claims Association (MCCA) announced today that the catastrophic premium paid by all insured Michigan motorists will be $175 from July 1, 2012 to June 30, 2013, a $30/21% increase from the previous year. Again, all Michigan motorists will be accessed this higher premium regardless of insurance provider, driving record, age, car they drive, or if they are a blood donor.

But wait, what is the MCCA? who serves on it? and how can they increase insurance rates for everyone in Michigan? I'm glad I asked. 

The MCCA is a private non-profit unincorporated association made up of insurance companies that was created by the Michigan state legislature in 1978. They are tasked with one objective: raise money to cover automotive personal injury claims in excess of $500,000. Essentially, the MI state legislature gave the insurance companies an authority to unilaterally raise insurance rates for all Michigan motorists. For added fun, as Tim Skubick points out on MLive.com, "all the votes, all the debate, all the supposed 'reasoning' that goes into setting the surcharge is done in the dark."

This is all the result of Michigan's well intention no-fault automotive insurance requirement which guarantees unlimited life-time coverage of medical expenses resulting from automobile accidents.

In most states, motorists choose how much personal injury protection (PIP) to be included in their insurance plan just as they choose coverage limits in property damage liability, bodily injury liability, uninsured motorist liability, and  collision deductible among over options. Of course, higher liability coverage and a lower deductibles result in higher insurance costs, but minimize risk. You can choose less expensive premium, but at increased risk. Drivers make informed decisions about the range of coverage based on their own driving habits, vehicle, and assets.

It is all about assuming risk, insurance. Car insurance companies help assume the risk of the cost of driving (accidents, etc...) through premiums of many to help cover the costs when a white tail jumps out in front of you. 

Michigan state law mandates that all Michigan drivers carry and pay maximum no limit PIP. Consequently, all drivers have to pay premiums to cover unlimited PIP coverage no matter the individual situation. It doesn't matter if the car you driver is an old pick-up used just around the farm that barely travels on public roads but is legally registered and has insurance or a brand new sports car with a bad safety rating driven by a driver with a history of speeding, that premium rate is the same for all ($175 next year).

Unlike Tim Skubeck, I'm not really surprised that something as ill-conceived at the MCCA resulted and that the insurance companies have the authority to secretively raise rates to pay for it. Insurance companies saw the "unlimited life-time medical expenses" guarantee and knew that something would have to be done to address unlimited increasing health care costs, so there are only responsible for the first $500,000 in accident related PIP expenses and the MCCA gets to raise as much funds as needed on top of that. Technically those premiums are assessed on the insurance companies, but of course, they are passed on to policy holders.

Unfortunately, the highest insurance rates in the country will only go up for Michigan motorists who also will have to deal with higher gas prices and rising fees on vehicle registration and drivers license renewal. 

Michigan is home to the Motor City and Michiganders rely on the cars to get to work, drive kids to various events, maintain their property, and get out and enjoy Pure Michigan. They shouldn't be prevented from making their own informed decisions on the extent of car insurance PIP they need and be hampered by the highest auto insurance rates in the country. 

American Reunion - Yes, a Movie Review

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By Doctor

Yesterday, I received a save-the-date postcard for my 10 year high school reunion. Today, American Reunion opens nationwide. So the film has some relevance for me when I saw an advance screening of the film with a high school classmate on Monday.

We had a blast. Yes, the film is familiarly formulaic and crass filled with plenty of masturbation, MILF, and shit jokes, nudity, and ridiculous awkward sexual situations, but the packed theater in Grand Rapids laughed throughout the film as we were reunited with all of the characters from the American Pie franchise (not counting all the additional direct-to-video films).

Of course, I’ve always been able to relate to the American Pie films and characters. I was a freshman at a Grand Rapids area high school when American Pie came out in 1999.  Sex, masturbation, taking a shit at school, practice, inappropriate nicknames, prom, going to the lake, etc… were all things that we talked about and dealt with in high school (although nobody had sex with a pie). Hell, we even had a kid at school who looked like “Sherman” from the film who, duh, we consequently called “Sherman” throughout high school. On top of that, American Pie was based in West Michigan, “East Grand Falls” substituting for creator and screenwriter, Adam Herz’s alma mater, East Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Without a doubt, my ability to relate generationally and to a lesser extent geographically contributes to me enjoying the franchise more than I should, but I imagine some of my classmates having similar discussions at our reunion this fall. We’ll talk about wives and girlfriends past and present, kids, reminisce about the good times, and hopefully get into some minor shenanigans. We’ll even ask each other why we aren’t friends on Facebook or if we are, why we don’t comment on each other’s posts more often which will probably sound just as awkward as when the characters do so in the film.

No, the film is not for everyone, but if you have enjoyed the American Pie franchise over the past thirteen years, you’ll enjoy American Reunion.

Jim (Jason Biggs) still suffers the most awkward and embarrassing moments but survives with sage advice from his dad (scene stealing Eugene Levy), “help” from his friends, and his loving and still sexy band camp wife, Michelle (Allyssa Hanigan). Stiffler (Seann William Scott) still gets the best lines along with some sweet revenge on Finch for sleeping with Stiffler’s Mom (Jennifer Coolidge) who also returns and has some fantastic scenes with Jim’s Dad.

Check it out for nostalgic reasons (high school, 90’s music), in anticipation or fear of your own high school reunion, or just for a fun couple hours at the movies. Just don’t splash Steve Stiffler.

Opening Day - Doctor's 9 Rx for enjoying the 2012 Tigers

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By Doctor

It's finally here. It is opening day for the Detroit Tigers as they kick off the season against the Boston Red Sox. Reigning AL MVP and Cy Young winner Justin Verlander got his pregame Taco Bell dinner last night and is set to throw the first pitch of the season to the AL MVP runner-up, Boston outfielder, Jacoby Ellsbury around 1:05PM EST.

JV's Taco Bell pregame meal

There's plenty of pre-season coverage, so I'll add my 2 cents by presenting the Doctor's Rx for enjoying the Tigers 2012 season:

1. Temper expectations, slightly. The Tigers should win the AL Central but may not meet or exceed last season's 95 wins. They also have a brutal April schedule (Red Sox, Rays, Yankees, Angels), so it may take a while to pull away in the division. I'm going with 90 wins even.
2. Ignore 35 year-old utility infielder Brandon Inge stealing headlines on a team with three MVP candidates.
3. Look forward to the Justin Verlander commercials co-starring Michigander and SI cover model, Kate Upton.
4. Follow @PhilCokesBrain on Twitter.
5. Download the MLive.com Detroit Tigers app and stay up to date on Tigers news and highlights.
6. Michigan Expats, subscribe to MLB.TV and watch, listen, and follow the Tigers anywhere on multiple devices.
7. Have plenty of Michigan craft beer on hand to watch the Tigers this year including Bell's Oberon, Arcadia's Witsun, Founder's All Day IPA, and any other favorite Michigan brews.
8. Play fantasy baseball. You may not be able to draft Cabrera (likely #1 overall pick), but Peralta, Alex Avila, Brennan Boesch, and Delmon Young are great value picks in the second-half of the draft.
9. Make the effort to go see the Tigers live this season. Either a trip to Comerica Park in Detroit or another MLB park near you. Find a group of other Tigers fans, have a beer, take a photo, and share it with us here at MichiganExpats.com.

Alright, time for me to go get ready for opening day with friends and beer. Go Tigers!

Michigan Stereotypes - Where on the Map Do You Fit?

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By Doctor

This photo has been circulating on Facebook and has generated over 16000 "Likes" and 8000 "Shares", so you may have seen it already. Whether or not, chime in and let us know where you're from in Michigan and if you think the artist has accurately described Michigan.

I grew up and an from the Bible Belt in West Michigan (GR), but spent a decade of my formulated years in the Cherry Lovers area of the state (TC). That's fairly accurate. According to the map, Mr. Sig is a Wannabe Gangster which also fits - deep down he knows it's true - and I expect him to talk about it on the next MichiganExpats podcast.

15 Year Anniversary

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By Doctor

Yes, it has been 15 years today since the Detroit Red Wings avenged the previous season Western Conference Finals loss and a cheap shot blow by Claude Lemieux on Kris Draper at Joe Louis Arena. The fight helped bring the Wings together and cemented their toughness as they went on to win the Stanley Cup that spring for the first time since 1955.

The Wings have won the Stanley Cup four times since the fight (1997, 1998, 2002, 2008). Hopefully the Wings can get healthy and hoist the Cup again this year.

If nothing else, it's an excuse to re-visit the brawl. This is my favorite clip of the fight on YouTube largely because it is edited to Filter's "Hey Man, Nice Shot" which fits perfectly. I know I can always watch this clip and be pumped up five minutes later. Enjoy. Lets Go Red Wings!