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A
SSOCIATED
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EWSPAPERS OF
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ICHIGAN
P
AGE
6
August 9, 2012
Did you vote?
Did you take the time to go to
the polls and help determine the
fate of the Detroit Institute of
Arts? Did you join the majority of
opinion regarding the Wayne
County Jail millage? Did you vote
for the judge who may someday
make a decision that will directly
affect your life?
Did you take the time to help
determine which candidates'
names would actually appear on
the November ballot or did you
just allow someone else to make
those choices for you?
Voting isn't easy. It's inconven-
ient, often time consuming and
can even be challenging on occa-
sion, but it is the price we pay to
have the elected leaders we
choose at every level. It's also diffi-
cult to know who to vote for, these
days, unless one is parochially
involved in an issue or a strong
supporter of a candidate. Interest
in elections seems to be at an all-
time low in many communities,
and we are confident it isn't
because things are going sowell.
Voter apathy is at an epidemic
rate and nowhere is it more symp-
tomatic than in primary elections
like the one this week. Many peo-
ple feel they are just too busy to
vote, after all, their time is valu-
able, they have things to do.
Others are just lazy and some sim-
ply feel too discouraged by the
current state of politics in our
local, county and state elections to
even attempt what they feel is an
exercise in futility.
Voting, after all, isn't a one-day
exercise, or it shouldn't be.
Informed voting requires paying
some attention, as time permits, to
the issues and the questions.
Informed voting means watching
the conduct of elected officials on
issues, taking note of their behav-
ior and understanding whether
they are really doing the job for
which voters gave them the nod
previously or believing they will
do as they promised while they
were campaigning. Voting
requires some level of involve-
ment and interest.
When you don't vote, no matter
what the reason, you have given
away one of your most basic
rights. Then, as has happened,
candidates who do not represent
your best interests or opinions
take office. When those elected
officials then make decisions con-
trary to your wishes, your well
being or even your safety, you can-
not be surprised. You cannot be
outraged. You, after all, by not vot-
ing, might just as well have cast
your vote for them.
Boy, amI steamed.
Politicians constantly infuriate
me, but this time Harry Reid has
just tipped the balance. It's no won-
der our local political “leaders” feel
they can act like such uncivilized
jerks when they have guys like Reid
setting suchan example.
OK, here's what he said. See if
you think I amwrong here.
Romney, or Mitt the Twit, as the
screaming British tabloids have
dubbed him after his recent over-
seas adventures, made some rather
unfortunate remarks while travel-
ing abroad. He upset the Israeli gov-
ernment, the Palestinians, the
Polish and more than anybody, the
British. Let's face it, it takes some
real talent to upset allies like the
British, but Mitt managed, in
spades, to set themoff for days.
He made mistakes. He chose
inappropriate responses. He wasn't
careful enough with his words in a
diplomatic atmosphere. Well, that
happens. Sorry, but every candidate
sticks their well-shod foot into their
expensively-capped and well-
rehearsed mouth a few times dur-
ing any campaign.
SoMitt screwedup. It happens.
Now comes Harry Reid, the
Senate Majority Leader in
Washington to the podium and says,
on the Senate floor, that Romney
won't release his income tax returns
because he hasn't paid taxes for 10
years. He follows that statement
with a disclaimer, “I don't know if
that's true, but his father must be so
embarrassed of him.”
What? He didn't say that, not
really, did he? Really? On the
Senate floor?
Look, I think Mitt Romney as
president would be like sending
Edward Scissorhands to learn brain
surgery. He isn't
the sharpest
shovel in the
shed and we've
seen the reaction to his brand of for-
eigndiplomacy.
But to say his beloved, deceased
father would be embarrassed or
ashamed of him? Sorry, but that
goes way beyond the level of civil
discourse and responsible conduct I
expect in elected leaders at any
level of government.
I think Harry Reid owes
Romney, and everybody else, a pub-
lic apology. That remark was simply
way below the expectation of any-
onewhose IQ reaches roomtemper-
ature. If anybody has reason to be
ashamed, it's Reid for his remark,
Recently, an on-call Northville firefighter was cited by
police for the unauthorized use of emergency lights on his per-
sonal vehicle and impersonation of a police officer.
The man actually performed a traffic stop of a Northville
woman and inferred he was an undercover police officer.
When collecting details for the story about the incident, our
reporter asked what he thought was a logical question: “Are
background checks performed on these on-call firefighters?”
Imaginehis surprise, and ours, when the answerwas no.
No background checks, unlike professionally staffed, full-
time fire departments where these men and women are con-
scientiously vetted, the City of Northville, which serves the
City of Plymouth, too, does not even perform a cursory back-
ground check of the on-call firefighters sent into residents'
homes andbusinesses.
People are usually at their worst emotionally and are most
vulnerable at any kind of emergency situation, fire or medical,
in which the fire department would have to be called, but to
realize that in the cities of Northville or Plymouth, the person
running through your home with a hose or a fire ax might be
just as interested in your possessions as your need for help
seems inappropriate at best. At its worst, it is a sanctioned
invasion and abetted victimization. We strongly believe that
residents seeking emergency help deserve to know that those
who respond to that plea are honest, trustworthy, trained pro-
fessionals.Without exception.
We're sure that the majority of the men who sign on for the
on-call firefighter status are just that, decent people taking on
a sometimes dangerous job so to make some extra money.
They can continue at their usual jobs and respond to a fire
emergency when they receive the call, drive to the station
nearest the incident, suit up, board the fire truck and ride to
the scene where they attempt to put out the fire, save the
building, get Fluffy out of the tree or extricate Jimmy's head
from the stairway banister. At $26 or so an hour, it isn't a bad
way to make some extra money and many of these guys really
are motivated by a sense of responsibility for their community
and a desire to help. They usually can help, too, unless, of
course, it is a real life or death emergency, a major crisis or
serious incident or injury. Then they hope it isn't too late, call
in the professionals through mutual aid, usually from
Northville Township, and get out of the way, still at $26 an
hour.
But, this Northville incident is proof that there are those
whomay not be as pure of heart as others.
The on-call firefighter in the Northville situation is also an
auxiliary police officer in Livonia and applied to be a City of
Northville auxiliary police officer. That application actually
led police to his identity when a real police sergeant matched
the description of the suspect in the unauthorized traffic stop
to an auxiliary applicant he remembered.
We don't know that theman charged is a bad guy. Hemay be
operating from the purest of motives and perhaps he really
did think the womanwho came back to her home to check her
garage door looked like a suspicious character casing the
neighborhood for her next cat-burglar break-in.
The fact is, he may have even come through a background
check without any problem. But no such investigation was
done on him or any of the other on-call firefighters who now
comprise the majority of first responders from the fire depart-
ment serving the cities of PlymouthandNorthville.
We'd very much like to see that changed. We'd like to know
that the guy helping get Fluffy out of the tree isn't on the
Humane Society's Most Wanted list of animal abusers. We'd
like to be sure that the smiling firefighter helping get Jimmy
loose from the banister isn't a convicted pedophile and we'd
like to be confident that the men searching our home for the
source of smoke hasn't done time for home invasion and rob-
bery and isn't going to sell a list of valuables and access points
of our home to past, er, associates.
We would almost bet that every one of the people currently
on the on-call roster would pass such a background investiga-
tionwithout any question.
But we, and every other resident, deserve to know for sure.
A vote is a
terrible thing
to waste
Letters
Lack of self-control is a weakness
that can metastasize in some very ugly ways
when coupled with the power of public office.
”
We would almost bet that every one
of the people currently on the on-call
roster would pass such a background
investigation without any question.
”
Leaders should be held to higher standards
Lack of background checks should be corrected
See
Tempers,
page 7
See
Vote,
page 7
Candidates actions criticized
To the editor:
Both Bob Dorshevitcz and Mike
Kelly stated in the 7-16-12
Candidates Forum that they were
"opposed to closing the Wilcox Fire
Station." Yet, while they were
Trustees this past March, they both
voted to close that same
station......LIES, LIES...LIES.
Throughout the past year and a
half,, thereweremultiple aspects to
addressing the loss of income from
Plymouth City (i.e. accepting the
federal government SAFER grant
of $1.2 million; accepting the fire-
fighter union concessions of
$700,000; utilizing patient transport
fees for a new revenue stream of
$400,000 to $700,000) which would
have more than offset the loss from
the joint FireDept Agreement.
The current board of trustees
refused all of them! The current
board of trustees onlywants to deci-
mate/reduce our current fire
Department! Plymouth Township
has recently hired four
"new position" office workers.
They have also hired "new" police
officers while they are greatly
reducing our fire department
staffing.
Are you seeing their agenda
here? It has nothing to do with
available funds; it's a vendetta
against an employee group that did-
n't support them in the last (2008)
election, let alone this election.
TomKelly
Citizens ActionGroup
of Plymouth