There is something majestic about the Detroit skyline at night, especially the view from across the straight, in Windsor. But looks can be deceiving.
Last year, I noted that Detroit and Flint (Michigan) ranked numbers 2 and 4, respectively, on the list of America’s most dangerous cities. Well, we’re moving up — which in this case, is the wrong direction. Detroit is now ranked as the most dangerous city. In lockstep, Flint has nudged its way to #3 on the list.
For governments which are ostensibly there to safeguard our rights, our lives, and our property, they sure make quite the habit out of telling us what we explicitly cannot do with same. In Michigan, the debate is over same-sex benefits for public employees — which would include school teachers, university professors, police officers, firemen, and anyone else who’s employed on the public dime:
The implications of the 2004 marriage amendment to the Michigan constitution were argued for the first time before the state Supreme Court on Tuesday in a case involving the extension of health care benefits to the same sex partners of public employees. …
Lawyers representing the public agencies, Gov. Jennifer Granholmn, the ACLU and other gay rights groups said voters had not intended to bar benefits when they passed the so-called marriage amendment, but instead wanted to protect the institution of marriage at a time when same-sex unions were being sanctioned or endorsed in other parts of the country.
Fortunately, private employers are not affected by the amendment that proscribes the provision of benefits to same-sex couples.
Sure, you could probably try and make a rather weak argument that the State should have the power to limit the benefits it grants to those in its employ; after all, private companies are (for the time being) and ought to be able to offer or deny such benefits as they deem appropriate. But the fact of the matter is that the State is not a private company, and simply shouldn’t enjoy the same privileges – actually exercises of rights – to which a private company or individual is entitled. “States’ Rights” is a null concept, as only individuals can have or exercise rights. So the State cannot have the same “right” to do something which a private company or individual would, it can only exercise power in denial or affirmation of such rights.
A State which forbids the provision of same-sex benefits by private companies would be condemned for denying the rights of individuals. A State which forbids the provision of same-sex benefits to its own employees is only marginally less guilty of the same crime.
The fact that Detroit Mayor, Kwame Kilpatrick’s press secretary was recently arrested on domestic abuse charges is not terribly newsworthy, except as part and parcel to an ongoing series of mishaps that seem to befall the Mayor and his associates at every turn.
Kilpatrick’s tenure as Mayor of Detroit has been plagued with problems, including but not limited to a whistleblower suit, graft, temper tantrums, and numerous other allegations of impropriety, all-night boozing with his entourage while visiting Washington, D.C., the disappearance and/or murder of an “entertainer” at or near the Mannogian mansion, etc. So Allen’s arrest is just the latest in a very long series of unfortunate events.
Trouble doesn’t find people. People find trouble. like a nightmare version of the Midas touch, eventually everything King Kwame touches turns to trouble.
