Couple of points I'd like to add in since I have relatives that work for the road commissions and friends that are truckers.


1) Heaviest axles: Part of the problem is that in Michigan outside of the highways they weight of the trucks isn't monitored and most truckers know their ways around the weight stations. Trucker, "Yeah, my company is constantly overloading our trucks anywhere from 5-10,000 pounds because even if we get caught the fine isn't enough to make the load a loss for the company."

2) At least for the Road Commission: They are given "X" amount of $$ every year to "fix" the roads and so any money not spent at the end of the year is "gone" and doesn't carry over to next year for road "repairs" thus you get stupid things built to finish spending the money i.e. the round-abouts in Milford/White Lake.

 

State road maintenance gets stuck halfway through the "fix or replace" analysis. Near where I am, we had a 15 mile stretch of 4 lane highway that was costing the state a small fortune to maintain and repair every year. One year someone got smart and realized for the projected cost of repairs over ten years, we can afford to tear the whole thing out and start over. The highway that was built with 50 year old technology was completely removed, and replaced with modern construction techniques and materials. That was over 20 years ago. There isn't a pothole repair on that road to this day.

 

Thanks guys, for your feedback and input. To be clear, i'm not attempting to present anything more than barely reasonable arguments - mostly 'preaching' personal views - however short-sighted or uninformed - they're mine. Until I learn new views.



:beers:

 

We just passed a millage increase to repair some key roads in the county. Work was completed 6 months ago and it has already cracked and heaved throughout the whole section that was replaced. It's worse now than it was before.

 

Well from what I'm told on that is, "They are supposed to strip the road down to dirt, re-compact it then lay new road 2" at a time, but it's 'easier/cheaper' to just take a large chunk of the money and pay off the inspector so they can just slap down 6" of road then the last 2" of road."

 

Paved roads are another example of wasteful government spending.
It does remind me of a funny quote I heard (Reagan I think)regarding spending, "Government is like a baby, insatiable appetite on one end, no sense of responsibility on the other".

 

That makes sense as it took a day to repave.

 

“Racist”. “Hate-speech”. “Offensive words.” “Offensive behaviour”.



I am listening to the news and a story about a fraternity’s racist video or something of the sort. Seems college kids were making comments about another race – they were generalizing, stereotyping, and using what some call ‘offensive’ language.



As if on-cue, the ‘marchers’ and ‘protesters’ start.Their chants – their aggressive response to these ‘racist’ kids of the frat who was recorded.



Here’s what was on the vid: Kids on a bus chanting“There’ll never be a nig*** in SAE. You can hang them from a tree but they’llnever sign with me, there’ll never be a nig*** in SAE!”

Of course we have‘outrage’. Of course we have calls for, in essence, to ‘burn this MF’er down!’.We have high-horse riders on twitter begging for ‘something to be done!’.



Here’s the scariest part of all of this: Ready for it?



If THIS type of behaviour – although idiotic, stupid, whatever – is enough to incite protests and saber rattling and ‘outrage’, I question the resolve of our society. I question the weakness – to actually get ‘outraged’ by people I don’t know chanting something stupid not directed towards anyone specific, in a non-threatening way, without knowing if anyone of color was on the bus participating – of our population. People outraged at SPEECH are NOT tough enough to defend freedom nor liberty. People so-upset at the mere WORDS of others have NO chance in holding a society together.

Here’s the proper response: “Those kids are idiots. Move on”

That video does NOT mean ‘our society has farther to go in race-relations’ . That video is NOTevidence of racists; for I believe saying something racist does not make somebody a racist any more than saying something in japanese makes somebody japanese.

As a man with likely-African roots, I’m be wildered at the flip-flop in violence against another race since ‘our nation began’ and about the 1960s. Back in the day, white folk killed, tortured, and harassed folks of color sometimes with impunity. Today, (probably) European-american, or…hrm…lighter-pigment skin-colour kids on a bus do a chant and that’s ‘evidence of racism’ while folks of my part of my ancestry burn buildings,a ssault people, KILL people, and destroy innocent bystanders and that is LARGELY accepted by the likes of our (partially) black president and his counsel. The rampant destruction of a city is the result of White-on-Black racism. It’s not their fault. They SHOULD riot because cops arrest more black folk than white folk (no mention of the black folk doing the crime in the first place). Its understandable to our societal (leaders) because today’s youth-of-colour have in nate fear, frustration and pain from their ANCESTRIAL struggles (literally – people have said sh** like that). Warning! Crazy-talkahead. But talk that is TRUE (as displayed) in the minds of ourweakest-but-loudest segment of society:

Group of kids with largely European-american heritage on a bus chanting black-centric racist words: Proof of white privilege, racism, and all things bad.

Group of people with largely african heritage Burning the streets and buildings, rioting, looting, and assaulting others: ALSO Proof of white privilege, racism, and all things bad.

What the HELL is wrong with us, as a people? If somebody wants to be a racist, but is not other wise infringing upon the rights, freedoms of others? Who gives a crap.

Liberty SHOULD be enough to quell the ‘outrage’. But it will not. Liberty will take a back seat to people looking to be special-enough as to be offended. It’s not only within race-relations – it’s with illnesses, tragedy, and victory.

Go to a funeral –especially that of a young person – and you’ll likely hear how close the person speaking was to the deceased. You’ll hear how SAD the person speaking is. You’ll hear how the person speaking has LOST SO MUCH! Maybe the person speaking should instead focus on the deceased – NOT themselves. We hear it on forums, and in bars: “Well…my BUDDY was in A’stan! He got hurt!” Another jumps in “Well MY body lost his leg!” Then a third “Well MY BUDDY lost ALL his limbs!” With victory – “Oh yeah? Well MY COUSIN knows a guy who was friends with a woman whose sister’s best friend’s former roommate knew Tom Brady!”

Human nature rises up and demands association-for-attention in ALL situations. We yearn to be special-enough asto be associated with tragedy or victory. It’s a case of “LOOK AT ME!! I am OFFENDED!! Some stupid white kids were chanting on a bus! But that HURTS ME! Acknowledgeme!! Validate ME!!”



Unfortunately, the response to this video is WORSE than the video. Happens all the time.

 

Nice Rant DMP, But its alot like a ping pong game, First it was whitey who served, and now for return. When Whitey served, well he had the backing of the president, and now for the return.

I wonder how far this Is going to go, I wonder for my kids, and my grand kids. It was once said that in order to take down the USA, it would have to be done from the inside.. Welcome to our decline..

 

i had intentions of calling you out this morning as i randomly thought yesterday about how you've been MIA.

a triumphant return. darin does it again.

 

I'd like to borrow this thread and insert my own rant here. I am hoping the therapeutic effects work for me...


What is happening in Missouri is a tragedy. And I feel, sadly, that I need to expand on that statement.


I mourn the needless loss of life like most normal well-adjusted members of a civilized society would. The death of that young man last year in Ferguson was tragic. I don't believe any aforementioned society members could argue. The argument strikes up when the topic of blame is discussed. But pointing fingers aside, it was indeed tragic.


Compounding that tragedy exponentially are the people who are using this horrible event as an excuse to unleash their desire to wreak havoc and terrorize and destroy this community. I list them as follows;


a) The media who has turned the spotlight on this issue, not for journalistic integrity but to sell the story. I say this because there have been other stories across the country in the same timeframe that have been similar in nature or worse, and the media has ignored them because they didn't make a sellable headline.


b) All the people who have injected themselves into the situation from outside for the purpose of political gain. These people derive power by assuming a leadership position during the upheaval. Their power wanes when the conflict calms down, so they have no vested interest in peace.


c) All the civilians who use this spotlight artificially brightened by the people from a) and b) above to do unspeakable things so they can laugh with their buddies and point at the six o'clock news and say "I threw that fire bomb that burned that store" or "I fired those shots into that crowd". This is a sick and twisted attempt at gaining 15 minutes of fame.


d) Those that let the hype generated from a-c above incense their anger to the point they were ready and willing to destroy their own neighborhood. Can anyone explain to me how burning down the corner store helps this situation improve in any way?


e) The legitimate leaders of that community and the people directly connected to this tragic event have either done nothing to stop a-d, or in some instances I have seen have encouraged escalation. I understand emotions are high for these people, and justifiably so. But it is our actions, not our emotions, that define us.


There was a school shooting here in PA several years ago. I know, not anything new in that statement. But some of you may not have heard about this story. A man walked into a one room Amish schoolhouse and executed the teacher and a bunch of the students. Why did we not hear about this story every night for six months? I will list what I observed;


a) The media was not able to make this story into a sellable headline that could be sustained for months. The story died in the media within a couple days. I don't even know if it ever made nationwide news.


b) There was no civil unrest to attract political ladder climbers. The families and the Amish community gathered at the perpetrator's home and prayed for him and his family. If you are not familiar with this story, you should read that last sentence again.


c) None of the affected community had any desire to be on the evening news. The 15 minutes of fame doesn't exist there.


d) The community's priorities were mourning and healing, not rage and senseless destruction.


e) The Amish community leaders not once said anything like "let's burn this b!tch down" or "make them pay". Their focus was on healing the community, not destroying it.


That is a profound contrast, is it not. We are supposed to love each other and come together as a community to be better than the individual. Not just in good dimes, but always. Of course I am paraphrasing a book that I probably shouldn't mention here, but you guys get the point I am trying to make.


Yes, I do feel a little better. This rant stuff kind of works.

 

marcoooooo

 

 

I think we scared him off?

 

Might have gotten hurt, I remember him saying he wasn't going to Autorama due to limited mobility.