Well here it is April, and we have a snow storm.

The snow is not that unusual. After all. this is Michigan.

What is unusual is that once again SE Michigan experiences a relatively mild weather event, and the power goes out for 50,000 homes.

We thought this problem was taken care of last June when the region suffered a wind-related storm that approached a tornado in intensity. At the time, the power was off for as much as 12 days for some folks. There was political wringing of hands, public hearings and promises from DTE to correct the problems.

Since then we have had several minor weather events that led to power outages. Usually DTE blames falling trees -- which the utility promised to cut back last July.

We continue to ask: If the power is going to go out every time the wind blows or the snow falls, what in the world are we in for if a real weather catastrophe strikes?

Last week was severe weather awareness week. Perhaps someone should tell DTE.

The Oakland Press has a new reader-interactive feature in the business section. The stocks and mutual funds listed there are all requested by OP readers.

Not only does this allow OP readers a unique opportunity to get their stocks and funds in print, it also provides a snapshot of Oakland Press investment preferences. There are a high number of performing investments on the list.

You can join this custom-made listing of stocks by phoning in the stocks and mutual funds you own to 248-745-4618.

With the recent rally in the market, this section is now actually fun to follow.

Many homeowners have been receiving their annual tax assessments -- and most reflect drops in value, although not necessarily a drop in taxes.
Most of those who see values drop, but not taxes have been protected from former increases by Prop A. Now that same protection keeps them from realizing drops in taxes, at least until the slowed increase in taxable value catches up with the protected amount.
Most of those who have been protected and then blocked from reductions have owned their homes for over five years. However, even those who have purchased recently may be blocked from reduced taxes. Under Michigan law, property assessors base their assessment of what it sells for, or what comparable homes are selling for.
You may think that the assessor is placing too high a value on your home -- particularly if you are trying to sell it at that rate and are getting no offers. But that is part of the delay that kicks in whenever there is a dramatic shift in property values.
There are two things that drive this delay. One, the assessor cannot base his assessments of sales under stress -- that would be all the foreclosures out there today. The second is the general slowdown in the real estate market which creates a shortage of actual sales that can be used as comparables.
The lag in the drop of assessments in relation to true values also happens when home prices are rising, so it all works out.
Still, if you have objections, you should schedule an appointment with your local review board. And, if you still are not satisfied, you can take your claim to the state. In both of these appeals, be ready to present your own research into comparable sales.

The U.S. Senate Tuesday voted to amend the economic stimulus package add a tax credit for purchases of new cars. If this makes it through, it would mean a savings of about $1,500 on a $25,000 vehicle. It would be in the form of a tax rebate against sales tax and deductions against interest paid.
This is great news for SE Michigan and the auto industry. It is also a stimulus idea that might actually stimulate economic activity. Let's face it, that package contains more pork than a whole-hog sausage.
The question I have is why hasn't Michigan's Legislature pursued such an idea?
Just last week, a similar proposal to cut sales tax on car purchases came up in the North Dakota Legislature. It was defeated, but at least they considered it. And there are very few car manufacturers in North Dakota.
The idea of a tax break seems like a natural for a car-producing state. After all, if you travel to Kentucky and several other tobacco producing states, you can purchase cigarettes that are close to tax-free. Why not have car buyers traveling to Michigan to buy cars tax-free?
If Congress does pass such a credit, why can't Michigan match it?

The term pay-to-play originates with school sports that require payment in exchange for a position on the team.
Athletic merit is, of course, another requirement. But the losers are those who might have athletic promise, but lack the money to pay for the chance to show it. The other losers are the fans who get a lesser team from a smaller base of candidates.
While such practices on athletic teams are objectionable, they are not in the same league with the allegations agains New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson and Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich. And using the term in these political cases is putting a pretty soft spin on the crime of corruption.
Politicians who use their elected positions to seek personal financial gains — and particularly those who do so at the expense of their public responsibilities — are playing a game that is much more serious.
And although the implications are the same — those who can't pay can't go to Washington or win the state contract — in political pay-to-play, the accurate terms are corruption and graft. The big losers are the citizens who get less than the best in leaders and less than the best in services.
And, it is not just theft of money, it is theft of the trust of voters in our leaders.
The United States, while not immune to corruption, remains relatively graft-free when compared to a world where many governments are marked by bribe-taking and the corrosive impact this process has on progress and freedom.
This is no time to go soft on the names we apply to corruption, or to go soft on the penalties for those public servants found guilty of these crimes.

Many of us are again sharing the dreaded loss of electricity this week after an abrupt change in temperature Sunday,accompanied by high winds, knocked out power for hundreds of thousands of homes.
As of Monday, there were still 177,000 customers in the dark, and for some, it may be days before power is restored.
Prolonged loss of power in the summer is an inconvenience for most, but in the winter it can be devastating.
Temperatures well below freezing mean life-threatening situations, not to mention potential damage to homes, loss of business, etc.
For many in SE Michigan, the question becomes why is this happening every time the wind blows a bit too hard?
Hardly a year goes by anymore without some of us losing power.
The last extended power outage (early June of this year) resulted in hearings aimed at our electric monopolies and what they were doing to prevent repeats.
At the time, I remember DTE spokesmen blaming dead Ash trees falling on the lines. And this morning I heard the same excuse.
Weren't all those dead trees supposed to be removed the last time the power went out?
We hear news about other parts of the nation where hurricanes and massive ice storms cause extended power outages. One has to wonder how long the power would be out here if we experienced those types of catastrophic events.
Perhaps it is time for another set of hearings.

A New Year and A New Era

With the close of 2008, The Oakland Press looks ahead to a new era in journalism: Citizen Journalism, an intense effort to get the community involved in our product.

Newspapers have been guilty to some degree of taking their audiences for granted, but the truth is that unless we involve more readers in the newspaper, interest will slip away.

Oakland Press editors are gearing up for working more closely with "citizen journalists" to bring more community news into our news pages and onto our Web site.

We are working on setting guidelines and standards to work more with members of the community.

Citizen journalism is not without troubled waters. Some may use it to further a political agenda, vendetta or their own business. These are areas that we as editors will need to keep watch for.

But overall, this is an opportunity to bring fresh eyes to news, and see things that we might may not otherwise be privy to.

Happy New Year to Oakland Press readers!