THANK YOU!

In honor of Memorial Day we pause from our usual political humor and opinion about Shelby Township government for something much more important.

You may have already seen this commercial before. However, it is one of the BEST television commercials ever produced. This 60 second TV spot showcases, in a very human and emotional way, how most Americans feel about our men and women in uniform. Let us never forget them or the sacrifices that they, and their families, are giving for the cause of FREEDOM and DEMOCRACY around the world.

ENJOY...and please remember the significance of Memorial Day, and the cause for which these men and women serve our nation everyday.



It is the sacrifice of men and women in uniform who protect our democracy against tyrants of terror eager to destroy our cherished freedom.

IN MEMORIAM
We honor our fallen heroes from Shelby Township who have given their life in service to our nation in Iraq...
- Army Private Mark Barbret
- Marine Pfc. Tarryl Hill
- Army Pfc. Christopher D. Kube

We also send our prayers to the family and friends of Army Pfc. Alex Knapp who was seriously injured by an IED while on duty in Iraq.

Visteon Plant Closing Highlights the Two Faces of Skip Maccarone!

Consistency is very important when you are an elected official. This is especially true when you are a publicity hound who uses the newspapers to try and sell your version of reality. Skip might not think people are reading and taking detailed notes, but he is wrong.

A previous INSIDE OUT posting talked about the closing of the former Visteon plant, and how, according to Skip Maccarone, this will have "no major shock to the system." Skip once said he is not an economist and given his statements on this plant's closing it is obvious that he not only is not an economist, but he has no real-world understanding of economics 101.

As we see it, Skip's political spin that losing hundreds of thousands of dollars in tax revenue will have no shock to the township is an attempt to downplay the true and lasting impact of this closing. His statements come at the same time that Skip is trying desperately to build support for his $50 million "campus" and the corresponding tax/millage/bond increase needed to build and operate it. Skip promises that he can spend more than $50 million to build and operate his campus without a tax increase. But listen very carefully, because like Bill Clinton, Skip Maccarone is another slick politician who is parsing his words very carefully.

The truth is that the plant's closing WILL impact on our township - and Skip even once admitted as much (even though he now is trying to gloss over the facts). For proof, check out this article from the February 11, 2007 edition of the Source Newspaper. When you read Skip's comments in this article, and compare them to what he said in the March 26th Macomb Daily, it is evident that Skip is having a strange economic debate with himself.

Back in 2007, Skip said, "The loss of that facility, of those jobs will have an impact on the tax revenue, and the water and sewer revenue." Later on in the same article, Skip said "It’s [the closing of the Visteon plant] certainly going to affect the township and, again, we don’t have a lot of tools in our toolbox at the local level."

Compare that with what Skip in the March 26, 2008 Macomb Daily. When he was asked by the report about the plant's eventual closing, Skip said the following: "There will be no major shock to the system."

Okay, so which is it? The plant closing is either going to impact our township (as we believe it will) or it will have no impact at all (which is what Skip wants us to believe). Given that Skip is a politician with an obvious spending agenda, we find his scenario difficult to swallow. How Skip can believe that our township can lose $400,000 in taxable revenue, not to mention a significant number of jobs and the spin-off economic impact they have, and not feel any negative fallout is beyond us.

Ask yourself what you would do if your family budget was cut by 2 percent or more. Would you just keep smiling and spending, or would you pause and be more careful with your spending? Skip is showing no concern at all, and recklessly keeps spending away as if the sky is the limit.

We once again want to thank Treasurer Paul Viar for telling it like it is, and for letting us know the real impact of this closing. It is refreshing to have elected officials like Mr. Viar who don't let their personal agendas get in the way of the facts, and who always makes it a priority to stand up for us - the TAXPAYERS.

Since he has taken both sides of this issue, it is hard to tell which side Skip believes is true. While Skip may be confused about this, taxpayers are not. We know this plant closing will impact our township, even if Skip now wants us to believe otherwise.

Given his conflicting statements, it is time for all of us to take out our Maccarone BS deflectors and get ready - because there is likely more BS ahead.

Remember, our e-mail address is stopskip08@aol.com. With your help on August 5th, we will STOP SKIP.