Stephen Tuttle | Author

The Privilege of Assumption

June 13, 2020

George Floyd's grotesque killing wasn't the only reason for the explosion of anger. It was just the last spark on a fuse that's been burning a very long time. 

We say we understand and we sympathize, then we focus on the small group lighting fires and looting. We call them name… Read More >>

Unprotected Speech and Secure Ballots

June 6, 2020

Apparently we have to go over a couple of related items. Again.

Your speech is not protected by the First Amendment on social media platforms. There is no widespread, short-spread, or any spread of fraud surrounding mail-in ballots. 

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 2017… Read More >>

A Big Dam Problem

May 30, 2020

 

We have a serious dam problem.

 

There are about 90,000 dams in the United States. The number is sketchy because the U.S. government only operates and maintains 1,500 of them, and the rest are operated by the state or private entities. Most are at least 6… Read More >>

Half Right

May 23, 2020

Traverse City's City Commission and Downtown Development Authority (DDA) recently floated two ideas, and they're batting .500. 
 
The suggestion to close two blocks of Front Street to vehicle traffic is a good one. If the long-term objective is to keep vehicles out of do… Read More >>

Who Are We Willing to Kill?

May 16, 2020

“Who's willing to die for liberty?” That's what one of the protesters in Lansing barked at the crowd.
 
It was the wrong question. The correct question is this: “Who are you willing to kill?” 
 
Some 45 states already have plans t… Read More >>

Stretching the Threads

May 9, 2020

Our national togetherness apparently only went so far and lasted so long. Now the inevitable partisanship and ugly parochialism have invaded our best intentions. 
 
When states hit hardest by Covid-19 asked a thus-far very generous Congress for some financial help, it di… Read More >>

(Almost) Nothing is Immune

May 2, 2020

Searching for topics not impacted by COVID-19 is almost impossible. It has consumed, or at least intruded into, virtually every corner of our lives. 
 
Politics, nationally and mostly internationally, is all pandemic, all the time. Both China and Russia have used the opp… Read More >>

The Dumbest Protests

April 25, 2020

The First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution guarantees that Congress “ ... shall make no law abridging ... the right of the people peaceably to assemble ... ” 
 
We've been exercising that right for a very long time. It could be reasonably argued such a pea… Read More >>

Praise and Blame

April 18, 2020

COVID-19 has created plenty of opportunities for both praise and blame. We've seen people at their best, some at their worst, and are daily reminded of how inefficient the federal government can be.  
 
Let's start with deserved praise.
 
There are the fi… Read More >>

D.C. Mischief, TC Persistence

April 11, 2020

While the rest of us have been focused on the virus, mischief is being made in Washington, D.C. We shouldn't be surprised. Locally, Traverse City’s Downtown Development Authority wants to expand the size of a third proposed downtown parking deck though they can't yet finance it.  … Read More >>

We're on Our Own

April 4, 2020

It's moving that everyday citizens here are doing so much to help the medical community fight COVID-19. People making masks on their home sewing machines, autobody repair shops donating masks, manufacturers using 3-D printers to make parts for face shields, and now, auto manufacturers tryin… Read More >>

Way Behind the Curve

March 28, 2020

Wars require a coordinated national strategy and a leader who's providing accurate information, encouragement and empathy. We have no such strategy, and no such leader.
 
The first case of COVID-19 we know of was diagnosed on Nov. 17, 2019, in China. They got around to telli… Read More >>

Other Issues

March 21, 2020

There are other issues. 
 
While we've been out panic shopping — seriously, how many dozen eggs and giant cans of beef stew do we plan on using? — and wishing President Trump would lighten his makeup and step away from the microphone, Lake Michigan has still … Read More >>

Old White Guy

March 14, 2020

Democrats seem to be settling in on Joe Biden, though they've found plenty about which to be exercised. They are especially good at finding coal in a pile of diamonds. 

Their lament now comes from different quarters — the Bernie Sanders camp wondering what happened to the… Read More >>

Pretty Good Odds

March 7, 2020

We are quick to assume the worst and equally quick to panic.

The latest example is the novel coronavirus now circling the globe. It requires caution and some preparedness – but not the frenzied response we're now seeing. Ably abetted by attention-seeking politicians and overly… Read More >>

Focused on Quality

Feb. 29, 2020

Education has become an actual issue in the Democratic presidential primary, though it's mostly about cost. They should be focused on quality.
 
Newsweek gives it a try and ranks the United States 26th in the world in the quality and efficacy of our education system. Unfortun… Read More >>

The Circus is Coming

Feb. 22, 2020

We're two caucuses and a primary deep into the Democratic primary circus. This might be a good time to review the frontrunners.

Let's start on the left. No, farther left. Keep going, and you'll eventually arrive at Sen. Bernie Sanders.  

Sanders describes himself as a &… Read More >>

Sanctuary from Nothing

Feb. 15, 2020

Kalkaska County is now a Second Amendment sanctuary county. Gun owners there will now be safe from an intrusive government and so-called red flag laws, universal background checks, and prohibitions against semi-automatic long guns and high-capacity magazines. 
 
As a bon… Read More >>

Death & Disease

Feb. 8, 2020

John Altobelli, Keri Altobelli, Alyssa Altobelli, Christina Mauser, Sarah Chester, Payton Chester, Ara Zobayan. Do any of those names ring a bell? Those are the seven people not named Kobe or Gianna Bryant who died in the same helicopter crash. 
 
Like always, we've dec… Read More >>

A Little Sunlight

Feb. 1, 2020

Most consider the phrase “Congressional ethics” a bit of an oxymoron. Their strong law-and-order instincts weaken considerably when it comes to policing themselves.  
 
Back in 2012, Congress passed legislation euphemistically called the Stop Trading on Congr… Read More >>