I received a number of comments about my column on global warming. Many still doubt the prognosis. The figure at the right was the basis for the column. The source is the National Aeronautical and Space Administration Goddard Institute for Space Studies. Clearly the trend is up. I did not specify cause or any particular remedy as some commentators seemed to claim.

Students of the Engineering and Technology Club of Central Michigan University have constructed a prototype of the bench which will be auctioned during the 4th Annual Art Reach Chair Affair. Chairs will be downtown from June 20 through July 23.
Top:The final prototype for the bench.Bottom: Left to right, Art Reach representative Nedra Fisher, Adam Smith, Ryan Lewis and CMU Professor and club advisor Alan Papendick discuss revisions to the first mock up for the bench. Copies of this bench, and large and small Adirondack chairs will be available.

Today, President Barak Obama presented the Medal of Freedom to fourteen outstanding individuals. Since this may not have been covered by your television program of choice, here is the list:

President George H. W. Bush.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
Rep. John Lewis (D-GA).
John H. Adams, co-founder of the Natural Resources Defense Council.
Poet Maya Angelou.
Investor Warren Buffett.
Artist Jasper Johns.
Holocaust survivor and author Gerda Weissmann Klein.
The late Dr. Tom Little, an optometrist and aid worker murdered by the Taliban last year in Afghanistan.
Cellist Yo-Yo Ma.
Civil rights activist Sylvia Mendez.
Baseball great Stan Musial.
Basketball great Bill Russell.
Jean Kennedy Smith, sister of President John F. Kennedy and founder of VSA, a non-profit organization affiliated with the John F. Kennedy Center.
Former AFL-CIO President John J. Sweeney.

Please notice the varied qualifications, areas of specialization, and politics represented by the recipients. Here are people of quality, deserving of our thanks and appreciation.

Less than five hours from when I am writing this Hosni Mubarak stepped down as president of Egypt. Since last night when he appeared on television saying he would remain in power, the forces set in motion by the Egyptian people upset his plans. I worried since his TV appearance that the result would be the beginning of a bloody confrontation between civilians armed only with lumps of concrete and the well-armed Egyptian army.

The revolution did in eighteen days what it took the American patriots four years to accomplish: root out a dictatorial and unpopular ruler. Had Mubarak not stepped down when he did it could well have taken four years in Egypt.

President Obama has just addressed the nation on this important chain of events. He noted that we are witnessing history taking place, that the Egyptian people can find answers to the vexing questions still unanswered, and that the United States shall continue to be their friend and partner.

Now the harpies railing at everything his administration tries to do will be silent on this issue. The major interest of the United States in Egypt has for fifty years been to stabilize the Middle East. When things are in constant flux it is difficult to take drastic actions which could prove to be wrong, and send that part of the world into war. Fortunately, thoughtful Republicans and Democrats have supported the president during this stressful time.

A major factor in this amazing change was the social network which allowed average citizens to communicate with each other. Considering that such a capability did not exist five years ago, it has proven to be a powerful force in interconnecting individuals.

What remains to be seen is how Egypt restructures itself. If it remains secular and becomes a true democracy, then that region of the world will be better off. However, the thing we should be concerned about is the potential for radicals to subjugate eighty million people by a fundamentalist theocracy. This could lead to worldwide religious war and vast danger to the United States.

An Opinion Page is full of, well, opinions. Not all opinions are created equal however.

The opinions on this page are generally short, usually leaving out any supporting data or proof, and may be based solely on emotion. Such beliefs or judgments are subjective and insufficient to produce complete certainty.

We recognize medical opinion as the diagnosis of those having special training and skills. The same can be said of legal opinions. Such opinions are often changed or rejected when new evidence becomes available. Science is based on the testing of hypotheses using careful observation. Opinions about conclusions by others in the same field may support or question conclusions and are worthy of attention. Opinions by individuals not knowledgeable about the subject have little weight.

An analysis based on opinion is referred to as normative analysis (what ought to be), as opposed to positive analysis, which is based on scientific observation (what can be experimentally determined).
People develop beliefs throughout life, and base opinions on these beliefs. Those made early in life tend to persist, while those formed more recently can be modified. Most are open to opinions similar to their own, and closed to those which contradict them. It is easy to keep things simple: the earth was flat yesterday and looks flat to me today; therefore the earth will always be flat. Too often we tend to take our own personal experience as sufficient to form sound opinions: I had a good supper, so there is no famine in the world; it snowed last week so global warming is a myth; I have a good job so there is no problem with unemployment; my interpretation of morality is correct so anyone who disagrees with me is wrong.

Some opinions are called “snap judgments.” The ability to make quick choices developed in our ancestors on the plains of Africa: “That tawny spot behind the bush might be a lion! I’d better run” was a good rule even if the spot was a brown bird in its nest. In today’s crowded world, the ability to steer through heavy traffic on the way home from work is valuable. However, if we are too free with this method it can lead to prejudice. It is one thing to teach our children not to accept rides from strangers; it is unwholesome to teach them to disparage those whose skin is green.

Public opinion, the prevailing view on a topic, is very fickle. What passes for public opinion is frequently based on opinion polls. There are two vast weaknesses in such polls: the way the subject is worded (“Don’t you agree with most people that…”), and who is asked (telephone surveys hardly ever contact people who have only cell phones). Such opinions tend to change dramatically based on information available to those who are polled, and because the polling sample population differs from one report to the next. If those sampled have access to sketchy information, the result will not represent the outlook had the entire population had been asked. Unfortunately, the time and cost of getting a consensus is often too great.

Often opinions are spread for political or economic purposes by writers and speakers with large followings. This is done to sway public opinion toward a goal set by the groups generating the material. Often this is referred to as propaganda, and should be approaced with suspicion.

Always hesitate if something is said to be true without question. Beware of opinions; they are liable to bite.

Tim Caldwell announced today that the Isabella County Apportionment Commission will hold its organizational meeting soon. It will occur on Tuesday, February 22, at 2:30 pm in Room 225 in the Isabella County Building. Please attend this important session to insure that voters will be well served.

COUNTY COMMISSION REAPPORTIONMENT 2011

From Mark Brewer, Chair of the Michigan Democratic Party

INTRODUCTION
• Every ten years after the Census, county commission districts must be redrawn due to population changes.
• This redrawing is called “reapportionment” and is done in each county by the County Apportionment Commission established by M. C. L. Section 46, 401 et seq.

COUNTY APPORTIONMENT COMMISSION
• 5 members:
Clerk – Joyce Swan
Treasurer – Steven W. Pickens
Prosecuting Attorney – Larry J. Burdick
Republican Chair – Matthew Golden
Democratic Chair – Timothy Caldwell
No member can be a County Commissioner
No dual roles: clerk, treasurer, prosecuting attorney cannot sit as a party chair
• Clerk convenes the Commission
• Adopts rules of procedure
• Quorum of three to conduct business
• All action requires a majority vote of three
• Subject to Open Meetings Act
Business conducted at public meeting with at least 18 hours public notice of the date, time, and place.
Three or more members cannot meet or discuss business privately; no “round-robining”
No plan can be sponsored by three or more members
• Subject to Freedom of Information Act
All writings, including e-mails, must be publicly available for inspection and copying
• County lawyer provides legal assistance
• County staff provides population information

TIMELINE
• Within 15 days of publication of u.s. population information (usually January 1), Secretary of State furnishes information to each county
• Clerk convenes County Apportionment Commission
• Commission has 60 days from publication of U.S. Census date to adopt an apportionment plan.
• If Commission fails to adopt a plan with 60 days, any county voter can submit a plan and the Commission must choose from among the plans submitted, if they meet the legal requirements.
• Once a plan is adopted, any county voter has 30 days to petition the Court of Appeals for review with right to appeal to the Michigan Supreme Court
• Once appeals are exhausted, or time to appeal expires, the plan becomes final until the next U.S. Census

COMMISSION DUTIES

• The commission has two duties:
Determining the number of county commissioners
Drawing the districts

NUMBER OF COMMISSIONERS
• Except in the charter counties of Macomb and Wayne, the Commission determines the number of county commissioners under this formula:
County Population Number of Commissioners
Under 5,001 5 to 7
5,001 to 10,000 5 to 10
10,001 to 50,000 5 to 15
50,001 to 600,000 5 to 21
600,001 to 1,000,000 17 to 35
Over 1,000,000 25 to 35

DRAWING THE DISTRICTS
• The districts must be drawn according to these criteria:
1. Preserve city, township, village, and precinct lines as much as possible.
2. District population must be with the range of 94.05% to 105.95% of ideal population. Ideal population: County population divided by number of districts.
3. The federal Voting Rights Act protecting African American and Hispanic voters must be followed. Consult with legal counsel of the MDP if there are minorities in your county.
• The Commission is required to adopt the plan with the fewest line breaks whose districts are within the population range.
• If two plans have an equal number of line breaks, the plan whose districts have the small overall population range must be adopted.

POLITICS
• County reapportionment is a very political process because the number of districts and how they are drawn can affect whether a Democrat or a Republican is elected.

RECOMMENDATIONS

Push for maximum transparency and public participation:
• Voting rights for ten years are at stake: transparency, public participation and following the law are critical
• Enforce the public meeting and public notice requirements; no private meetings or discussions by three or more Commission members
• Commission rules should require public participation at meetings and require the Commission to solicit and consider plans from citizens
• Establish a schedule of meetings?
• Require meetings be held around the county?
• Decide number of districts first/early?
• Set deadline for plan submissions?
• Organize people to attend meetings and speak about the need for a fair plan which follows the law
• Educate the press now and tell the press about efforts to block public participation or information