Jack Lessenberry

The Detroit News caused quite a stir this week when it endorsed Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson for president. The newspaper, which was founded in 1873, has never endorsed anyone except a Republican for the nation’s highest office, though on three occasions, including the contest between George Bush and John Kerry in 2004, it hasn’t endorsed anyone. But do such endorsements matter?

Democrats are liberals, and Republicans conservatives, right? We usually talk and think about the major parties that way, as if they were two different flavors of ice cream. Republicans are red raspberry; Democrats, blueberry. Republicans want lower taxes and fewer services; Democrats higher taxes and more services. Democrats are pro-choice; Republicans anti-abortion, et cetera, et cetera.

If Donald Trump is to be elected President, he almost certainly has to win either Michigan or Pennsylvania. If Trump carries every state Mitt Romney won and adds Ohio, Florida and Iowa, he still loses – unless he can take Michigan or Pennsylvania away from the Democrats. So far this year, polls show he may have a better chance here. Hillary Clinton leads in Michigan, but by less than in Pennsylvania and by far less than President Obama won the state either time. But Republicans in Congress are

Macomb County resident Julie Baumer volunteered to care for her sister’s unwanted baby thirteen years ago. She was a 27-year-old mortgage broker who was engaged to be married and had a full life, but she didn’t want the little boy to be put up for adoption. But a few weeks later, she took the baby to the hospital, where doctors discovered a lot of blood on his brain. She was suspected of violently shaking the baby.

As everyone knows, the first presidential debate since the primaries is tonight, the first head-to-head clash between the two least popular presidential nominees ever.

How’s this idea: In an effort to please an old-fashioned, shrinking industry, we outlaw efforts to sell a new product in an innovative way? Instead, we’ll make anyone who wants this product drive to Chicago or Cleveland to buy it. That ought to help Michigan become economically competitive again.

There are bitter disputes over many aspects of education these days, but there is widespread agreement that how well children are reading by the time they finish the third grade is the best way we have of predicting their future success. We also know this: In Michigan, things are bad and have been getting worse. Thirteen years ago, this state ranked 28th in fourth grade reading proficiency. Now, we are 41st, and the Education Trust-Midwest estimates that soon we will be 48th.

You might think, some days, that Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump were actually running for president of Michigan. Trump has been to the state repeatedly, and will be in nearby Toledo for the second time in the last few weeks today. Chelsea Clinton, the candidate’s only child, will be campaigning and fundraising in Lansing, Grand Rapids and Flint Thursday and Friday. You might think they are paying a lot of attention to one medium-sized state that has only 16 of the 270 needed electoral votes.

Years ago, I heard a young reporter ask an old editorial writer what the difference was between Republicans and Democrats. The old guy said, “Democrats love big government, preferably controlled by and run from Washington. Republicans are in favor of smaller, less intrusive government, and local control,” he said, and then paused. “Except, that is, when they’re not.” The young reporter asked when that was. “Whenever local government does something they don’t want it to do,” the old cynic said.

If you’ve been living in Michigan for a while, chances are that you have noticed a drop in the quality of services you are getting from local government. I’m not just talking about distressed cities like Detroit or Pontiac, I’m talking about everywhere. Well, guess what. You think you are getting less because you are. Some of that has to do with the mentality that all taxes are bad, even when not levying them costs us more than the tax would, as is the case with the roads.