Michigan Needs a Nude Beach-April 21-2013

Battle Creek Enquirer OPINION Sunday, April 21, 2013 A5 Time to be proud of incentives for business

The announcement forty three other states place the making of a free their own, thus taking the If you do not believe that German owned Bleis- that use incentives to for all. Relentless recruit- competition to a full name, check the public rec- tahl, a global auto parts “bribe” companies. ing by southern states of- tional scale. In1974, Mich- ord for yourself. More producer, will come to This kind of activity fered grants, loans, work- igan enacted a tax abate- and bigger incentives Battle Creek is cause for has been going on since er training, cheap land, ment program; a full have been offered to com- celebration. Not only is the beginning of com- cheap electricity (fi- twenty seven years after panies as American as Bleistahl a family owned merce when ports vied nanced by the TVA), little Mississippi launched its Mother and apple pie. company, but it enjoys a with one another for busi- or no regulation, and a initiative. There were times, very positive global repu- ness and used incentives chance to escape unions Today, any sensible ob- along the way, when I tation. JIM HETTINGER to attract trade. through right-to-work server would argue that thought if the parable I am going to celebrate ...... In 1937, Mississippi in- laws. this kind of competition is about Jesus and the loaves the event by congratulat- troduced the “Balance Having had to counter wasteful and an irrational and fishes were played ing Karl Dehn and the inces for business and in- Agriculture with Indus- these recruiting chal- deployment of public re- out today, there would be BCU staff for great work. dustry. try” (BAWI) and put a lenges throughout my sources (not that other somebody complaining Winning out over such for- One individual re- whole series of incentives time in Battle Creek, my programs aren’t). because the miracle did midable competitors like marked that there is in place to attract indus- sense is southern recruit- But who will be the not include basil scented Asheville, N.C. shows that something deeply wrong try. ing contributed signifi- first fool to unilaterally olive oil for dipping the BCU is at the top of its with a state that has to The Mississippi pro- cantly to the industrial disarm? And, by the way, bread. game and remains the “bribe” a company to in- gram enjoyed the full shakeout in the Upper where is that omnipresent Bleistahl, along with strongest provider of jobs vest. blessing of the admini- Midwest. federal regulation when Janesville Acoustics and and tax base in west Mich- I do not know if that re- stration of Franklin Dela- The southern states we really need it? Cosmo, are real events for igan. mark would cover Presi- no Roosevelt, who was a were very successful in Finally, it needs to be Battle Creek to celebrate As always, there were dent Obama’s granting of cheerleader for efforts to portraying themselves as noted that BCU and the and it should. a few negative comments hundreds of millions to attack obstinate southern hungry and appreciative City of Battle Creek have from local denizens, who, green energy companies, poverty. for investment. When a long standing policy of Jim Hettinger is the chief even if their intentions such as LG Chem and The Mississippi pro- they won, they showed it. never offering incentives provocateur of Urban(e) are good, need some A123 to invest in green en- gram was successful to It was only in the to a company coming Development Services and schooling in the severe ergy projects. the extent that it fostered mid-20th century that from the outside that they retired chief executive of Battle competition between Additionally, I do not emulation by other south- northern states began to would not offer to existing Creek Unlimited. His email states and Canadian prov- know what that says about ern states, putting in counter with programs of Battle Creek companies. address is [email protected]. Reflections on the Michigan families Boston Bombing need return of credit

From the Arizona Re- ROBERT ROBB ranted because terrorism Ronald Reagan was BRIAN DICKERSON credits for their own low- public, Phoenix, April 17: ...... has an oversize effect on famously suspicious of ...... income wage-earners. the serenity of the body federal anti-poverty pro- But the Michigan I write with reluctance But successful politic. grams. But there is one he reinventing Michigan the League for Public Policy, and caution. The bombs Third, the federal gov- admired: the earned in- following year, they were an advocacy group whose that went off in Boston terrorist attacks ernment is not organized come tax credit, which focused on cutting taxes funders include United make writing about any- rob us, at least in a way that maximizes has lifted generations of for employers. To finance Way, Blue Cross and Blue thing else seem trivial. the chances of detecting working families out of a $1.8-billion reduction in Shield and AT&T, says it Yet, not much is known temporarily, of a and disrupting terrorist poverty. business taxes, Republi- has had difficulty finding about them except for the sense of security attacks in the United Signed into law by cans raised levies on mid- Republican lawmakers death and injuries they States before they hap- President Gerald Ford in dle-class pensioners and willing to co-sponsor leg- caused. and safety as we pen. 1975, the federal EITC slashed the state earned islation that would re- Sober reflection is go about our I want to tread very was designed to encour- income tax credit by 70 store Michigan’s EITC to more valuable than think- lightly here. We don’t age parents who might percent, from 20 percent even half its pre-2011 lev- ing out loud as events un- lives. know how many plots are otherwise opt for public percent of the federal el. fold. Nevertheless, per- detected and disrupted, assistance to seek and EITC to 6 percent. Republican House haps these three observa- although the impression keep plugging away at en- For the breadwinner Speaker Jase Bolger told tions are of some value in particularly with respect from the accounts that get try-level jobs. Reagan supporting his or her fam- me and my editorial immediate reaction: to foreign policy, how to out is that the number is thought the program so ily of four on an annual in- board colleagues late last First, threats of terror- reduce the extent of the significant and impres- effective that in 1986, come of $15,000, that week that the EITC “isn’t ist attacks in the United threat. But it isn’t going to sive. I don’t doubt that the when he was cutting tax- meant a reduction of one of my priorities.” He States are going to be with go away. Regardless of people who cast about in es across the board, he $733, or more than half a distinguished it from ef- us for the foreseeable fu- what we tell ourselves, in the shadows to protect us sweetened the EITC. month’s gross pay. forts to slash taxes for ture. That’s a reality our hearts, we don’t ac- are highly dedicated and Soon states where Of all the cuts GOP leg- other (and more-Republi- we’ve not fully accepted. cept that. Perhaps it is bet- capable. We owe them a working families were islators made in the name can friendly) constituents Our sense of the terror- ter that we don’t. lot. Some of us undoubted- still struggling to stay of reducing business tax because the EITC allows ist threat — the infliction Second, terrorism is ly owe them our lives. above the poverty line be- rates, their decision to gut some wage-earners who of mass violence as a po- different and warrants an But after 9/11, the deci- gan supplementing the the state EITC seems the have no state tax liability litical statement — was oversize response by gov- sion was made to leave re- federal credit with most short-sighted. In a to collect money from the distorted by the sensa- ernment. sponsibility for detecting earned income tax cred- 2011 meeting with the state. tionalism of the 9/11 at- Perspective is impor- and disrupting terrorist its of their own, typically Free Press editorial But the original impe- tacks. We feared big at- tant but ultimately unper- attacks scattered calculated as a percent- board, even Snyder con- tus for the EITC was the tacks with casualties suasive. In Boston, three throughout the federal age of the federal EITC. ceded the earned income recognition that low-in- numbering in the thou- people died, including an government, rather than In 2006, encouraged by a tax credit had been effec- come wage earners spend sands, if not tens of thou- 8-year-old boy. Last year, centralized in a single succession of reports tive in incentivizing work a disproportionate share sands. Those haven’t more than 2.5 million agency. In terms of do- suggesting that tax cred- and slashing welfare of their incomes on pay- come, and there was a Americans died, includ- mestic intelligence gath- its to working families rolls; he had made the dif- roll and sales taxes — sense the terrorist threat ing more than 5,000 chil- ering, the FBI remained were especially effective ficult decision to slash it, about 9 cents per dollar had faded. dren ages 5 to 14. the lead agency, even at boosting local econo- he said, only after con- for the $20,000 household, In fact, the nation is far Some commentators though it has significant mies and small business- cluding that boosting oth- compared with 3 cents more vulnerable to Bos- believe that it would be other duties with respect es, state legislators added er programs for the poor, per dollar for a household ton-scale terrorist attacks more sensible — given to ordinary crime. Michigan to the list of 23 such as dental benefits earning 15 times that than 9/11-scale attacks. We how rare, random and There may be dedicat- states that have estab- for Medicaid recipients, much. narrowly averted two in usually small-scale ter- ed personnel within these lished programs to incen- were more important. Happily, even Bolger recent years, when the ex- rorist attacks are in the multipurpose agencies tivize work. Now that Michigan suggests that he and oth- plosives of the underwear United States — simply to that have overlapping re- By 2010, when Michi- had made real progress er GOP leaders might be bomber and the Times accept them in stride sponsibilities with re- gan voters elected Rick toward correcting the able to swallow some res- Square bomber failed to rather than give govern- spect to preventing ter- Snyder, Michigan work- structural imbalance that toration of the EITC in re- detonate. They weren’t ment overweening pow- rorism. But the attention ers supporting a family of prompted the GOP’s turn for Democratic sup- detected or thwarted. ers and the duty essential- of senior management, four on an annual income curbs on social spending, port of some of Snyder’s Their bombs just didn’t go ly to find needles in hay- whence the energy in an of $20,000 or less were eli- restoring support for a priorities, such as in- off. stacks. agency emanates, is nec- gible for a state tax credit more potent earned in- creased funding for This threat will en- But successful terror- essarily divided. of up to $1,000. Michigan’s come tax credit ought to roads. That might pro- dure, irrespective of what ist attacks rob us, at least There’s no guarantee EITC rate was set at 20 be a priority for both par- vide some daylight for kind of foreign or domes- temporarily, of a sense of that an agency with the percent of the federal ties. Democratic legislators tic policy we pursue. In security and safety as we single purpose of detect- rate, about midway be- There is no reason why who’ve so far been ig- the 1990s, there were go about our lives. Tell me ing and disrupting terror- tween Oklahoma’s 5 per- the EITC should be a par- nored in the budget set- three significant terrorist you didn’t feel differently ist attacks within the cent and the 30-50 per- tisan issue. It’s an integral ting process — and an attacks within the United Monday night than you United States would have cent credits available to part of welfare reforms opening for a governor States. One, the World felt Sunday night. prevented any particular low-income wage earners championed by a long anxious to post some bi- Trade Center, was for- Providing that sense of terrorist attack. But the in New York, Vermont succession of Republican partisan wins. eign-related.Battle Two,Creek Okla- Enquirersecurity 04/21/2013 and safety is the odds would beCopy better. Reduced toand %d%% Maryland. from original topresidents, fit letter page and many red Page : A05 homa City and Atlanta, first responsibility of gov- But when Snyder and states, including Iowa, Contact Brian Dickerson: were entirely domestic. ernment. An oversize re- Reach Robb at robert.robb the Republican-majority Kansas, and Nebraska 313-222-6584 or It’s worth discussing, action to terrorism is war- @arizonarepublic.com. legislature undertook have funded robust tax [email protected]. West Michigan should open market for nude beach From earlier columns most open about public leading generators of Citing the same Roper of our own bodies and the alert reader will re- nudity. Here in the U.S., revenue in the state? If poll from 2006, 74 per- others is debilitating, call the author is a natu- Florida, California and Florida’s Pasco County cent of respondents to hurts our self-esteem and rist ... someone who be- New York/New Jersey commission can autho- the poll “believe that peo- our ability to accept and lieves non-sexual nudity lead the way as trend set- rize thousands of dollars ple who enjoy nude sun- connect with others. is a positive, healthy ap- ters in other areas of so- to be spent in German na- bathing should be able to As a final thought ... to proach to living and ciety as well as nude turist magazines attract- do so ... as long as they do those who think a cloth- brings us closer to nature beaches. We could be ing German naturists to so at a beach that is ac- ing optional or nude and an appreciation of right up there with them. Florida’s naturist re- cepted for that purpose.” beach means an abandon- the world around us. BILL SCHROER 2. It’s good business. sorts, why would we 5. And, lastly, and im- ment of the fabric of soci- One of the ways even ...... The nude beach in Miami doubt Pure Michigan’s portantly for me, it gives ety and/or the advent of a many non-naturists en- NOTHING TO HIDE (Haulover Beach) repre- pristine beaches couldn’t us all a chance to get com- new debauchery: One joy occasional public nu- ...... sents only 1/3 mile of be equally (or more) com- fortable with our own cannot do anything on a dity is via skinny dipping. beachfront in South Mi- pelling to European natu- bodies. I wrote earlier nude beach one can’t do In a 2006 Roper poll over work on your tan without ami, but is responsible rists? about the body image is- on a “textile” beach (i.e 25 percent of adults in a tan lines or simply swim for more than twice the 4. It’s fair. It doesn’t of- sues so many Americans public sex, gawk at wom- national sampling have as nature intended ... parking and user fees of a ten occur to non-natu- have. Too many of us are en, etc.) skinny dipped in mixed without wearing wet, comparable non-naturist rists ... but naturists are embarrassed by our bod- The only difference in company at some point. clammy bathing suits. beach nearby. taxpayers too. We fund ies. And, we are even standards is that one While many of these But why does Michi- From the time Haulov- the state and national more intolerant of oth- doesn’t have clothes on. occurrences take place at gan need a nude beach? er Beach was identified parks and seashores as ers. You don’t see that in It doesn’t mean you can private homes with I imagine many read- as clothing optional in much as any other dedi- Europe. behave like a jackass. swimming pools, at one ers have their own rea- 1991, revenues have in- cated user group (think None of us have per- Now, how about carv- of the thousands of ob- sons for the answer to creased 126 percent snowmobilers, horse- fect bodies ... but too of- ing out a section of Wil- scure lakes or ponds that question but here are while revenues for the back riders, bicyclists, ten I hear people say “I lard Beach to be clothing around the country or at my top selections: nearby “textile” Crandon hikers and campers). don’t want to see that optional? naturist resorts, there 1. It’s cool. Nude Beach have declined. These user groups “fat”, “old”, “wrinkled” are a number of public beaches exist all over 3. Its good for tourism. have dedicated trails, or whatever hurtful de- Bill is principal of the nude beaches around the Europe ... particularly There are naturists all riding paths, camp- scriptor comes to mind. WJSchroer Co. a Battle Creek country. Spain, Germany, France, over the world seeking grounds or other parts of Really? I don’t want to based marketing and research From Florida to New Denmark and Sweden. positive, safe, beautiful state and national parks see pigeons either but firm and former board member Jersey to California ... The most progressive nude beaches. dedicated for their use ... somehow I’m mature of the Naturist Action these legal nude beaches and forward thinking Isn’t Michigan’s tour- why not a clothing option- enough to deal with it. Committee. His email is provide an opportunity to countries are also the ist industry one of the al beach for naturists? That lack of acceptance [email protected].