On the left is Hancock, Michigan. Houghton is on the right. I took this photograph from the Quincy Mine site.
There is a drawbridge on the waterway, which you'll see in my next post.
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I was fortunate to ask a Romney question during the call, and my query regarded public sector unions--I mentioned SEIU and AFSCME--and whether it troubled him that government workers are conspiring to expand government.
I was pleasantly surprised by his answer, because Romney brought up a hypothetical scenario of a mayoral candidate who makes promises to teachers, firefighters, and police officers to win their endorsement. The candidate wins, and a few months later the new mayor is negotiating their union contracts--on behalf of the taxpayers. But Romney warned, "No one at the bargaining table is representing the citizens," and worse, that mayor is agreeing to obligations, expensive ones such as pensions and retiree health care, that are overlooked by the media because the financial outlay is down the road.
The president's pick to lead our efforts in Afghanistan, General Stanley McChrystal, has made clear that more forces are necessary to accomplish the mission. And while the administration hasn't yet reacted to General McChrystal's report, in my view, the president must soon explain to the American people his reasons either for accepting The McChrystal Plan or for taking a different course.
Among other issues, Mr. Rangel is currently under investigation regarding his use of four rent-stabilized apartments at New York City's tony Lenox Terrace and soliciting donations with his official letterhead for the Charles B. Rangel Center for Public Service at City College of New York, which was itself built with a $1.9 million earmark. Yet another part of the probe is his failure to report $75,000 in income from a rental villa at the beachfront Punta Cana Yacht Club, in the Dominican Republic.
WASHINGTON, DC – House Republican Leader John Boehner (R-OH) issued the following statement after Rep. John Carter (R-TX) announced his intention to offer a privileged resolution next week to force a vote on removing Rep. Charles Rangel (D-NY) as Chairman of the Ways & Means Committee, pending completion of the Ethics Committee investigation that is now in its second year:Working families across America are struggling in today’s economy, and they need to have confidence that the individual in charge of the House’s tax-writing panel is following the laws the committee is charged with crafting and overseeing. It is improper for Rep. Rangel to remain in a position with such vast power and influence while serious questions about his official conduct continue to multiply and go unanswered. Several weeks ago I wrote a letter to Rep. Rangel asking him to step aside while the Ethics Committee conducts its investigation. He has not done so, and his fellow Democrats have voted to protect him every step of the way.
When Democrats took the majority, Speaker Pelosi promised the most "open and ethical" Congress in history. Given the nature and severity of the charges against Rep. Rangel, I would urge all my colleagues, Democrat and Republican, to do the right thing and support the Carter resolution next week.