Monday morning quarterbacking

Highlights of a comment on today's earlier post...

It’s disheartening to watch your team leave it all on the field in a grueling overtime game that leaves them bloodied and battered; and then be told in an ill-informed bit of Monday morning quarterbacking that they didn’t play hard.

[snip]

This blog post also leaves the impression that Michigan is behind the rest of the region is protecting water, when, in fact, it is ahead of the curve in permitting, scientific review, public involvement, promoting water conservation and protecting water resources from cumulative impacts. The campaign has also raised tremendous public and media awareness of the public trust issue to set the playing field for the next stage of the game.

[snip]

But to be told we lacked the will to win; or sacrificed Public Trust for the sake of a photo op or a good headline on a press release is unadulterated bull**** and deserved to be called such.

The allegation of Monday morning quarterbacking might be more accurate had this issue not been discussed here and elsewhere in great detail before not just this week's 'deal,' but the even worse one cut in 2006.

Michigan is ahead of the curve? Excuse me. What is the standard threshold for water withdrawals that require review under the new Michigan law? Is it anywhere near Minnesota's 10,000 gallons per day? Putting your reliance for conservation in a 'science-based tool' that defines allowable resource damage is hardly a novel innovation.

Who said anything about will to win? This is about political judgment, plain and simple. Bad judgment.

Comments

[Tony Infante]

I think Hugh does quite a job for over-stating the "bloodied and bruised" fighting tactics of Michigan's environmental public interst lobbies regarding the matter of public trust. As an avid news and state politics junkie -the word that these groups made the public aware of the importance of the public trust language comes as news to me. In its oped praising the new legislation the Free Press mentions that inclusion of the public trust language would have made virtually any kind of development troublesome. That is nonsense but also a clear indication of how key opponents of better versions of the bills than were passed -out worked the enviros on the pr side.

[David Holtz]

It is a complete falsehood to say the industry groups 'outworked' the environmental groups and is really a dumb comment if you know the facts. The facts are that some conservation groups and their friends opposed public trust protections, and that weakened the environmental groups who championed public trust. Meanwhile, the corporate community was, of course,the beneficiary of this split and was united in opposition.

[molly]

How about this, forget "Games" and "Winning" all together.

There is no winning --
this is about COMMON SENSE for the COMMON GOOD.

Let's return to simplicity for a moment -- I propose a model for your discerning minds.

SIMPLE MODEL FOR GOOD BUSINESS:
Good Business = YOU give ME something and
therefore -
I give YOU something in return.

Too many in Michigan seem to think "Take my very lifeblood and give me nothing in return" is good business.

The good news is,
there are too many extraordinarily intelligent people in Michigan who have DEEP INCOMPARABLE RESOURCEFUL LOVE for this Great Place to think that such lack of foresight can continue.

Michigan was a light shining far "ahead of the curve" at one time, but for decades now she has been consistently at the back of the class with her sister Ohio.
I firmly believe that this foolishness is not in her nature and she will overcome this phase of damaging irresponsibility.
She is a reckless teenager, making poor decisions and harming herself to look good in the eyes of her trendy self-promoting peers.

Despite all this fogged confusion -- those with Common Sense are the unfaltering beacons -- illuminating clearly the differences between personal greed and public interest.

These "lighthouses" at all points of Michigan will be respected forever for the role they play in all this muddled decision making. This incredible ecosystem needs to last forever, and those who have the simple sense to nurture it will be revered and remembered forever.
Michigan will come to her senses, with a bit of guidance from her wisdom bearing elders who faithfully stand watch.