Hooters files for bankruptcy, a tale of the Retail Apocalypse

I left my usual "Stay tuned" message in the middle of 'SNL' laughs at Trump's tariffs and stock market crash: "Hooters' bankruptcy deserves more than a one-liner declaring the chain's business model a bust, so I plan on blogging about it tomorrow or Tuesday. Stay tuned." I begin with ABC News reporting Hooters restaurant chain files for bankruptcy on April 1st, no fooling.

Restaurant chain Hooters of America filed for bankruptcy in Texas on Monday, seeking to address its $376 million debt by selling all of its company-owned restaurants.

I vaguely recall Stephen Colbert telling that joke, but I'm glad I saw it again to share it. Also, since I have been eating out very little since the pandemic, and when I do, it's at Hooters competitor Buffalo Wild Wings, the butt of Colbert's joke, I haven't noticed inflation much at casual restaurants. I had no idea inflation was that severe in that sector!

The bankruptcy didn't come as a complete surprise, as Inside Edition asked at the end of February Is Hooters on the Brink of Bankruptcy?

Bloomberg News reports Hooters may be on the brink of filing for bankruptcy. The restaurant chain once had 430 locations around the world. Now, 40 locations shuttered in the U.S. in the past year alone. There's another issue specific to Hooters. In the "Me Too" era, Hooters was seen as a throwback to another time when scantily clad waitresses seemed like a fun idea. Inside Edition's Alison Hall has more.

The answer to the headline question turned out to be yes. On the other hand, the answer to whether the chain as a whole will close its door will probably be no. I'll get to that later. First, I'll address Hooters' reputation that might have caught up with it in Company Man's Hooters - The Controversial History.

Hooters is a national restaurant chain with a controversial history. This video talks about some of their bigger controversies over the years.

Company Man Mike was right; Hooters has a controversial history! Now I'm wondering when he'll come out with "The Decline of Hooters...What Happened?"

Yahoo! Finance explains why the chain will almost certainly survive in Hooters files for bankruptcy: CEO talks about company’s future.

Hooters has filed for bankruptcy, but the chain isn't going away. Hooters of America CEO Sal Melilli explains what's next for the company in the video above.

I don't know if Sal Melilli's plan will address food and labor costs, but it does deal with the chain's checkered reputation. I hope it works.

I close by calling back to The first year of Crazy Eddie's Motie News: Part 1 of several, the first time I recall mentioning Hooters on this blog.

I'll leave you with my two favorite images of signs in Troy...The second proves that I can fail the Butt-Head half of the Beavis and Butt-Head test. What makes it even worse is that is the exit sign for the Hooters in Troy. Think about it.

Unfortunately, the Troy Hooters location closed seven years ago. On the one hand, this is the last time I can tell that joke. On the other, it was time my readers and I found out.

A couple of the videos mentioned the bankruptcies of Red Lobster and TGI Fridays. Those were the subjects of two of the most read entries of last year. Expect me to cover them on Wayback Wednesday. Stay tuned.

Forever 21 files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, a tale of the Retail Apocalypse

I wrote that Forever 21 was facing bankruptcy just three weeks ago.  Today, Forever 21 declared Chapter 11 bankruptcy.  WXYZ reported on this tale of the Retail Apocalypse on location from the Oakland Mall in Troy, Michigan.

The chain said it will file a motion to close up to 178 of its more than 800 stores, though it said in a letter to customers that "the decisions as to which domestic stores will be closing are ongoing, pending the outcome of continued conversations with landlords."

WXYZ excels at person on the street interviews, which in this case show that the regular shoppers had little to no idea that one of their favorite stores was in trouble.  At least they seem as concerned about the employees as they do about losing their place to go for "fast fashion."

As WXYZ mentioned, Forever 21 is closing down operations in 40 countries including Canada and Japan.  CBC News examined this angle in Forever 21 files for bankruptcy in U.S., to cease operations in Canada.

Fashion retailer Forever 21 has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the U.S. to restructure. The company said it plans to discontinue operations at most of its international locations, including Canada.

The customers outside of the Oakland Mall location may worry about their local store closing.  Forever 21's customers in Canada know their store will close.

Of course, if there are losers, like Forever 21, there will be winners, which CNBC examined in Here are the winners and losers of the retail apocalypse.

CNBC's Courtney Reagan and Lauren Thomas, CNBC.com retail reporter, join the "Power Lunch" team to discuss brick-and-mortar stores and where millennials and gen-Z are shopping.

The panel did a good job of at least touching on all the issues and major players in less than three minutes, although I noticed that the host quickly diverted the discussion away from sustainability when it was brought up.  Instead, she was more interested in the possible winning companies to invest in than a major cause of Forever 21 failing.  Things that make me say "hmm."

I promise to keep following this story as it develops.  In the meantime, stay tuned for the first entry of October, which begins in a few hours.

Part 3 of Sears, a tale of the Retail Apocalypse

In Part 2 of Sears, a tale of the retail apocalypse, I wrote "As Sears closes more stores, expect to see more scenes like this.  When that happens, I'll post a third part to this mini-series."  On Thursday, Sears Holdings did just that, as Wochit Business reported in Sears Closes 46 Store Locations.

Business Insider reports, "Sears is closing even more stores. The department-store chain was once the largest retailer in the United States but has cut its store count in half in the last five years." Forty-six of it's [sic] store locations are set to close in the next year. They include 13 Kmart stores and 33 Sears stores. Their closing sales are starting on August 30th, and after these next 46 locations close that brings up the total number of their locations that have closed to almost 300. The company made this announcement, "We continue to evaluate our network of stores, which is a critical component to our integrated retail transformation, and will make further adjustments as needed."

The map above shows one of the locations in this latest wave is in Jackson, Michigan, which is in a mall where I shopped when I I lived out in the country.  I found an MLive story about the closing, but no video.  The article mentioned that it was the only Michigan location closing announced last week, but noted that stores in "Flint, Traverse City, Dearborn, Troy, and Sterling Heights" were already in the process of shutting down.  Troy?  That wasn't on the list of outlets I referenced in Part 1 of Sears, a tale of the retail apocalypse.  It turns out that it was announced in July, as WDIV/Click on Detroit reported in Sears closing at Oakland Mall location in Troy.

The Sears at the Oakland Mall in Troy will be closing.

My wife and I have shopped at that Sears, although we prefer the Macy's there.  Just the same, this is the first sign that the Oakland Mall, which I thought was getting a little long in the tooth when we went there, is starting to die.  It will take a while for it to close like Northland Mall, but unless it gets a replacement anchor, the process has officially started.  That hurts, although my wife and I have a Sears just a bit closer at Twelve Oaks Mall.  I don't think that one will close until the entire chain goes under, which should happen next year, as Twelve Oaks Mall is still thriving.  When that happens, it will hurt.

I conclude today's episode of the ongoing story of the Retail Apocalypse with USA Today explaining the emotional impact of retail chains declining and closing in Why seeing Sears stores close hurts hearts.

With Sears closing stores amid a mountain of debt, the end may be drawing near for the iconic American retailer, and many of us aren't ready.

I've been mourning ever since I posted Vox on America's dying malls as failed third spaces in April.

A snail story for Black Friday/Buy Nothing Day

Happy Buy Nothing Day, my name for Black Friday!  I won't be participating in either day, as I will be buying food but won't be Christmas shopping.  Instead, I'm going to tell a story about the small part I played in making possible the building of a shopping mall.  I've told this tale to my students several times over the years as an example of how I take revenge on people who cross me.*  Follow over the jump to read it.

Troy Transit Center opens

A story I've been following since 2011 has come to a happy conclusion; the Troy Transit Center opened.


That was the WXYZ preview.  The Detroit News covered the actual opening in Ceremony celebrates Troy Transit Center opening.

More than 200 people witnessed the ribbon-cutting for the new Troy Transit Center Tuesday, including Brian Smiatacz, 36, who had two kids in tow.

Four-year-old Adam, and Grace, 2, came outfitted with train engineer hats.

"They've been waiting for a year for this to open," Smiatacz said. "We were watching it get built. It took a long time for this to happen."

I've been waiting longer than that.  First, it was voted down by Troy's then Tea Party City Council in 2011.  This embroiled then-Mayor Janice Daniels in a scandal, one that led to a recall effort that was successful.*  As for the transit center, it got a second chance and was finally approved.  It faced a final hurdle, as the ownership of the land it stood on was in doubt.  I'm glad that was settled so the Troy Transit Center finally opened.

Now I can turn my attention to the construction of the M1 streetcar, the other project that got a second chance.  Here's to that story having as happy a conclusion as the transit center!

*I was rooting for the recall from the start.  I thought Daniels was trouble from the very beginning.

Examiner.com article on Ann Arbor News endorsements

It's time to move from New Jersey election news to something more local.

Stephen Kunselman, here pictured with his daughters Sophia and Sabrina, earned the endorsement of the Ann Arbor News this week.

Ann Arbor News endorses city council candidates

This Sunday, the Ann Arbor News endorsed city council candidates in Wards 1, 2, and 3.

To represent Ward 1, the Ann Arbor News recommended Democratic incumbent Sabra Briere over independent challenger Jeff Hayner.  Mixed Use Party candidate Jaclyn Vresics is also on the ballot, but has suspended her campaign.

In the Ward 2 contest, the newspaper endorsed independent incumbent Jane Lumm over both her challengers, Democrat Kirk Westphal and Mixed Use Party candidate Conrad Brown.

Democratic incumbent Stephen Kunselman earned the paper's nod over challenger Sam DeVarti of the Mixed Use Party in Ward 3.

The Ann Arbor News went for experience every time, endorsing all of the incumbents in contested races.  This was true even in the close contest for Ward 2, where the paper felt that Westphal would do a good job, but endorsed Lumm anyway.

As for me, if I were living in Ward 2, I'd vote for Westphal, not just because I'm a Democrat and Lumm used to be a Republican, but because she voted against a study for a train station.  That's not a sustainable action, and it is the kind of thing that has earned my scorn before.  I didn't like it when it was Janice Daniels of Troy and I don't like it now that it's Jane Lumm of Ann Arbor.  Fortunately for Lumm, I don't live in Ann Arbor now and when I did, it was in Ward 3, not Ward 2.

Stay tuned for more election coverage.  I expect to have at least one more article about the elections in either Chelsea or Dexter.  If I'm really ambitious, I might interview the Mixed Use Party candidates.  After that, it will be time to report the results Tuesday night through Thursday night of next week.

Trees down and power out in Oakland County

In WNWO talks blackout, I wrote about the weather contributing to power outages.  I was referring to air conditioning in the heat wave being the culprit, not high winds, but the weather caused blackouts just the same.  WXYZ gave the initial report in last night's Storms leave trail of damage.


I saw a lot of this damage first hand last night as I drove home from an appointment.  A silver maple had fallen across Crooks, completely blocking this major mile road.  I had to drive a half mile out of my way.  Traffic signals were out at several intersections, including Woodward and 13 Mile, as well as the intersections near the three gas stations down the street.  Those stations also lost power, so they weren't displaying their prices.  I also drove through a flooded underpass and a couple of flooded intersections.  I felt lucky to come home to a house with electricity and no storm damage.

Follow over the jump for this morning's updates on the situation from WXYZ.

News from Troy: Knollenberg fails to unseat Slater and ownership of Transit Center in question

Dexter cityhood and Washtenaw County millage elections weren't the only election news I was following last night.  The special election for Troy Mayor also was, as Troy voters keep moderate in office after recall of tea party mayor Janice Daniels.

In a special election today in Troy, residents chose to keep the interim mayor Dane Slater in what pundits viewed as approval of the city’s moderate turn since the recall of Troy’s former tea party mayor Janice Daniels.

Slater won with 50.4% of the vote to challenger Marty Knollenberg’s 45.9%.

This isn't the first election Knollenberg has lost in the past six months.

Knollenberg, 49, a former state representative for Troy and Clawson, came with a famous last name by virtue of his father Joe Knollenberg’s six terms in the U.S. House of Representatives. Knollenberg, also a former county commissioner, ran unsuccessfully in November for Oakland Country Treasurer.

So much for Knollenberg using Mayor of Troy as a resume credit while he runs for higher office, as Sharon at Keep Troy Strong thought he might.

Marty Knollenberg has no intention of serving a full term as mayor
...
The fiscal conservatives who are throwing our money away on this election want us to believe it's a GOOD thing that Knollenberg is running for a job he plans to dump out of early and then lead us to yet ANOTHER costly election.
Yes, it is those folks who always whine about how the private sector does a better job than the public sector who want to HIRE A MAN WHO WILL QUIT TO GET A BETTER JOB IN A YEAR.

Knollenberg would most likely have run for George Pappageorge's Michigan Senate seat when Pappageorge has to leave because of term limits next year.  Who knows, he still might, but not as a sitting officeholder.  Also, he'd have two losses in two years, something he and his father were trying to avoid back in 2006, as Sharon also pointed out when she quoted the head of the Troy-Clawson Republican Club.

His intellectual acumen and general brain power (or lack thereof) notwithstanding, his Daddy intends to see he doesn’t lose because that would make two losses in as many years. If you plan to retire and let your son inherit his kingdom on the Potomac, him being a two-time loser just won’t do!

He may have avoided that fate in 2006, but it caught up to him last night.

In other news from the city next door, Court rules Troy does not own transit center site.


Oops.  Still, it looks like it's most likely that construction will continue, so there will be a transit center.  I can take comfort in that, just like I can take comfort that Troy rejected the pro-austerity Knollenberg.

The first year of Crazy Eddie's Motie News: last of nine parts

Here's where I left off yesterday.

There should be one final installment of this project.

Finally, there are posts that were in the top ten between January 1st and March 21st, but which fell out by the time I compiled the list. That should take care of the series.

I've found one and mentioned another, so I already have the next entry half composed.

The first of those articles is Shrinking Detroit in the New York Times by way of the Columbus Dispatch, posted on April 11, 2011, which was in the top 10 during the time frame in question, but was knocked out before the first full year was over.

Here's what I had to say about this entry over at Kunstler's blog.

I suspect the largest political unit that is aware that it is managing contraction is the City of Detroit, where they can't avoid the realization. I blogged about it in THE LATEST INSTALLMENT OF CRAZY EDDIE'S MOTIE NEWS. Of course, Detroit and its collapse and renewal are the subject of more than half the posts on my blog. The topic is, as Spock would say, "fascinating."

That's not very informative. I like my justification for using it better.

[I]t's not every day that the New York Times covers exactly those aspects of Detroit that I cover in this blog. Better yet, it was picked up by the Columbus Dispatch, which doesn't have the 20 article limit before hitting a paywall that the New York Times has. Also, a friend of mine in Columbus posted the link on my Facebook wall. Who am I to refuse a good story when it's dumped in my lap?

Who am I to refuse, indeed? It had plenty of readers. I can't say how many it had when it dropped out of the top ten, but it currently has 580 page views according to the alternative counter on my site, which overcounts the number of readers relative to the one I use for my official top ten. That's 234 more than Detroit as a travel destination? The New York Times, BBC, and Financial Times think so, which has 346 page views using the alternative method and which made the end of year top ten.

The second runner-up is Video clips from last night's Republican debate, which I posted on November 10, 2011. It currently has 433 page views according to the alternative counter. I already mentioned it in The first year of Crazy Eddie's Motie News: Part 7 of several. Here's what I said about it then.

One of the many entries I posted about the GOP debate here in Michigan also cracked the top ten, although briefly, during the primary season, as people Googled it after every debate: Video clips from last night's Republican debate. Unfortunately, the clip of Perry being unable to name a third federal department to eliminate got pulled down, but there is a funnier version still up in Rick Perry blowing his answer to the Jeopardy theme.

That clip is still up.


As I wrote back then, "Sorry, Governor, the correct answer was 'What is the Department of Energy?'"

The listing of the dozen most viewed entries at the end of the first year is now complete, but I'm not done yet. Follow over the jump for the ten most viewed posts from the first year that didn't make the official top ten after January 1, 2012, along with their dates of posting, current page views according to the alternative counter, and the image or video I think best represents each one.

Snyder vetoes expanded concealed carry, signs transit authority, and other good news

I don't have to worry about expanded concealed carry and neither does anyone else in Michigan.  To his credit, Governor Snyder vetoed it.  That's one less bad law to come out of the "Inflamed Duck" session.  Snyder also signed most of the measures I approve of, including transit and lighting authorities and the new downtown arena.

Calling today “an exciting day for Detroit, “ Gov. Rick Snyder signed a series of bills that will have big impacts on the Motor City and its suburbs.

The bills will create regional transit and Detroit lighting authorities and allow the city’s Downtown Development Authority to capture funds that can be used to help entertainment mogul Mike Ilitch with his proposed $650-million sports and entertainment complex. One also will allow Eastern Market to get funds to expand Shed 5 and its ability to help locally made food products.

“We don’t spend enough time celebrating success,” Snyder said. “Today is a day to celebrate success for both short-term recovery and long-term growth.”

I don't know if he signed "Kelsey's Law" yet, but all of this is good news.  Before I do, I'll add that the price of gas has dropped some more, as the corner station is selling regular for $3.15 and two stations where the city limits of Clawson, Royal Oak, and Troy meet list gas at $3.09.  Also, I'm done grading.  Take it away Professor Farnsworth!

Former Mayor Janice Daniels should have recycled those signs

A week ago, this photo hit Facebook and went viral.


As Troy Patch explains, it shows now former Mayor of Troy Janice Daniels and her ally Minesh Baxi accompanying a Kroger employee who is disposing of some lawn signs urging yes on her recall. That was a mistake on multiple counts on her part. While the person who is actually disposing of the signs is an agent of the property owner, who is the person who actually has the right to remove campaign signs from the property, this photo makes it look like Daniels herself is getting rid of them. That makes her appear no better than the Plymouth Township Supervisor in this video.*


Township supervisor caught removing campaign signs
As the video quotes the Plymouth Township Clerk, only the property owner or the candidate (or an agent acting on their behalf) are allowed to remove the signs. That Daniels herself got involved indicated bad judgment.

The other thing wrong was that the signs probably went into the dumpster. Instead, they should have been recycled--in Troy! WXYZ has the good news.

Sign-A-Rama in Troy is offering to recycle any old campaign yard signs. All you have to do is drop them off.

Good. I have 14 lawn signs from this election, plus one from 2010, and only one of them will be used in two years. I know where I'm taking them.

As for Daniels, the same day the photo above appeared, Jeff Wattrick over at Deadline Detroit declared her to be Metro Detroit's worst politician. Given the competition, that's saying something!

The next day, she faced the recall.


She lost. The preliminary results read Troy Mayor Janice Daniels was recalled by a 52 percent vote. The final results came with more detail.

RECALLED: Troy Mayor Janice Daniels Voted Out of Office
A majority of Troy residents voted to remove embattled Troy Mayor Janice Daniels from office Tuesday.
By Jen Anesi

The people of Troy voted 52 percent to 48 percent to recall Mayor Janice Daniels on Tuesday.

The votes were 20,763 to 18,993, according to unofficial results from the Oakland County Clerk, with all precincts reporting.
...
"I'm elated, over the moon," Recall Janice Daniels co-founder John Kulesz said as recall volunteers celebrated into the night at Joe Kool's in Troy. "It's amazing to do something that the majority of the people of Troy responded to in such a positive way."

“We’re so happy that the people of Troy have realized that Janice is not the best person to represent them, and that Troy can and will do better," Recall Janice Daniels co-founder Matt Binkowski said.

I'm thrilled, too. That should come as no suprise, as I thought that she might be trouble when she was elected, pointed out that she had made herself a textbook example of someone vulnerable to a scandal, and cheered on the recall, twice. With Daniels' political career in the trash, it's crab won ton time for the rest of us!


*Despite this incident, Reaume won re-election, while White lost.

Reposted with slightly different conclusion over at Daily Kos.

ETA: My cat opened this entry for editing, so I'll add his contribution: 3

Video from Narb: How Troy saved its library

Just when I thought I had blogged everything I could about Troy's library, Narb sent me a link to this video, which describes a campaign I called "a cruel but effective political practical joke." Now that I have the story from the perspective of the people responsible, I'm describing it as "trolling for a good cause."

Troy Library from Jennie Hochthanner on Vimeo.

Total Recall of Troy Mayor: A serious to silly update

The recall of Troy Mayor Janice Daniels has sprouted legs since I blogged about it two days ago. First, it made the local TV news. Take it away, WXYZ!

The mayor of Troy is facing a recall after a petition calling for her ouster was turned in.

In the segment, Daniels discounted the legitimacy of the recall.

"They're based upon my positions that I take, my votes that I take, and that is hardly reason to recall someone. A recall should be used if someone commits a crime and I have committed no crime."

That's not true, as a press release from Recall Janice Daniels quoted in The Oakland Press article about the story points out.

“This assertion has no basis in fact. Michigan’s Constitution and subsequent legislation ... permits recall for any objectionable conduct during the elected official’s term in office. In contrast, when an elected official has committed an illegal act, the officer can be removed ... (in) a completely separate and distinct procedure.”

In The Oakland Press article, Daniels also cited the example of Scott Walker in Wisconsin.

“I’m proud of the results in Wisconsin, where Scott Walker’s team proved the people don’t like recalls,” she said.

That same article also linked to Janice Daniels' website and concluded by quoting the Mayor's appeal for donations and volunteers to fight the recall. They didn't link to the website of the pro-recall group, so I will.




Recall Janice Daniels!

Things get silly over the jump.

Petitions filed for recall of Troy Mayor Janice Daniels

The City of Troy has provided a lot of blogging fodder during the past year, beginning with the struggle to save the city's library and continuing with posts about the municipality's revenue problems (which was the most popular post of 2011), the votes concerning its transit center, and its controversial Tea Party Mayor Janice Daniels. I concluded that last entry by predicting.

Congratulations, Mayor Daniels. You've shown how to become a textbook example of how to become the victim of your own political scandal not just once, but twice. You may not be resigning yet, but mark my words. The third time will be the charm.

Mayor Daniels isn't resigning, but it looks like she has worn out her welcome just the same, as Jeff Wattrick reports over at Deadline Detroit.

Organizers collect 9,300 signatures in effort to recall Troy Mayor Janice Daniels

The Recall Janice Daniels campaign delivered 9300 petition signatures to the Oakland County Clerk today in an effort to allow Troy voters the opportunity to remove Mayor Daniels in the November election.
...
Since her election last November, Daniels has been a lightning rod of controversy. She refused to swear an oath to the city’s charter at her inauguration, calling it a “whimsical document.”

During one Council session she read a rambling statement ostensibly about the transit center that, among other things, accused Troy city employees of reading her mail.
...
Daniels made national news when it was revealed that in a Facebook post last summer, she criticized New York for allowing “queers” (her word) to get married. In response to that controversy, she told the Troy High School Gay-Straight Alliance that she would like to invite a panel of psychologists to explain to them about the dangers of “the homosexual lifestyle.”

Eric B. over at Michigan Liberal elaborated on this news.

For those playing along at home, the first paragraph [the second paragraph quoted here--P.S./N.V.] provides you all the acceptable reason you need to vote yes. Refusing to swear an oath to the city charter because you believe it to be a "whimsical" document is the same thing as a Congressman refusing to swear an oath to uphold the Constitution. Again, in a constitutional democracy, consent from the governed is given to government by a vote of the people in support of -- at the city level -- the city charter. Refusing to swear to uphold it is the same thing as saying that you don't really need to consent of the governed to rule them like a king. In a totalitarian state, you can get away with it. In America, however, it's a pretty basic violation on the social contract; and if you aren't aware of that, you're just simply not fit to serve in any office at any level. And that, sunshines, is precisely what they made recalls for.

To that, you can certainly pile on that she's made the city a national laughingstock and made it more unfriendly to business development, which seems to violate the spirit in which suburban communities like to see themselves.

Looks like the question of Daniels' recall will be on this November's ballot. How many quatloos do any of you want to wager on her getting voted out? Of course, I'm taking the side of her leaving. After all, I remarked that she might be trouble when she was elected, so I might be biased.

Daniels won the mayor's race in Troy. That's a vote for austerity, as she's a founder of the Troy Tea Party.

I'll take sustainability over austerity any day. I hope the voters of Troy do, too. Here's to their making a jump and recalling Daniels.

The first year of Crazy Eddie's Motie News: Part 1 of several

Yesterday, I wrote:

I know I promised a retrospective post yesterday. Don't worry, I'm working on it and will post it tonight or tomorrow.

I've decided to make this a multi-part post spread over the rest of the month. Today's installment features an overview of the statistics and the first part of a series reflecting upon the most popular posts from the past twelve months.

Stats

During the first year of the blog, March 21, 2011 through March 20, 2012, I made 483 posts, readers posted 204 comments, and the blog received 47,808 page views. That means I averaged 40.25 posts per month. Considering that I was starting to complain of burnout by the end of last May and decided not to use Crazy Eddie's Motie News as my official blog for NaBloPoMo during June, I'm pleasantly surprised that I managed to have that much consistency and endurance in my blogging. Here's to keeping that up this coming year.

The readers also did their part, helping the blog average 3984 page views per month and 99 views per post. I'm pleased with those stats as a baseline to build on for the coming year, especially since the blog has had more than 4,000 page views per month for seven months running, including the current one that has another week to go. About the only averages I find disappointing were those involving comments, with 0.42 comments per post, 17 comments per month, and 0.0043 comments per page view. However, it's not surprising. As I've mentioned before, if I want comments, I'll cross-post my entries to LiveJournal, JournalFen, or Daily Kos. Blogspot is great for readership, but it really doesn't have the sense of community the other blogging platforms have.

Most Viewed Posts




In first place, with 615 page views and 4 comments is The New York Times reports on Troy's problems from May 20, 2011. It figures with all the posting I've done about the city of Troy, Michigan, that one of them would be the top post. However, I don't consider this to be my best post about the subject (either Troy Mayor Janice Daniels shows how to be vulnerable to a scandal or "Save the Library, save Troy" would be), just the best marketed and promoted. Here's what I wrote over at Kunstler's blog.

I'm surprised you didn't write about The Rapture as a non-event the news media would rather report on than our real problems. I did, as I thought a blog about the collapse of civilization would be remiss if it didn't have something to say about the supposed beginning of the end of the world. I guess you didn't agree. However, we might agree on the following:

No supernatural causes will be needed to bring about the collapse of civilization; the interaction of human behavior with limited resources can do that all by themselves. That end will be completely natural, not supernatural.

As for managing contraction, the New York Times reported on the Detroit suburb of Troy facing that issue. I blogged about it on Crazy Eddie's Motie News, where I have a link to the original article. It's a sign that contraction is hitting even the most well-off areas.

That comment was just about as long as the post itself. Speaking of which, this entry was the most successful of several where promising Kunstler's readers a link to an article in the New York Times got their attention--567 pages views worth, the most of any single referring page. There are at three others on this list.

I'll continue with the second most popular of the top twelve posts tomorrow. Until then, I'll leave you with my two favorite images of signs in Troy. The first is from the library millage election, and counts as a cruel but effective political practical joke. The second proves that I can fail the Butt-Head half of the Beavis and Butt-Head test. What makes it even worse is that is the exit sign for the Hooters in Troy. Think about it.

Newt Gingrich and the Republican National Committee demagoguing Agenda 21

While I've blogged before about the grassroots paranoia among Tea Partiers about Agenda 21, this time the movement has moved beyond the grassroots to the highest levels of the Republican Party. As the New York Times reported on Friday, Activists Fight Green Projects, Seeing U.N. Plot. Most of the article reviews the same examples that the Washington Post and The Atlantic have already used. However, it also shows that people higher up than a mere member of the House of Representatives are taking this crackpot idea seriously. In fact, it goes all the way up to the top.

In January, the Republican Party adopted its own resolution against what it called “the destructive and insidious nature” of Agenda 21.
...
The Republican National Committee resolution, passed without fanfare on Jan. 13, declared, “The United Nations Agenda 21 plan of radical so-called ‘sustainable development’ views the American way of life of private property ownership, single family homes, private car ownership and individual travel choices, and privately owned farms; all as destructive to the environment.”

Hey, this sounds familiar.

There will be a great battle to preserve the supposed entitlements to suburbia and it will be an epochal act of futility, a huge waste of effort and resources that might have been much better spent in finding new ways to carry on an American civilization.
...
In the service of defending suburbia, the American public may turn to political maniacs...who promise to allow them to keep their McMansions and their commutes...

That looks even more familiar.

To make the point that anyone who disagrees with him on housing policy is just an elite liberal snob, instead of engaging them on substantive economic policy grounds, Gingrich has taken to mocking people who don’t own a detached single-family home in the suburbs and drive everywhere.

At the National Association of Home Builders, “Rally for Homeownership” in South Carolina, Gingrich said, “Those who, you know, live in high-rise apartment buildings writing for fancy newspapers in the middle of town after they ride the metro, who don’t understand that for most Americans the ability to buy a home, to have their own property, to have a sense of belonging is one of the greatest achievements of their life, and it makes them feel like they are good solid citizens.”
...
On Friday he reiterated his hatred of people who live a more environmentally efficient lifestyle. Speaking in Las Vegas ahead of the Nevada caucus, a contest he is sure to lose, Gingrich attacked “elites” in Manhattan who live in high rises and “ride the subway.”

If it sounds like Gingrich with all of his hating on mass transit and city life is fully on board with the Agenda 21 bashing, he is.

On the campaign trail, Mr. Gingrich has called Agenda 21 an important issue and has said, “I would explicitly repudiate what Obama has done on Agenda 21.”

Looks like Newt and the RNC are banking on Kunstler's prophesy that the "American people will elect maniacs" who promise people the entitlements of suburbia, including "single family homes, private car ownership, and individual travel choices." If it means stirring up anti-environmental paranoia, that's a feature, not a bug.

Speaking of stirring up anti-environmental paranoia, the Tea Partiers at the grassroots seem to be confused, and their confusion is contagious.

But some local officials argue that the programs that protesters see as part of the conspiracy are entirely created by local governments with the express intent of saving money — the central goal of the Tea Party movement.

Well, that's what the Tea Party says both to itself and to outsiders, but as I've pointed out using Troy Mayor Janice Daniels as an example, the movement isn't really about fiscal issues; it's about social ones, including preserving what they see as the American way of life. It's not a coincidence that Troy at first voted down a transit center, then acted in a penny-wise yet pound-foolish way by approving the transit center with a conventional gas furnace instead of a geothermal heating/cooling system. To top it all off, the public comments after the vote included remarks about Agenda 21. The New York Times article didn't mention Troy as an example, but they should have.

I mentioned that the confusion was contagious.

“The Tea Party people say they want nonpolluted air and clean water and everything we promote and support, but they also say it’s a communist movement,” said Charlotte Moore, a supervisor who voted yes. “I really don’t understand what they want.”

Truth be told, neither do they.  They just don't realize it yet.

Jeff Wattrick has the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly on the Troy Transit center

In New beginnings for two Metro Detroit transit projects, I made this prediction about the Troy Transit Center:

[I]t seems that it might pass by one vote. That would be enough.

Sure enough, that happened, as Jeff Wattrick of MLive reported.

Troy City Council passes revised transit center plan by 4-3 vote

Sure enough, the revised plan passed by one vote. The deciding vote both times was Council member Fleming, who voted against the original $8 million plan but voted for the revised $6 million version. As for the operating costs, Wattrick reported that the Chamber of Commerce will put together a plan to cover the station's $31,000 annual operating costs.

As for the bad, Troy City Council may increase transit center's operating cost per square foot to symbolically 'cut' federal spending. That occurred, in part, because the geothermal heating plant originally proposed for the site was replaced by a standard gas furnace. I really don't like this decision, and I'll probably have more to say about it later.

Finally, the ugly. Democracy's Earthy Aromas: Troy transit vote sparks colorful council public comment session. Wattrick had the following to say about the aftermath.

Troy's City Council approved the transit center plan Tuesday night. Public comment immediately following that vote, and boy howdy, you simply cannot beat municipal government public comment sessions for cheap thrills and unintentional comedy.

Quite naturally, I had the old digital recorder rolling to preserve in magical ones and zeros every explanation of how public transit was a Chinese plot to take our jobs, a UN Project 21 conspiracy to destroy America’s sovereignty, and the machinations of a shadowy cabal led by Rip Rapson, the dark overlord of the Kresge Foundation. All those things were said, but last night's public comment was so fantastic, none of them made the greatest hits album.

I highly recommend you read this article. It's local political comedy at its best.

New beginnings for two Metro Detroit transit projects

This morning, the Detroit newspapers had good news about two transit projects, Detroit light rail and the Troy transit center, that had been left for dead. It looks like both might happen anyway.

First, the news about light rail in Detroit from the Detroit Free Press.

Detroit light rail revived, but with shorter route

Gov. Rick Snyder and Detroit Mayor Dave Bing insisted Friday that a light-rail line for Detroit is still possible, backtracking on their decision last month to pull passenger trains out of the mix of modernized transit options for the city.

Snyder and Bing said they're supporting a plan for a shorter rail line from downtown to New Center that would be built as part of an upgraded system of rapid-transit buses crisscrossing the city and suburbs.

"We see light rail as a part of regional transportation, so light rail is not dead," Bing said at a news conference at his office with Snyder and U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. "It's back on the table."
...
The mayor and governor said a less-ambitious rail system, about 3.4 miles long, could still be built, largely with private funding through the M-1 Rail group of investors.

In order to secure federal funding, the group was given 90 days to produce a study showing it could make the line work.

So it's not a definite yes, but the project has the status of "not dead yet." That's cause for hope.

Next, the Detroit News reports that a Revised Troy transit center plan up for vote.

The City Council on Monday is expected to vote on a scaled-back proposal for the Troy Transit Center weeks after the panel failed to award a contract to begin the federally funded project.

The resolution released late Friday reduces expenditures by about $2 million and was proposed by Councilman Dane Slater. "The integrity of the project is still there," said Slater, adding the new plan is based on a smaller facility with fewer features.

"It's my hope that through these concessions we can get a majority vote on this project and move it forward."

The way this article is written, it seems that it might pass by one vote. That would be enough.

Troy Mayor Janice Daniels shows how to be vulnerable to a scandal

In my previous post about Troy, I discussed the rejection of federal funding for the Transit Center. There was something else in the report from the New York Times I quoted.

The transit fight is not Mayor Daniels’s first brush with controversy. Earlier this month, it was revealed that she posted a message to her Facebook page last June, after New York State approved same-sex marriage, stating, “I think I am going to throw away my I Love New York carrying bag now that queers can get married there.” In an interview, she said she regretted the online comment.

This quote plays right into a narrative that opponents of the Tea Party in general and Janice Daniels in particular already have for Tea Party candidates. In fact, combined with the rejection of the money for the transit center, it satisfies many of Nate Silver's criteria for a good political scandal. Let me walk through Nate's questions and their answers for these two outrages.

Troy's City Council votes down transit center

From WXYZ on YouTube.




Troy transit vote turned down by City Council 12/20

This was a big enough deal that it got picked up by the New York Times.

Michigan City Turns Down Millions of Dollars, Saying Federal Money Is Not Free

In what could be a new high water mark of anti-Washington sentiment, the city of Troy, Mich., is rejecting a long-planned transportation center whose construction would have been fully financed with federal stimulus money.

The terminal, which would help Troy become a transportation node on an upgraded Detroit-to-Chicago Amtrak line, was hailed by supporters as a way to create jobs and to spur economic development. But federal money is federal money, so with the urging of the new mayor, who helped found the local Tea Party chapter, the City Council cast a 4-to-3 vote this week against granting a crucial contract, sending the project into limbo.

“There’s nothing free about government money,” Mayor Janice Daniels said in an interview. “It’s never free, and it’s crippling our way of life.”
...
Taking Tea Party reasoning to the local level has outraged supporters of the transit center, which has been in the works for a decade. Michele Hodges, the president of the Troy Chamber of Commerce, which supports the transit project, said that her organization “will be a pit bull for what’s best for this community.”

David A. Kotwicki, a local lawyer, noted that members of Congress might talk tough on spending, but that they still bring projects home to their districts. The vote against the transit center, he said, looks like “cutting off your nose to spite your face.”

No kidding. The rejection of the transit center is already undermining business confidence in Troy.

On Tuesday, an official of Magna International, a global automotive supplier based in Canada whose American headquarters are in Troy, expressed frustration with the City Council vote in a private e-mail to Ms. Hodges and others that was posted to a blog that favors the transit center.

“I am drafting a memo to all Magna group presidents and our Magna corporate executives strongly recommending that Magna International no longer consider the City of Troy for future site considerations, expansions or new job creation,” wrote Frank W. Ervin III, the company’s manager of government affairs. “I have also recommended that where ever and when ever possible we reduce our footprint and employment level in Troy” in favor of communities that act in the best interests of residents and business and that do “not simply use their public position to advance their own private agenda.”
...
Ed Myles, the president of a local manufacturing company, J.E. Myles & Co., said that the area, like the rest of the country, had been hurt by the recession and that it could use the economic boost that the transit center could provide. He said he worried about what companies like Magna would do. The council’s vote “put the kibosh on any other companies moving here.”

“It’s all politics,” he said. “In the meantime, people are suffering.”

For more coverage of this issue, I recommend you read Keep Troy Strong, where my friend Sharon has been tirelessly covering Janice Daniels and the Troy Tea Party since October of last year.