Come Heller high water … the June 29th edition

Come Heller high water …

• Here’s a great example of why Brexit passed and why Trump may win, despite the scoffers. Dow Chemical Co. in Midland merges with Dow Corning then announces it’s cutting 2,500 jobs – including 700 in the Great Lakes region – to “enable faster and more efficient growth.” Say what? You mean getting rid of people who helped build the company are now suddenly in the way of the company’s growth?  What kind of Bizarro World, black is white, up is down logic is that?
• Here’s the full, very helpful quote from Howard Ungerleider, vice chairman and chief financial officer of Dow and chairman of Dow Corning, who presumably isn’t going to have his life turned upside down and won’t have to uproot a family or find a new job or worry about how to pay his mortgage: “”With the difficult but necessary actions Dow is announcing today to enable faster and more efficient growth from Dow Corning, we are also calling into action multiple efforts to minimize the economic impact on the Great Lakes Bay Region. We believe, by working together as one community with one singular focus, we can make both Dow and the region stronger and more economically resilient in the future.”
• So in order to strengthen the region stronger, they first need to gut the company and turn 700 employed people into unemployed people? Why, of course. That makes perfect sense.
• Honestly, companies that are going to do bad things would be so much better off not trying to make those bad things sound good. That’s just insult to injury. It fools nobody.
• In the wake of the Kalamazoo tragedy and a rise in cyclist injuries and deaths, an MLive story asked “How can we avoid more bicyclist blood on the roadways?” One of the best ways would be for Michigan to build a comprehensive network of bike lanes and paths, as states and communities elsewhere have done. Yes, it would cost more money when building or rebuilding roads, but would also make us healthier and improve our communities. The nicest, healthiest and, yes, coolest places to live embrace bikes and bike lanes. So why don’t we?
• Our crazy gun culture claimed another victim this week – former CMU running back and current NFL player Zirlon Tipton, 26, who accidentally shot himself in the stomach with his licensed pistol while at a dealership in Roseville to have his car repaired. This shouldn’t and didn’t have to happen. I will never understand the desire to be armed at all times. Just won’t. Condolences to his friends and family and to those at CMU who are hurting today. What a loss.
• How did it get to be nearly July already? Slow down, summer, so I can catch up. This happens every year, by the way. I’m perpetually two months behind every season. I just finished spring clean-up for crying out loud.
• Attorney General Bill Schuette says Gov. Snyder’s private attorneys are withholding documents from Flint water crisis investigators. I have no idea if it’s true, but would it surprise you? Me either. Some serious people are going to take some serious falls before this thing is all said and done, especially over the Legionnaire’s disease deaths.
• British Prime Minister David Cameron says he doesn’t regret the Brexit referendum. Of course not! Who regrets anything stupid or destructive they do these days? No one. It’s this decade’s schtick. If Cameron were piloting the Hindenburg, he’d say, “Meant to do that!”
• “Man can only receive what he sees himself receiving.” – Florence Scovel Shinn.

Image credit: jm3 on Flickr