The story about the 5-year-old who shot his 2-year-old sister with a rifle he’d received as a gift jumped out at me not just because of the horror of that thought, but also because of the dateline: Burkesville, Ky. That’s my hometown. A call to my sister, who lives there, revealed what I feared — … Continue Reading →
Nolan Finley
Insights from The Detroit News' editorial page editor and columnist
Obama's no compromise stance killed gun bill
From the doomsday outcry over the failure of the Senate to pass a limited control measure last week, you’d think that most gun sales are made without background checks, meaning convicts and mental patients can go out and buy weapons at will. That’s just not true. Most gun sales are currently covered by backgrourd checks. … Continue Reading →
Agema and his like must go
There may be defensible reasons to oppose gay marriage, but hatred and ignorance aren’t among them. Dave Agema, Michigan’s Republican National Committeeman, revealed himself as hateful and ignorant in reposting on his Facebook page an article attributing to homosexuals all manner of deviant characteristics, calling them unclean and blaming them for half the nation’s murders. … Continue Reading →
Your tax dollars at work
One useful thing about the sequestration debate is that it sparked a conversation about all the ways the federal government wastes your money. Everytime President Barack Obama claims there is simply no place to cut the budget without doing great harm, another example pops up to expose the absurdity of that statement. Two of my … Continue Reading →
Skeet shooting silliness
I don’t support President Barack Obama’s useless gun control package, nor do I buy the propaganda that the White House is peddling that the president is an enthusiastic recreational shooter when he’s at Camp David. But I think the conspiracy theories the photo has birthed are ridiculous and ill-informed. I suspect most of the accusations … Continue Reading →
Sound advice from Europe
I heard Siemens AG CEO Peter Loscher’s speech to the Detroit Economic Club today and I wish every policymaker in America could have been there as well. Addressing the question of whether America still matters to global companies, Loscher said the answer will always be yes because of this country’s strength in innovation, creativity and … Continue Reading →
We want good roads, without paying tab
If what i experienced in Macomb County this week is any indication, Gov. Rick Snyder has a tough road ahead in selling his plan to invest $1.2 billion more a year in the state’s transportation infrastructure. I moderated a discussion for the Macomb Chamber of Conference featuring local elected officials. When the subject turned to … Continue Reading →
Cobo looks fabulous
Visitors to the North American International Auto Show will likely be as impressed with the redesigned Cobo Center as they will be with the redesigned automobiles. The convention center is getting a $260 million makeover, which will expand the display space and convert the old Cobo Arena into a 40,000 sq. foot ballroom. Work is … Continue Reading →
Luxury returns
After suffering through green cars, teeny cars and cars designed by government committees, luxury cars are back big time at the North American Auto Show. The buzz today is all about the Corvette Stingray and the new lineup of Lincolns. Maybe its a sign of a better economy. Or maybe automakers realize there’s still a … Continue Reading →