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April 15, 2007
Manny Lopez
iPod idiocy lingers despite Dems' distraction
Weird things have been happening to me lately. Television has lost its luster. Science and math textbooks litter my coffee table, and my day isn't complete without a twirl of the Rubik's Cube.
I balanced my checkbook without a calculator and after a brief conversation with an auto engineer in the neighborhood, I milked another three-tenths of a gallon of gasoline out of the family hauler by tweaking the transmission.
Given my aversion to math, none of this made any sense. Then it hit me.
I own an iPod.
Without the wisdom of the state's Democrats, however, I might never have made the connection. Apparently all the John Dingell podcasts I'd been listening to were making me smarter.
Of course, all that's absurd -- I could never balance my checkbook without a calculator.
Forgive me for taking such an easy shot at the state's House Democrats, who Thursday tried their darndest to distance themselves from their own idiotic idea, but bad ideas deserve to be made fun of mercilessly. Otherwise we're doomed to see them turned into public policy.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not opposed to technology in the classroom. I'm just opposed to bumbling bureaucrats.
"It's absolutely, utterly ridiculous," state Rep. Mike Simpson, a Liberty Township Democrat, told the Associated Press. "We need to be focused on getting our finances in order, not talking about iPods. It's wrong. It's a bad idea. It needs to be shot down and put to bed."
Less lip service, more action
He's right and maybe it finally has, but unfortunately, this whole iPod incident is indicative of what's wrong with the mindset in Michigan. Special interests control the show.
How else do you explain a junket to California on Apple's dime (or at least its nickel) followed shortly thereafter by a press conference promoting a multimillion-dollar contract with the company? Or the blind support for teachers' unions, which protect their members at the expense of students?
"The only (emphasis added) reason we're paying for it (the trip) is to end this public perception that something is misguided," Rep. Tim Melton, D-Pontiac, said about the iPod airlines trip he took with two colleagues.
Really, the only reason he's willing to repay $1,702 is because he got caught in a compromising position? Now that's leadership.
It's become increasingly hard to take this Legislature seriously. Everyone talks about being committed to education, but few are willing to act.
If they did, they'd eliminate the near monopoly the teachers' union has on health care; stop providing pensions and benefits that break the bank; consolidate and privatize; and pay teachers by merit and need.
Or take it a step further. Give parents real and varied education options, and dare I say, let them be in charge of their children's education dollars.
Then you'd see how important iPods were to education because the market, not bumbling bureaucrats, would dictate their worth and educational value.
Manny Lopez is a Detroit News editorial writer whose column usually appears online column on Sunday. Reach him at mlopez@detnews.com or (313) 222-2299.
Legislators to reimburse Apple for trip
State won't give kids iPods
April 13, 2007
Michigan legislators said Thursday that the state will not give iPods to schoolchildren, and three lawmakers will reimburse iPod-maker Apple $1,700 for a March trip to California.
One of the three, state Rep. Tim Melton, D-Auburn Hills, said he hoped the decision to refund the money would end controversy surrounding the "phony iPod issue" and the trip, first reported Wednesday by the Free Press.
News reports about the MP3 players have "spun completely out of control" since last week, Melton said, when an announcement about House Democrats pushing for more technology in the classroom was interpreted as a $38-million plan to buy iPods.
"I've said this over and over again: There is no iPod plan," Melton said Thursday at a news conference at the Capitol.
Melton was joined by Rick Johnson, the former Republican House speaker who championed technology upgrades when he was in office. Johnson said he, too, had visited California as Apple's guest.
Melton said he, Rep. Matt Gillard, D-Alpena, and House Speaker Andy Dillon, D-Redford Township, decided to pay for their trip to northern California themselves because news reports about the iPods and the trip were becoming a "distraction" from work on the state budget crisis.
Gillard ignited interest in the iPods last week when he held one up, described it as a wonderful learning tool and said House Democrats wanted to put one in the hands of every schoolchild in Michigan.
The idea was part of a broader $38-million technology initiative proposed for next year's budget, Melton said.
But "the public perceived this the wrong way" -- as a frivolous use of scarce state resources, Melton said.
"We've let this thing get out of control."
Contact DAWSON BELL at 313-222-6604 or dbell@freepress.com.
Copyright © 2007 Detroit Free Press Inc.
Lawmakers pushing iPods flew on Apple's dime
Democrats: Trip had other business
April 11, 2007
LANSING -- Two state lawmakers backing a controversial plan to buy iPods for every schoolchild in Michigan were among a group of politicians who made a trip to California that was paid for at least in part by Apple, the maker of iPods.
The 2 1/2 -day trip earlier this year covered a range of issues and interaction on topics related to Michigan. It included a visit to Apple in northern California, where the politicians discussed classroom technology and educational uses for the popular audio and video players, said Rep. Matt Gillard, D-Alpena, one of the legislators who made the trip.
House Speaker Andy Dillon, D-Redford Township, also made the trip to San Francisco and nearby Santa Clara County.
The $36-million iPod proposal was unveiled last week at a news conference called by Dillon to discuss the state's budget crisis and House Democrats' plans to address it.
Dillon's office did not provide details on the trip or say whether Apple paid for all or part of it. Gillard said he thought Apple covered a portion of the costs.
Dillon defended the trip in a statement issued by his office Tuesday night. He said he was "one of several lawmakers to take this trip, and I am more convinced than ever that the future for our children lies in education. As we move to the technology age and the knowledge-based economy, it would be irresponsible to separate technology from our K-12 system.
"I have four children, and I see how powerful technology is in their learning experience. While I believe that moving our classrooms into the 21st Century is critical to the future of our children and this state, I fully understand that unless and until we solve the state's fiscal crisis we cannot pursue this initiative. As I have said all along, we are focused on the state's fiscal crisis first."
Dillon and Gillard have been vocal supporters of the iPod idea. They did not identify the other lawmakers who went on the trip.
Critics of the proposal have said it indicates that Lansing policymakers are out of touch with Michiganders' anxiety over the state's $600-million budget shortfall and the state's depressed economic conditions.
Susan Lundgren, an Apple spokeswoman, said Tuesday that the company's Lansing lobbyist was not available for comment Tuesday.
Gillard also defended the iPod proposal and the trip. He said the lawmakers spent more time on non-Apple business during the trip, discussing such issues as wine distribution and Michigan business taxes. He said he didn't know how much the flight and accommodations cost, or whether Apple paid the entire sum.
"This is about technology in the classroom," he said. "I don't know that it has to be iPod-specific technology."
Gillard said news media reports about the proposal have focused too narrowly on the iPod, which critics view as less of an educational tool than a form of entertainment. The iPods could be used to download lectures and materials.
The trip taken by Dillon and Gillard is similar to those taken in past years by other lawmakers, including many Republicans, Dillon spokesman Dan Farough said.
Matt Resch, spokesman for the Republican leader in the House, Rep. Craig DeRoche of Novi, said he believed that statement is correct but said he didn't have details about such trips immediately available. Resch said, however, those trips were never followed by the kind of proposal unveiled by the Democratic leadership to buy $36 million worth of Apple products.
Rich Robinson of the Michigan Campaign Finance Network, a political watchdog group, said he hadn't heard about the trip and had no idea whether it was connected to the iPod proposal. But Michigan lobbyist disclosure laws are so anemic that it may never be possible to know, he said.
"There are legitimate reasons for doing such a trip," Robinson said, "but I want to know about it when it happens."
Contact DAWSON BELL at 313-222-6604 or dbell@freepress.com.
Copyright © 2007 Detroit Free Press Inc.
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