Laura's Detroit Blog

October 6th is the last day to register to vote in Michigan for the November, 2008 election. A lot rides on this year's vote, including president, stem cell research and medical use of marijuana, in addition to U.S. and state representatives, county and township officials, and judges.

The McCain campaign has made the decision to pull out of the state. What does that mean? It means no more TV ads, mailings or new campaign offices in the state. This decision, however, needs to be taken in context. According to the Wall Street Journal, McCain's decision to fight for Michigan in the first place, in spite of the fact Michigan went for Kerry in 2004, was to spread Obama's resources thin. In fact, Obama has scaled back his resources in other states as part of an overall campaign strategy.

Even so, the actual pulling out of resources from Michigan this close to the election seems to be conceding defeat in the state. As we all know, the presidential race brings more voters to the poll than other elections. If your candidate in effect concedes defeat in your state, do you bother to go to the polls? Does it affect your preference for candidate? You tell me.

Regardless of polls predicting an Obama win in Michigan, including a Pollster.com poll that has Obama leading McCain in Michigan 48.3% to 44%, there may be a hidden wrinkle affecting the margin of error: prejudice. Let's face it, it is politically incorrect to site race as a factor when choosing your presidential candidate, which means there are undoubtedly voters out there, including traditionally Democratic voters, who may say they are voting for Obama in a face-to-face poll but vote for McCain in the privacy of the voting booth. This is a cynical point of view to be sure, but will it be a significant factor in the election's outcome in Michigan? If so, how much will hidden racial prejudice affect the ultimate result?

Lauren Graham and Greg Kinnear at the Flash of Genius Press Conference at the 2008 Toronto International Film Festival
Photo by Malcolm Taylor / Getty Images

Flash of Genius is a David-versus-Goliath tale that opens in theaters around town on October 3rd. The movie is set in 1960s Detroit and stars Greg Kinnear as Robert Kearns, a Wayne State University professor who invented the intermittent windshield wiper in his basement. The story chronicles Kearns battle against the evil, greedy, big-three auto companies that failed to give his patent recognition.

The film was actually filmed in Toronto, a more-affordable location before the passage of Michigan's tax incentives. Even so, the film may still produce a sigh of nostalgia from Detroiters. The film depicts a 1960s Motor City still in its hey day. Despite the depiction of the big three as the Goliath of the story, it invokes memories of a strong industry that could be cast as the big, bad and powerful villain. Ah, better times…

According to RottenTomatoes.com, the movie is getting good reviews.

More Information:

• Movie review by Emanuel Levy

Judging from the number of celebrity sightings around the Metro Detroit area, Michigan’s film incentive program seems to be working. For instance, Sigourney Weaver is filming in Royal Oak, Drew Barrymore is filming in Northville, and Clint Eastwood is filming in Troy, but they’re shopping and dining and generally being spotted in downtown Detroit and other Detroit-area communities. October will bring even more celebrities to the area, including James Wood and Sean Astin, who are scheduled to film at a restaurant in Plymouth. With Warner Brothers looking at the old Ford plant in Wixom as a possible location for a studio, we may need to come up with yet another moniker for Detroit in addition to Motown and the Motor City; I’m thinking something starting with “M”. Any ideas?

Movie production isn’t the only thing bringing stars to the state; staffers at Obama’s campaign headquarters in Canton said Jamie Lee Curtis popped in last week to lend her support.

More Information:

• From Pewabic to Pronto!, Michigan seeing film celebs everywhere by Julie Hinds / Detroit Free Press (8/26/08)
• Movie execs tour Wixom plant for possible studio by Alex P. Kellogg / Detroit Free Press (8/19/08)
• Actress Jamie Lee Curtis gives local Obama campaign workers a boost by Jo Mathis / The Ann Arbor News (9/26/08)

Several retailers in the Metro Detroit area have adopted questionable practices regarding credit cards, debit cards and checks. Just so you know:

• Consumers often assume that a phone number is required when they use their credit card for purchases. While Michigan does not specifically prohibit the practice, according to Gofso.com, American Express, VISA and MasterCard do prohibit a merchant from requiring it on the sales slip. What are the retailers up to? In most cases, they are collecting phone numbers to sell to telephone solicitors. The moral of the story: just say no. Note: Several months ago a local retailer attempted to collect phone numbers on cash transactions. Customer complaints quickly put an end to the practice.
• While a retailer can ask for identification when accepting a credit-card transaction, according to VISA and MasterCard rules, they cannot make it a requirement to accept the card. This means that if you don't want to give I.D., the retailer cannot refuse the use of the credit card. Note: You do have to sign your card.
• According to MCLA 600.2964 (a Michigan statute), a merchant cannot require that a social-security or credit-card number be written on a check as a requirement of acceptance.
• More recently, a local Dollar Tree started charging a dollar fee when choosing the cash-back option for a debit-card transaction. This practice, unfortunately, has the potential to spread like wildfire, so Detroiters should nip it in the bud. One method is to complain to the store's management. Another method is to check out your bank's debit card rules; the merchant may be prohibited from the practice.

It's just a week away, so best to prepare. Saturday, October 4th is International Frugal Fun Day. In these tough economic times, the best way to celebrate is to take action:

• Freecycle: Freecycle.org started a concept that has spread across Michigan and communities in the Metro Detroit area. To freecycle is to turn trash into treasure. In other words, it is a virtual group through which you can find a taker for items you would otherwise stick in the trash. To that end, you can either list an item or search for an item through an e-mail group set up for the purpose in a specific, local region. The place to start in Detroit is the MotorCity Freecycle Yahoo Group. The group also lists other more specific neighborhood groups, such as freecycle groups in Clinton Township, Ferndale, Novi, the shoreline communities, etc.
  
  
• Frugal Tips: Another online group, Michigan Tightwads, is an e-mail venue that allows participants to trade local frugal-living tips.
  
  
• Local Coupons: The Detroit Free Press keeps a current list of coupons to use toward local products and services.
  
  
• Resale: In addition to Yellow Book’s list of local resale shops, Detroit also has an Architectural Salvage Warehouse that sells recycled components, such as doors, copper pipes, wood flooring and sinks, from deconstructed homes in the Metro Detroit area.

View of the Detroit Skyline from the Augustus Tower Lobby of Caesars Windsor
Photo © Laura Sternberg, Licensed to About.com



It may be all about vantage point. From the Metro Detroit area, there are few routes into downtown Detroit that have an awe inspiring view of downtown. Turns out, Windsor makes a great gateway into Detroit. The skyline is impressive and downright pretty, especially the GM Wintergarden and the two miles of River Walk currently complete. Ironically, Caesars Windsor Casino/Hotel has a better view of Detroit than any of the downtown Detroit casinos.

Detroit's crime rate was still higher than much of the nation's in 2007, which is the news bite you're more likely to hear about, but actually both violent crimes and crimes to property were down in the city compared to 2006. While the surrounding suburbs were relatively much safer, an increase in violent crime was reported in Auburn Hills. There was also an over 50% increase in violent crime in Royal Oak. Crimes to property in Auburn Hills were actually down from 2006, but the rate itself was actually approaching that of Detroit's and much higher than most of the area's other suburban communities.

Here is a sampling of the crime rates in some of the communities in the Metro Detroit area for 2007 according to The Detroit News' Interactive Database:

• Auburn Hills: Violent 4, Property 52.5
• Berkley: Violent .9, Property 12.5
• Birmingham: Violent 1.3, Property 20.5
• Clinton Township: Violent 3.2, Property 23.7
• Detroit: Violent 22.9, Property 67.7
• Grosse Pointe Shores: Violent 0, Property 1.5
• Royal Oak: Violent 3.0, Property 21.6
• Wyandotte: Violent 2.1, Property 26.7

More detailed statistics can be found at Michigan Offenses Known to Law Enforcement on the FBI website.

Even as Mayor Kilpatrick's name is removed from the water tower at the Detroit Zoo -- that was fast -- the Detroit city council voted to hold a special election to determine a permanent replacement for the rest of Kilpatrick's term. The primary will be held on February 24th and the special election on May 5th, 2009. While critics complain about the three-million-dollar price tag of an election held so closely to the regularly-scheduled general election in November of 2009, the council had little choice legally because of the dictates of the city charter. As the candidates step up in the coming months, though, at least other names besides Kilpatrick's will dominate the news in Detroit, mayhap Kenneth Cockrel, Jr. and David Bing to name just a few.

More Information:

• Mayoral Succession