Rep. Marie Donigan emailed me today. She said that if I wanted to understand why she introduced legislation to name parts of US-127 after Ohioan Annie Oakley that I would have to talk to Annie’s relative, someone who lives in Michigan.
She also informed me that the legislation hadn’t been passed by the Michigan Senate. Making it ironic that she would ask why we are talking about legislation that could still pass and we still have a say in the matter. I guess since it was dropped we should all drop why it came up in the first place.
I phoned my State Senator’s office and was informed that the Annie Oakley Trail bill never made it out of the Senate Transportation Committee. The legislation would have to be re-introduced and passed for it to become law. I voiced my concern that this never happen.
Well, Golly Ned, someone in our legislature has some sense! Now, I don’t have to call Lenawee and Gratiot County Departments of Transportation and ask them how many taxpayer dollars would have been spent erecting signs and changing maps and websites to honor Annie Oakley of Ohio when Rep. Donigan herself cannot explain to me what Annie Oakley’s lasting contribution or continued presence in our state was.
I am so glad our Michigan House of Representatives took the time and money to write that legislation and vote on it. That and the following: House Bill 4534 Ride Your Motorcycle to Work Day, Senate Resolution 65 To Commemorate An Official State Children’s Book, House Bill 4599 To Name A Road after a Term-limited Legislator. And yes, I write children’s books but how can we decide on just one and who decides and why do we need to do this?
I guess it is too much to ask for them to spend ALL of their time trying to solve our problems, like unemployment, childhood poverty, the schools, the exorbitant costs of Michigan colleges and universities, our crumbling infrastructure, the suffering that goes on in Flint and Pontiac and Detroit. Any thing else?
