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You're wrong. The store has to sell it for the price on the shelf. Most (all?) states have consumer protection laws in place where if the price differs at the register, you get the price on the shelf plus a bit extra (or if it is a small value item, it's free) For example... http://www.michigan.gov/ag/0,1607,7-164-34739_20942-134114--,00.html

You mean if the stockboy puts the wrong price on an item that's on the shelf, that's the price they the store has to sell it for? I doubt there's a law anywhere in the country that says that. Making mistakes is bad for the store's image but they aren't legally obligated to honor such an error.

You're wrong.
The store has to sell it for the price on the shelf. Most (all?) states have consumer protection laws in place where if the price differs at the register, you get the price on the shelf plus a bit extra (or if it is a small value item, it's free)
For example...
http://www.michigan.gov/ag/0,1607,7-164-34739_20942-134114--,00.html

For some reason, online retailers feel that they can ignore consumer protection laws, and routinely do so. Most likely because the "we're not responsible for price mistakes" line in the "terms and conditions"
A major retailer deleting orders without notification is pretty scummy.

In the US there are a million DVCs (deer-vehicle crashes) per year, costing thousands of lives and billions of dollars of damage:

http://www.michigan.gov/documents/mdot/MDOT_RC-1475_177128_7.pdf

There's lots of possible good value in genetically modified animals ( http://science.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=06/12/31/0422226&from=rss ), including making deer flourescent to limit the # of crashes.

Mercury Poisoning is a little vague, as is Illinois Fish and Your Health, but that is understandable because fishing and hunting is a significant source of income, I know in Michigan, during the late seventies early eighties, Mother's milk was generally unfit for human consumption!

Requirement. Customers have the right to receive back all parts replaced, except those that must be returned to a supplier or manufacturer for warranty or rebuilding purposes, which the customer is entitled to inspect (MCL 257.1333).

Let us think of some possible scenarios: random rape, date rate, child rape, child molestation, groping, lewd conduct, public nudity. Of these, which ones do you consider serious? Do you believe they should all be grouped as sex offenses? I don't even know if they are all considered sex offenses, I tried to look it up to determine if my list was valid, but in the short time I looked on google for sex offenses, all I got were sex offender registry links, so I can't even look up to determine what constitutes a sex offense.

I googled "sex offender registry inclusion requirements site:.gov" and found and example pretty quickly -- the below is from the State of Michigan's FAQ on sex offender registries.

• Indecent Exposure While Engaging in a Lewd/Lascivious Act (M.C.L. 750.335a(2)(b)), if previously convicted of violation of M.C.L. 750.335a.
• Three convictions of any combination of:
  • Disorderly Person (M.C.L.750.167(1)(f));
  • Indecent Exposure(M.C.L. 750.335a(2)(a));

So it would seem that if you're caught "indecently exposed" while, say, doing a striptease at a party, and it happens more than once -- you're a sex offender. If you're "indecently exposed" three times, regardless of context -- you're a sex offender.

Also, if you get a Disorderly Person conviction three times -- yep, you're a sex offender.

Re-goddamn-diculous.

The State of Michigan has prescribed steps to clean up a small mercury spill, below. This was likely drawn up before these flourescent bulbs became common. Still, here are the last two steps they prescribe when cleaning up spills of less than two tablespoons...

21. REPLACE BROKEN DEVICE WITH A MERCURY-FREE alternative: For a detailed listing of mercury-containing devices and alternatives see: -link-

22. INVENTORY ALL REMAINING MERCURY-CONTAINING DEVICES AND REPLACE THEM WITH MERCURY FREE ALTERNATIVES: The best way to address a mercury spill is to prevent it from ever happening in the first place. For additional pollution prevention ideas and assistance contact the DEQ's Environmental Assistance Center at 800-662-9278.

"Ironically, a regular incandescent light bulb actually releases much more mercury into the environment than a CFL."

http://www.michigan.gov/deq/0,1607,7-135-3585_3006 8_30172-90210--,00.html

Well to play devil's advocate here's information from the State of Michigan on CFLs

http://www.michigan.gov/deq/0,1607,7-135-3585_3006 8_30172-90210--,00.html

According to the article, after breaking the lightbulb in her daughter's bedroom, Mrs Bridges called Home Depot which directed her to Poison Control hotline which directed her to the Maine Department of Environmental Protection, which sent a specialist.

The specialist found an unacceptable quantity of mercury (six times the "safe" level), and directed Mrs Bridges to a cleanup firm that gave the U$ 2.000 estimate (way high in my opinion, is it that hard to clean?).

Insurance, as usual, won't cover it (sounds reasonable this time).

An interesting point is that each CFL contains five milligrams of mercury, and Maine's "safety" standard is 300 nanograms per cubic meter.

By comparison, according to Wikipedia, "the typical "fever thermometer" contains between 0.5 to 3 g (.3 to 1.7 dr) of elemental mercury."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercury-in-glass_ther mometer

She could have saved some money by reading this:

"Cleaning Up Small Mercury Spills, For spills of less than two tablespoons:" by the government of Michigan
http://www.michigan.gov/deq/0,1607,7-135-3307_2969 3_4175-11751--,00.html

or this (PDF warning) http://www.newmoa.org/prevention/mercury/smallspil ls.pdf

Not every CFL has that much mercury:

http://www.lighting.philips.com/gl_en/news/press/s ustainability/archive_2006/reduction_in_mercury.ph p?main=global&parent=4390&id=gl_en_news&lang=en

Still, it's good to be warned and be aware about the potential environmental hazard.

> I don't understand why they are not trying to market this for the educational market in developed countries.
Because in "developed" countries we have "developed marketing departments" who's job it is to make sure that the local ed tech buys "only the best" for the kids, even if "the best" is way more capacity than most kids writing papers and watching flash-powered chemistry sims online need.

This situation is not unique to schools:
There's a $200M study to track the effects of pre-school on children - does it *really* take that kind of money to track a bunch of pre-school kids?
We have pretty good roads, but a large segment of the population still thinks you won't be safe on the road unless you drive a $70,000 mil-spec automobile.
If you don't have insurance, you can spend $12,000 just for cracked ribs.

We'll spend $100M/mile on a ROAD.

We have so much $$ in the US ($3 TRILLON FY2007 Fed Budget) we seem to believe that there are no cheap problems.

You can't expect someone to understand something if their paycheck depends on them not understanding it.

Sounds like we need more plankton.

Indeed, in no small part because the acidification of the oceans from increased CO2 (quite independent of the warming effects) is dissolving the calcareous exoskeletons of many varieties of sea life, the base structure of coral, and much more. The reduction in CO3-- ions compared to HCO3- reduces their access to building material in the first place.

Note that we are not on the verge of running out of oil.

The "peak oil" claim is not that we are about to have no oil. It is that the world's production rate of oil is about to peak and decline (just as the USA's production peaked in 1971 and declined, and any individual oilfield of significance you care to name). What this means is that prices will be much higher and more volatile, and the key to managing energy costs is cutting demand.

I doubt we are on any verge of the ability of the earth to absorb co2 either.

Tell it to the climate scientists who are measuring uncomfortable trends like rapidly rising methane emissions from former permafrost in Siberia, and the rumored rise in methane alerts from tanker detection systems along undersea gorges such as the one at the Hudson River. Former sinks are becoming sources.

Whats more, all that fossil fuel carbon came out of the atmosphere to begin with anyway. Burning it just returns it back to the atmosphere to be absorbed again by life for the cycle.

Coal strata mostly date from the carboniferous, about 300 million years ago. Oil and oil shale dates as far back as the Cambrian, over 500 million years ago. This carbon has been out of circulation for as much as half a billion years, and no extant ecosystem or living species is adapted to the conditions which prevailed at that time.

As I mentioned before, the last time we had a surge in atmospheric CO2 (end of the Paleocene) we had a mass extinction. What sort of delusion lets you think that it wouldn't do the same thing all over again?

If you want to get technical, O2 is the real culprit.

I highlighted that in case anyone reading this had doubts that you are delusional or dishonest.

As for man and his technology - we're a tertiary effect at best

Humans with mere axes and muscle-powered saws denuded the forests of Michigan in just a few years. (One consequence was the extinction of the Michigan Grayling, which required cold water in streams protected from direct sun. These ceased to exist, and the fish along with them.)

That was over a century ago (the fish finally died out in the 1930's). Since the late 19th century, our ability to change the environment has increased many-fold. The atmospheric concentration of CO2 tracks human emissions. In short, anyone who says what you're saying is either lying or delusional.

If it suited the alarmist industry, we'd be back to expecting the next ice age and probably trying to put lamp black on the glaciers to melt them - like they wanted to do back in the 1970s.

You are confusing a media-driven phenomenon of the time with scientific discussion which never claimed that glaciation was about to recur; this shows the shallowness of your knowledge. The scientists were looking at the historic climate cycles and noting that the current orbital fo

Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) had been using Metric in designs and measurements for quite some time.

Here's a 1997 internal memo and you'll notice they talk about concrete plants within 40km of the project, etc.

http://www.michigan.gov/documents/mdot_CCL97-A_949 42_7.pdf

Other than our bridges crumbling from lack of maintenance I have not seen any major structural failures like I've seen on the news in Canada. There have been two overpass collapses in Laval, Quebec, in the last six years and one bridge collapse in Sudbury, Ontario, in 2004.

Troll? You've gotta be kidding. In the state of Michigan, requirement number one to getting a license plate for your care is insurance. Try driving w/out a plate, and see how far you can go. And we're not the only state with no fault insurance.

Currently in MI you need an approved reason to vote absentee. Although both the Republican and Democrat candidates for SOS said they'd work to allow no-reason absentee voting.

A lot of the users on the site seem to be unclear of what phishing is. In short, according to wikipedia, phishing is a criminal act where you decieve someone to obtain sensitive information (bank accounts, credit cars numbers) from them. While some of the "2 minute mortage" messages on the site may seem like phishing, they aren't really that quite simply because you are not revealing any sensitive information to the site except your phone number (which all the tele marketers have anyway).

The goverments definition of phising seems to be at odds with that of wikipedia, which I assume is the average internet users definition. Take a look

But then again, "sensitive information" is a relative term. If one considers record of his bankruptcy sensitive information (i'm quite certain thats a matter of public record in most countries), then yes, the message above is phishing.

Mercury is used in many household items: thermostats, thermometers, fluorescent lights, batteries and switches for appliances, lights and automobiles. Exposure to large quantities of mercury in our air, water and fish we eat is a documented risk to human health. An extremely small amount of mercury--an average of four milligrams--is sealed within the glass tubing of a CFL. This is said to be about the size of the period at the end of this sentence. It is an essential, irreplaceable element in CFLs, and it's what allows the bulb to be such an efficient light source. The mercury in a CFL is no threat to the environment unless the glass is broken. For a basis of comparison, there are about one to three grams of mercury in your average home thermometer. It would take between 250 to 1000 CFLs to equal that same amount.

Mercury Emissions
Ironically, a regular incandescent light bulb actually releases much more mercury into the environment than a CFL. CFLs prevent mercury from entering our air, where it most affects our health by reducing energy demand at the power plant. The highest source of mercury in our air comes from burning fossil fuels such as coal, the most common fuel used in Michigan to produce electricity. A CFL uses up to 75% less energy than an incandescent light bulb and lasts up to 10 times longer. A power plant will emit 10mg of mercury to produce the electricity to run an incandescent bulb compared to only 2.4mg of mercury to run a CFL for the same time.7 (mg = milligrams)

No, we trade off the small amount of mercury in the CFL with an overall larger reduction in mercury emitted through power production. Net reduction in mercury released to the environment by using a CFL.

http://www.michigan.gov/deq/0,1607,7-135-3585_3006 8_30172-90210--,00.html

Here's some info to help clear up the confusion regarding use of SSNs (from the Social Security Administration's site):

If a business or other enterprise asks you for your SSN, you can refuse to give it. However, that may mean doing without the purchase or service for which your number was requested. For example, utility companies and other services ask for a Social Security number, but do not need it; they can do a credit check or identify the person in their records by alternative means.

Giving your number is voluntary, even when you are asked for the number directly. If requested, you should ask why your number is needed, how your number will be used, what law requires you to give your number and what the consequences are if you refuse. The answers to these questions can help you decide if you want to give your Social Security number. The decision is yours.

Specific laws require a person to provide his/her SSN for certain purposes. While we cannot give you a comprehensive list of all situations where an SSN might be required or requested, an SSN is required/requested by:

Source: http://ssa-custhelp.ssa.gov/

States can further regulate and restrict private use of social security numbers.

For example:

Source:http://www.michigan.gov/ag/0,1607,7-164-3 4739_20942-103001--,00.html

And some boring history:

When did Social Security cards bear the legend "NOT FOR IDENTIFICATION"?

The first Social Security cards were issued starting in 1936 and did not have this language.

SSA's policy is that the Social Security card is not an identity document. The card only verifies that the SSN on the card is assigned to an individual whose name is on the card. It does not verify that the person presenting the card is the person named on the card.

Therefore, the January 1946 version of the card first contained the language at the bottom of the card reading "FOR SOCIAL SECURITY PURPOSES -- NOT FOR IDENTIFICATION." Then the language was changed beginning with the September 1961 version of the card to read: "FOR SOCIAL SECURITY AND TAX PURPOSES - NOT FOR IDENTIFICATION". However, the language was removed beginning with the January 1972 version of the card because it was confusing to employers and others who viewed it because they were not sure whether to accept it as evidence of the individual's SSN. The language has not been on subsequent versions of the card.

Source: http://ssa-custhelp.ssa.gov/

The Michigan Lottery has a Pac-Man instant ticket, along with the regular cash prizes you can win 1 of 30 PacMan arcade games.

http://www.michigan.gov/lottery/0,1607,7-110-821-1 35347--,00.html

The audit report..

http://www.audgen.michigan.gov/comprpt/docs/r47591 04.pdf [PDF]

But if our debt to income ratio (currently 50%! Nationwide we spend $150 for every $100 we earn!)

Source? That seems implausibly high. The median income is something like $35k, I find it difficult to believe that the median spending is $50k.

The official press release is at http://www.michigan.gov/som/0,1607,7-192--126002-- ,00.html. The release (which doesn't have a lot of detail) says that minors are prohibited from renting or buying video games which are rated "NC-17" or "M for Mature". No, I haven't read the actual bills ...

For starters, without numbers I don't believe you.

A 1995 FHA study found that commercial trucking taxes cover up to 40% of the costs to design, build, repair, and maintain the roads on which they travel. It turned out to be about 15-percent of Michigan's road budget that year (position paper here). Michigan found that even after raising the fees and taxes on commercial trucks in 1997, there was still a gap between what commercial trucks were paying and the costs they were causing.

A 1994 report for the state of New York showed that all the money taken in for road and fuel taxes still left them $2B short to cover their costs.

Another study says that one tractor-trailer damages the road in an amount equivalent to 2000-3000 automobiles (the American Truckers Association believes it is only equivalent to 800-1000 automobiles). I do not believe that commercial trucks are paying anywhere near 800-3000 times what automobiles are paying in taxes. There are arguments about how the tax burden should be shared, but some numbers for South Carolina I saw suggested that commercial truck fees and taxes are up to about 10 times that collected from non-commercial fees and taxes.

In California the state and federal taxes and fees only cover two-thirds of the transportation budget. To make up the rest Californians have a local sales tax (on all sales, not just fuel) that goes for transportation.

Arizona has a voter-approved half-cent tax to cover their transportation costs. If you are a real numbers geek, you can sift through their transportation fiscal report and see that their transportation budget is heavily subsidized.

A different take on the issue is by these guys (or at least the people they quote) that talks about the tie between heavy suburban sprawl and the heavy automobile/truck subsidization.

I can go on and on and on like this, but hey, I do have to get some work done today. :)

It's not a law, and it doesn't ban spam.

It bans some email. It doesn't tell you which email; you have to guess. Lots of spam is ok under the statute. It's not limited to bulk email, one is enough. Have you verified everyone on your contacts list isn't actually a michigan minor? How exactly did you verify that? It's not limited to commercial email.
http://www.isipp.com/michigan-email-child-protecti on-registry-law.php
There's the text, which was missing from the main post. Do you understand it? Does your lawyer understand it? Are you in compliance?

The statute is not a law. One of the basic rules of american law established by Marbury v Madison is that an unconstitutional statute is not law.
This statute appears to be unconstitutional for the reasons discussed in Cyberspace v Engler, which stuck down Michigan's previous attempt at banning the internet because of the kiddies.
http://www.cyberspace.org/lawsuit/

Some of the fun provisions in the act:
they can make you come to michigan with all your business records to answer questions.
They can seize your computers.
If they were serious about protecting kids, they wouldn't be charging a fee to check the list.
Oh and it's not just parents who can add names - government officials can add kids' names, probably without telling them.
For fun, check the linking policy.
http://www.michigan.gov/som/0,1607,7-192-26915-208 9--,00.html
It's a shakedown.
It's not constitutional.
It doesn't protect against spam.
It bans some email but not others.
Spam is a real problem. This isn't a real solution.
Personally, getting on the federal and state do not call lists has been great for me.
This isn't like that.
Don't be a dupe.
This is what we fought Reno v ACLU for - to keep the government from shutting down the internet.

http://www.michigan.gov/uia/0,1607,7-118-26898_271 93-78833--,00.html

Direct from the government of Michigan, USA: Learn how Nature uses math to grow cancer!

Be safe! Ask an adult to help you, kids.

I'm sure you're aware of this (your post seemed pretty well informed) but: Michigan Use Tax

As far as I know, every state has something like this. Most folks don't pay tax for Internet purchases, but some companies (Best Buy, for one) already applies tax based on where you live. You are supposed to report and pay tax on all goods purchased from out of state.

Given the costs of shipping (and the time it takes to deliver), I think Internet shopping can only survive if there is no sales/use tax. If I have to pay tax and shipping, I simply won't buy online.

On the other hand, it's in the state's best interest to apply that tax - not only for the immediate tax revenue, but also creating incentive for people to shop in-state.

Check this link to the State of Michigan Wind and Solar information page.

Maybe they'll invade Michigan and capture Alan Murray Ralsky... It wouldn't be the first time there was war between Michigan and Ohio.

Before you put words in my mouth let me back it up. That's the problem with people like you, you have lots of glib but content-free comebacks that take little or no effort, but you have nothing to offer to the discussion.

Here are a few quotes I found with Google, but there's much more out there if you dig a little:

http://www.michigan.gov/mcsc/0,1607,7-137-6118_117 35-35396--,00.html

Excerpt:

Some variation in volunteering rates emerged by political affiliation, with higher rates for Republicans (58.6%) than for Democrates (48.5%) or Independents (47.9%).

http://www.researchatlanta.org/FullReports/01_Phil anthropyPatterns.pdf

Excerpt:

Republicans give and volunteer more than Democrats and those who did not identify a political affiliation.

http://www.opinionjournal.com/taste/?id=110004271
http://www.catalogueforphilanthropy.org/cfp/db/gen erosity.php?year=2003

Excerpt:

[T]he resulting index shows that the top 20 states all went for George W. Bush in the 2000 election--while 15 of the 20 least generous went for Al Gore.

Of course, I could just make stuff up, because I'm sure you are perfectly content to remain in your smug ignorance.

A game called Age of Empires 2 offended the Saudi Arabian authorities because it showed victorious Muslim armies turning churches into mosques. The game was withdrawn from sale in the kingdom

I've been to some mosques that were converted from churches after wars. I even have pictures. This happened. I could understand how some Christians could get a little miffed. Could someone explain how it is offensive to Muslims?

Also, the geography "mistakes" in the article appear to be more policitical in nature than some developer not knowing where the Pacific Ocean is. Would I expect some developer in China to know about the controverial border between Michigan and Ohio that led to the Toldeo (Ohio) War?

Greg Lehey who recommends 'that the best thing for IBM to do would be to print out every single version as requested and send the resultant 20 tonnes or so of paper to SCO. That would keep them quiet for a while'."

[...] REPORT ADVANCED FEE FRAUD

These con artists target senior citizens. It is important to be alert to any sign that a vulnerable family member is being victimized and to discuss such a fraud with loved ones and their caregivers. If you or any member of your family has been a victim of any form of the Nigerian scam, contact the United States Secret Service, the lead agency fighting this fraud at 202-406-5572.

If you receive an email relating to advanced fee fraud, please forward the email to the Secret Service at:

419.fcd@usss.treas.gov.

If you receive a letter in the mail, you may send or fax it to:

U.S. Secret Service
Financial Crimes Division
950 H. Street, NW
Suite 5300
Washington, DC 20223
Fax: (202) 406-6930

If the scheme targets a United States resident but involves a Canadian address or phone number, inform PhoneBusters by sending an email to

info@phonebusters.com

or calling toll-free 1-888-495-8501.

More about the Michigan bottle bill More Info

It also affects quite adversely birds of various feathers; thinner shells and lower birthrate are the biggest side effects.

This also explains that DDT is very poorly absorbed through the gut, so if the kind doctor really wants an effective test, he needs to emulsify it into a fatty liquid and smear it on his arm. That will see just how toxic DDT is ^^

[T]he digital divide aspect is something that frankly is more of an example of lack of willpower and effort than anything else. ... Persistence and hard work allowed for us to get a C-64 and little TV all from used bins ... What are we teaching 6 year olds with a system that "bridges the digital divide" in a decade that you can buy $150 machines that are THOUSANDS of times more powerful than what my old man supplied for me and my brother?

You had a good lesson of "Exercise willpower and effort, save up, and buy what you can afford." These students are getting the lesson "Don't worry about our existing third-of-a-billion dollar debt, or the fact that our budget is massivly over-spent and we're going to sextuple(!) our debt next year. Abandon your willpower, just go get [fragile] laptop computers with more power than we'll ever need or use."

The sad part is, the waste of money might boost their popularity rating since it looks like they're trying to support education.

frob

If this were legal they will need to provide paperwork that makes a tax audit seem like a day at the peach.

A day at the peach? That struck me as a strange metaphor, since his eBay auction says he lives in Ann Arbor, Michigan -- a long way from Atlanta.

But a quick Google found this: Michigan Peaches. The harvest peaked just last month, so "a day at the peach" may indeed be a good metaphor for "a day of sweet delights".

Darned if I don't learn something new every day on this site.

News coverage from yesterday (8-20-2003) claims that Michigan's Secretary of State offices were down due to a computer virus. The network is back up today and transactions are being processed, according to an S/S press release. Not much detail unfortunately, but I'm guessing excessive network traffic from one of the Big News Story(TM) worms bouncing around.

Here are a few links.

Does anyone else find it disturbing that there is a Michigan Homeland Security link on that page?

This SS-like organization is really spreading out!

I thought that making a telemarketing call to a cell phone was against was prohibited. Also, that the owner of the cell phone can actually receive compensation paid by the telemarketer by means of a fine? Maybe this is only for Michigan or the law is in the process of being enacted. There are three cell phones in my family and we've never received any telemarketing calls before. I looked around and found this but I could not find any thing else related to restriction specifically with mobile phones.

...do something about it.

Don't like these bills coming across your state legislatures? Write to your local senator or congressman. Go to the Michigan State Homepage and lookup your rep, write them an email, call them, fax them. Don't think it works? Try it and you will get a reply.

Better yet, check the Michigan State Legislature website, and find out when this bill is up for a public hearing before the committee. This is the best use of your time if you are truly concerned. Since we are all somewhat tech-savvy, our input is paramount to countering the massive brainwashing and lobbying the motion picture and recording industry is pounding into your statehouse. Take a day off work, do some research, and tell the committees how this will affect their constituents. I know if this ever hits my home state, I will be first in line to speak out.

It is your right to take advantage of democracy. Sure, it's difficult to change federal legislation, but if you pack the state house, you will get local media coverage, and your state reps will take note. Or you could just keep complaining here...

It is Michiganian. Check out the Michigan Secretary of State website here for a quick overview. Technically there is no "right" term, but our government uses Michiganian, not Michigander.

Michigan has had this as well, and hyped it a couple of years ago.

Whee, Offtopicness... I just have to respond, though not to all. You're in italics.

Real estate: I rent. And the people you rent from pay the taxes, making it more expensive for them to maintain the property, and often pass the entire cost on to you.

Excise taxes: Don't know what this is. "An internal tax imposed on the production, sale, or consumption of a commodity or the use of a service within a country: excises on tobacco, liquor, and long-distance telephone." Yes, you pay this. There are lots of them.

Gas: It was my understanding that gas stations got charged this, not the consumer. And you pay for it when you buy gas. If there were no or less tax on gas, gas stations could lower their prices in response to competition. (Note that I do support gas taxes as a good example of a use tax -- making someone pay for the government service they use.)

Airport: I don't fly that often. Ever have something delivered Next Day Air? The taxes are built-in to this as well. Again, this could be considered a use tax, and probably justified.

Water and sewage (and, I'm assuming, garbage collection): Again, I rent. And again, you pay for it, indirectly.

Electricity and telephone: slipped my mind. Doesn't slip mine, whenever I pay my phone or electric bills. Something that would make me laugh heartily if I didn't take keeping my money seriously -- the local political hacks are trying to pass laws saying a telco can't charge the end-user line fee anymore, but somehow, the taxes tacked on to the bill escape their notice...

Tolls, etc.: don't live anywhere near toll roads. See airport, but apply it to ground shipments instead.

Just remember these (and think a little bit about others) when a politician (like Michigan's own Governor Jenny) proposes that the way to deal with lack of money for their pet programs is to raise taxes on businesses "instead of real people".

Here's who you make a FOIA request to and here's MSU's FOIA price list. Here's a summary of Michigan's Public Records Act. There's no exemption that would cover a signed contract. Somebody in Michigan should ask.

Why not use the same idea to find missing children?

Well, it's not exactly a banner, but check out the redish button:

http://www.michigan.gov/fia

Here in Michigan, our Govenor was pushing to make Broadband available to everybody. Hoping that if we get on the band wagon early it would create more jobs here. Click here to read more about it

most of the stuff that these other governments are putting on their portals are done at the state level. and you can already pay taxes on-line at IRS.gov so realy there is no need for this type of portal at the federal level. however the states should, I live in Michigan and we have a very nice one here