Defeat of the Proposed 2016 Troy Woodland Protection Ordinance

The proposed City of Troy Woodland Protection ordinance went down to defeat at tonight's City Council meeting. I thought it was a good compromise between the interests of developers and the interests of the citizens of our community.

I can't get too upset at the members of Council who voted "no" because I cast a similar vote when I served as a Councilmember.

Thank you to Mayor Slater and Councilmembers Abrahim and Hodorek for voting "yes" on the proposed ordinance.

3/2/16 UPDATE: Click here for an update on this proposed ordinance.

Proposed 2016 Troy Woodland Protection Ordinance

A conservatism that does not practice restraint, humility, and good stewardship - especially of the natural world - is not fundamentally conservative.

-from Rod Dreher's A Crunchy Con Manifesto

I was wrong.

I believe it was during my last year as a member of the Troy City Council (probably 2007) that we voted on a proposed City tree preservation ordinance. I voted "no" and I now regret that vote.

I'm happy to hear that a City of Troy Woodland Protection ordinance will be considered by the City Council at their 2/8/2016 meeting. Click here to read/print the proposed ordinance.

I hope that this City Council will adopt the proposed ordinance.

The State Is Not a Church

Came across this thought-provoking article I’m An Evangelical, And I Don’t Support Ted Cruz by Paul D. Miller. While I don't have a favorite candidate for President yet, I do find myself in agreement with most of what Miller writes in this article.

Here's one good quote from this opinion piece...

Cruz weaves his political theology into a narrative about Christian persecution and religious liberty. He held a rallies for religious liberty last August and November, the former featuring “special guests victimized by government persecution.” I’m sympathetic to the policy argument here—that the government’s overweening progressive dictates have put some Americans in the position of either disobeying the law or violating their consciences. But Cruz’s emphasis suggests what he is really worked up about is that Christians are suffering. I’d like to hear a candidate explain that it’s wrong to violate a citizen’s conscience, no matter what religion they adhere to.

Here's another...

America, as G.K. Chesterton quipped, is a nation with the soul of a church. Like a church, we are founded on beliefs and have a sense of purpose and mission to our collective existence. Like the church, America tries to welcome people from anywhere of any background so long as they sign up to our creed. That makes America a uniquely cosmopolitan power and a “dangerous nation” to the powers of the Old World. It also introduces a temptation to American politicians. Because we have the soul of a church, politicians can easily confuse church with state. The mission of the church and the mission of the United States are different (although they can sometimes be complementary, as when the United States champions religious liberty abroad).