Declarations

Make It Real

“We must make this a real law, not just perfume on a pig.”

—Michigan state Sen. Bruce Patterson, a Republican from Wayne County’s Canton Township and sponsor of an amendment that would have made would have made texting while driving a primary offense – meaning police could pull over a motorist over for texting alone. The amendment narrowly failed but the Republican-led Senate passed two bills by 31-6 votes that would make texting a secondary offense and the Democrat-led House passed nearly identical legislation. A secondary offense means police would need another reason to pull over motorists – such as speeding or careless driving – before they could be cited for texting. More than half the states have banned at least some drivers from sending text messages while behind the wheel, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. It’s a primary offense in most of those states. AP

Toyota’s Tough Times

“If I sat down to write the worst thing that could happen to Toyota, it would be very close to what is happening to them now. They are at the edge of a collapse of confidence in their products. That means their brand is in jeopardy. If they lose their brand they lose the battle. That’s why it’s close to being as bad as it could get.”

—Gerald Meyers, a University of Michigan business professor and veteran auto executive, commenting on the Congressional investigation and auto safety recalls by Toyota Motor Corp. (Reuters)