Discussing Ann Arbor's leaf blower ban with Michael Patrick Shiels on Michigan's Big Show

Just another example of elected officials trying to solve problems that don't exist

I have been away from my desk for the past few days, enjoying a restful time with friends and family over Christmas. I hope readers also had a very merry Christmas season and that you are all looking forward to a happy 2024.

Before beginning my Christmas holiday, I joined Michael Patrick Shiels on Michigan’s Big Show to discuss Ann Arbor’s plans to ban gasoline-powered leaf blowers by January 2028.

MPS opened with a clip from the one-and-only George Carlin in which Carlin continued his habit of “speaking truth in jest.” Carlin reminded the more hysterical among us that “the planet has been through a lot worse than us (humans).”

Carlin worked his way through a very short list of far more impactful events that the Earth has previously endured. He listed earthquakes, volcanoes, sunspots, magnetic storms (and reversals of the poles), ice ages, comets, asteroids, meteors, floods, and several other equally intense natural phenomena. The clip opened with Carlin questioning our “conceit to think that somehow we’re a threat,” and closed with him poking fun at the notion that “some plastic bags and some aluminum cans are going to make a difference.”

When MPS welcomed me to comment, I had to recognize that following Carlin was a big ask, but that he was both funny and accurate in his assessment. Ann Arbor’s plan to ban leaf blowers by January of 2028 and their (previous) plans to ban plastic bags and mandate electrification of their homes and businesses were attempts to solve a problem that doesn’t exist. By imposing their mandates and bans on citizens, the city’s council is hampering the ability of workers to do their jobs.