How Michigan is different from all the rest?

• No state income taxes on pensions.  If Snyder has his way, this will change.When the local 'newspaper' reported on this, people were strongly divided. Some idiot said that since old people use the roads, they need to pay the taxes. Well first of all, road repair is paid by gas taxes, a fair way to do it. Second of all, the income tax is peanuts for retirees versus property taxes.
• No toll roads. We are surrounded by states that do. Since I travel so often through these states, I did get a transponder rented from the State of Ohio for 75 cents/month. Since one gets a discount for using it, one trip per year neutralizes the cost. Also I avoided a line from hell during rush hour at the so-called Weston tolls  near Boston. That alone made it worth it.
• Highest speed limit around on the X-pressways. Most of the states around are 65 mph and enforcement of these rates seems higher. Canada has 62 mph though poorly enforced. This makes going through Sarnia more attractive than Windsor as more of the trip to Boston is in Michigan.
• Higher weight limits per axle for the trucks. This leads to increased potholes.
• Michigan is one of the few states that don't require a front license plate. This was a boon to Shanna living in CA where they photograph your front plate at intersections. Now it is a pain because she bought the car in MI and they didn't drill holes to hold the plate on the front bumper. She has the extra plate in her car but sooner or later, the wrong people will notice the lack of a plate.

A nice, albeit cold, sunny day here. I can here the trills of the red wing blackbirds now as I run by the wetlands. Spring is near.