As a criminal defense attorney, cross-examining a witness in trial is a major portion of my job. The ability for me to do so is rooted in the Confrontation Clause of the Sixth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. This means that a criminal defendant is entitled to test the credibility of a witness, and must receive a full and fair opportunity to probe and expose the witness’ infirmities through cross-examination.
In last month’s column, I discussed how trust in government is at an all-time low. The Gallup Organization finds that trust in private institutions is similarly low. The only institution that enjoys widespread trust is small business, where 68% of Americans’ trust it a “great deal” or “quite a lot.” Trust substantially decreases for other institutions. Only the medical system and organized religion are trusted by more than 30% of Americans. Twenty-to-thirty percent of Americans trust unions, banks, tech companies and newspapers, while big business and television news are only trusted by 10%-20% of Americans.
This month’s dish comes from Shannon White, our monthly “Style” writer, co-owner of the fabulous SHIFT boutique and founder of the FUNchitecture design firm. She is one of many area notables who have a favorite recipe featured in the Moms Make It Best cookbook published by WNEMTV5 News Anchor, David Custer.
You can take the girl out of the rodeo, but you can’t take the rodeo out of the girl!
Let me start by saying that when I moved from Flint to Texas in the summer of 2008, I really didn’t know anything about it. Texas was not a place of interest to me before I needed a job and the whole state seemed to be hiring, whereas Michigan was not. I guess I imagined that being a sort of peninsula itself, it might be similar to Michigan in terms of availability of water to swim in. I was wrong.
An underappreciated risk in the U.S. economy is that Americans have lost confidence in the federal government. The Gallup Organization has tracked Americans’ trust in government since the 1970s. It is striking how much Americans used to trust the government compared to now. When Richard Nixon was president in 1972, 75% of Americans had a “great deal” or “fair amount” of trust that the government could solve international problems compared to 44% now. Seventy percent had this amount of trust that the government could solve domestic problems compared to 37% now.
Predictions about what the future holds never interested me much. As a child though, I did love watching “The Jetsons” cartoons. I especially liked the part where Jane Jetson would press a couple of buttons and a delicious hot meal would pop out of the wall. As an adult, I love watching cooking shows and preparing a home-cooked meal myself brings a lot of joy. But having a robot-like Rosie to do the cleanup would be nice.
In May, Moms receive all the love and attention on Mother’s Day – this month, it’s Dad’s turn. On Sunday June 16, Father’s Day will celebrate the role fathers play in the family structure and their influence on society. It’s a day to recognize not just fathers, but also the father figures in our lives; step-fathers, fathers-in-law, grandfathers and great-grandfathers and even other male relatives.
If you spend the better part of your summer in Michigan and find you’re bored, sorry … It’s your own fault. Entertainment abounds! I am not talking about the dozens of concerts going on or the myriad beaches and beautiful lakes to play in, either.
This year, Mother’s Day in my family will not be just about me, but also my daughter-in-law, Jane, my son Sean’s wife. They welcomed their son into the world just before Christmas last year and he will soon be five months old.
