According to the best available estimates, between 1 and 2 million Americans aged 65 or older have been injured, exploited or otherwise mistreated by someone on whom they depended for care or protection.

By HARRY C. DORMAN JR.: The question of prayer in Grand Traverse County Board meetings has been raised. While it appears there's no negative intent on the board's part, its long-standing meeting invocation may be in violation of the establishment clause of the U.S. Constitution.

By GENE A. CRAYTON: We will celebrate them all: those few left who fought in the "Great War" of World War I, the "Greatest Generation" of World War II, our heroes of Vietnam, Korea and the Gulf, and the latest generation of Iraq and Afghanistan. In many instances they suffered life-changing injuries for our freedoms.

By GARY APPEL and MARJIE RICH: We recently had the opportunity to sit down with Gov. Granholm, local education leaders and northern Michigan legislators to discuss the pressing funding crisis faced by our schools. We had an honest and at times, passionate exchange, but we left the meeting unconvinced.

Moralists assert government health care is a right. Constitutionalists ask, "What is the basis for the right?" The Declaration of Independence provides the philosophical basis for the existence of a free people. It establishes that life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness are unalienable and endowed to the people by their Creator. The Constitution establishes the existence and the structure of a government to secure these rights consistent with the consent of the governed, "We the People."

By JOE VANDERMEULEN: Charter will take the clean, high-value bandwidth occupied by our region's only Public Access Television station (Up North 2) and Northwestern Michigan College's Educational Access station (Channel 13) and exchange it for unused, interference-plagued bandwidth at channels 96 and 97. Surely, Charter owes this community something better than what we're now getting.

By KEN WINTER: A former Lansing-based state government reporter recently observed that state government coverage by Michigan's largest news organizations continues to diminish. Some important stories hardly surface in today's news because news organizations have dramatically reduced newsroom staffs.

By SHERRI SOLOMON: While the financial impact of repealing Public Act No. 248 can be measured, it is impossible to quantify the cost of human suffering for those wanting, yet denied resources to maintain a healthy life. Since the recession began, we are seeing an increase in activity for people dealing with the pressure of job loss, home foreclosures and lost health insurance. Now is not the time for politicians to take away access to medications. We simply can't afford it.

By TIM RANSBERGER: As the world moves from the old analog world to digital technology, most cable companies, including Charter, are carrying the over-the-air digital signals transmitted by local broadcasters and duplicating that signal into analog formats that can be viewed on older TV sets. We do that while also staying on the cutting edge of new digital technology.