(Kilpatrick and Beatty) should make at least a symbolic effort to reimburse the taxpayers whose millions they squandered on their spectacularly unsuccessful cover-up.

Finally -- there is, in the end, no honorable alternative -- they must resign their public offices...

Ultimately, the star-crossed lovers will have to cop pleas. And although they may escape prison time, it's hard to fathom how either could reasonably expect to continue in the offices they've so brazenly abused.

I know that few Detroiters will welcome my suburban kibitzing. Some may even suspect I take pleasure in Kilpatrick's tragedy -- as if talented politicians grew on trees, and the loss of one more dynamic African-American leader were of no great consequence.

But the promise that was Kwame Kilpatrick is all but spent now, his self-destruct mission nearly finished.

Suppose time's going to tell whether the Mayor heads Dickerson's advice.  And I think he's probably right, but it kicks my backside to admit it.  I've said it before, I genuinely like Kwame Kilpatrick.  I know that's supposed to be some sort of sacrilege for anyone outside the city limits to admit but he's a cat with a giant Navigator worth of charisma, often times surprisingly common sense politics and the political nerve to oppose the party line.  Sadly, none of that matters anymore.  

The Ivory Tower reports that he and his family cut short a trip to Florida yesterday to get back to the city to deal with the scandal.  Can a resignation be far behind?  

And I can't help but wonder what Jennifer Granholm thinks.  

Hopefully she's more concerned with the home assessment numbers coming out of the metro Detroit region than the text messages coming out of the Mayor's office.  Because they aren't good either.  The Detroit News reports:

Eight communities in the region saw double-digit drops, including Grosse Pointe Park and Grosse Pointe Woods. Only two communities -- Fenton and Royal Oak Township -- actually saw slight increases. For the counties and municipalities, the declining values will mean flat revenues, a trend likely to continue into 2009 and possibly 2010, said Steve Mellen, the equalization director for Macomb County.

And the drops in residential values mirror declines in other classes of property: industrial, commercial and agricultural. There were small gains in personal property.

"We're looking at (at) least two years for the tax system to recover," (Macomb County Equalization Director Steve) Mellen said. He's already told county officials, who are in negotiations with many of the county's employee unions, that they'll "be lucky" to collect as much in 2009 as they do this year.

In English?  Home owners are often going to be paying more for homes with declining values while local governments feel the cash pinch.  Meaning the calls will start, oh, yesterday, demanding revenue sharing increases.  Hey, maybe the House Democrats can schedule another lame-duck vote to raise one tax or another just to quiet the municipalities.  I mean, if they're willing to raid our wallets to make the road builders happy... local governments can be a lot louder and a lot angrier than MITA members, Andy.  Better be ready.