With limited space devoted to hard news reporting, additional space being gobbled up constantly by sports, entertainment and opinion pieces (now finding their way all too frequently onto the front page) editors choose to be particularly picky about what they publish.

There are some big stories they just can't ignore.  Michigan's skyrocketing unemployment rate, for instance, generally warrants a bit of coverage.  The Ivory Tower tells us this morning that the final numbers are in across the rest of the United States and our staggering 10.6% remains the highest.  In fact, Rhode Island is the only other state even in double figures.  On the flip side, three states are under four, with Wyoming coming in at 3.4 percent.

Simple to report.  Doesn't take a lot of space.  No explicit need to mention the party affiliation of the current administration or legislature.  Run it.

Then you get a selection of stories describing local men, women and businesses and their various challenges, especially if there's a hot-button angle that gets the liberal special interests ginned up and excited.  The Associated Press reports, for instance, on a case currently before the Michigan Supreme Court asking whether the decision of twenty-one counties and three cities to ban workplace smoking is consistent with the Michigan constitution.

A handful of job makers filed suit to attempt to exert their rights as property owners and employers.  Big story pitting two big interests up against each other in the newly remodeled Dem controlled SCOMI.  Job makers v environmentalists in a no-holds-barred, knock-down drag-out.  Where can I buy tickets?

But then there are the important stories that don't get told.  Little things like the fact that yesterday in the state Senate, Republicans successfully moved through committee Senate Bill 0001.  Sponsored by Senator Mark Jansen and approved by Republican Senators Jansen, Nancy Cassis, John Pappageorge and Jud Gilbert on a 4-3 party line vote, the bill kills the hated Michigan Business Tax surcharge.

Dollars and cents, the move would save job makers and working moms and dads $166.1 million in FY 2009, $475.5 million in 2010 and $593.4 million in 2011.  That's a grand total of  $1,235,000,000 reinvested in the Michigan economy without one dollar of expanded government spending or newer, bigger government programs.

Talk about a major shot in the arm for Michigan's economy.  Alas, not everyone was a fan.  The three Democrats on the panel each voted no.  Democratic Senators Deb Cherry, Gilda Jacobs and likely 2010 Dem Attorney General candidate Gretchen Whitmer took the opportunity to once again spit in the faces of Michigan's working class.

They can't return $1.235 billion in tax cash to help stimulate the economy... how would they be able to afford their favorite pet programs?  

Not surprisingly, the Senate Democrats' website was entirely devoid of any mention of yesterday's vote for a billion dollars in higher taxes.  But, then again, so were all of the state's newspapers.

Guess it's a good thing we've got blogs and the internet.