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Posted on Thu, Jan 26, 2012 : 5:58 a.m.

Roughly 3,000 tickets for Obama speech up for grabs today at 9 a.m.

By Kellie Woodhouse

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Update: As of about 1 p.m. all tickets to Obama's speech had been distributed, according to the Michigan Union Ticket Office.

They brought blankets and sleeping bags, sent friends on doughnut runs, did homework and broke out into an impromptu dance party next to the Cube as at least 1,000 people converged into a line at the University of Michigan overnight to get tickets to see President Barack Obama.

The crowd snaked from the Michigan Union ticket office through Regents Plaza, building from about 80 at 10 p.m. Wednesday to much larger early Thursday, prompting one person to say "people in the back of the line have no idea how many people are here because it's so long."

Ticket distribution began at 9 a.m.

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A segment of the line of people waiting for tickets to see President Barack Obama speak starts near the Michigan Union, winds around the Fleming Administration Building, back toward the Literature, Science, and the Arts Building, and north down Maynard St.

Angela J. Cesere | AnnArbor.com

Between 2,000 and 3,000 people were in line by 9 a.m. At that time, the line reached the intersection of South University and South State and stretched toward the Law Quad.

At around 8:30 a.m. university officials began distributing placeholder tickets to people who were toward the front of the line to prevent others from cutting ahead — much like retailers distribute tickets to shoppers who line up early to buy "doorbuster" items on Black Friday. All placeholder tickets were distributed by about 9:50 a.m. and those remaining in line without them were told their chances of nabbing a ticket were slim.

"We didn't expect so many people," said Jing Jing W, who's from Singapore, reacting to the crowd at about 7 a.m. Thursday as the doors to the union opened, sending a wave of movement across the line.

The opportunity to see the president excited many on campus.

"It's truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience," said Brandon Harnos, who got in line at 11 p.m.

Grace Christensen, a freshman from Ann Arbor, will vote for the first time this fall and said she's excited to see her favorite candidate in person.

"You don't really pass up a change to see the president," said her friend, freshman Matt Weiss of Chicago.

"It's going to be something that I'd regret not going to looking back," added freshman Lauren Fischer. "It might be historic."

Ani Grigorian, a freshman who lives on U-M's North Campus, took her place in line at about 10:30 p.m. Wednesday, joining several friends.

They made the best of the overnight wait, ordering pizza and dressing for the weather. They joined the dance party after another person in line set up a loudspeaker for music.

"One out of three people we know are trying to go," she said.

The mood stayed light overnight, many said, but people also had to stake their claim to their spaces in line as friends tried to join others and take cuts.

"Everyone is so defensive about our spots," said Brianna Vandervoort.

And with reason, given the experience of Claire Malley, a senior.

She showed up at the Michigan Union at about 6:30 a.m. and headed toward the front of the line. There was "a bit of confusion," she said.

She sat down like the other people around her, "like I'd been there all night."

The strategy worked. She got her ticket. She also let some other people cut in line with her, prompting what she described as "evil eyes" from people who'd been there since before midnight.

Someone who might have given Malley the evil eye was Aly Shea, who showed up at 11:30 p.m. Wednesday to get into line.

"I tried to sleep, but it was a little too cold for that," she said.

Still, she said, it was worth it. She got her ticket at 9:05 a.m.

"It's a great opportunity," she said. "... It's definitely something I'll always remember."

By morning, police had arrested one person for being a minor in possession of alcohol, said Diane Brown, a U-M spokesperson. The person, only described as a non-student at U-M, was released this morning.

Beyond that, Brown said, "I'm not hearing about any disruptions."

The speech will take place Friday at 9:35 a.m. at the Al Glick Field House at 1200 S. State St., just south of Yost Ice Arena.

Obama is expected to discuss higher education costs, based on previous reports.

News editor Paula Gardner and reporter Lee Higgins contributed to this article.

Kellie Woodhouse covers higher education for AnnArbor.com. Reach her at kelliewoodhouse@annarbor.com or 734-623-4602 and follow her on twitter.

Correction: The original headline for this story implied tickets were for sale. The tickets are free, but limited, which was reflected in the body of the story. We regret the headline error.

Comments

G. Orwell

Thu, Jan 26, 2012 : 8:37 p.m.

Obama = Bush

Taryn

Thu, Jan 26, 2012 : 8:03 p.m.

"Beyond that, Brown said, 'I'm not hearing about any disruptions.'" Really?! How about all of the students in the residence hall next door who were woken up at 2:30am by the line and kept awake by the "impromptu dance party"? Not every student was in that line, nor did every student feel it was appropriate to skip class and other responsibilities to wait over 12 hours for a ticket.

Krystal Marie

Thu, Jan 26, 2012 : 7:59 p.m.

Ah... a2.com commenters, you never cease to entertain me. So quick to vilify every single writer and article on this website. I wonder how many of you have the journalistic background to make such claims about the work ethic and standard of news that annarbor.com provides us with. Interesting, I never seem to hear these sort of outrageous comments in real life. Why are you in hiding? The mask of anonymity does well, providing you all with new-found courage. I'm sure you don't speak these things aloud, outside of your home. I woke up at 6am and headed down to the Union to try to grab a ticket. I turned around and went home because the line was crazy! I'm jealous of all who were smart enough to go even earlier than I. Regardless of what you think of his politics, I think it's a wonderful opportunity to be able to see our president in person... Once in a lifetime, maybe. You should be proud that the young people in this country are interested in politics. Just because you disagree with their beliefs gives you no right to speak so rudely of them. Just wait until you are all old and dependent upon the younger generations to care for you :)

ViSHa

Fri, Jan 27, 2012 : 2:45 p.m.

It is an on line newspaper, where are you expecting people to talk about aa.com "in real life"?

blahblahblah

Thu, Jan 26, 2012 : 7:32 p.m.

If everyone needs to pay their fair share, we should first start with Obama's own staff members, three dozen of which the IRS says owe a total of $833,970 in back taxes from 2010. <a href="http://news.yahoo.com/report-36-obama-staffers-delinquent-federal-taxes-183054710.html" rel='nofollow'>http://news.yahoo.com/report-36-obama-staffers-delinquent-federal-taxes-183054710.html</a>

David Cahill

Thu, Jan 26, 2012 : 5:13 p.m.

AnnArbor.com, you have a link problem. I took the link to the story headlined &quot;Capacity reached&quot;, only to read this story, which has an earlier headline and doesn't say capacity has been reached.

Klayton

Thu, Jan 26, 2012 : 4:32 p.m.

Wow! I didn't know that a President who got us out of the war in Iraq (why were we there again?), got rid of Bin Laden, got rid of DADT, put together a jobs bill so people in America could get jobs, and wanted all Americans to have access to healthcare is such a bad guy? The economy is in recovery(<a href="http://www.economist.com/blogs/freeexchange/2011/10/americas-economy-0)" rel='nofollow'>http://www.economist.com/blogs/freeexchange/2011/10/americas-economy-0)</a> and will continue to slowly recover, no thanks to many wealthy conservatives in congress who refuse to compromise their politics for the good of the American people. I think Obama is doing an amazing job considering the odds he is up against. He is a decent man, who did not grow up rich and yet worked hard, and yes, made a few mistakes like everyone else in order to get where he is today. Not a bad role model for my children.

Usual Suspect

Thu, Jan 26, 2012 : 5:04 p.m.

Gitmo closed yet?

jcj

Thu, Jan 26, 2012 : 3:57 p.m.

To Claire Malley Great example of why everyone else should be paying for your schooling. Because you are incapable of doing for yourself! &quot;The strategy worked. She got her ticket. She also let some other people cut in line with her, prompting what she described as &quot;evil eyes&quot; from people who'd been there since before midnight.&quot; If it had not been a group of mansy pansy Obama supporters you would not have walked away with a ticket! But now at least your reputation might proceed you!

Terry Calhoun

Thu, Jan 26, 2012 : 5:50 p.m.

Definitely headed for the 1% - that's mostly how they get there - taking advantage of others.

Fatkitty

Thu, Jan 26, 2012 : 4:44 p.m.

An overblown sense of entitlement and self-importance. Makes me think of the nit-wit riding 10 inches from my tail at 80 mph on I-94 the other morning.

leezee

Thu, Jan 26, 2012 : 4:23 p.m.

Thanks for also saying something about this. Treating others badly is nothing to be proud of. I'd love it if they could call this young woman out prior to Obama's speech and escort her out

Ron Granger

Thu, Jan 26, 2012 : 4:12 p.m.

I wonder if she wrote her own admission application essay? It must be nice to be so important.

jcj

Thu, Jan 26, 2012 : 4:03 p.m.

But then again they probably taught her this method!

jcj

Thu, Jan 26, 2012 : 4:03 p.m.

I bet her parents are sooo proud!

Digger

Thu, Jan 26, 2012 : 3:53 p.m.

It will be interesting to see the reporting bias in his favor vs. that from those of us who truly understand what his true agenda is...Govt. control of our lives!!! He and his &quot;PUPPET MASTER&quot; are taking us down a very slippery path!

MjC

Thu, Jan 26, 2012 : 3:51 p.m.

Can we get an update to this article? It's 10:50am and the line is STILL incredibly long. They must have handed out 3,000 tickets by now? Did they change the venue? And shame on those people who cut the line... cheating your way through life is nothing to be proud of.

deletedcomment

Thu, Jan 26, 2012 : 3:48 p.m.

A better article would comprise of what streets to avoid.

newsboy

Thu, Jan 26, 2012 : 3:40 p.m.

Welcome to Ann Arbor Mr. President!!!

leezee

Thu, Jan 26, 2012 : 3:30 p.m.

&quot;She showed up at the Michigan Union at about 6:30 a.m. and headed toward the front of the line. There was &quot;a bit of confusion,&quot; she said. She sat down like the other people around her, &quot;like I'd been there all night.&quot; The strategy worked. She got her ticket. She also let some other people cut in line with her, prompting what she described as &quot;evil eyes&quot; from people who'd been there since before midnight.&quot; Good thing I wasn't in line near this adorable imp. I would have personally escorted her to the back of the line. Part of what is wrong with our society.....this type of behavior is tolerated and even considered acceptable. Ick.

Ron Granger

Thu, Jan 26, 2012 : 3:28 p.m.

From the article: &quot;Claire Malley, a senior. She showed up at the Michigan Union at about 6:30 a.m. and headed toward the front of the line. She sat down like the other people around her, &quot;like I'd been there all night.&quot; She also let some other people cut in line with her, prompting what she described as &quot;evil eyes&quot; from people who'd been there since before midnight.&quot; Nice going, Claire! If that really is your name. You are a class act. Your entitlement attitude will take you far in this world. It's all about you, dear. Surely the university could do better than this. Examples like this make me wonder how some people get their grades.

Stuart Brown

Fri, Jan 27, 2012 : 8:01 a.m.

They should make people grab a number; that way they don't have to camp out overnight. Claire could have gotten her number the night before and come back just before 9 am.

Ron Granger

Thu, Jan 26, 2012 : 6:54 p.m.

Yes, Visha, I've seen that &quot;I cut so I'll let others cut&quot; behavior before. I think it is sometimes done to assuage the guilt a bit - the &quot;I did something bad, so doing something nice will make up for it&quot;... Of course it only compounds the offense. She may have just been letting her friends in. When you call someone out for cutting in line, it's funny how they react. They'll often try and make you out to be a bully. They'll try and make it seem that *you* are at fault because you made a &quot;big deal&quot; out of it. The University should have had a pool of volunteers to police the line. Though they can never stop all the bad behavior. There is always some sap of a guy who will let a cute girl in because he thinks he'll get lucky.

ViSHa

Thu, Jan 26, 2012 : 4:32 p.m.

That is what stood out for me in this story. Someone bragging about how they not only cut in line, but then allowed others to do the same. She seemed very proud of herself for her sneakiness. If that is her real name, she should remember the internet is forever---maybe future employers will enjoy reading that she feels rules are for other people.

jcj

Thu, Jan 26, 2012 : 3:53 p.m.

Ron Great job of calling attention to a typical example of the entitlement mentality. And this mentality is everywhere from the grocery store to the dept store.

xmo

Thu, Jan 26, 2012 : 3:20 p.m.

This will be a Historic time, the worst President since Jimmy Carter is coming to town! Who knows, he might even beat Jimmy Carter out and become the worst! 3 million less jobs since this man has taken office, More National Debt and it's growing fast each year.

Jon Saalberg

Fri, Jan 27, 2012 : 12:50 a.m.

Nah, I think that a President who ended Bush's debacle, did find and have Bin Laden killed (unlike Bush), helped initiate policies that got rid of Qaddafi, and is, in fact, reversing Bush's train wreck that were supposedly economic policies of a sort, can hardly be called even a mediocre President. Now Bush - he is one horrendous example of leadership.

Jen_ChE_UofM

Thu, Jan 26, 2012 : 3:01 p.m.

Many of these comments are extremely out of touch with reality. I am a full-time student, working MY butt off going to school FULL-TIME to earn my Chemical Engineering degree, and working TWO part-time jobs. I recieved a federally funded loan and a grant to help me go to school. I plan on paying society back ten-fold when I have the ability to. Without such aid, I would be at a stand-still-- wanting to get my degree, but unable to afford it. Two jobs barely covers the bills and food. So, does accepting such aid make me a lazy, P.O.S.? Because that is what some of you are suggesting. Are some of you SERIOUSLY claiming that the people recieving government aid are ALL lazy- UNWILLING to work? UNWILLING to take risks? Simply allowing hard-working people (like you) take care of them, so that they can fart around all day watching Jerry Springer and chowing down on all that food the tax payers bought for them? You are seriously SICK if that is what you think. Many people are MORE THAN WILLING to work, but are unable to find a job. What do you say to them? I was without a job myself, and let me tell you, it is NOT the picnic you make it out to be. I put in over a hundred applications, and even with some college under my belt and 5 years experience as a manager, not even the local Target would hire me. Nobody. I tried everywhere- Meijer, Walmart, Target, American Eagle, bars, clubs, etc. I applied for jobs I was way over-qualified for, and got NOTHING. It was extremely frustrating, but what is even MORE frustrating- is to have to hear people like 'braggslaw' put down an entire of sector of people that they cannot understand... and good for them, I guess their priviliged lives have not allowed them the capacity to wrap their hot heads around hardship.

Stuart Brown

Fri, Jan 27, 2012 : 8:16 a.m.

I'm seeing a lot of whiners here (I worked hard and now deserve the world!) I once had the misfortune to have to listen to a presentation by Elana Ford at an all-hands meeting at Ford Motor Company. The collective gasp from the 900 plus engineers in attendance was palpable (we were witnessing the personification of nepotism right before our eyes)--the problem with Elana is that she thinks that her working twice as hard as someone else entitles here to 100 times the compensation. Meanwhile, the guy who saved Ford over 40 million dollars was just getting his recognition and his insignificant lateral promotion.

joe.blow

Thu, Jan 26, 2012 : 7:12 p.m.

I worked full time in High School. I worked full time in college, graduated with two degrees. Worked for my advanced degree and am starting to work in my field, still putting in 80-90hrs/week. I have many many many loans and have big time debt. Most of my loans are unsubsidized and at interest rates in the 6-7% range. This is not government aid, you actually don't qualify for government aid because you're a student. I met my wife in college, got married and had a child, she also was a full time student with big debt. We didn't qualify for health insurance or welfare because we were both students. What torques us off, is knowing that WE ARE THE 1%, we worked more hours than 99% of people out there, went into MORE DEBT than 99% of people out there, took more risk than most people and soon will be very successful because we WORKED so hard, like you. Soon our income will be in the top 1% and for all that blood, sweat, sacrifice, I'm being told by OBAMA that I'm the elite and need to start paying my fair share. Well, EXCUSE ME, if people want to work as hard as we did, than they can be the 1%, like what you will be (that's right, in a short time frame, you will also be the Obama hated 1%). I will pay the loans off, which again IS NOT GOVERNMENT AID! You need to really look at what conservative believe, you talk like one. You think your hard work means something, that's good. A liberal would say that you were lucky to be able to work so many part time jobs and be thankful that they gave you the money to barrow to go to school. NOT TRUE, you worked harder than any other person, fought for those jobs you had and became successful. Now take your soon to be massive earnings, invest it, pay as little taxes as you can and give as much money to charity as possible (you think the government knows how to help those in need better than you?) I congratulate you on your hard work and joining us 1%-ers who gave our youth to hard work instead of weed and protests.

Terry Calhoun

Thu, Jan 26, 2012 : 5:11 p.m.

@braggslaw: &quot;Clownfish the fallacy in your statement is that we people who do not have upward mobility.&quot; Your fallacy is in assuming that because you made it (I did, too.) it was due to hard work. There is a lot of good and bad luck in a lifetime, not to mention various sorts of privileges and barriers based on prejudice. Hard work may have contributed, but so did luck. Besides most of the 1% are like Romney: Born on third base and thinks he hit a triple.

Ron Granger

Thu, Jan 26, 2012 : 4:14 p.m.

Jen, paragraphs are your friend.

clownfish

Thu, Jan 26, 2012 : 3:44 p.m.

Bragg, Good for you! I do not begrudge you any of your success. Your fallacy is that you think everybody else is lazy and they want to ride on your boot straps.

braggslaw

Thu, Jan 26, 2012 : 3:26 p.m.

Clownfish the fallacy in your statement is that we people who do not have upward mobility. I was in the bottom 1%, I moved to the top 50% midlife and I am now in the Top 5%. Most of the U.S. population will move through these phases. Thus there is no wall between the top earners and lower earners, as most people will move into higher income brackets as they get older. (unless you are lazy)

clownfish

Thu, Jan 26, 2012 : 3:19 p.m.

Yes, clearly you guys worked harder than the other 297,000,000 people in the US. Everybody else is lazy. Nobody ever pays back loans except you. Everybody that has ever lost a job must be a doper (except for the previous 3 presidents that were dopers).

trespass

Thu, Jan 26, 2012 : 3:15 p.m.

I commend you on your hard work. I want more Americans to gt advanced degrees in engineering. Companies are moving their R&amp;D operations to China because they say they can't find enough engineers in America. Their would be more opportunities for American students if tuition were lower and that would happen if the UM administration would be more careful about spending. They contantly complain about the lack of state support but only about one third of the tuition increases can be attributed to loss of state support (even taking into consideration inflation). The average family income for a student at UM is $180,000 while the average family income in Michigan is $47,000. I engourage you to go forward and I even hope you will pursue an advanced degree but I wish President Coleman would hear about the hardship that ever increasing tuition puts upon people like you and respond by cutting costs instead of pleading for more taxpayer support.

braggslaw

Thu, Jan 26, 2012 : 3:13 p.m.

Privileged? I lived on a porch for five years. Borrowed money to get all my degrees. It was tough at times. I waited to have children until I could afford them (my thirties), even though I wanted them earlier. I paid back all my student loans. I didn't take a toxic loan out on a house that would have to be subsidized by the federal govt. I live within my means and ask only to keep what I earn. I keep an emergency fund of cash for unforeseen consequences. I am funding my own retirement with the knowledge that social security will not remain solvent. I have no problem with student loans, as that is a creative exercise. I have a problem with in-perpetuity entitlement.

Tom Smith

Thu, Jan 26, 2012 : 2:55 p.m.

Jeez marimba. Socialism - &quot;defined as a centrally planned economy in which the government controls all means of production&quot;. Or straight-up Merriam-Webster: &quot;any of various economic and political theories advocating collective or governmental ownership and administration of the means of production and distribution of goods&quot;, &quot;a system of society or group living in which there is no private property&quot;, et cetera. There are many aspects of civilization that simply work better under a central government -- police and fire protection, education, health care management (and if you don't think that, just go over your own health care plan), diplomacy, military action -- but none of them have anything to do with socialism. Infrastructure work? Much better handled by private companies. Obama giving the auto companies a big loan, which they have payed back? Doesn't sound like socialism to me. There are legitimate objections to some of Obama's policies. But if you want to riff on the guy as a &quot;socialist&quot;, at least know what you're talking about. Because then you won't riff on him as a socialist, because he isn't one. Yeesh.

clownfish

Thu, Jan 26, 2012 : 3:05 p.m.

Facts are irrelevant. Words mean what we want them to mean, not what they mean. &quot;That's not the way the world really works anymore. We're an empire now, and when we act we create our own reality.&quot;

djacks24

Thu, Jan 26, 2012 : 2:45 p.m.

So this is where the 99% has decided to converge lately...

ThaKillaBee

Thu, Jan 26, 2012 : 6:25 p.m.

I guarantee you are not in the 1%. Bet. My. Life.

Bob Katz

Thu, Jan 26, 2012 : 2:38 p.m.

It seems we have awfully short memories. It is less than 4 years since one of the worst presidents in our history left office. GWB got us into this mess and the way out is very complex. And further complicated by the republican House majority that for some bizarre reason thinks that winning the presidency is the be all and end all of all things and thus worth preventing the way out as their path to the presidency. Sick!!!

jcj

Thu, Jan 26, 2012 : 3:50 p.m.

Mr Katz Please check out this link and then continue your blind loyalty to your Messiah! <a href="http://obamalies.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/deficit.jpg" rel='nofollow'>http://obamalies.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/deficit.jpg</a>

Ron Granger

Thu, Jan 26, 2012 : 3:24 p.m.

joe.blow, can you cite specific comparisons of spending between Bush and Obama to support your contentions. I'll bet you can't.

clownfish

Thu, Jan 26, 2012 : 3:24 p.m.

Reagan tripled the national debt. Where were you? Bush ran up debt for 8 years, where were you? Really, where was this massive concern about the growth of govt spending when the GOP was doing it? I don't remember Tea Party rallies when they passed Medicare &quot;D&quot;. I don't recall massive right wing protest when the govt decided to spend a billion a week in Other Nations&quot;, just the opposite actually.

joe.blow

Thu, Jan 26, 2012 : 2:57 p.m.

Obama has spent our future into slavery to other nations with no solution. What has all that money done for us? Obama has doomed our future, the worst president EVER

Terry Calhoun

Thu, Jan 26, 2012 : 2:29 p.m.

@braggslaw - <a href="http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/taxfacts/displayafact.cfm?Docid=366&Topic2id=48" rel='nofollow'>http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/taxfacts/displayafact.cfm?Docid=366&amp;Topic2id=48</a> According to this, you are a rare individual, indeed, to be one of the less than 1,000 Americans making over $100,000 annually who pay a tax rate of 45% of higher.

joe.blow

Thu, Jan 26, 2012 : 5:13 p.m.

How about this, a progressive tax. EVERYONE pays 8%, it goes up by 1% for every 50K. Max tax rate is 35%. No loop holes, no matter how many bribes the politicians get.

Ron Granger

Thu, Jan 26, 2012 : 3:23 p.m.

I know exactly what braggslaw means. The people who write the tax code make it easy on the rich and super rich. But they make it very hard to elevate yourself up from middle class. They really stick it to middle and upper class. If you are a self-employed consultant (as an example), you absolutely get pounded on taxes. You don't have the tax shelters and gimmicks of the rich, and you don't get paid unless you work. Our tax structure does punish those who work hard - but not in the way the talking heads like to go on about. They like to talk about people who don't work, or don't need to work. The tax structure punishes entrepreneurs. The large corporations do not want small companies competing with them.

joe.blow

Thu, Jan 26, 2012 : 2:53 p.m.

Those who don't pay taxes and ask for tax increases think that there is only one tax. Terry, what should the overall tax rate be?

braggslaw

Thu, Jan 26, 2012 : 2:51 p.m.

Again, It appears they did not add in FICA, State income tax or city income tax Which amount to around 12%.

clownfish

Thu, Jan 26, 2012 : 2:43 p.m.

Looks like Braggs tax accountant is lazy. He should hire &quot;Mitt's&quot;. BTW, why doe &quot;Mitt&quot; not use his real name? what is he hiding? Is he actually a secret Mexican National? Where is his birth cert? What about this Joseph Smith guy?

Emma B

Thu, Jan 26, 2012 : 2:20 p.m.

I think it's a great opportunity to see a president in person regardless of your politics. Could be a heartwarming story for those students to tell their grandkids someday so that they may grow up with warm, fuzzy feelings about America. But then again I'm a super duper extreme socialist so go ahead and rip my optimism to shreds.

jcj

Thu, Jan 26, 2012 : 7:35 p.m.

Anyone that gets a thrill out of seeing a celebrity needs to reevaluate their priorities.

jcj

Thu, Jan 26, 2012 : 4:01 p.m.

It takes the moderator 10 seconds to remove a bland statement. And 5 hours to change an improper headline. And then you could not say it was a correction you said it was &quot;updated&quot;

Emma B

Thu, Jan 26, 2012 : 2:58 p.m.

I had the opportunity to photograph ('shoot' is an inappropriate term in this context, haha) the Obama commencement and graduated last year during the Snyder commencement-- both were absolutely awesome experiences and well worth the varying degrees of hassle. The storm that morning was so awful-- I was too nervous to take a shuttle so I just walked in it all the way down to the stadium. That'll surely be the part of the story to my grandkids where I marvel at my young and able body.

racerx

Thu, Jan 26, 2012 : 2:26 p.m.

@Emma B-I won't rip your optimism to shreds E! I personally applaud you. I stood in line when Obama spoke at graduation a few years back. Despite the morning rain on the day of the event, the sun came out just as the ceremonies begin. And your right, it was a heartwarming experience that I can tell the grandkids someday.

G. Orwell

Thu, Jan 26, 2012 : 2:17 p.m.

Obama has been ordered to appear in court in Atlanta, Georgia TODAY. Will he violate the judge's order and skip his appearance or will he abide by the law and show up. He seems to have utter disdain for the rule of law (wars without Congressional approval, NDAA to arrest/kill/torture US citizens without a trial or even charges, etc.) and the Constitution so my bet is that he will give the judge the bird and arrive in AA today.

ThaKillaBee

Thu, Jan 26, 2012 : 6:23 p.m.

I wouldn't appear either. It's such a frivolous case I'd rather deal with the consequences (and ultimately be proven right) than give any credence to them.

Terry Calhoun

Thu, Jan 26, 2012 : 2:13 p.m.

It appears that Michigan students are a great deal smarter than the folks posting lies and misdirection, above. Go Blue!

jcj

Thu, Jan 26, 2012 : 3:43 p.m.

Terry &quot;I drove by at 8:45. There were probably more than 5,000 people in line at that point&quot; You might have missed your calling ! Maybe you should be doing crowd estimates for occupy wall street! They always seem to have more in theirs crowds than official estimates according to their estimates!

joe.blow

Thu, Jan 26, 2012 : 3:02 p.m.

There isn't room left in the Republican clown car? You'd run as a Conservative, yet you think Obama is doing a good job. I think you're confused.

Terry Calhoun

Thu, Jan 26, 2012 : 2:51 p.m.

@joe.blow: &quot;Amazing, you should run for president.&quot; Thank you, but I like the one we have. Besides, I don't think there's any room left in the Republican Clown Car. Even as they drop out, the heads of the ones remaining keep getting bigger, and the space inside such a tiny bubble is very small.

joe.blow

Thu, Jan 26, 2012 : 2:48 p.m.

Wow, the retort. Amazing, you should run for president.

Terry Calhoun

Thu, Jan 26, 2012 : 2:47 p.m.

@joe.blow: &quot;Looks like great fun? You enjoy waiting in lines? Hmm, maybe that's why there's so many people on the governments dime, it's fun!&quot; You're trying too hard. C'mon. You can do better than that.

joe.blow

Thu, Jan 26, 2012 : 2:44 p.m.

Looks like great fun? You enjoy waiting in lines? Hmm, maybe that's why there's so many people on the governments dime, it's fun!

Terry Calhoun

Thu, Jan 26, 2012 : 2:38 p.m.

BTW, I drove by at 8:45. There were probably more than 5,000 people in line at that point. Looked like great fun. The line stretched from the side door to the Union, past the cube, down the service road, around the SAB, then up Maynard to Liberty, then down State Street to past the Union again.

Terry Calhoun

Thu, Jan 26, 2012 : 2:34 p.m.

@Fatkitty: Unusual, isn't it, for there to be more people wanting to go to event than there are tickets available? It should be exciting when we see what happens when they run out. I'm guessing that, since these are primarily thinking people who are not carrying guns, that they'll break up and quietly go home or to class. Maybe Starbucks. Not exactly something to be waiting on tenterhooks for is it?

clownfish

Thu, Jan 26, 2012 : 2:27 p.m.

aaargh! Well said, Matey.

Fatkitty

Thu, Jan 26, 2012 : 2:25 p.m.

That's debatable. From where I sit, there are way more than 3,000 students out here waiting for one of the 3,000 tickets. Can't wait to see what happens when the door slams shut.

Fatkitty

Thu, Jan 26, 2012 : 2:13 p.m.

So, wondering how many &quot;students&quot; standing in line through the night and into the afternoon today waiting for a ticket (and missing their class) will stomp their feet and demand some sort of tuition refund when they get to the front of the line and find out there are no more tickets?

ThaKillaBee

Thu, Jan 26, 2012 : 6:20 p.m.

@Fatkitty - Probably none. What sort of situation have you witnessed in the past that would make you believe that would happen?

clownfish

Thu, Jan 26, 2012 : 2:26 p.m.

I wonder how many &quot;students&quot; will hop into their space planes and zoom back to the planet Zxcickik? Probably about the same number that will do as you suggest.

Are you serious?

Thu, Jan 26, 2012 : 1:35 p.m.

Amusing...the country did pretty well in the 60's and 70's. Do you know what the tax rate was? Probably not. It was North of 50% and higher for the highest wage earners. I did not see any lack of wealth or hard working people. We now live in the age of greed, greed, greed.

Jake C

Fri, Jan 27, 2012 : 12:54 a.m.

I hear a lot about the (mostly fictional) &quot;welfare queens&quot; who are partying all the time and living in Section 8 housing and not working and still driving fancy cars and eating caviar and wearing fancy clothes. Often it's people who are trying to &quot;keep up with the Jonse's&quot; in appearance, while mostly living in squalor. They will pay for their lifestyle choices sooner or later, believe me. More likely to be killed in a violent crime. More likely to die from poor nutrition. More likely to suffer from depression and other mental illnesses. So if you despise these people so much, go ahead and take a small pleasure in the fact that you will live longer than them and have a more fulfilling life by working hard and earning what you have.

aamom

Thu, Jan 26, 2012 : 6:02 p.m.

@braggslaw you said &quot;half of my family are &quot;welfare queens&quot; So basically you are complaining that we are all paying for your family? Why don't you cover them yourself so we don't have to and work on the family values part so they learn how to make better choices. That would be the greatest gift you could give them and society.

shepard145

Thu, Jan 26, 2012 : 5:19 p.m.

It's hard to know where to start with this. This economy is NOTHING LIKE the 60's and 70's so buying into obama's class warfare bs is detremental to the country. There is not a &quot;class&quot; of millionaires - the list changes daily and any functional American can become one - it's not even that difficult. Obama and his democrat stooges are trying to convince Americans that we have a cast system and you are either born a millionaire or you live in poverty. LIES. Mitt paid 35% less deductions on the money he made before he invested in the stock market!! He then risked HIS MONEY as we all do and when the investments were successful, paid 15% MORE IN TAXES IN THE FORM OF CAPITAL GAINS! How stupid are the mindless haters who can't understand how taxes work?? He also donated millions to charities and his church!! How much does Pelosi and Obama donate to anyone?? When he dies, the government will then try to GRAB 55% MORE OF HIS LIFETIME SAVINGS!! ...obama crying about &quot;fair share&quot; is simply showing his endless igornance.

clownfish

Thu, Jan 26, 2012 : 2:59 p.m.

And I know people that have severe mental and physical illness that are incapable of holding a job and are being punished because people like you think they are lazy. If you know people that are &quot;working the system&quot; do the right thing, report them to the appropriate authorities. I know, it is more work than Whining, but I thought you were all about hard work.

cinnabar7071

Thu, Jan 26, 2012 : 2:46 p.m.

braggslaw I know a family that lives in $500K home with one wage earner, and 3 on the welfare dole. All are healthy.

braggslaw

Thu, Jan 26, 2012 : 2:36 p.m.

half of my family are &quot;welfare queens&quot; -doing drugs and partying all the time -not working -living in Section 8 housing -Foodstamps (with this new card) -single mother with child collecting AFDC (which has been renamed to something else)

clownfish

Thu, Jan 26, 2012 : 2:20 p.m.

Notice how Bragg assumes that all people that benefit from tax expenditures are lazy? Did you know that all of those folks in the military are lazy, I didn't. That is 20% of his taxes. How about all of those seniors that worked for decades and are now on SS, after paying in for decades by WORKING? There is another 20%. Then there are the elderly that paid into medicare for decades and are now getting privately supplied healthcare, because they paid into it for years out of their wages, from WORKING- Combined with all of those lazy kids on medicair, why don't they get jobs? Another 23%. Then there are the S-CHIPS program, &quot;welfare&quot; etc, this accounts for about 5% of Braggs taxes. Does Bragg know what % of the people on food stamps are lazy and don't deserve his &quot;hard earned money&quot; (hard earned because poor Bragg has to sit in the drudgerous airport lounges while some &quot;lazy guy&quot; loads his luggage and totes the fuel for his plane) ? Let's assume worse case scenario and 1/2 of all people on welfare are lazy, that means about 2.5% of Braggs taxes go to &quot;the lazy&quot; . If I were you Bragg, I would take our conservative posters suggestions for those that don't like it here in Obamas America, leave. No one will stop you from exiting the hellhole that is this socialist nightmare. Or, you could be like most people and pay about 25-30% of wages in taxes while Mitt pays 14%. Poor Mitt, having to pay 14% on retirement millions he has not worked for in 12 years. The horror makes me wince.

John

Thu, Jan 26, 2012 : 2:09 p.m.

It's only fair that those who make far more than the average person be required to assist in funding social programs to a higher degree. We aren't talking about having 'no incentive' - we are talking about someone making $500K+ having a larger tax footprint than someone making $25K and working two jobs to do so. The Reagan-era idea of a 'welfare queen' (which doesn't exist in my opinion), is pretty tenuous argument to make. I guess I shouldn't speak up though, the proletariat and I will continue to do the backbreaking labor making products that we can't even afford to buy while someone else reaps the rewards.

braggslaw

Thu, Jan 26, 2012 : 1:51 p.m.

At this time I am stopping myself. As the personal business case to quit and go on public aid strengthens that will change. If all productive hard working people are given no incentive to create wealth where does that leave us? Tha is the problem with socialism.

John

Thu, Jan 26, 2012 : 1:46 p.m.

Who is stopping you?

braggslaw

Thu, Jan 26, 2012 : 1:42 p.m.

Why is it greedy that I don't want to support people who are lazy or made bad decisions? Why is it my responsibility to pay for them? Why should I get punished for my hard work and success? Living in a shack next to the huron river (while collecting from the public trough) in Dexter is looking pretty good right now.

Diane

Thu, Jan 26, 2012 : 1:31 p.m.

I wouldn't pay a penny to see or hear him When he's on TV we switch the channel or mute him out.

cinnabar7071

Thu, Jan 26, 2012 : 2:42 p.m.

racerx where'd you pull that comment from? She said nothing even close to what you typed.

racerx

Thu, Jan 26, 2012 : 2:22 p.m.

So. You watch Fox News instead?

joe.blow

Thu, Jan 26, 2012 : 1:24 p.m.

On the first day of class, a professor was astounded to discover that every student in the class thought Obama's move toward socialism would work. They understood that no one would be poor and the rich would be made to take care of the less fortunate. Government was going to be the great equalizer. Shocked and concerned for the future of this country and what the public education system had taught – and not taught – these young people, the professor devised a plan. Never before had he failed a single student, but he felt compelled to educate this generation. On the second day of class, he repeated their view of Obama's socialist utopia and laid out his plan for that semester's grades. It would be an experiment on the "Obama Plan" and its long-term viability. The class would take tests just as in other classes, but everyone's grade would be that of the class average. There would be no A's because that would be wrong and would advantage only a few. The class was excited at the prospect, anticipating an easy semester with minimal work or study required. The first test was taken a week later; the class average was a B. Students who had studied hard began to get upset and voiced their concern. The three A students had second thoughts and transferred to another economics class. The students who did not study much were pleased with the B. The mid-term test rolled around, and the students who had not studied much for the first test prepared even less for this one. With the three A students gone, the middle-of-the-pack students slacked off, reasoning that they would not have much impact on the average grade. They decided just to coast and accept the collective grade. The class averaged a D. By the time the next test came, the students felt no compelling reason to study and "carry" the others in the class. The class made a collective F on the test. Group scores spiraled downward while blame, disputes, name-calling and accusations of sloth escalated.

Jon Saalberg

Fri, Jan 27, 2012 : 12:46 a.m.

I don't know what to think when people post Urban Legend items on annarbor.com - shouldn't fictitious stories be noted as such?

Jake C

Fri, Jan 27, 2012 : 12:43 a.m.

What an insightful experiment by that professor! Except for the part where it never actually happened, and was just made up by someone who likes to Forward junk emails to their family and co-workers.

Edward R Murrow's Ghost

Thu, Jan 26, 2012 : 8:14 p.m.

Any professor of economics, history, or political science who thinks the president is a socialist ought be fired immediately for gross ignorance of their discipline of study. Good Night and Good Luck

clownfish

Thu, Jan 26, 2012 : 2:09 p.m.

Sure wish people would post posts that were based in reality instead of some fantasy world made up by celebrity talking heads and pundits. Let's see: tax burdens are at historic lows, the top earners in this country are doing better than ever, corporate profits are at record highs and the DOW index is up over 2000 points since 2009. Darn socialists!

Fatkitty

Thu, Jan 26, 2012 : 2:07 p.m.

@joe.blow, excellent. Hopefully, more of the sheep will wake up and smell the roses before it's too late.

joe.blow

Thu, Jan 26, 2012 : 1:25 p.m.

Ultimately, this tenured professor failed all of the students because their collective effort warranted an F. Yet he taught them – and all of us – an invaluable lesson, one often forgotten at our peril in this Age of Obama. When there are incentive, competition and reward for those who work hard and do well, all of society benefits. When there is not, as in the old Soviet Union or any communist country where a statist government says it will provide for all, it does not work and never will. Do not expect this professor to get the Nobel Prize in Economics, which is only given to liberal ideas advanced in some convoluted way that somehow results in children in third-world countries getting food and an iPod. This professor's lesson is not the narrative that the famously liberal academic profession wants to teach. Only when faced with the reality of the situation does one really understand a lesson such as this one. And if we do not learn it, as Thomas Jefferson said, our democracy will be lost forever. From <a href="http://www.marthazoller.com/college-professor-gets-it-right-social-studies-in-econ-class/" rel='nofollow'>http://www.marthazoller.com/college-professor-gets-it-right-social-studies-in-econ-class/</a> with a few word changes to make character requirements.

joe.blow

Thu, Jan 26, 2012 : 1:17 p.m.

My wife and I are ecstatic that ..... we'll both be out of town. That many lies on one stage would be too painful to watch, plus the traffic is going to be crazy!

braggslaw

Thu, Jan 26, 2012 : 1:14 p.m.

If Obama gets reelected I hill have to reevaluate my quality of life equation. 1. Do I continue to work my butt off and create wealth only to get taxed at a 45% rate (supporting those who were not willing to work or take risks) OR 2. Do I quit working to pursue my hobbies, suffer a lifestyle reduction and allow others to take care of me while collecting welfare, medicaid etc. A real question I am pondering.

bobr

Fri, Jan 27, 2012 : 12:20 a.m.

You need to contact Mitt Romney and pay 14%

brb11

Thu, Jan 26, 2012 : 4:49 p.m.

You haven't quit your job. Why? Everyone already knows the answer. Because being poor and on welfare sucks. Don't pretend that it might somehow be a step up from whatever income you make to be paying a 45% tax rate. Or just try quitting your job. See how much you take for granted with your current level of income. It's always so much easier to assume that those who are struggling do so because they don't want to work or they're lazier and less deserving than you. There are always some people who will abuse the system, but if you asked most people on welfare whether they'd switch positions with you, do you think they would say no?

braggslaw

Thu, Jan 26, 2012 : 3:51 p.m.

I never called on public unions to do anything. I think that public unions should be disbanded and that taxpayers should be able to hire people based on market value not entitlements. People can choose what jobs they want and can quit at any time. I would not be willing to pay extra taxes because it will destroy the U.S. economy and ruin the free flow of capital that generates wealth creation. Would I be willing to fund a scholarship for a deserving kid ....yes and I do. Would I be willing to give my time to restore river banks ... yes and I do. Would I be willing to give my time to educate people on certain matters for free... yes and I do. That being said, I enjoy most of those activities. What I don't want is my tax dollars going to a liberal black hole and then distributed to those who have an interest in increasing my taxes.

clownfish

Thu, Jan 26, 2012 : 3:39 p.m.

Well Bragg, seeing as you have in the past called for all public employees to take pay and benefit cuts even thought hey tend to have more education than private sector employees... you have called on most unions to take pay and benefit cuts at their exiting jobs... you are telling seniors to be willing to take less SS money... and you are complaining about the 5% of our federal budget that goes to &quot;welfare queens&quot;.. Yes, I am asking you what personal sacrifice YOU are willing to make to balance our state and federal budgets. Would you be willing to pay an extra 3% of your income ( a tax rate Reagan passed) to help your country, or would you rather blame everybody else for not being willing to step up? I, and you, cannot control what everybody else does. I did take unemployment when I lost my job of over 20 years. I used that money to prop myself up while I started my own business, without that cushion I would have lost my house (which I could afford when I took out the loan). I hope that over the next few years I will be able to pay back what I &quot;stole&quot; from you plus more. I know it is easier to kick people when down that to bend over and lend a hand, easier to assume that they are down because of character flaws rather than the possible 100 other issues that affect peoples lives. &quot;Ask not what my country can do for me, ask what I can do for my country&quot; . Don't worry about everybody else, what can YOU do, what are you willing to sacrifice? Anything other than Whining? Now I have to go, I have a business to run, taxes to pay, insurance to pay, resumes to go through and all the other things us lazy libs do. Have a nice day, and stay off those socialist roads, don't use those socialist airports and god forbid stay away from Bush's TSA!

braggslaw

Thu, Jan 26, 2012 : 3:18 p.m.

Clownfish, That is such a garbage comment &quot;What personal sacrifices&quot;. I take care of myself and my family (and apparently half of Ann Arbor and Ypsi with the taxes I pay) how about this 1. Don't have a child that you can't take care of. 2. Don't take a toxic loan for a house you can't afford. 3. Goto school and get trained for a degree that is marketable. 4. Don't do drugs. Those would seem to small personal sacrifices.

braggslaw

Thu, Jan 26, 2012 : 3:15 p.m.

Not an alpha dog, I merely want to keep what I earn and spend my money the way I want. I have no problem with a small efficient govt. I have problems with pseudo intellectuals and welfare queens living at the public trough and attempting to take what I earned.

clownfish

Thu, Jan 26, 2012 : 3:14 p.m.

Do you base this on his 1st term and the massive tax increases Obama has pushed through? Maybe you could tell us how much extra in federal income tax you have paid since Jan 2009 compared to Jan 2008-Dec 2008? What personal sacrifice are you willing to make to reduce our national debt? If all others (public employees, SS/medicare recipients, union workers etc), are required to make sacrifice, is there a particular reason you should be exempt? How many jobs have you created with your tax cuts, either &quot;Bush era&quot; or any cuts you may have received from the ARRA?

sigdiamond

Thu, Jan 26, 2012 : 2:57 p.m.

Man, for an alpha-dog job creator, you sure give up easily. Does the prospect of another term for a president you don't like really have you despondently considering giving up your job and collecting welfare and Medicaid? Cheer up, champ. I'm worried about you.

braggslaw

Thu, Jan 26, 2012 : 2:50 p.m.

There was also no refence to state income tax or city income tax. (which vary from 1.5% to 4%) I worked all last night on a project... not that it matters.

sigdiamond

Thu, Jan 26, 2012 : 2:47 p.m.

Does &quot;working your butt off&quot; include posting on internet message boards all day?

braggslaw

Thu, Jan 26, 2012 : 2:47 p.m.

It appears they did not include FICA (which is a tax). I believe it is in the 7% range. Believe you me I am always looking to reduce my tax burden.

Terry Calhoun

Thu, Jan 26, 2012 : 2:40 p.m.

According to this - <a href="http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/taxfacts/displayafact.cfm?Docid=366&Topic2id=48" rel='nofollow'>http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/taxfacts/displayafact.cfm?Docid=366&amp;Topic2id=48</a> - less than 1,000 Americans who make more than $100,000 annually pay a rate of 45%. It's an honor to have you among us, but I am curious why, with all that money, you don't get a better accountant?

braggslaw

Thu, Jan 26, 2012 : 2:15 p.m.

Add in state income tax, municipality tax, FICA etc. it is near 45%

braggslaw

Thu, Jan 26, 2012 : 2:13 p.m.

Actually I am paying close to 45%. I am within the tax &quot;punishment&quot; zone or AMT High Earner Not Rich Yet. We are the people paying 85% of the taxes in the U.S. I lose multiple tax deductions under the AMT: First you have to add back your personal- and dependent-exemption deductions ($3,650 each in 2010), then your standard deduction if you don't itemize ($11,400 for joint filers in 2010; $5,700 for singles in 2010). You also lose your state, local and foreign income and property-tax write-offs, as well as your home-equity loan interest, if the loan proceeds are not used for home improvements. The AMT also ignores some itemized deductions, such as investment expenses and employee business expenses, and some medical and dental expenses.

Usual Suspect

Thu, Jan 26, 2012 : 2:06 p.m.

An Obama re-election itself would be a lifestyle reduction. Obama 2012: The Worst Sequel Since Caddyshack 2

John

Thu, Jan 26, 2012 : 1:48 p.m.

I guarantee you aren't paying 45% in taxes. I understand you are trying to make a point, but quit being ridiculous

trespass

Thu, Jan 26, 2012 : 1:06 p.m.

Several Chinese scientists came to the University of Michigan in the 1990's to study with one of the world's experts on industrial dust explosions, like those at Apple's Chinese suppliers. This was part of the American effort to help China's economy which had been close to collapse in the 1980's. However, when those scientists went back to China they did not work on industrial safety but instead went to work for the Chinese military on making better bombs. These are the choices China's authoritarian regime has made but American universities still keep making deal after deal with them and sending our technology to China to help them modernize their military and compete with us for jobs. Obama says we are now serious about fair trade but he is coming to the University of Michigan tommorow and I wish he would speak to President Mary Sue Coleman and tell her the the UM is an American university and should be doing everything it can to help us compete with China. Read more at <a href="http://www.china-threat.com" rel='nofollow'>www.china-threat.com</a>

Usual Suspect

Thu, Jan 26, 2012 : 1:06 p.m.

Sheep.

clownfish

Thu, Jan 26, 2012 : 2:36 p.m.

I think they are sheep because they might not have believed in Iraqi WMd's and AQ ties to Saddam. They could be sheep because they might not believe that trickle down economics is working for most people. They could be sheep because they don't believe that Obama is going to seize guns, manufacturing companies, bank accounts of the uber wealthy, require us to go to death panels, submit to Sharia Law, that Obama has too many &quot;czars&quot; unlike previous presidents, that the &quot;stimulus package&quot; wasn't 1/3 tax cuts, and that Obama will give a socialist speech to captive elementary school students.

ThaKillaBee

Thu, Jan 26, 2012 : 2:19 p.m.

Why are they sheep?

sbbuilder

Thu, Jan 26, 2012 : 1:53 p.m.

More like Lemmings jumping off a cliff.

jcj

Thu, Jan 26, 2012 : 12:54 p.m.

I would not go across the street for this. BUT even I knew they were free!

The Black Stallion3

Thu, Jan 26, 2012 : 12:37 p.m.

I think I will get some and sell them

Steve Pepple

Thu, Jan 26, 2012 : 12:03 p.m.

The headline has been changed to reflect the fact that the tickets are free.

Tom Whitaker

Thu, Jan 26, 2012 : 2:28 p.m.

This is one of my pet peeves with annarbor.com. Good journalistic practice for online publications is to make corrections with a strikethrough line through stricken text, to highlight the new text in some fashion, and then to add a date and time-stamped footnote at the bottom explaining the correction. The constant updating of stories instead of re-posting them as new articles is also bad policy. Perhaps it would promote higher quality workmanship if you weren't able to quietly change your articles at will.

Tom Smith

Thu, Jan 26, 2012 : 12:46 p.m.

And whatever feed goes to the &quot;Local News&quot; at Yahoo, which I'd think is kind of important.

DennisP

Thu, Jan 26, 2012 : 12:22 p.m.

Not on MLive.com. They are still &quot;for sale&quot; there.

EightySeven

Thu, Jan 26, 2012 : 12:01 p.m.

Why does the headline read on sale, when they are free?? Confusing

Arieswoman

Thu, Jan 26, 2012 : 11:54 a.m.

OH? On sale, huh? Thought they were free!

A2lover

Thu, Jan 26, 2012 : 11:53 a.m.

Your headliner got it wrong, the tickets are free, they are not &quot;on sale&quot;. This is poor work on the part of Ann Arbor.com.

djacks24

Thu, Jan 26, 2012 : 2:48 p.m.

They are usually too busy deleting comments to get the facts straight.

ThaKillaBee

Thu, Jan 26, 2012 : 2:18 p.m.

@tots - No, the original headline said &quot;on sale,&quot; which implies they have a cost associated with them. It's since been corrected.

totsdabishop

Thu, Jan 26, 2012 : 2:14 p.m.

Where does it say you have to pay for the tickets? &quot;Roughly 3,000 tickets for Obama speech up for grabs today at 9 a.m.&quot; and &quot;Tickets are free, but only one ticket will be distributed to each individual in line.&quot;... seems like poor literacy of the part of AnnArbor.com &quot;readers&quot;

joe.blow

Thu, Jan 26, 2012 : 1:18 p.m.

you'd expect better from this &quot;newspaper.&quot;

Bcar

Thu, Jan 26, 2012 : 11:36 a.m.

...they should pay US for a ticket...

Alan Goldsmith

Thu, Jan 26, 2012 : 11:18 a.m.

On sale? Aren't they free?

totsdabishop

Thu, Jan 26, 2012 : 2:11 p.m.

Where did it say on sale?? &quot;Tickets are free, but only one ticket will be distributed to each individual in line.&quot;

bobr

Thu, Jan 26, 2012 : 1:29 p.m.

tickets are free, the wait is the wait.

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