For the average child born in 1999, the department estimates it will cost $160,140 for food, shelter and other necessities in the first 17 years of life. For you sticklers out there, the department estimates that the inflation-adjusted amount will be $237,000.??

I guess I’m still shaking my head over the blurb in the Ann Arbor News police blotter yesterday:

A motorist who stopped to allow ducks to cross the road in Ann Arbor Saturday evening said a passenger of a nearby vehicle became enraged and began striking his vehicle and spitting at him, Ann Arbor Police said.

The 33-year-old Ann Arbor driver said he was in the 700 block of East Eisenhower Parkway at 6:30 p.m. when a group of ducks began crossing the road, reports said. He said he stopped, then honked and pointed at the ducks as a small white car drove toward them, reports said.

The man said the driver of the other vehicle then cut off his car as they began driving again, so he pulled to the other lane as they approached a red light, reports said. The victim said the passenger in the white car got out, punched and scratched his window, yelled that he would kill him, and spit at him through the window, reports said.

The victim said the man tried to open his door, but it was locked, and he simply smiled at the enraged man as it was occurring, reports said. He also said the female driver of the white car got out and was encouraging the passenger to fight him, reports said.

The creatures the first motorist was trying to save were actually probably geese, not ducks. I’ve seen a ton of Canadian geese in that area for at least a couple of months now. I’ve seen maybe a handful of ducks.

Just so there’s no risk of misunderstanding or causing offense, I’m not making any sort of know-it-all cynical grand statement about Ann Arbor. I don’t doubt that this sort of thing happens everywhere nowadays. That doesn’t make it less appalling. Maybe I don’t know the full story. Maybe the first motorist shouldn’t have honked. Maybe he should have just run over the crossing goslings. Maybe the enraged motorist would have still charged after him at the next stoplight. Who knows?