Tag: AG

The bizarro side of the world is wondering what you might be up to, but we have less tolerance for the games.  Don't play on their turf, because at some point you will realize all the friends you brought with you are gone. A realization of the truth will make short work of this:

"Consistency and the state constitution demand that Attorney General Bill Schuette fight to protect the pensions of Detroit retirees from being downsized in bankruptcy court. It's Schuette's job to defend state laws, and he can't pick and choose which ones he fights to protect.

Schuette filed Monday to intervene in the bankruptcy proceedings on behalf of pensioners.

The move puts him at odds with Gov. Rick Snyder, who supports Emergency Manager Kevyn Orr's position that retirees will have to sacrifice along with other creditors to resolve Detroit's $18 billion debt."

The Michigan Constitution has many things that need to be enforced, but Article 9 Section 24 cannot be used in this case. The average Joe can tell you that Article I, Section 8, Clause 4 of the US constitution says so.

"Both state legislation and state courts tended to use debtor-creditor laws to redistribute money from out-of-state and urban creditors to rural agricultural interests. Under the Articles of Confederation, the states alone governed debtor-creditor relations, and that led to diverse and contradictory state laws. It was unclear, for instance, whether a state law that purported to discharge a debtor of a debt prohibited the creditor from trying to collect the debt in another state. "

The constitution of the US is primary. Federal bankruptcy law which is derived from specific mandates it is absolute under this example.

Detroit - An attorney for the Detroit Board of Education says a lawsuit by the state Attorney General's office to remove seven board members is "racist" and "a fraud" and must be dropped.

Rest

Still timely...

There are real consequences that can happen as a result of this misguided Union takeover venture (PROP 2) of our constitution.

Attorney General Bill Schuette on Thursday raised concerns about the devastating impact Proposal 2 would have on the safety of children in Michigan's public schools.  His remarks come on the heels of new and misleading ads falsely claiming that Proposal 2 would not impact the safety of Michigan's schools and classrooms.  Schuette was joined by Midland County Sheriff Jerry Nielsen and Eaton County Sheriff Mike Raines. Schuette said:

"The fact is and the truth is, Proposal 2 will undermine 170 laws, including critical measures intended to keep children safe in our schools. A huge concern for parents is preserving the safety of their children both to and from school, and in the classroom.  The legislature passed laws which provide safety tools like background checks to detect criminal records and drug or alcohol abuse before prospective employees set foot inside a school.

Proposal 2 would prohibit commonsense disciplinary policies for school employees and threaten state safety standards for school buses, both which makes the job of law enforcement more difficult.  Parents want safe streets on the way to school and safe hallways and safe classrooms.  Cops and sheriffs are on the front lines of safety.  Proposal 2 simply ties the hands of law enforcement and endangers the safety of Michigan's school children."

According to Proposal 2's own language, Michigan parents, voters and lawmakers would be permanently prohibited from "limit(ing) the right to collectively bargain for wages, hours and other terms and conditions of employment."  Schuette noted the broad language of the proposal would allow collective bargaining agreements to override laws like Public Act 103 of 2011, which prohibits collective bargaining over teacher discipline policies to keep kids safe from teachers who abuse drugs and alcohol, and Public 187 of 1990, which establishes minimum training and continuing education requirements for people operating school buses.

Illegal scheme continued despite law explicitly stating providers are not government employees

MIDLAND -- Michigan's 60,000 home health care aides should no longer have so-called union dues skimmed from their subsidy checks as a result of an informal but binding opinion letter issued today by Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette. The opinion was issued in response to a request by Rep. Paul Opsommer, R-DeWitt, six weeks after Gov. Rick Snyder signed legislation ending the stealth unionization. The Service Employees International Union has taken some $30 million from the state's most vulnerable residents over the last six years, including more than $680,000 since the scheme was outlawed.

"This episode demonstrates how government-sector unions often act in ways that benefit themselves at the cost of taxpayers and their shanghaied members," said Mackinac Center Legal Foundation Director Patrick J. Wright. "The independent contractors and family members who provide aid to the developmentally disabled were never government employees and should not have been paying dues in the first place."

But he's worried now, about us -- our state, our nation, and our future. Last week he sent a rather remarkable letter to a number of opinion leaders in this state. "I am writing to you now with a sense of dismay," he says. "During my time in office I truly tried to serve the people," he says, adding with pride that, "during my time in office, very few of my opinions were ever overturned."

Opinions issued by an attorney general, by the way, have the force of law, unless they are specifically overturned by a court.

So he is super bummed that he is being told he is wrong.  Big surprise.

Kelley complains that constitutional protections are being threatened.  Particularly where corporations and money going to elections would be concerned.  Strangely, I don't recall a Kelly 'decision' that said unions couldn't participate in the election process, and I really don't recall any kvetching about the McCain Feingold bill which convoluted the entire process even more.  No, Franky Kelley would like it one way and if the flavor doesn't have his stink, he isn't happy.

Go cry a river FORMER ag.

And while you are at it, consider this great representation of individual rights you fought for. Yeah, that one.  Right.  

Remember that guy from Michigan who went around stabbing people?  That guy, Elias Abuelazam, has been arraigned on a charge of assault with intent to murder. And while he has only been charged for one attack, more charges can be expected. Abuelazam, to date, is accused of stabbing 13 people in Flint, 5 of those resulting in death. There is also 1 Ohio non-fatal stabbing, an additional 3 non-fatal attacks in Virginia, and an investigation into a probable link to a 2009 homicide stabbing in that same state.

Last Thursday, Abuelazam was extradited from Atlanta to Michigan. The extradition process alone was drawn out and costly.

The Virginia connection has problems however.  It seems while the Flint attacks were linked to the Virginia attacks, a full two weeks before the extradition process, there was no attempt to contact the Virginia officials by the Genesee prosecutor.  In fact, the prosecutor for Loundoun County in the Commonwealth of Virginia, Jim Plowman publicly criticized David Leyton for not returning his calls or messages. On one occasion, Plowman claims he asked to speak directly to David Leyton regarding the Abuelazam case.
 

"You'd think they'd return my phone calls, especially since I have information that will help them,"

"I know multi-jurisdictional cases are tough, but I should be able to get my counterpart on the phone."

David?  They ARE Criminals.

And I have found that running for delegate is like putting on a perfume that attracts a certain species of politico.  All of a sudden, mailings from prospective SOS, and AG candidates appear, and special surveys for delegates become a part of the daily calls coming in.

And I was never one of the popular kids in school.

I have to say, the ability to cast a vote for a strong Attorney General Candidate as well as the Secretary of State to go forward and face the choice of the Dems is quite a special deal.  At least the attention paid to those who might would suggest it is.