Tag: Grand Traverse

Where else can the feel good elitist Lefties spend taxpayer money anymore with nary a peep from the paying-forever class.

Parks programs are a great excuse to build dynasties, develop social connections, ensure a support base for political aspirees.  But who can argue against the 'healthy impact' a strong parks and rec program has on your local community? The claims are ever-so-common, and made by those who operate such programs, yet would be hard pressed to prove such assertions if actually challenged.

Mission creep within a department assigned to make accessible park and land resources owned by a local municipality, is near guaranteed when operators or directors discover the ultimate weakness of their Parks & Rec degrees.  That a degree earned while squandering 4 to 6 years away in our taxpayer subsidized university systems has little to no value in the real world, except where people are too busy to note the difference between government programming and individual initiative.

For SE Michigan, it will be ALL of Michigan's taxpayers who will be soon footing the bill for programming and access they will never use.   In Grand traverse County, the political will to support such 'programming' in our parks is about to be tested.

To which I say, "About damned time".

Possibly the most in-your-face government nanny state BS to ever grace a televised Tiger game is LIVE this weekend.  Seat belt enforcement zones in effect through Memorial Day

".. law enforcement officers from 155 agencies will be conducting safety belt enforcement zones in 26 counties across the state through June 2.

..

Agencies in the following counties will have extra officers out enforcing the state's seat belt law during the Click It or Ticket campaign: Allegan, Berrien, Calhoun, Chippewa, Delta, Eaton, Genesee, Grand Traverse, Houghton, Ingham, Jackson, Kalamazoo, Kent, Livingston, Macomb, Marquette, Monroe, Muskegon, Oakland, Ogemaw, Ottawa, Saginaw, St. Clair, Van Buren, Washtenaw and Wayne.

Annoyance at this program stems not so much from a common sense application of the tools used to protect passengers of automobiles, but rather the steamy breathed way it is presented as LAW. And that we pay for those ads. (perhaps legislators could look at funding that drives that type of inane garbage?)

YOU WILL PUT YOUR BELT ON, MAGGOT!

There is no shortage of material to do so with, and the concerns we address are open and frank.  We agreed that the Michigan Business Tax was a job killer, and it was handled with the legislature and governor eliminating it with a restructuring.  The restructuring, perhaps not utilizing sufficient cost savings that would have prevented a tax increase on seniors however has made for some interesting conversation.

Sometimes high strung, but still interesting.

At the very least, if anyone here was communicating (at least if it were me) directly with the governor on policy, and providing a communications forum for a little back and forth, we would at least be paying attention.  Agree with him or not, when you have the governor's ear, you talk to it.

I mean maybe not actually enjoy the loud BOOOOOOO given by 75-100 demonstrators with hate filled resolve, but still feel .. umm I'm not sure.  Its just plain strange, but there was a thrill, perhaps even a weird exhilaration that these people took special notice as I walked through taking their pictures with my cell phone going into the governor's breakfast.  It was like they secretly LOVED [to hate] me.

Perhaps it was the realization that this is all they have.  The signs being carried to object to Snyder's budget, or EFM law or what have you, completely forgotten as the entire cadre of hard core lefties in the Grand Traverse region (from several counties I believe) turned to give me their full attention.  I realized the enjoyment of course as I burst out laughing at them, which made it louder.

Most of these folks were not the typical lefties mind you, they were the area's seasoned veterans who aren't afraid to block a sidewalk, lean on people's private vehicles, and generally prove that the maturity of the hyper liberal mind can be questionable.  As I have said before, I have Democrat friends.  And I know of a few who have even supported my efforts.  These folks in front of the venue holding the yearly affair, were the elite.

The nature of the way that government is influenced is becoming incredibly complicated.

For the average person, it is often nearly too complicated to correctly know what certain groups represent, or WHY they wish to advance government in a particular direction, other than what might be stated as a flowery and appealing descriptive.  Positive reflections of outcomes wished for detailed in descriptive titles.

Grand Visions. Sustainable Growth.  Smart Growth.  Regional Collaboration. Visioning.

How could anything be wrong with that?  No one wants "bleak Visions," "corrosive growth," or stupid growth," or even "regional disagreement," right?  The descriptive labels can be misleading.  The method for deciding what growth is "smart," or who's vision we shall follow, is unfortunately-too-often a bit of a travel through the socialist myopic lens. One that means that we must all collaborate on what our neighbors should be allowed to do. Control of our community resources so that all (including our generational beneficiaries) may equally benefit, no matter their contribution.  Excluding those of course, who cannot survive the onslaught of new limits to their own plans.

Its sometimes hard to explain all the ways in which this happens, so that people understand the insidious nature in which their best participatory intentions are twisted into a socialist Utopian tool.

It requires a step back and an arms length review of the elements in play.