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    Tag: state senate

    Well Stated, Mr. Murri


    By Corinthian Scales, Section News
    Posted on Thu Jan 09, 2014 at 09:38:35 PM EST
    Tags: Ruth Johnson, Secretary of State, Transparency, State Senate, SB661, Reporting Requirements, Hidden Agendas, Force, Government, Compulsion, The Hammer, Cronyism, Timing, Greg McNeilly, MCEF & Larry Ward = DeVos cronies, Slick Rick, The Flim-Flam Man, NERD Fund, Rich Baird (all tags)

    via WXYZ

    Ruth is perhaps the only person I will be voting for this fall.

    Comments >>

    Something To Rally Around


    By JGillman, Section News
    Posted on Fri Dec 20, 2013 at 11:23:34 AM EST
    Tags: Michigan, State Senate, SB120, SB121, SB423, Constitution, Founding Documents, Education (all tags)

    The Michigan state house education committee has received three bills worth checking out.

    Each one promoting a better understanding of the history of our country and the reasons for its founding.

    • SB121 essentially encourages schools to set aside one week a year where the students are actually exposed to the founding documents, not as tangential history, but why the compact and the constitution was developed.
    • SB120 removes the perceived shackles placed on public instruction with regard to the readings of historic records.  Heaven forbid (pun intended) that johnny hears the word God when a reading of the federalist papers, proclamations, etc.
    • SB423 Encourages the schools to provide instruction focusing on the principles of the Declaration of Independence (self evident truths), the US Constitution (our compact), and the Michigan State Constitution. It also requires the state Board of Education to update curriculum and testing standards to cover these subjects.

    Hopefully not too late, as much of the indoctrinated are already teaching.

    But we applaud such measures as worthy and restorative for our state and country.

    (6 comments) Comments >>

    A Message To Our Legislators - Beware False Choices

    Its About Force


    By JGillman, Section News
    Posted on Tue Nov 26, 2013 at 08:42:56 PM EST
    Tags: Michigan, Mackinac Center, Elections, Ruth Johnson, Transparency, State Senate, SB661, Reporting Requirements, Hidden Agendas, Force, Government, Compulsion, The Hammer (all tags)

    Folks at The Mackinac Center and I will nearly NEVER disagree.

    Particularly on issues of such magnitude as transparency or government influence in our daily lives. Yet a presumed difference between private and government monetary involvement on any issue seems to be enough to persuade its scholars that transparency is not an absolute.  Where government monies are spent it seems, is far more important to your freedoms than that which is expended to influence those expenditures or other acts. And that personal monies expended to influence government are not necessarily an impact on any personal liberties to warrant a demand for transparency.

    We DO agree that limits should be removed from campaign finance. We agree that limiting to an arbitrary amount can impede free speech and political expression. What is considered a fair contribution into the process is a completely subjective matter that can only be resolved by the person who is willing to contribute into that process.  A person's individual priorities and where a subject reaches a level of importance are hardly the providence of external assignment.

    Thus the most accurate manner in which to protect what is a sovereign right is to allow, nay, PROTECT, that person's ability to engage in the process at a level appropriate to that person alone. Our place, and that of government should be to prevent that which would infringe on such activity and instead encourage a stake in the game.

    In other words, if an individual wishes to personally expend $1 Million on a county commission race for a friend, there should be no objection from government. If it was to advocate bonding for a new swimming pool in a community, that money expended by itself guarantees no votes, and it is that person's right to seek such approvals.

    And anyhow, some things can be overdone.

    Go below the fold for more.

    (2 comments, 1192 words in story) Full Story

    Ruth Johnson Is Right.


    By JGillman, Section News
    Posted on Sun Nov 17, 2013 at 11:55:38 AM EST
    Tags: Michigan, Elections, Ruth Johnson, Sunlight, Transparency, State Senate, SB661, Reporting Requirements, Hidden Agendas (all tags)

    Here hoping that Michigan State Representatives don't forget it when it gets to them.

    A recent in-box treat from the "Michigan Freedom Fund" declares a victory in the name of free speech.  The release says:

    "LANSING, November 14, 2013 - Michigan Freedom Fund President Greg McNeilly today released the following statement after Senate Bill 661 passed 20-18 in the Senate:

    ...

    "Government has no right to target and punish the free speech of individuals, whether or not it is unpopular or delivered through an unpopular medium.  Today, the Senate did the right thing by standing up for our rights and putting the Constitution first." "

    But what was this good thing that was done?

    Ruth Johnson apparently triggered a legislative action with a recent press release and intent on expanding reporting by shadow groups.

    " LANSING, Mich. - Saying the public has a right to know who is behind some of the most negative advertising in political campaigning, Secretary of State Ruth Johnson today proposed a sweeping new disclosure rule.

    "In a country where free speech is protected, these ads are part of the political landscape and we can't stop them - but when they try to influence an election, we can make sure the public knows who is paying for them," said Johnson, a long-time fighter for transparency in elections.

    Specifically, Johnson's proposal targets political ads that try to persuade voters about the worthiness or unworthiness of a candidate or proposal without actually using the words "vote for" or "elect." They often encourage voters to contact a specific candidate, as in "call candidate Smith and tell her she shouldn't ignore senior citizens" or "go online to let candidate Jones know you care how he is wasting tax dollars."

    Because of a loophole in Michigan law, those electioneering ads - which are carefully crafted to meet the letter of the law, but not the spirit of the law - do not currently require any campaign finance reporting. "

    Transparency, we support frankly.  As usual, McNeilly is off the mark because he didn't tell the whole story.

    Go below the fold.

    (2 comments, 1145 words in story) Full Story

    2012-2013 ACU Michigan Legislature Ratings


    By Conservative First, Section News
    Posted on Sun Oct 06, 2013 at 12:22:58 AM EST
    Tags: American Conservative Union, ACU, state senate, state house (all tags)

    The American Conservative Union has long been the premier organization rating members of Congress on how conservative their voting records are.  Recently, ACU began rating state legislators on their voting records, and it just released its second ratings of the Michigan state legislature.

    ACU State Ratings 2013--MI

    Their PDF is hard to read, so I will summarize the relevant information here.

    ACU rated 20 house votes and 16 senate votes from 2012 and 2013.  Their timing is curious, since this overlaps distinct legislative sessions.  This isn't a big deal for the state senate, which wasn't up for election in 2012, but the composition of the state house changed significantly.  Thus some state reps are rated only for 2012 (12 votes) or 2013 (8 votes)  Fourteen of the bills are the same for both halves of the legislature. The most common topics for the state house votes were taxes (4 votes), gun rights and hunting (4), and education (3).  The most common topic for the state senate votes was gun rights and hunting (5 votes).

    ACU Michigan state senate ratings 2012/2013:

    100%: Brandenberg, Hune
    93-94%: Colbeck, Green, Robertson
    88%: Meekhof, Moolenaar, Pavlov, Schuitmaker
    81%: Booher, Hildenbrand, Jansen, Pappageorge, Proos, Rocca
    75-77%: Caswell, Emmons, Jones, Kowall, Marleau, Richardville, Walker
    69%: Hansen, Kahn, Nofs
    56%: Casperson
    30%: Gleason
    13%: Andersen, Bieda, Hunter
    6%: Gregory, Hood, Hopgood, Johnson, Smith, Whitmer, Young
    0%: Warren

    (2 comments, 1058 words in story) Full Story

    Chemo In Progress


    By JGillman, Section News
    Posted on Fri Sep 13, 2013 at 03:23:46 PM EST
    Tags: Michigan, Republican Party, State Senate, State House, Rick Snyder, Disease, Cancer, Chemotherapy, Bad Cells, Necessary Pain (all tags)

    Don't feel too bad, pain is a part of the treatment.

    The patient will likely experience nausea, loss of bowel control, and episodes of depression, and screaming fits should not disconcert concerned caregivers.  Exhaustion should be expected as well, but remember the process is supposed to be harder on the cancerous cells, so its best not to give up before it is done. Another reason to continue the treatment is to prevent a re-occurrence of the disease before it is completely eliminated.

    True, some forms of cancer can be fatal.  

    The bad cells burrow away in areas sometimes hard to identify. And sometimes seemingly good cells turn bad in an instant. And unfortunately, we've seen it recently.  New cancer cells appeared before our very eyes, from as far away as the UP in fact.  The threshold has been met and now many think the patient is terminal, but perhaps its possible our treatment will have an effect to buy some time.  It may even help if we can get the patient to stop smoking. Perhaps even if we can re-instill the will to live.

    We're not ready to give up yet.

    However, there is the possibility that the bad cells will cling on long enough that the treatment hurts many of the good cells. We are sorry in advance for what needs to be done.

    Its an inexact science unfortunately, and there can be a cost to heal properly, but we'll do our damnedest to see it through to the end.

    (1 comment) Comments >>

    Wayne Schmidt Spells Expediency With an "R"


    By Corinthian Scales, Section News
    Posted on Wed Sep 11, 2013 at 09:04:20 AM EST
    Tags: Wayne Schmidt, 104th, Red Light Cameras, Filling the Pockets Of Friends, ATS, Graft, tickets, Big Government, Snydercaid, Taxpayer Hammocks, Bad Law, Wayne Schmidt: Agenda 21 Smart Zones, Bolger lapdogs, You Poke It You Own It, Michigan, Constitution, Northern Michigan, Republican Primary, State Senate, 37th, Greg MacMaster, Michigan Banana Republican Party (all tags)

    Or, should the title be "The Northern Follies! Part Deux"?  Matters little as it all spells "R is for Reverse when riding with Democrats".

    The Michigan lawmaker sponsoring a bill authorizing red light cameras has made a U-turn on the issue.

    Rep. Wayne Schmidt, R-Traverse City, who chairs the House Transportation Committee, last year co-sponsored a bill that would have banned red light cameras. This year, he sponsored a bill that would have brought red light cameras to traffic intersections across the state.

    However, Rep. Schmidt said he has chosen not to move the red light authorization bill forward because of concerns he says he now has about traffic cameras and privacy issues.

    Concerns about privacy?  Sure it is.  At testimony, Rep. Peter Pettalia spelled that all out for Wayne.

    Manufacturers of red light cameras have a reputation for heavy lobbying in state capitols. It is not clear if sponsors of the bill have received any campaign support from red light camera manufacturers. Contributions do not have to be reported until the end of the year in an off-election year, according to the Michigan Secretary of State's office.

    Traverse City and Traverse County have been under financial pressure from unfunded pension liabilities, and revenue from red light cameras could provide some relief. However, Traverse City Manager Jered Ottenwess said he is not aware of any interest in installing the cameras.

    All but one of the eight co-sponsors on the red light camera bill are Democrats from the Detroit area.

    I suppose it's not a good day to be a Show Pony in the 104th with further political aspirations.

    (2 comments) Comments >>

    $100 Project Is On


    By JGillman, Section News
    Posted on Tue Sep 03, 2013 at 04:10:31 PM EST
    Tags: Michigan, $100 Project, Primaries, State Rep, State Senate, Filing Fee, Republican, Medicaid (all tags)

    Oh and BTW Henry?  Thanks for the timely commentary.

    Last week would have been enough.

    Comments >>

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