48 search results for "MEDC"

Is “Team” Snyder tied to Kawme Kilpatrick’s Criminal Enterprise?

Governor Rick Snyder’s economic “team” was one of several contractors who pumped millions into ex-Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick’s alleged criminal enterprise. Although the government hid the companies’ identities in the indictment, public records and interviews helped put names to aliases. The list of companies includes deep-pocketed donors and powerful executives. Hmmm… maybe that’s why the governor chose to abolish the “Nerd Fund” rather than to expose his donors?

Kawme & SnyderThe companies involved are going to be needed by the FBI and the U.S. Attorney’s Office to help prosecute the case. “It’s always hard to say whether the payer of a bribe is culpable or a victim of the crime,” said Peter Henning, a law professor at Wayne State University and former federal prosecutor.

“Sometimes that’s hard to distinguish.” So far, most executives linked to the corruption probe have escaped indictment. Some witnesses were granted immunity and others are victims, U.S. Attorney Barbara McQuade said.

Among the contractors who were allegedly extorted to retain Bobby Ferguson as a subcontractor include Walbridge, a general contractor headed by John Rakolta Jr., a longtime area powerbroker who was recently named to the Michigan Economic Development Corp. (MEDC) by Snyder. Wayne County and its Building Authority has filed a law suit seeking to recover $154 million from 3 jail contractors including John Rakolta’s Walbridge.

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Yet Another Government Boondoggle M-1 Rail Line ‘on the Wrong Track’ for Michigan Taxpayers

Detroit M-1 Rail LineThe Republicans with the Republican controlled legislature in Lansing is passing legislation more in line with the Democrat Party!

The Grand Old Party is supposed to stand for a more conservative stand on issues. They are supposed to stand for and believe that the federal government should not play a big role in people’s lives. Most Republicans favor lower taxes and less government spending on social programs. They are supposed to stand for and believe in less government intervention in business and the economy. Not the case here in Michigan!

Our current Republican Governor and his counterparts within the Republican controlled legislature in Lansing has proven the exact opposite of the stated stand above they do not adhere to that ideology. Higher taxation, more regulation and bigger government involvement and intervention in business and the economy at the cost to taxpayers has further proven they are on the wrong track for Michigan’s taxpaying citizens and the Republican Party’s stated mission.

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DNR Strategy & Land Grab Update

After Event Report - MUCC Hosted Event In Acme, Michigan February 17, 2014

DNR-trust-fundLast night’s Agenda 21 party (oops, I mean Land Trust Town Hall) showed Rep. Wayne Schmidt as the pro-government, anti private property progressive he is. Sitting on a panel hosted by MUCC, surrounded by reps from the Land Conservancy, MEDC, and League of ‘Conservation’ (NOT conservative) Voters; he pressed this audience for support of his bill (HB 5210) to remove the cap on State owned land in the Northern Lower and UP.

Apparently, 5 million acres of State owned land is NOT enough.

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Crony Capitalism Keeps Rolling along as Michigan Taxpayers Take the Hit

The new Red Wings Arena has been approved to be stolen from the taxpayers and I mean “all” taxpayers of Michigan not just Detroit because first off Detroit doesn’t have any taxpayers to speak of. Remember Governor Snyder has pledged 350 Million of Michigan taxpayers money to “Bailout” Detroit and the DIA.

The construction of the arena itself would be about 60% publicly funded. No Detroit general fund dollars would be spent; the state (taxpayers) is contributing the bulk of the public investment. Through the “failed” MEDC and Governor Rick Snyder who is an advocate for the deal, which will use “bonds” from the Michigan Strategic Fund one of numerous subsidiaries of the quasi government entity the un-elected MEDC.Arena New Red Wings

A quick refresher course on the definition of “Bonds” where the taxpayers are concerned. The seller of these “Bonds”, in this case the state of Michigan (we taxpayers) are the borrowers, the buyers of these bonds are essentially the lenders. Sounds a lot like a Bank doesn’t it?

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Obsolescence And The Electoral Hereafter

gates-medcWe’re thinking Michigan’s 104th district representative Wayne Schmidt doesn’t expect to win Michigan’s 37th state senate seat in 2014.

In fact, he might have had that realization for several months now. Perhaps an angel of mercy descended at that time from the polling pearly gates, because it was in September that Schmidt, authored a bill that has yet to make it out of committee. Schmidt appears to be trying to create a quasi-government highly paid position that will be ‘tailored’ for his haberdashery retail management (suit store clerk) background, and  government experience.

“And he’s buying a stairway to heaven …”

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OK, So Lets See The Other Side

pure-somethingToo often, your local government will have advocates of money-spending that holds out the promise of jobs, or some tangible benefit that can be presented in dollars gained back for the community.

The authors of such fiction typically seek to justify their own positions of employment within that community, and possibly within the government entity itself. Axiomatically however, all of them have a stake in the outcome of the requested spending.  They will be asked for, and then will present metrics, or a presumed study of return on investment (ROI) and typically the elected leadership falls for it hook, line and sinker.

A perfect example was during a consideration of funding for the MSU extension office in Grand Traverse County when I was an elected commissioner.  County commissioners were given plenty of reading materials by the MSU advocates to show us that for every dollar spent we would see a result of $17 in benefit to the county.  The calculations as it turned out were premised on a ‘guess,’ that was then multiplied by a compounding analysis program that is used by MSU intellectuals, that relies on ‘guesses’ for the input variables.

Go. State.   ..  Yay.

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A Nation Of Takers – Divertere?

The worst part of Rick Snyder’s MASSIVE expansion of the MEDC, and the plans in the works for the rewarding of Michigan business to resettle in Detroit, is that the money comes from elsewhere.

Central planning under ANY pretty name is STILL central planning.

 

This video by AEI is entertaining, and the messaging is spot on.  Any 8 year old could understand, but will our legislators?

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Rand Paul’s Folly – Or Snyder/Paul 2016

RandThis Is NOT Your Daddy’s ‘Paul’

Some of the ideas are familiar, but limited in ways typically embraced by establishment Republicans.

Rand Paul’s visit to Detroit was precipitated by a conference call being reported by the Detroit News. In it, Senator Paul speaks of enterprise zones, with taxes so low as to “bail yourselves out”. Adding to this an loosened visa incentive for a flow of foreign “entrepreneurs” into the city.

Paul, widely considered a 2016 potential presidential candidate, said he will introduce legislation Monday to create “economic freedom zones” by dramatically lowering taxes in depressed areas and loosen visa rules to encourage foreign entrepreneurs to immigrate to the city.We hope to create taxes so low you essentially are able to bail yourselves out,” Paul said Thursday in a conference call outlining his plan.


So now instead of “jobs that Americans don’t want to do,” perhaps we will be talking about cities that Americans don’t want to live or work in.

I wonder how that would work?

Maybe something like this?

Mr Chen, you are welcome to stay, invest, develop, and work in our country. However, you are limited to this particular region. If for some reason you are not satisfied there, I guess you are out of luck.”

Or in other words,

Welcome to the Hotel Detroit. Love it, or get the hell out of our country..”

Right, somehow I can’t see THAT happening.

Which of course begs the question of what happens to those who emigrate, and decide to move somewhere a little safer than Baghdad of Michigan? When “loosening visa requirements,” it seems that a genie let out is a little hard to stuff back in the lamp. Its hard to imagine ‘restrictive’ movement placed on those who simply seek a better life, and upon finding out that Detroit is no better than the hole they left, it is highly likely that they will indeed “seek” such a place.

And it seems we have heard those words about foreigners feeling welcomed before.

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