Tag Archive for Michigan House of Representatives

Making a deal with the devil.

Buried in the headlines this week between yet another fake news story regarding the pending impeachment of Pres. Trump, fixing Gov Whitmer’s line item frenzy (contrary to the media buzz, there is serious talk behind the scenes pertaining to fixing Gov. Whitmer’s not-so little temper tantrum screw-up) and the comedy of errors with the GM-UAW Strike, this story from Lansing surprising got very little attention.

Which gets even more interesting once you are made aware of what the topic of discussion was all about.

{Continues after the fold}

You Betcha! (7)Nuh Uh.(0)

I Hope She Prevails

Shouldn't voters have the right to clean their own houses?

Cindy Gamrat’s life was forever changed by her own personal decisions.

As a freshman legislator, her votes were outstanding, and logical.  She was owned by no one, and solid conservative arguments could be made for any lever she pulled. She performed as we expected, had hoped, yet had a failing that so many who are reading this are familiar.

She is human, has human characteristics, and is vulnerable to sin. As are we all.

The ‘dumb’ things she did caused a level of pain from which many of us would not be able to recover. Her career as a politician aside, the depth of hurt on the family level can have no objective measure from this side of the pen, but must certainly be spectacular.

I have often opined that “Stupidity must be painful.”  Bad decisions must have adverse consequence, or no lessons are learned and we repeat those bad decisions.  Generally the context is, of course, that the pain should be born on those who make the bad decisions. There is one situation that provides for a different result theologically and spiritually, but we are for the time being bound to the physics of our earthly existence.

In Cindy Gamrat’s case, there can be no doubt she has endured much pain.  There can be no doubt that much (if not all) of it was deserved. And there can be no doubt that all of it can be forgiven in the ways that matter.

You Betcha! (16)Nuh Uh.(2)

An Ill Portent From Michigan’s Presidential Primary

Massive Democratic Turnout on March 8th Puts Control of the Michigan House in Play

Dead Elephant Image 4aYesterday’s Presidential primary in Michigan broke the participation record set back in 1972’s Presidential primary – both in absolute terms and as a percentage of registered voters participating. While the League of Women Voters types will laud this, the establishments in both the Republican and Democratic Parties are flummoxed. Donald Trump crushed John Kasich and Bernie Sanders beat Hillary. Establishment candidates failed. Both party establishments are scrambling to finesse the insubordination of their voters.

Pundits figure that the Democratic Party establishment can bring their obstreperous base to heel, but few figure the Republican Party establishment will have any corresponding success. The prospective success or failure of their counterinsurgency warfare, and its effect upon November, fixates the press and both establishments.

But there is a less obvious, very ill portent here for Michigan Republicans.

You Betcha! (14)Nuh Uh.(1)

Lie of the Month: “We’re talking about introducing an entirely new industry to Michigan”

Pandora's Box Has Been Opened

Pandoras Box Image 2Actually, no. There are at least 28 third party data centers already up and operating in Michigan. The House Fiscal Agency thinks there are 40, but didn’t specify them. None of these 28+ existing data centers required the tax breaks just reported out of the Michigan House Committee on Tax Policy to get up and running.  But Switch SuperNAP does? Why?

The promoters of Switch SuperNAP’s tax break package launched their campaign back in November with a heavy emphasis on the ‘new industry’ angle. This whopper seems to have been originated by Switch’s spokesman Roger Martin:

“It is a tough issue,” Switch spokesman Roger Martin said. “There’s no question about it. We’re talking about introducing an entirely new industry to Michigan, something that is the future of this country and of this world. It’s a good, vigorous debate.”

You Betcha! (15)Nuh Uh.(0)

Running for Money in the 80th

An Establishment Republican Candidate Seeks Lobbyists' Love

Love-Money-Image

The special election underway in Michigan’s 80th House District is a consequence of forbidden love. Now one candidate in this special election is running for the entirely legal love of Michigan’s political money class.

Michigan’s campaign finance laws do not require financial reporting by candidate committees in the November 3rd special primary until October 23rd, but three of the filed candidates have active campaign committees whose past financial statements are open for public review.

Mary P. Whiteford came in second to Cindy A. Gamrat in the 2014 regular primary election, a hotly contested four-way race. Ms. Gamrat went on to win the general election in the 80th and then got expelled from Michigan’s State House a year later – in no small part because she antagonized the Lansing political establishment.

Ms. Whiteford was clearly the establishment Republican candidate in the 2014 race. Vice Chairman of the Allegan County Republican Committee and a significant contributor to other county Republican committees and all the correct Republican establishment candidates. Ms. Gamrat, on the other hand, has a far more modest contribution record focused on Tea Party candidates.

Ms. Whiteford spent $ 87,400 in her 2014 primary effort, an unremarkable sum by Michigan State House race standards. Ms. Gamrat spent $ 54,150 in her primary victory, so there is no story here.

Both candidates’ committees were in debt at the end of the hotly contested August 2014 primary. Ms. Gamrat’s committee owed $ 7,933.47 – all to herself and members of her immediate family. Ms. Whiteford’s committee, on the other hand, owed $ 67,701.57 – all to herself.

A Year Later…..

You Betcha! (22)Nuh Uh.(5)

Citizens Threaten To Recall Rep. Kurt Heise

Kurt Heise Will Pay For Breaking Campaign Promise

Republican activists threaten a recall of Rep. Heise if he votes to double gasoline taxes.

Republican activists threaten a recall of Rep. Heise if he votes to double gasoline taxes.

Rhetoric has been getting heated recently as the Michigan House of Representatives prepares to vote on a bill which would raise gasoline taxes by $1 billion annually.The focus of much of that heated rhetoric is Kurt Heise, the Republican representing Canton, Plymouth, and Northville in the State House.”Some activists are talking about recalling Kurt Heise if he votes to double the gas tax” said Ignacio Marques, a Republican Precinct Delegate in Canton. “Heise already broke his campaign promise to lower taxes when he voted for similar bills hiking gasoline and vehicle registration taxes in the past – we can’t let him get away with it again.”

This would not be the first time citizens attempt to recall a State Representative from the 20th House District. In 2008, State Rep. Marc Corriveau (D-Northville) faced a recall over his vote for higher taxes.

More recently in 2014, recall petitions were filed against several Plymouth Township Board Trustees.

Whether or not recall petitions will be filed against Rep. Heise remains to be seen, however.

“We will only go through with this if he votes for the tax hike,” Marques said. “But we are fully prepared to get the necessary amount of signatures to force a recall election if Heise breaks his campaign promise against higher taxes one more time.”

The bill, which passed the State Senate, will replace the flat gasoline tax of 19 cents per gallon with a higher wholesale tax. Under the new wholesale tax, state gasoline taxes could rise to 41 cents per gallon by 2018.
You Betcha! (18)Nuh Uh.(8)