Monthly Archives: November 2016

Michigan

Teacher Pension Reform

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Something that should have happened decades ago, might happen soon.

brandenburgState Senator Jack Brandenburg posted this on FB today.

Facebook has somehow supplanted blogging and other online information sources.  I have a post upcoming for this.  In the meantime, I’m passing this along as a public service.

Dear Friends,

Hundreds of teachers have been emailing and calling my office regarding Senate Bill 102, which changes the teacher retirement plan. It has become very obvious to me that they have been misinformed.

First and foremost, if you are a current or retired educator, your pension benefit will not change one bit. You will not lose one cent. Your pensions are guaranteed and protected by the Michigan State Constitution. Once again, current teacher’s and retiree’s pensions are protected, every single cent.

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Michigan, Michigan Politics

Fifth Down

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So.. Michigan Beat Ohio State, Right?

Oh, did I peel off that bandage too soon?5thdown

Can’t stand the school lately.  But love the game, and hate to see it abused in this way.  The complete officiating crew should be banned from working on this side of the country, or in any bowl games permanently.

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Michigan, Michigan Politics

The State wants in…

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Follow the Money

The State wants in…

The new “marihuana” law…

Does a difference of one letter mean something in legal terms????…Can’t wait to find out…Anyway, back to the point…

As a Planning Commission member, the new medical marijuana (mariHuana???) laws directly affect my responsibilities a keeper of the Zoning Ordinance…The new laws take effect December 20th of this year, so we all might want to know what’s in them…As much as I hate wading through pages of legislative ‘legalese’, I have begun a cursory inspection…So far, looks like a great deal….for the State of Michigan…

So my being fairly conservative, I approached it from that perspective….To be blunt….the State wants in!!!…Seeing a thriving revenue stream go ‘untapped’ seems to be a cardinal sin to our State legislature, so they ‘fixed’ it…10 new licensing ‘fees’, two brand new taxes, two new ‘boards’ creating a total of 22 new government jobs would seem to do the trick…and I can plainly see more of this coming…Let’s do the “Readers Digest” version first, and we can discuss the issues later…

Five new licensing ‘fees’ (think tax) from the State, five again for any ‘municipality’ that decides to allow (and tax and regulate) any commercial operation connected with the industry…The legislature grants itself permission to ‘raid’ the “Michigan mariHuana registry fund, creates two ‘new’ regulatory boards (more later), and then actually ’taxes’ the commercial end of this…and puts the onus of implementation on the Townships, hence MY involvement…

I welcome any and all discussion here…should we be asked to write a new ordinance governing ‘commercial’ marijuana enterprises within our bounds, what safeguards should we insist be included???…I can make ‘private property rights’ arguments all day, but those need to be transmitted on a personal level to make them really ‘sink in’…I do not wish to suppress any committed commercial endeavor within my Township, but in order for that to happen, we must be ASKED to write the accommodating ordinance, which is why I post this….Please make this thread a topic of serious discussion…

Does one letter make a difference???…

I leave you with this, borrowed from a Libertarian post I saw recently…

“Any license or permit is simply the government stealing an individual liberty, in order to sell it back to you.”

More later…

Tom B…

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All the Other Stuff, Michigan, Philosophy, Rent Seeking

Ghosts Of Thanksgiving Past

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Some highlights from former Thanksgiving related postings.

thanksgiving-washingtonSome selections from prior Thanksgivings at RightMichigan.

Some links might be broken, but the overall effort is worth it.  Starting 5 years ago:

Thanksgiving In the Sphere 2011

Detroit Wayne County Conservative (via the Examiner) Conservative – Thanksgiving 2011

CapCon – Larry Reed Classic – There’d Be No Thanksgiving Without The Profit Motive

Core Principles – Thanksgiving The Result Of Free Enterprise And Prayer

Dave Lambert – The Four Freedoms

The Minority Report – What Your Turkey Ate

Here Comes Later –A Morning Salute

Michigan Right To Life – Abortion Clinics Closed Permanently

Motor City Times – Thanksgiving Morning Linkage!  WOW!

The Stoeker Factor – Last Comment Worth the Link.

The Wizard Of Laws – Giving Thanks

More below

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All the Other Stuff, Conservative News, Cronyism, Democrats, Detroit, Government Incompetence, Michigan, Michigan Politics, Opinion, Philosophy, Rent Seeking, Republicans, Sports, Taxes

Um yeah, about that Detroit Pistons move…

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Normally, sports doesn’t have much to do with politics here in Michigan.

Only in this case, what is happening behind the scenes should be of concern to everyone living in Michigan.

Hint: Think politicians being generous with other people’s money.

{Continued below the fold}

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Conservative News, Democrats, Flint Water Fiasco, Government Incompetence, Michigan, Michigan Politics, Religious Freedom, Sports

Never Let A Crisis Go To Waste

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Flint Lead Remediation Effort Morphs Into An Attack On Hunting, Target Shooting, Fishing, And Even Churches

brian-calley

Michigan’s elites have clearly not absorbed the lesson of November 8th, yet.

The Michigan’s Child Lead Poisoning Elimination Board issued their final report last week. Chairman Brian Calley and his team of 14 politicians experts were empanelled by Executive Order 2016-09 to demonstrate that Governor Snyder actually cared about the Flint children exposed to lead, by his previously empanelled team of professional incompetents experts. The CLPEB’s recommendations are a liberal wish list of expensive dreams mostly unrelated to the underlying cause of the Flint water fiasco: government incompetence.

But the CLPEB did put forth the effort to launch an attack on hunting, target shooting, sport fishing, and even religion. Recommended on page 22 of their final report:

Prohibit lead in fishing tackle, establish a fishing tackle trade-in program to encourage consumers and industries to transition away from lead-based tackle, and encourage further study of lead in fishing tackle.

Establish regulations to protect against lead exposures through the use of firearms by:

o Establishing an ammunition trade-in program.
o Establishing a wild game meat testing program for donated products.
o Developing a health education program and public education materials for lead exposures in hunting and wild game consumption.

Recommended on page 26 of their final report:

In post-1978 homes, dust, soil, and water testing should be conducted at the time of transfer of the property or upon the occurrence of some other reliable event, or whenever there are indications of a high-risk activity, such as stained-glass window work or ammunition reloading, being done in the home.

Here we have the elites punishing their subjects for the mistakes of the elites. Michigan government at its finest.

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Michigan, Michigan Politics, Republicans

Old Men Throwing Tantrums – A Sad Account of the Oakland County Republican Party Convention

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Although Trump may have won the state of Michigan in unexpected and dramatic fashion, it didn’t feel like that was the case at the Oakland County Republican Party Convention yesterday. Whereas we should have been singing Kumbaya and toasting the imminent demise of liberalism, there was instead strife, turmoil and mayhem due in large part to many dubious local swamp rats chomping at the bit to be drained.

Let’s cut straight to the chase, I will cover the insipid bureaucratic squabbling later. The conquering heroes did all they could to keep order during the event. The chairman was put into place fairly, and he was immediately confronted and challenged by the fringe minority. This unhinged minority presented confusing and contradictory motions. They yelled obscenities. They staged histrionics designed to trick unwitting delegates into siding with them in the frenzy of the madness they artificially created.

Chairman Matt Maddock entertained the motions of the crybaby minority, going out of his way to hear concerns that were frankly rude, unnecessary and embarrassing. This fringe minority called division on a motion to stop discussion that took roughly thirty minutes to sort out amidst constant chatter in the audience and poor audio quality staged throughout the venue. Old men were throwing tantrums like little children. Obviously, egotistical infighting had taken precedence to party unity and crushing liberal scum within these petty, desperate individuals.

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Michigan, Michigan Politics, Rent Seeking, Republicans, Research & Analysis

Michigan’s Energy Senate Bill 437/ VOTE NO!

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Cronyism alive and well in Lansing with renewable energy mandate 'lighting' it up.

fuscaldoThe Michigan Chamber of Commerce and the two energy oligopolists in Michigan, through their lobbyists are attempting to railroad through a lame duck Michigan legislature Senate Bill 437. The bill would line the pockets of the energy oligopolists with subsidies and alleged necessary rate increases. The “climate change” advocates are being bribed to support the legislation because the legislation includes the production of more renewable energy in Michigan via windmills, etc. pursuant to Granholm’s 2008 Renewable Energy Mandate.

The following quote is from the linked article that substantiates the claim that in view of the 2016 Presidential Election results the legislature should stand fast and not support this wind fall profit package to the energy oligopolists and climate change advocates.

QUOTE: “The election of Donald Trump as the next president of the United States and the GOP maintaining control of the U.S. House and Senate means the key reason for pushing forward with Senate Bill 437, a bill that will revise utility regulations in Michigan, has effectively gone away.”
http://www.michigancapitolconfidential.com/22976

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Elections, Michigan

Ted Nugent Thanks America

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The motor city madman offers heartfelt appreciation for the future of our nation.

You gotta love this guy.

Michigan Native Ted Nugent in the wee morning hours of the 9th as election results are finalized, lets it all out.  Particularly entertaining and frank, he is thankful for the incredible results.  He gets particularly happy when he sees that Michigan went Red (the 9:00), going for Trump.

Language and philosophical advisory:  Not for the faint of heart, young children, or puppy cuddling, safe-space, college pee-pants protesters.

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