Monthly Archives: July 2018

Michigan Politics

David Maturen’s Liberal Record

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David Maturen is a Republican state representative representing district 63 (eastern Kalamazoo and southern Calhoun counties).  He has held the seat since 2014, after spending 12 years on the Kalamazoo County Commission.  Maturen is one of the most liberal Republicans in the state house.

He voted to increase the state gas tax, motor fuel tax, and registration fees.

He voted to increase regulations on auto repairs.

He voted against electric choice.

He was one of only 12 house Republicans to vote against an income tax cut.

He was one of only 7 house Republicans to vote against constitutional carry.

He voted for corporate welfare for FoxConn.

He voted against a bill to cut auto insurance rates.

He voted against making English the official language of Michigan.

He voted against requiring a conviction before civil asset forfeiture.

Maturen is not pro-gun and has a D rating from the NRA.

Maturen is pro-abortion and has never been endorsed by Right to Life.

There is a better choice.  Matt Hall is right on the issues where Maturen is wrong.  (The third candidate in the race recently dropped out and endorsed Hall.)  Matt Hall is the clear choice for conservatives.

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Michigan Politics

NRA Endorsements

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The National Rifle Association has just issued its endorsements for the 2018 primary.  They give grades to candidates who have voting records or fill out their survey.  They endorse most acceptable incumbents and endorse in some open seats.  Endorsed candidates are in bold.  (Aq means a candidate got an A from the questionnaire only, and doesn’t have a voting record.)

Governor:  No endorsement.  Schuette got A+, Calley and Colbeck got A, Hines got Aq.
US Senate:  No endorsement.  John James and Sandy Pensler both got Aq.

Congress:
8. Bishop A endorsed.
11. All five Republican candidates got A or Aq.

State Senate:
6. (D) Kosowski B, Geiss F
8. Lucido A+, Goike A
10. All three got Aq.
12. Tedder A, McCready D
14. Apparently nobody filled out the questionnaire.
15. Jim Runestad A+
16. Mike Shirkey A+
19. Bizon B+, Callton A.
21. LaSata A, Pagel C.
22. Lana Theis A+
24. Barrett and Roberts both got A.
26. Nesbitt and Genetski both got A.
29. Chris Afendoulis got C+.
30. Victory, Garcia got A, DeBoer Aq, Haveman B+.
31. Gary Glenn A+, Daley A-.
32. (D) Phelps A, Gaudreau F
33. Rick Outman A
34. Bumstead, Hughes both got A.
35. Franz, Vanderwall, and Rendon all got A.
37. Schmidt A+, Gurr Aq.
38. McBroom A, Carey Aq.

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Elections, Michigan, Rent Seeking, Taxes

A Tax Increase

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Misrepresenting reality is apparently the new tool for school

Perhaps it is time for Lansing to actually fix prop A.

The local public school district is trying to sell the renewal of a 2007 bond as not being a tax increase.  Even IF the tax would be zero sans its approval.  Going from ZERO to 3.1 is an increase, yet the radio commercials tell us otherwise.

No wonder each generation is dumber than the last.

PART of the problem may be that the schools have maintenance issues that can only be addressed with new buildings?  When a roof fails, they say the building is done, not because a brick and steel structure is bad, but because the operating money from Lansing is not quite enough perhaps?

I have often remarked that this is like buying a new car when the tires go bad.

The promise of an end to a bond that is USUALLY assigned to a project, is apparently as empty as the young heads full of mush after 13 years in our public schools.   If they cannot get to fourth grade without being able to read, they haven’t a chance in deciphering the political nonsense used to sell us this S*** on a shingle ..quite literally.

Gimme a break TCAPS.

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2018 US Senate Race, Michigan

Republican Senate Contender Sandy Pensler Hammered With Misleading Video Clips

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Across the country, electoral politics have been extremely fun to watch as chaos besieges the entrenched establishments of both major political parties. With Trump out there doing his thing, we are seeing the establishment vs. insurgent dichotomy emerge throughout the country. There hasn’t been too much of it going in Michigan, as calls for ‘unity’ win the day, with the exception of the tense GOP primary battle between John James and Sandy Pensler for US Senate.

Pensler is a Wall Street tycoon with plenty of independent wealth that he is using to fund his race for Senate. He is similar to Trump in substance rather than style as he will not owe anyone favors if he is able to win his seat. James runs his family business and has an admirable record serving his country as a military veteran. Other than that, he is virtually a complete unknown. Pensler has run for office in the past as a moderate, but claims he has evolved over the years on social issues like abortion (similar to Trump yet again in that regard).

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Conservative News, Elections, Michigan, Michigan Politics, Opinion

August 8 Is Too Late

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Schuette campaign should engage now.

Bill Schuette has long been the presumed favorite as the GOP candidate for Michigan’s Gubernatorial race.

The winds of presumability are shifting however.  A whisper campaign to undermine the defacto favorite is being successfully used by Calley, in conjunction with what appears to be a 5 to 1 advertising buy ratio.

The worst possible outcome of the August 7 primary contest would be a Calley win.  With a Calley win, grassroots activists who were sickened by Governor Snyder’ liberal left policies of higher taxes, Medicaid expansion, inviting/embracing illegal/dangerous immigrants, and a feet first swim in the Detroit river bridge boondoggle will become disengaged faster than one could say ‘Tea Party.’

Even with a subtle Yob campaign of trying to convince some very active Colbeck supporters (think iceberg  – More unseen than in public media) that a Calley Colbeck ticket could come about  (if they would consider Calley), there are enough who won’t be fooled again.

Calley’s “I am a conservative” ads touting his leading the way to conservative reforms rings very hollow in light of a budget that is 11 Billion more than what it was 8 years ago, an Obamacare expansion that is already collapsing, and a (already rejected by voters) road tax that is geared to inflate automatically as our dollar shrinks. (think exponential tax increases) All of those things happened with Brian Calley’s support. Hell, it was Calley who authored the disaster that was the MBT under Granholm.

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Elections, Michigan, Michigan Politics

Wayne Schmidt Anti Gun?

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Republican politics rely heavily on 2A considerations

Typically at this time the Wayne Schmidt ‘hunters orange’ mailers will go out claiming that a vote for his primary challenger is an anti-gun vote.

I have been on the challenger side of this event with Schmidt before, and am familiar with the strategy. It was a nutty ruse that worked.  2A supporters are very serious, yet so many don’t really have time to know everything about the candidates.I have never been identified as anything but pro 2A and far more so than most elected types.

Even Larry Inman lost the coveted NRA endorsement to me in 2016, but because his campaign manager’s family ran the print shop where the NRA printed and mailed their endorsement mailers supporting my candidacy, THAT potential threat to the incumbent was neutralized by a timely follow up with his own orange (pro gun) mailer to the exact mailing list.

Gun rights are a big (perhaps biggest) issue in GOP politics.  I’ll say it however, “Wayne Schmidt is not anti gun.” But …

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Michigan, Philosophy

State Of Our Union

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Isaiah 32:1-8; Matthew 5:1-18

This Independence day message is from this last Sunday’s Sermon

Well, we celebrate Independence Day this week.

It is always a very patriotic time, at least for most of the nation. So, I have once again changed our readings around so that I might talk about the State of the Union. And I am going to start with the Pledge of Allegiance.

The first thing we should know about the pledge is that it was not composed by the Founding Fathers. It was written especially for children in the summer of 1892 to commemorate that year’s celebration of Columbus Day.

The pledge first appeared in print on September 8, in The Youth’s Companion, an educational publication. In its original form, it read: “I pledge allegiance to my Flag and the Republic for which is stands — one nation indivisible– with liberty and justice for all.”

Its author was Francis Bellamy, an assistant editor of The Youth’s Companion, who intended it for a one-time recitation by public school children across the country. But its immediate popularity transformed it first into an annual Columbus Day tradition – and then into a daily classroom ritual. It became one of the earliest verses memorized by students.

Since its debut, Bellamy’s pledge has undergone two major alterations. In 1923, the National Flag Conference of the American Legion replaced the somewhat ambiguously personal “my Flag” wording with the more explicitly patriotic “the Flag of the United States of America.” And in 1954, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed a bill that added the words “Under God.”

The pledge of allegiance, then, comes to us in its present form after having been shaped and transformed over time. So too, ours is a nation which has had its character shaped by specific factors over time.

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