Jason

Michigan, Michigan Politics, Opinion

So You Want To lower Insurance Costs?

by  •  • 2 Comments

Is Michigan's Catastrophic Claims Mandate the problem?

Start with a sense of agreement that our GOP controlled legislature has with the new leader of the smurfs.

Insurance costs too much.  And since Lansing is already aglow in the possibility of adding more taxes on top of the 40% increase in plate fees and added gas taxes, we need a break right?

Who better to underwrite such ‘breaks’ than insurance carriers, right? Government always finds ways to shunt higher costs on to taxpayers OR those in an industry that they have manipulated for so many years.  So what is the message when we see this?

After Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s State of the State address on Tuesday, state Rep. Michele Hoitenga, R-Manton, said that insurance reform will be one of the GOP’s top priorities this session. Speaker of the House Lee Chatfield, R-Levering, established a separate committee to devise a way past obstacles to bringing down rates.

In a tweet, Chatfield said citizens need a bipartisan solution.

“It’s time we cut through politics and deliver real reform to our rigged car insurance system,” Chatfield’s tweet says. “Families and seniors are paying too much, and they deserve relief. I’ve created a special committee to reform car insurance and have asked [Rep. Jason] Wentworth to chair it. Let’s get it done!”

We deserve relief.

Whew!  Glad we got that settled.  So let me make it real easy.

First start off with that part of the process that enjoys a failing google grade.  It adds $hundreds a year to each vehicle we own, and holds onto $20,000,000,000.00 of Michigan ratepayers money.  Yeah, that’s $20 Billion.

Its a tax.  Don’t forget that.

And actually.. just start and end with that and then watch for a while.

You Betcha! (8)Nuh Uh.(0)

All the Other Stuff, Liberty, Michigan, Michigan Politics, Opinion

A Question To Ask

by  •  • 3 Comments

Who is really in charge here?

Can the Federal Government own land?

Apparently so, if one reads the constitution.  “The Congress shall have Power to dispose of and make all needful Rules and Regulations respecting the Territory or other Property belonging to the United States; and nothing in this Constitution shall be so construed as to prejudice any claims of the United States, or of any particular state..” Stated in Article IV reads fairly clear.

But where are the limits?  If one were to go with that part as it has been interpreted, the congress then has power to declare all land to be under it’s jurisdiction, and subject no longer to the respective states, right?  Obviously not if practice is our guide. At some point there is a limit where the states retain control over their respective borders.  A further restraint on the ability of the federal government and Congress to simply take over land.

Yes, it is ALSO in the constitution.  And YES, it has been ignored. Article 1 Section 8 clearly sets forth a manner under which the federal government may acquire and control property.

“To exercise exclusive legislation in all cases whatsoever, over such District (not exceeding ten miles square) as may, by cession of particular states, and the acceptance of Congress, become the seat of the government of the United States, and to exercise like authority over all places purchased by the consent of the legislature of the state in which the same shall be, for the erection of forts, magazines, arsenals, dockyards, and other needful buildings; ..”

Emboldened parts being relevant.

READ MORE ►

You Betcha! (11)Nuh Uh.(0)

Michigan, Michigan Politics, Opinion

Gridlock Is Good.

by  •  • 7 Comments

Whitmer attempt to lay new tax on Michiganians slowed by opposition. For now.

Something we could have used after 2012 was a little disagreement by the legislature and the governor.

After 2012, the state lost control of the insurer of last resort, Obamacare was adopted, and gas taxes skyrocketed.  Snyder failed on the Flint fiasco, both on public perception of the problem and with the team sent to fix the problem when he knew it was happening.

Democrats, and Gretchen Whitmer in particular, are not going to let that particular crisis go to waste, and attempted a rewrite of the DEQ under the auspices of clean water.  The GOP controlled house says “:wait just a minute there GRRRL power:“

Rep. Jim Lower, the resolution’s sponsor, said he considered the executive order an overreach that “constituted a direct attack” on legislative powers. He also defended the panels’ merits and said they provided a needed layer over oversight.

“We shouldn’t be silencing the voices of people with on the ground, commonsense experience,” said Lower, R-Cedar Lake.

Jim Lower is correct, but there is more.

What Whitmer was attempting stinks of former state house member Dan Scripps’ scurrilous attempt at controlling underground water resources. The cost of such efforts is too high, and a price Michiganians ought not bear.

While clean drinking water should be expected by those who live in cities like Flint, we should remember that it was a failure of government, and the underlying accountability of the executive branch to manage such a disaster.  Granholm Whitmer has the ability to deal with such things as they arise without additional tools that threaten personal use and add cost.

Fact:  Regulation is a tax and this is a big one if allowed to go forward.

You Betcha! (11)Nuh Uh.(0)

2020 Presidential Election, All the Other Stuff, Michigan, Philosophy

Encore

by  •  • 5 Comments

Give that speech writer a medal.

Truth be told, I had been anticipating the President’s State of The Union a bit.

Pelosi opened the people’s house to the speech, and I was not sure if she understood that Trump has no limit switch. He was not likely to roll over and behave in a way that made her or the (currently) Democrat controlled house look very good.

Donald J Trump did not disappoint. He was persuasive, challenged the non-stop efforts to make his job difficult, and showed the country that all that the white suited (cult like) XX congress critters wanted was Grrrl Power. His words drew them out, revealing that the heroes on the president’s guest list weren’t worthy of their praise or approval, including holocaust, cancer, and extreme violence survivors.

He exposed them.

He brought out socialism, and forced those in attendance to face the demon in the room.  Bernie Sanders may have had to change his shorts soon after the speech, as the redness of his face on Trump’s declaration that “America Will Never Be A Socialist Country” indicated he (Sanders) was likely baking a cookie.

The President then closed out with one of the best examples of a sincere conviction that our best is yet to come, but only if we come together.  The epilogue finding itself as probably the best DJT speech on achievement and aspiration I have witnessed.

Truly worth a second look.

You Betcha! (16)Nuh Uh.(0)

Government Incompetence, Michigan, Michigan Politics, Opinion, Philosophy

A State Of Emergency

by  •  • 9 Comments

Unbound utilities, unchecked environmentalism, and short-sighted planning responsible for when/if the lights go out.

Years ago I wrote on the EPA regulations that essentially write off the future of coal for electrical generation.

Shortly after that that I wrote another piece which described the layers of problems facing the folks in rural areas, and specifically the Upper peninsula with the failure to support our coal burning electrical platform.  However, the meat of the piece better describes the way in which natural gas providers have also played a a part in defeating coal.

Coming amidst an impending decision by the EPA on the Utility MACT (maximum achievable control technology)  rule that is expected to lead to job loses, plant shutdowns, and rolling blackouts across the country, this strange partnership raises a question.  What does Chesapeake stand to gain, by pouring money into a seemingly disparate organization with extremely different objectives and priorities? Politico writes:

The ads come as the coal industry is at war with the Obama administration over new rules to curb pollution from coal-fired power plants. The EPA is expected to issue new rules on Friday to curb air toxics from power plants, which are estimated to cost industry about $10.9 billion each year.Stricter rules for power plants are expected to offer a competitive advantage to the cleaner-burning natural gas industry.

Oh, so its an end-justifies-the-means kind of thing.  Rent seeking.  But when questioned, Chesapeake officials have stated that the flood of cash to ALA is merely business as usual for the company, which donates to “a wide variety and number of health and medical-related organizations.  Well that’s very responsible of them, bravo for being so charitable.

Of course we all know better.

READ MORE ►

You Betcha! (18)Nuh Uh.(1)

All the Other Stuff, Humor in Michigan, Michigan, Opinion, Philosophy

Best President Ever

by  •  • 2 Comments

The baggage is in the halls of Congress

How can this guy be one-upped?

While some of the #NeverTrump #TDS sufferers might complain about the (yawn) dignity of the Office, those of us in the hood can enjoy some of the street scrapping that OUR president is doing with the intransigent left.  With the type of enema enemy we face in the squawking heads of the Democrat party, total humiliation is probably one of the most dangerous but necessary weapons.

Not only has Donald Trump saved taxpayers a ton of money during the purported shut down, he has now ‘delivered’ a message to the broadside of democrat congressional leadership. Too good to pass up on our Michigan forum:

Hello United?

I lost my unmentionables ..

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

Detroit, Humor in Michigan, Michigan, Michigan Politics, Opinion, Philosophy

Dumb All Over – Or Perhaps Cosmik Debris

by  •  • 1 Comment

No Dust of the Great Wazoo - Yet.

No more ‘Crack.’

Nope, not a chance.  At least not at Hopcat.  The utterance of such a racist word is enough to send even the strongest of today’s hyper-sensitized booze hounds panicking to a safe room of crayons, puppies, and Mi-Two-Daddie’s™ Frank Zappa album collection.

Just well seasoned politically correct root cuts are being served now.  The fail of the millennial condition plods forward with no ketchup and less spice than one might expect from an over-hyped bar with a deep fryer in the back.  The new name for what used to be called ‘Crack fries’ is literally cosmic ..man.  From the Detroit News

“The inspiration for the name comes from Mark Sellers’ (our founder), love of Frank Zappa. One of Zappa’s classic songs, ‘Cosmik Debris,’ mentions ‘the oil of Aphrodite’ and ‘the dust of the great wazoo.’ We’ve yet to incorporate these ingredients into our seasoning, but you never know what the future holds.”

No Valley Girls welcome in these establishments.

Too 80s.

Like OMG

You Betcha! (12)Nuh Uh.(0)

Michigan, Michigan Politics

Money? Meet Mouth.

by  •  • 5 Comments

1st District Congressman walks the walk.

You just gotta appreciate that there are some good guys out there.

Michigan’s 1st district representative Jack Bergman is not afraid to hold fast on the principles of security for our borders.  But he recognizes the hypocrisy of collecting a paycheck when even a small minority of a few federal workers may be without (temporarily).

Today, Congressman Bergman announced that he will give all pay accrued during the government shutdown to local charities in the First Congressional District. This follows his co-sponsorship of legislation to prohibit Members of Congress from receiving compensation during a government shutdown.

“One of the main priorities of Congress is to fund the federal government and prioritize our national security, yet Democrats are refusing to come to the negotiating table to do just that. I support President Trump in this fight for border security because there is no greater responsibility than protecting the American people,” said Congressman Bergman.

“As negotiations continue, I’ll be donating my salary to local charity organizations in Michigan’s First District. If Congress fails to do its job resulting in a shutdown, then we should forfeit our pay as well. American citizens sent us to Washington to solve problems, not cause them. If we can’t do that, we don’t deserve to get paid.”

To which I say “thank you, sir.”

You Betcha! (21)Nuh Uh.(0)

Democrats, Michigan, Michigan Politics

Crickets

by  •  • 9 Comments

Newly elected Michigan Congressman demonstrates high level of class.

Silence will be all we hear from those afflicted with TDS (Trum Derangement Syndrome) on this.

Michigan seriously went to the dogs in November. Those who speak harshly of Trump’s demeanor should probably now just shut up. Unless of course, they are finally willing to engage the ever increasing insanity of the left. From the Daily wire is a reminder of why certain people have no business representing anyone:

On Thursday night, her first night as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, new Michigan Democratic Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib spoke to a crowd of supporters and decided to personify the famous statement of Michelle Obama that Democrats go high when the GOP goes low, saying of President Trump, “We’re gonna go in there and we’re gonna impeach the mother***er.”

This speaks well of those who elected her, yes?

“Boring” is not the adjective we should be using to describe the next several years I suspect.  “Respectful” may be too much to hope for as well.

Elections have consequences to be sure.

 

You Betcha! (13)Nuh Uh.(0)