Jason

How Could They Be So Cruel?

Knee-jerk legislation can only make conditions for animals even worse.

Part of being in leadership, is to have a bigger picture of what might happen when certain decisions are made.

The scope of legislative authority carries with it great responsibility. A large part is to have an understanding of human nature, and the effect that some rules will have on people’s actions. So it is important to be able to step back and logically follow through on what might stem from a vote that is cast for any particular issue.

Rules made with the intention of limiting bad behavior often cross the line into the limiting of good or neutral behavior as well. Certain regulations and laws sometimes must necessarily encroach on an absolute freedom of the individual to do whatever is desired at the moment. Examples of this might be anti abortion measures, rules limiting the ability to marry (even those with consent) minors, drug and pornography laws, and poaching.

Our social fabric depends on certain limits and boundaries to ensure that ALL are equally protected under the law in ways that promote life, healthy families, safe communities, and maintain our vibrant resources. If all of the people in our communities behaved perfectly, had good hygiene, and gratuitously respected boundaries, such laws and rules might not be necessary.

So its no surprise that when more stories of inhumane treatment of animals appear, the natural reaction of so many is to call for more laws to protect our animal friends from being at the hands of those who are disposed to cruelty and abuse. We love our pets.  Why wouldn’t we want to promote such legislation?

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Time For Part Time?

RightMi.com doing a spot check on today's activity. (As of 11AM)

Today’s Hottest action in Lansing.  So far.

The excitement grows.  Using the RightMi.com Handy dandy legislative tracker in the bar above, we see that big things are afoot! Thoughts?

Tuesday, February 23, 2016
Introduced

HR 0229 of 2016 A resolution to declare February 21-27, 2016, as Family Medicine Week in the state of Michigan.
SCR 0024 of 2016 A concurrent resolution to create the Joint Select Committee on the Flint Water Public Health Emergency.
SR 0146 of 2016 A resolution to urge Michigan communities to pursue innovative policies that promote economic development by attracting young STEAM professionals to work in financially distressed communities.
SR 0147 of 2016 A resolution to designate May 2016 as Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month.
SR 0148 of 2016 A resolution to designate February 21-27, 2016, as National Eating Disorders Awareness Week.

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Poll: Which Candidate Does Bush Exit Help Most?

Michigan GOP leadership now will look to others with Bush exit from Race.

PollThe SC Republican presidential primary in 2016 had a nearly 25% greater turnout than in 2012.

The less than 8% showing by Jeb Bush was enough for him to declare “no mas!” and suspend his campaign.  Both Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz will be expecting to see some of the support Bush formerly held.

Michigan establishment players had been strongly in the Bush camp even throughout the miserable polling and results of the first two voting/caucus events.  Only now have they been released to look at the other candidates.  We ask, “Who do you think will benefit from Jeb Bush dropping out?”

[poll id=”2″]
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Because

Just to be clear.

A while back this site left the rah-rah part of the neighborhood.

Rightmi.com stopped being the default cheerleader for the Michigan GOP as a matter of principle.  Particularly since the primary part of the MiGOP has all but abandoned its tenets and reason to exist.  What exists now is a shell of pseudo conservatism, and a mockery of the platform under which the party pretends to exist.  Arguably, we still prefer the Republicans who run on conservative platforms but the party mechanism makes it tougher to sort them out.

There is some seriously spoiled fruit in the party.  Snyder is no ‘Republican,’ yet his ‘purchasing’ of, and carrying the flag as one, is enough to fool the soft stupid on both sides of the aisle.  The machinery in place to keep Republicans in majority has corrupted the ability to recruit and retain true conservative leadership as well.  Ronna Romney does her part to keep those crazy doctrinaire Republicans in check using party money and resources.

In fact, its one of the reasons I am changing my phone service to a different carrier.  It allows me to block solicitations for the MiGOP, and these calls usually come from outside the state anyhow.

Having said all that, I still believe today’s loyalist Democrats are the bane of intellectual development.  Even more so than the blind loyalist Republicans who still support bad apples no matter what..  Flint, Detroit, etc..  The inability to look at the results of generational liberal rule and deduce the higher incompetency rate is beyond mind blowing.

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A Close Call

Shunned former 'Republican' representative joins anti gun lobbying efforts

fosterIn 2014, voters of the northern Michigan 107th house district did the rest of Michigan ‘a solid.’.

It was becoming clear that the incumbent Republican for that district was in no way representative of the conservative values he had pretended in his initial bid. From accepting tens of thousands for his upcoming campaign loss from pro-homosexual lobbying interests, added to an otherwise liberal voting record, Frank Foster had completely alienated the very (tea party) base he had enchanted in 2010.

Foster lost to Lee Chatfield in the primary of 2014, marking a rare incumbency defeat in the Michigan house races. Voters turned him out in a 6 point rout:

“In Northern Michigan, a good thing happened Tuesday.  Frank Foster, a man who by virtue of his lunch dates in Lansing alone, should not be representing the 107th district was voted off the animal farm.  Voted most desirable date to go to the Capitol prom by lobbyists, he was a top recipient of food and drink topping Randy Richardville the Senate majority leader in 2013.”

His departure has hardly left him out in the cold however. He is apparently remaining in the political scene as a gun grabber.

An examination of the minutes from a recent hearing on preemption bill (HB 4795)  before the committee on local government reveal Foster is still active, and has apparently gone completely to the dark side.  His time there was to represent opposition to legislation which provides further 2A protections for gun owners from abusive local government.

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That’s Gonna Hurt.

It's 'count day!' - This won't take long.

The joy of living in the hinterland!

Snow days are wonderful if you are somewhere between the ages of 5 and 18. However, when the buck is delivered based on attendance for the district?

count-day

D’oh!

(PS: count day will be tomorrow)

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Michigan’s Two Trillion Dollar Budget

Governor Rick Snyder takes the budget to nerd year six.

SnyderSnorkelOK, not really 2 Trillion.

Likely more than last year however (a given since it’s never been less).  Its that time again, when Rick Snyder rolls out his revenue projections and planning on how to spend it down.  He’ll pop it out there, and the race horses in the legislature will lap it up like a milkshake at post time. From the Michigan office of Propaganda:

“Governor Rick Snyder presents his FY 2017 budget today at 11 am.

In the budget, the Governor proposes strategic investments to tackle challenges head on.”

Wow.

And if you think that was exciting, watch him live at 11 this morning by clicking on the link above.

You Betcha! (8)Nuh Uh.(1)

Battle Cry – Ted Patterson

ICYMI - Highlights from the Battle Cry event.

If like me you were not able to attend this year, here is the first of a few highlights from the Battle Cry event this last weekend.

Ted Patterson serves as the Executive Director for the Foundation for Applied Conservative Leadership, and is a national consultant who has used the confrontational model to grow grassroots organizations and lead successful political projects around the country.

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A Winter Interlude

Departmental self promotion is apparently nothing new.

Oh.

I guess Kirk Steudle wasn’t the first propagandist within the roads department.  Apparently some of his predecessors also made films to let us know what a grand job the highways departments are doing. From “gay holiday crowds where everyone is having a good time” to the storm blasted snow drifting over our roads, this film teaches us what Michigan is all about.

How could we possibly know otherwise?

Enjoy.

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