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Michigan Budget At A Glance

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As we go forward, these tools will be made available for a spot check on the Governor’s priorities.

This chart represents most of the Michigan spending based on Rick Snyder’s 2015 budget. The only section missing is the $5 million spent on the executive office.  The amounts shown here represent the TOTAL spending in any one area.  Additional charts showing more complete breakdowns of moneys spent and the sources will be made available as there is time.  The chart will also be modified to note the changes from the time Snyder took office in 2011 all the way through the 2016 desired numbers. (click on the image to enlargen)

Mi-Budget-3year

Note the significant increases in the community health (medicaid expansion), Treasury (MEDC, revenue sharing)  and school aid areas.

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Conservative News, Cronyism, Democrats, Michigan, Michigan Politics, Rent Seeking

February Michigan Unemployment 5.9% – Really?

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Philadelphia Federal Reserve Bank Questions BLS State Level Employment Data Revisions

Philadelphia Fed Website 2015-04-06

Kurt Weiss at the Michigan Department of Technology, Management, and Budget (DTMB) reported on March 25th that Michigan’s February 2015 seasonally adjusted unemployment rate dropped to 5.9% from January’s 6.3% figure. This was followed on April 2nd by the DTMB release of non seasonal adjusted employment data for February 2015. This quite large one month drop is great news for Michigan workers, if it indeed reflects our labor market. But does it?

Twelve Month Discrepancies Between Seasonally Adjusted and Unadjusted Data Differentials

The DTMB Michigan non seasonally adjusted (NSA) employment report for February 2015, at the bottom of page 6, showed that Michigan’s civilian labor force declined by 33,000 workers over the twelve preceding months. But the seasonally adjusted (SA) employment report for February 2015 at the top of page 2 showed that Michigan’s civilian labor force increased by 7,000 workers over the same twelve months. The growth of Michiganders employed over the same twelve month period also shows a 5,000 worker NSA/SA discrepancy: 101,000 not seasonally adjusted versus 96,000 seasonally adjusted. And the shrinkage of Michigan’s unemployed worker population over the same twelve month period shows a 46,000 worker NSA/SA discrepancy: 134,000 not seasonally adjusted versus 88,000 seasonally adjusted.

Valid seasonal corrections should produce twelve month differentials which agree with comparable item non seasonally adjusted differentials over the same twelve month period. Here we have a 0.85% discrepancy in Michigan’s total civilian labor force, a 0.1% discrepancy in civilian employment over the same twelve month period, and a 12.5% discrepancy in the shrinkage of Michigan’s unemployed worker population over the same twelve month period.

How did this happen?

The DTMB turns its employment data over to the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics for X-13ARIMA-SEAT seasonal adjustment. BLS also adjusts underlying data periodically for changes in the Michigan population estimates of the U.S. Census. The two (SA and NSA) February 2015 DTMB employment reports both reflect substantial BLS revisions undertaken in early 2015. A note at the top of page 2 in the DTMB February 2015 SA employment report:

Note: The data in this release reflects recently revised historical estimates. Seasonally adjusted labor force estimates for 1976-2014 for Michigan and 1990-2014 for the Detroit-Warren-Dearborn MSA were revised. Previous published data should be replaced with this new series. In addition, seasonally adjusted payroll job data was revised for 2010-2014. For newly revised data, please contact DTMB at 313-456-3090.

The DTMB February 2015 NSA employment report bears a similar note on its first page noting that it was also subjected to substantial revisions.

So Michigan’s employment data has been subjected to substantial revisions at BLS which produce seasonal adjustments that do not cross check against comparable item non seasonally adjusted data over the most recent 12 month period.

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“All those in favor say ‘Aye’. Any opposed? Seeing none, the motion is approved.”

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This is not the time for chutzpa!

If our elected representatives in Lansing are in need of any suggestions to “find” money to reallocate towards more important matters affecting Michigan, a local vote that was taken yesterday afternoon by an advisory committee would be my recommendation for a great place to start.

{Story continues below}

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Conservative News, Elections, Michigan, Opinion, Philosophy, Proposal 15-1

Turkeys, Sausages, and Turd-Polishing

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Will Proposal 15-1 become a bridge too far for the GoverNerd?

According to a colleague of mine, the power of government (at any level), over its law-abiding citizens, is directly derived from the taxation authority. Think about that for a moment or two. In a truly free society, the government has no means to control the behavior of its citizens who aren’t actual criminals, nor will those citizens tolerate any such action from their duly-elected public servants. And while the citizenry does indeed pay taxes – because even in a free society, the government still has the authority to tax – control of the taxation mechanism isn’t left to the arbitrary whims of government functionaries, and the true tax burden is plainly visible for all to see.

By that measure, it’s been at least five decades since Michigan was a truly free state. Since being gifted with an income-based taxation model, and a full-time legislative model, the state that was once the engine of freedom has progressively mutated into a socialist laboratory, at best a generation between now and whatever bankruptcy chapter awaits a nominally sovereign state collapsing into receivership. And in that regard, I don’t think it overly dramatic to suggest that this statewide special election to decide the fate of a legislative piece of sausage is similar to Gettysburg . . . if we don’t stop them here, then where will we ever be able to stop them at all?

The upside is that We the People received a bit of good news on this front yesterday, though how this’ll ultimately play out is still an open question.

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Conservative News, Elections, Michigan, Michigan Politics, Proposal 15-1, Rent Seeking, Taxes

More Info On Proposal One

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The contentious May issue is complicated, but understandable. It just takes time.

There is a ton of information to be shared on the road funding issue.

TV-ADSRightMi.com has pointed out many of the flaws, and the bad policy associated with the late night lame-duck session passed monstrosity voters will be asked to approve May 5th.   We pointed out the obvious in a graphic (to the right)  only 24 hours ago, and as of this writing, the graphic has been viewed over 2200 times on Facebook alone.  (still climbing fast) We invite those who are here looking for information on this constitutional disaster to sift through a few pages on our site for all you need to know about the single biggest tax increase many of Michiganians will face in their lives.

And the argument is fierce. On one side we have the shills for the road industry pimping the YES vote, and the other side we have families who don’t much feel like picking out the switch so ‘daddy’ government can beat them down with an additional $500 a year in taxes.

Then there are the studies.  Like the one published by the Mackinac Center’s James Hohman:

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Citizenship – The Conclusion

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" .. Immigration policy should first benefit the citizens and lawful residents of the United States. "

presidentReflection on the 14th amendment along with historic reference in parts I and II.

Wrapping up with the conclusion, we have a treat. Fuscaldo answers the questions many have had about a recent high profile announcement.  Enjoy!

Conclusion

An essential part of United States immigration policy is based on the executive branch’s current practice of extending birthright citizenship to children born in the United States whose parents are either illegal aliens; a temporary nonresident alien (guest worker) living in the United States, or aliens lawfully in the country for a limited time and purpose.

This practice has never been authorized by any statute or court decision. There is no Supreme Court decision squarely holding that children born in the United States to illegal aliens or temporary nonresident aliens (guest workers) living in the United States are automatically citizens of the United States.

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Citizenship? Part II

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AnchorIn Citizenship? Part I, Fuscaldo begins to discuss the 14th amendment.

We continue his essay with executive law, congressional acts, and some historic background.

by James Fuscaldo (continued)

Executive / Administrative Policy on Birthright Citizenship

Advocates for granting automatic citizenship to children born to illegal aliens or temporary nonresident aliens (guest workers) living in the United States always focus on the first requirement of birth.They allege birth on United States soil alone guarantees United States citizenship. These advocates also argue that the phrase “subject to the jurisdiction” simply means being susceptible to police authority (i.e. being required to follow American laws, pay fines for violations and be subject to the police powers of the Federal and State Courts). This interpretation creates a redundancy in the Fourteenth Amendment.

Why?

All people born in the United States are subject to the laws of the United States. Accepting the argument that the phrase, “subject to the jurisdiction thereof”, simply means subject to police power turns a critical and carefully written Citizenship Clause of the Constitution into a redundancy. It also gives the Clause an interpretation that is contrary to the recorded Congressional debate before its adoption, and to the principles of legislative construction and interpretation.

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Citizenship? Part I

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We can continue to ignore the intent to clarify what constitutes being a citizen or ..

Anchor-BoyWe continue to have a problem.

The people who violate our sovereignty are here.  The children of immigrants are assumed to be a way to maintain an illegal presence in our country by these invaders from foreign lands.  In that process, the constitution is used to serve excuses for the law breaking.  Michigan attorney Jim Fuscaldo clarifies a few things in “A Citizen’s Primer on the Citizenship Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.”

By James J. Fuscaldo

Introduction

James Madison said, “Knowledge will forever govern ignorance; and a people who mean to be their own governors must arm themselves with the power which knowledge gives.”

Congress is debating the need for comprehensive immigration reform. The reason is to deal with illegal immigration; manage the growing number of illegal immigrants in the United States, and create an equitable path to permanent residency and citizenship for all illegal immigrants and their families in the United States.

An essential part of United States immigration policy is based on the executive branch’s current practice of granting birthright citizenship to children born in the United States whose parents are either illegal aliens; a temporary nonresident alien (guest worker) living in the United States, or aliens lawfully in the country for a limited time and purpose.

Birthright citizenship is not authorized by the Constitution or congressional legislation. It has not been validated by any Supreme Court or Appellate Court decision. Constitutional scholars and eminent jurists have studied the historical record; the congressional debate before its adoption; the case law pertaining to the Citizenship Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment, and its association with our English Common Law heritage.  They have concluded that granting birthright citizenship to children born in the United States whose parents are either illegal aliens or temporary nonresident aliens (guest workers) living in the United States, or aliens lawfully in the country for a limited time and purpose is not supported by the Citizenship Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.

Before analyzing the historical significance and meaning of the Fourteenth Amendment it is incumbent on us to first consider a review of the Thirteenth Amendment and the Civil Rights Act of 1866 as evolutionary precedents for the Fourteenth Amendment.

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Conservative News, Cronyism, Democrats, Detroit, Elections, Michigan, Michigan Politics, Opinion, Philosophy, Rent Seeking, Republicans, Taxes

Ugh, work is stupid!

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Let’s all take a break.

Just when you thought that the Three-ring Circus that tries to pass itself off as “leadership” couldn’t make an even bigger ass of themselves than they already have done to date, they just turn around and surprise you.

Same cast of characters. Same city.

And another example of ungrateful children pretending to be mature adults wasting your hard earned money.

{Click below to find out who they are and what they have done this time}

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