Rent Seeking

Cronyism, Elections, Michigan, Michigan Politics, Proposal 15-1, Rent Seeking, Taxes

Michigan Roads – How Bad?

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paser-1You are about to be buried in pseudostatistics and factoids purporting to demonstrate just how bad Michigan roads are. We have already demonstrated that the TRIP vehicle maintenance factoids fabricated by a devious road contractors’ business league are a complete fraud.

Now State of Michigan government entities are unleashing a wave of propaganda intended to drive your vote on Proposal 2015-01. Two State of Michigan government entities have prepared campaign flyers on behalf of Proposal 15-1 using Michigander’s tax dollars: MDoT and the Transportation Asset Research Council (TAMC).

Both MDoT and TAMC have spent years preparing slick pamphlets decrying the sad condition of Michigan’s roads, citing PAvement Surface Evaluation and Rating (PASER) data collected by TAMC with MDoT and local road agency help. These pamphlets claim that 30 – 40 % of Michigan roads are in poor condition. But are they really?

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Cronyism, Michigan, Opinion, Rent Seeking, Taxes

To Collect for who They Serve….

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Thank to the folks over at MCC exposing this corruption.

Getting rather common, huh? Yep. It’s everywhere.

Once again, we well informed RightMi.com readers get to see the benefits of public sector unions, and there are many – for them. Why Hell, our LEO even game grant money as means to prop up their pension funds. Unfortunately, this is not a Democrat vs. Republican problem – it’s an American citizen problem. We are not of the privileged Elected Class who set the rules and bends them as they so choose (yes, LEO’s masters made that “irrelevant“).

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Cronyism, Elections, Michigan, Opinion, Rent Seeking, Republicans, Taxes

Ron Boji et al. Pocket $134,000,000 for Their “Better View”

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Our wayward Elected Class spending saga continues via WXYZ

This pay-to-play wasteful spending has got to stop. So does this crap.

“I don’t like to look backwards. I’m a guy who looks forward and solves problems,” Pscholka said.

Snyder_54B_ballonWhat a pompous, can-kicking schmuck, but, there it is as plain as day. Rick Snyder’s playbook line used to justify his actions as a big spending, everyone connected gets a kickback Republican. You folks tired of hearing it yet? Guess not. Methinks, there’s a growing consensus they all should just be thankful there is a disinterested, ill-informed, and apathetic electorate otherwise all the Oath sworn f****** would be hearing footsteps in their sleep.

In other words, this is the government that has been consented to by our vote. Pay up, suckers…

SB 509 and SB 1149.

Ps. thanks for the empty words, Colbeck you fraud.

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Cronyism, Michigan, Michigan Politics, Rent Seeking

It Would Be About Time

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moore-moneyTaxpayer provided incentives for one industry or another have always been morally wrong and with questionable results.

Maybe this time we can end ONE particular part of an ongoing ‘eating out of our substance’ for the purposes of one industry’s benefit.  HB4122 will do this, and we support its passage.  The Ivory Tower reports on the effort to push through this bill with some commentary on both sides of the debate.  Supporting removal of the subsidies is one former lawmaker:

“The film subsidies send much of the $50 million allocated to them, out of state — to Hollywood millionaires and billionaires,” said former state Rep. Tom McMillin, a leading opponent of the incentives. “A lot more jobs will be created by keeping that money in Michigan and employing Michigan workers to fix roads or keep the money in the pockets of business owners across the state, so they can hire more employees.”

Indeed, one of the missed points when giving taxpayer money away is what the benefit might have been if it had been left in the hands of those who produced it.

This is a start.  Rumors of a bill to end the MEDC have been floating around, and would be well received by overtaxed Michiganians, but so far no such effort from ANY lawmaker has borne any fruit.

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Cronyism, Michigan, Opinion, Rent Seeking, Taxes

Wednesday Edition: Our Tax Dollars at Work…

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Read for yourself: http://legislature.mi.gov/doc.aspx?2015-HR-0026

Helluva job you’re doing there, Dave.

roach-motelDave is the owner of the Portage based real estate appraisal firm Maturen & Associates Inc. He holds a Michigan Certified General Real Estate Appraiser license, a Real Estate Broker license and the SR/WA designation from the International Right of Way Association (IRWA). He held a Level 3 Assessor Certificate for over 30 years. Dave worked for 13 years for the Property Tax Division of the State Treasury Department.

Dave served on the Kalamazoo County Board of Commissioners for 12 years and was chairman from 2012 to 2014. Prior to that he was a Brady Township (Kalamazoo County) Trustee for 14 years.

What an asset. Heavy on the ass part.

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Cronyism, Michigan, Opinion, Rent Seeking, Taxes

Cradle to Grave

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Our *feel good* tax dollars at work…

not-convinced-wasted-workplace-ecard-someecardsIt’s possible Michigan students might have a state lawmaker reading to them in the classroom this month.

The leaders of the education committees in the Michigan Legislature are challenging their colleagues to each read to 1,000 Michigan students as a part of March is Reading Month.

Rep. Amanda Price, R-Park Township, and Sen. Phil Pavlov, R-St. Clair Township, issued the challenge to their colleagues last week. If each lawmaker reads to 1,000 children, the legislators would read to a total of 148,000 Michigan school children during March.

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Memo the Republican Majority in Lansing: You gaggle of inept simpletons are the last people who should be invading schools reading to children.

Yes, Snyder’s newest agenda pimp, John Walsh, proves that nobody can accuse Sen. Jones of being a liar.

Education is the parent’s responsibility – not yours.

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Cronyism, Michigan, Opinion, Rent Seeking, Taxes

Sen. Jones is on a Roll

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As if it wasn’t just a few days ago we here at RightMi.com learned of Sen. Rick Jones creating carve-outs for his fellow retired LEO brethren. Today, we learn that Sen. Jones has taken it upon himself to gift a little extra in the till to those beloved public sector retirees in Schuette’s Office.

Hinky_Bill2015 Senate Bill 12: Allow pension double-dipping by “retired” Attorney General employees

Yes, unanimous vote so, it must meet Lansing’s bifarceisan two-party standard. Still have doubts about the legalese jihadi cabal ruling supreme? Just look no further than their former revenue recruiting LEO who champions a wallet lining statute.

Makes one wonder if it’s an old prosecutor’s office bootlicking reflex or, just riding out of office in a payola bang?

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Cronyism, Democrats, Detroit, Michigan, Opinion, Rent Seeking, Republicans, Taxes

I Imagine People in Hell Would Like Ice Water Too

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Is this what Snyder meant by Rivers of Opportunity?

Detoilet_Monster_Still_HungryIt costs an average of $1,800 per year for auto insurance in Detroit’s suburbs; it costs about $3,600 within the city limits, Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan said from Motor City Casino [Ilitch family] at the 2014 Detroit Policy Conference Thursday.

“Detroiters can’t afford to make $300 a month in car insurance, in most cases more than their car note, [maybe we should buy them a park to ease their woes?]” Duggan said to the room of business, nonprofit and media leaders. “I’ve spent a lot of time already with the Republican leadership on some ideas on that …[suspect Numero Uno]

“I just want the ability to be competitive on car insurance.”

What that legislation might look like, Duggan wouldn’t say.

“There’s no reason for us to talk about these details,” Duggan said during a media scrum after his on-stage speech, “because I need to get 56 reps and 20 senators to agree to them and I just as soon do it with them and not announce the details here, so no disrespect.”

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Looks like our little green friend in Detoilet is still hungry but, oh sure, why not? Just for Snyder’s inaugural party MC carpetbagger mayor buddy, let’s call the legislation: “Grand” bargain Auto Insurance.

Sorry, Progressive is already taken. But, ya, that’s the ticket, Mayor Mike. You know, the old saying is true: the more things allegedly change in Michigan, the more they stay the same.

Has anyone else been left out of getting a cut of the Detroit bailout? If so, please leave suggestions in comment.

Ps. anyone else notice Detroit’s Police no longer reveal crime summary reports?

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Cronyism, Michigan, Opinion, Rent Seeking, Taxes

Gary Found a Billion

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True story. First bill.

RemanufacturedSen. Gary Peters is introducing his first bill in the Senate Wednesday — a measure to reduce the nearly $1 billion in annual federal vehicle repair costs by encouraging the use of remanufactured auto parts.

REST if you can stomach it

Oh look, Gary! I found $3,300,000,000. Hey, Gary! Want an unauthorized $500,000 and other obscene waste to go after? Oops, that would involve who you replaced. Seriously, retention bonuses? For the public sector? And they’re deadbeats? Nope. Gary says let’s do a bifarceisan re-pop parts bill.

President Reagan said jellybeans but, I say you always can tell the character of a person by looking at their shoes, which are probably made in China.

And, don’t even start. Especially when just doubling down on ‘I’m a mom I have kids’ buffoonery.

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

Michigan Political Math: $ 1.2 Billion = $ 1.08 Billion

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Mass Transit Skims $ 120 Million from Proposal 2015-01 Road Work Funds

Train Wreck ImageEver hear of the Michigan Comprehensive Transportation Fund? Ten cents of every Michigan fuel tax dollar gets diverted to this mass transportation slush fund.  It is only just behind the sales tax as a diversion of your current fuel tax dollars from Michigan’s roads.

All motor vehicle fuel taxes collected in the State of Michigan are first deposited into the Michigan Transportation Fund. Then MCL 247.660 (1)(f) (Public Act 51 of 1951) dictates that 10% of the funds deposited in the Michigan Transportation Fund be immediately transferred to the Comprehensive Transportation Fund. The amended version of MCL 247.660 you are being offered in Proposal 2015-01 has the very same section (1)(f), making the same 10% immediate diversion.

So the $ 1.2 billion that Proposal 2015-01 supporters are promising you for road work is actually only $ 1.08 billion.  Kirk T. Steudle, P.E. gets a whole new stash to maintain and expand his stable of rotting train cars, $ 120 million that cannot be spent on the roads by law.  $ 120 million that gets skimmed from the $ 1.2 billion you are being promised for the roads.  And no, it is not skimmed from the $ 800 million that Proposal 2015-01 dedicates to the Democratic base.

Now you now know how Michigan political math works in the age of Common Core.  Pay $ 2 billion for roads, get $ 1 billion in road work.

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