"First rule in government spending: Why build one when you can have two at twice the price?" - S.R. Hadden (John Hurt) "Contact"
I’m going to throw out a few hypothetical questions to the readers here at RM, and I’d like to get your candid response.
Ready?
Here we go…
{Click the red box to continue}
(5)Nuh Uh.
(0)
The 20 year Regional Transit Authority, 1.2 mil property tax plan is on the ballot in four Southeastern Michigan counties, on November 8th. The public doesn’t seem to realize that this property tax will be imposed on all four counties, even if one or more of the counties reject it. A big change from past millage requests specifically designed to shove this tax down anti tax Macomb County’s throat. Michigan’s tax-and-spend establishment really wants this tax to pass.
The RTA master plan is $ 1.22 billion in new fare revenue, $ 3.1 to $ 3.3 billion in new property taxes, and $ 1.7 billion in new Federal & State subsidies. A grand total of $ 6 billion, more or less. Let’s say that the relatively modest increase in vehicle revenue miles provided by the RTA master plan – 32% – doubles their ridership. That $ 6 billion cost, divided by 78,327 new passengers, equals $ 76,602 per passenger over the 20 year period. You could buy every one of those 78,327 new riders a new car and pay for their fuel and insurance as well. Instead, RTA will treat them to the urban mass transit experience.
Urban buses and other mass transit vehicles have a special ambiance with their diverse ridership and high level of maintenance. This experience is enhanced by the faint aroma of pepper spray, plus the full array of odors you would encounter in a hospital emergency room during an overwhelming disaster – except for disinfectant. Bus scheduling allows those too poor to visit a casino or play online slots at Wizard Slots the opportunity to gamble daily on punctuality at their workplaces.
Why riders are unwilling to pay 20% of the cost of mass transit, and why mass transit funding has to be extracted from taxpayers using the threat of foreclosure. On top of this, mass transit advocates have to raid road funding and vehicle registration fees to deliver their ‘service’. No free market economics here, despite strong support from the Chamber of Commerce types.
(8)Nuh Uh.(0)It's not Republicans who are trying to disarm Michiganians.
Yes Michigan, there are differences between the Democrats and Republicans.
Before we start shooting ourselves in the foot and pretending that Johnson-Weld Libertarians are the neo-Republicans from a whigged out GOP, remember that Weld once (and likely still) favored gun control. Not too far away from Weld is Hillary, who quite simply wants to disarm a nation that might fight back as she consolidates power for the final blow.
Let their be no confusion about the current incarnation of the Democrat party, and the need to disarm the people in this state as well. Dressed as an ‘assault weapons ban’ Michigan’s HB-5996 introduced a couple days ago goes all New York State in a ‘New York Minute.’ Banning certain cosmetic features, functional elements, magazines over 10 rounds, and requiring new registrations of legacy equipment is the hallmark of the east coast styled gun grabbers.
(14)Nuh Uh.(1)Nope, this sort of thing NEVER happens in elections.
I’ll have to admit, I liked last night’s Presidential Debate…most of it.
Unlike the previous debates where the “expert” journalist moderators quickly lost control of things and the topic firehosed everywhere (except for the question being asked), Chris Wallace did a fair job of keeping a handle on things.
The media blacked out Wikileaks story was mentioned early on, in which Clinton tacitly acknowledged the authenticity of them during her answers.
Clinton digging a bigger hole for herself by claiming the Russians had a hand in the release of internal e-mails that democrats never thought would ever see the light of day (and did she forget that “donation” to the Clinton Foundation for Uranium Mining Rights???).
We certainly cannot forget the next generation of terrorist attacks her in America due to her ill-conceived “asylum” program from Syria. Break out the tissues while she spins a tale of woe on the “migrants”. OABTW, how anyone can really “vet” someone’s record, when there is no government to contact regarding said record?
Nope, absolutely positively nothing to worry about here!
And then there was the end (no, this doesn’t have to do with a song from “The Doors”)…
{More below}
(7)Nuh Uh.(0)Hillary's Plan to Loot Your 401k Account
International Business Times and Yahoo Finance just posted headline stories on the plan created by Hillary’s Wall Street masters to loot your future retirement savings. Today’s voluntary 401k savings plans will be replaced by mandatory retirement taxes on all private sector workers – and their employers – which would be turned over to Wall Street hedge funds for investment:
Hillary Clinton And Wall Street: Financial Industry May Control Retirement Savings In A Clinton Administration
By David Sirota and Avi Asher-Schapiro, IBT, 10/19/16 at 12:50 AMWhile Hillary Clinton has spent the presidential campaign saying as little as possible about her ties to Wall Street, the executive who some observers say could be her Treasury Secretary has been openly promoting a plan to give financial firms control of hundreds of billions of dollars in retirement savings. The executive is Tony James, president of the Blackstone Group.
It is a plan that proponents say could help millions of Americans — but could also enrich another constituency: the hedge fund and private equity industries that Blackstone dominates and that have donated millions to support Clinton’s presidential bid.
The proposal would require workers and employers to put a percentage of payroll into individual retirement accounts “to be invested well in pooled plans run by professional investment managers,” as James put it. In other words, individual voluntary 401(k)s would be replaced by a single national system, and much of the mandated savings would flow to Wall Street, where companies like Blackstone could earn big fees off the assets. And because of a gap in federal anti-corruption rules, there would be little to prevent the biggest investment contracts from being awarded to the biggest presidential campaign donors.
(13)Nuh Uh.(1)Democrat candidate for the 106th State House seat steals GOP signs.
Oops he got caught.
But of course, he was only trying to help.
(5)Nuh Uh.(1)And Who Else?
Clinton Township Trustee Dean Reynolds was charged with bribery Thursday, in the U.S. District Court for Eastern Michigan. Rizzo Environmental Services allegedly paid Reynolds $ 50,000 – $ 70,000 in cash for his vote and influence on an $18 million, 10 year garbage collection contract. Reynolds is also alleged to have received free legal services from a Rizzo connected attorney in his divorce case.
Reynolds is a Hillary supporter, a gun control supporter, and an environmental supporter. Now living proof that you don’t need a gun to commit a serious crime. As you read about this case, ask yourself why not one article mentions his political affiliation. Were he a Republican, his affiliation would be in every headline. Reynolds is an AFL-CIO toady now running for Clinton Township Supervisor in the November 8th General Election. The Metro Detroit AFL-CIO scrubbed their endorsement of him this morning, but they can’t change history:
The Free Press reports that the “FBI’s years-long investigation is expected to trigger criminal charges against numerous politicians in towns and cities across Macomb County who engaged in pay-to-play schemes with various developers and businesses. The Clinton Township case, sources said, is just the tip of the iceberg and numerous more charges will follow.”
Rizzo Environmental Services is under contract in a lot of communities outside of Macomb County in Michigan. Who else have they bribed?
(8)Nuh Uh.(0)Submitted w/o any further comment.
(2)Nuh Uh.(0)41st Place Among the States
You have probably read the Mackinac Center’s excellent works on Michigan’s government finances, much of which they release through Michigan Capitol Confidential. Top quality analyses, but parochial in the sense that they don’t place Michigan’s government finances in the context of the other American states. An Illinois 501(c)(3) organization, Institute for Truth in Accounting does, and has come up with a useful metric – taxpayer burden – by which you can rank Michigan financial status relative to the other states. No accounting degree necessary.
Suffice it to say, you will not be reading any of Truth in Accounting’s work in Michigan’s nitwit, cheerleading media.
(11)Nuh Uh.(1)Deranged clown robs debate of dignity, punished by Indiana governor
No matter which side of the political fence you might be on, you saw that Gov Mike Pence pummeled Sen Tim Kaine in last night’s debate.
Taking a page from Joe Biden’s drug induced debate performance of a few years ago, Kaine put on the creepy clown smiley face and persuaded America that he was actually trying out for Batman 12 – Resurrection of Joker. With a style of interruptions never seen before in presidential level debates, he embarrassed himself and quite possibly Hillary Clinton (assuming embarrassment is even possible for these two).
Pence wisely did not allow the adolescent antics of Kaine to get under his skin, stayed focused, and even professed his Christian faith in a way not often seen on a debate stage. He demonstrated class and accurately described the lessening of our nation’s security under the watch of Hillary and Obama, all the while Kaine was verbally poking him with a stick.
Team Trump looks real heroic after last night’s performance.
(11)Nuh Uh.(1)
