Elections

You DON’T say…

Apparently, the idea of picking up his wife and three children from the county morgue is weighing a little too heavily on the mind of one “Relentlessly Positive” Governor.

According to this mornings Detroit Free Press, Gov. Snyder has reversed course from his earlier ill-conceived decision to allow Syrian “refugees” into Michigan following the Islamic Terrorists attacks in Paris that have claimed at least 129 lives as of the latest count.

Gov. Snyder is quoted as stating, “Michigan is a welcoming state and we are proud of our rich history of immigration. But our first priority is protecting the safety of our residents.”

Better late than never. But in this case, no damage has been done through Gov. Snyder’s actions.

Naturally, this has the proponents of the original scheme up in arms over a “perceived” overreaction.

From the same Freep article, Maged Moughni, an Arab-American advocate said, “It’s doing what ISIS wants. … He’s just basically buying into what ISIS wants: Muslims against the West … Gov. Snyder is buying into the rhetoric.”

Again, the families of at least 129 victims of Islamic Terrorism have a different take on that.

Further down, Sean de Four, vice president of child and family services with Lutheran Social Services of Michigan had this to say,

“I certainly understand and appreciate Gov. Snyder’s desire to be cautious and put the safety of Michiganders first. But the State Department already uses an overabundance of caution in its screening of refugees before they gained entry into the United States. In fact, refugees spend an average of five to seven years in refugee camps being screened and background checks before access to any country.”

If I were Mr. de Four, I’d reexamine the validity of his argument.

Most people know that I don’t agree, with oh about 99%, of what Gov. Snyder rams through, mostly due to the fact that he doesn’t adhere to anything even remotely conservative when he does so.

This time around, and perhaps the very likely possibility that he might appear on a future casualty list himself directly due to the actions of those he blindly lets into our state, he finally gets things right for a change.

Let’s see how long that lasts.

ISIL Flag

Hopefully not coming to Michigan anytime soon!

 

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Come Out, Come Out, Whoever You Are!

The Election's Over, Your 10 Days Are Up, File Your Damned Campaign Finance Statements

Richard D. McLellan

Richard D. McLellan

A scratch corporation named Michigan’s Voice (LARA 71630M) was registered with Michigan’s Licensing and Regulatory Affairs Department on 26 October by a connected lawyer, Richard D. McLellan. He signed the Articles of Incorporation on 15 October.

Michigan's Voice Flyers

Michigan’s Voice Flyers

Just in time to mail two obnoxious, lying flyers knifing Jim Storey, the second place finisher in the 80th House District special primary held on 03 November. The address used for the Michigan’s Voice LARA filing and printed on the flyers was not Richard McLellan’s, rather it was that of Eric E. Doster’s law firm Doster Law Offices, PLLC.

Close Up, Michigan's Voice Flyer

Close Up, Michigan’s Voice Flyer

 

 

The Michigan Campaign Finance Act, PA 388 of 1976, requires all committees engaged in Michigan politics to file a Statement of Organization within 10 days of being formed. MCL 169.221 Section 21(9) also requires all committees to designate a Treasurer before receiving and disbursing funds. MCL 169.232 Section 32(9) further requires all committees to report late contributions [those received after 18 October in this election] be filed with the SoS within 48 hours of receipt as well. Michigan’s Voice has done none of this.

Committees are defined in MCL 169.203, Section 3(4) as:

“a person who receives contributions or makes expenditures for the purpose of influencing or attempting to influence the action of the voters for or against the nomination or election of a candidate,………., if contributions received total $500.00 or more in a calendar year or expenditures made total $500.00 or more in a calendar year.”

The word ‘person’ in this act is used in the legal sense and most definitely refers to a corporation registered at LARA, fiddling in politics. Michigan’s Voice is assuredly a committee under the MCFA.

Michigan's Voice Articles, Page 1

Michigan’s Voice Articles, Page 1

Twenty-one days have passed since Richard McLellan signed Michigan’s Voice’s Articles of Incorporation and 10 days have passed since those Articles of Incorporation were officially filed by LARA. I received the first Michigan’s Voice flyer on 28 October, so arrangements and payments must have been made days before that. Arena Communications of Salt Lake City, the Michigan’s Voice mailings’ designer and printer, isn’t that quick and the U.S. Postal Service certainly isn’t. So the MCFA 10 day grace period has been sorely abused.

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I’ve Heard It Snows In November

Natural disasters, or 'states of emergency' CAN happen in our Great Lakes State.

circled-wagonsMichigan is not immune to the effects of nature, and the SoS may have once again missed an opportunity to protect the electorate.

“Once again,” I say because when it mattered, Ruth Johnson sided with the governor in his lawbreaking. In the Proposal 1 (loser by 80%-20% statewide) leadup, the governor broke the law in front of Johnson, Schuette, and nearly every single lawmaker and judge in the state.

Nothing was done, and in-fact there was an effort to circumvent the process that had been defended only years before.   Even the Michigan GOP’s pet poodle Greg McNeilly noted the infraction saying “.. it was “inappropriate” for Snyder to use the televised speech to advocate for a “yes” vote on Proposal 1.” yet stopped short of calling a misdemeanor what it is. Flame Hard indeed.

But this recent failure by the SoS is a little more local, yet profound.  When a natural disaster prevents voters from reaching the polls, ought not the top elections official be a little more proactive?  In the case of an Elmwood township millage question, Johnson’s office went from a failure to uphold the law to negligence and simple abject failure.

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More weasel words from Gov. Rick Snyder

It’s all about the roads!

Remember: It’s about the roads.

Say it with me again so there’s no forgetting: It’s about the roads.

No, it’s not. And I’ve got it straight from the horse’s mouth on why this actually isn’t.

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Hey, Gov. Snyder? Sen. Meekhof? You do not need to abandon your republican principles any longer.

Rich Studley: "Lawmakers who think the condition of Michigan's roads can be improved with "fairy dust or wishful thinking or Monopoly money," rather than through raising new revenues, should be held accountable for taking that position,

Richard StudleyI couldn’t agree with you more, Richard.

Michigan Motorists need not worry about Michigan Roads. Rich Studley and the Michigan Chamber of Commerce have got this one covered.

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Gamrat’s Final Word

Allegan race hitting a boiling point.

gamratCindy Gamrat is not giving up on setting the record straight in a recent messaging effort.

In my opinion she is rightfully standing firm and remains the best choice for voters in tomorrow’s special election.  A strange mission by house leadership, and the agenda that is in play to control the 80th district seat and its votes is simply bad for Michigan.  Our Lansing politicos have indeed gone to the dark side (timely Star Wars reference) after pretending a change to be made in the way things are done in the capitol.

The problem is that there is a lot of money to be made for SOME folks as the Michigan legislature passes more and higher taxes upon the serfs of the state. As we’ve seen, no majority of GOP in our houses can guarantee responsible management of what we have already surrendered, as long as the special lobbying interests push higher taxes to pad their road building bank accounts.

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The ‘Money Poll’ in Michigan’s 80th District House Race

Mary Whiteford - the Establishment's Revenge for Proposal 1's Defeat?

More campaign finance reports are trickling in to the Secretary of State’s Bureau of Elections and it is clear that an avalanche of money from establishment Republicans is backing Mary Whiteford in the State House of Representatives 80th District special election. You have to dig a little to figure out just how much money and from where, but most of the evidence is available. Let’s call this the ‘money poll’.

Mary Whiteford Image 2Ms. Whiteford’s official committee (BoE 516401) has collected $ 28,200, plus another $ 2,807.96 of in kind contributions (actually expenditures) by the candidate herself. Great Lakes Education Project, an IRS 527 political action committee, has been furiously mailing cards supporting Mary Whiteford and trashing Cindy Gamrat. – $ 15,477 worth. So a total of $ 46,484.96. Another group, Michigan’s Voice (LARA 71630M), has made at least one mailing on Mary Whiteford’s behalf, but little is known about this recently incorporated (10/26/15) group and they have made no filings with the SoS BoE. By law they have 10 days to file, so we probably won’t know anything further about their efforts until after the primary. A well targeted mailing in the 80th costs around $ 4,000, so the Michigan’s Voice effort elevates Ms. Whiteford’s total funding in this special primary above $ 50,000.

Only 26 of Ms. Whiteford’s contributions – $ 6,300 – came from within the 80th District (excluding the candidate’s own contributions), far less than the 200 plus contributions that came to her from within the District in her first election attempt last year. This year, 85% plus of her funding is coming from establishment Republicans from outside the 80th.

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Turning The Tables

Last night's debate revealed the true order of things.

I really dislike having to cry foul about the ‘mainstream’ media.

Michigan has its own media issues, much of it protecting the bad actors in Lansing.  Some of it locally even pursuing its own agenda.  But in the national scene?

Indeed, after last night’s CNBC GOP debate, it will be a lot easier to do so.  After the assault of “Do you still beat your mother” line of questions to a number of the candidates, it was apparent that there was no intention of talking about policy and the crushing debt our nation faces.   The only purpose any liberal media outlets might have in such an event is to personally destroy each and every viable GOP contender for Team D’s advantage.

However, after Ted Cruz (to the right) said what needed to be said, it was clear the candidates would not be victims for the remainder of the carnival.

It simply got better from there.   With little to no ‘friendly fire,’ in the balance of the show, there was something to cheer about from nearly all of the candidates.

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Get a load of the latest Michigan republican party spin

Does anyone even proof this before it gets posted?!?

As if they were not already utterly clueless regarding what they allegedly stand for (Hint: I’ve included a small sampling below of what they have obviously forgotten/willfully chosen to ignore (source)):

I BELIEVE free enterprise and encouraging individual initiative have brought this nation opportunity, economic growth and prosperity.

I BELIEVE government must practice fiscal responsibility and allow individuals to keep more of the money they earn.

You need to see what came in my e-mail this morning on how the “conservative” republicans are trying to cover up the massive stench from their latest batch of stink-burger bills pertaining their road funding “solution” by releasing this nifty little informational graphic so that we can all drink the kool aid all look the other way and pretend that there isn’t a dime’s worth of difference between Michigan republicans and the democrats.

{No, you will not be able to un-see the horror, er, I mean, stop laughing at the patent hypocrisy below the fold}

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