Elections

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

AgitProp in the 21st Century

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Mercenary Research in the Service of Greed

News stories on the Michigan road tax proposal are replete with compelling, eye popping factoids about the costs poor roads impose on Michigan drivers. These factoids are so compelling that our colorless Governor cites them to sway voters in the upcoming sales tax proposal debate. Some examples:

  • An inadequate transportation system costs Michigan residents a total of $7.7 billion every year
  • Driving on rough roads costs Michigan motorists a total of $2.3 billion annually in extra vehicle operating costs
  • Driving on rough roads costs the average Detroit urban area motorist $536 annually in extra vehicle operating costs
  • Driving on rough roads costs the average Michigan motorist $357 annually in extra vehicle operating costs

You are expected to conclude that a 16.67% sales tax increase is a just trifle to escape these ghastly financial burdens. These factoids are always attributed to “TRIP, a national nonprofit transportation research organization”. Sounds like an independent, credible source – right? The adjectives ‘nonprofit’ and ‘research’ give you a high level of confidence in their pronouncements? Perhaps you should dig a little deeper than our conniving politicians and their lazy media scribes.  The TRIP report they are mining for these factoids is: MI_Transportation_By_The_Numbers_TRIP_Report_Jan_2014

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Elections, Michigan, Michigan Politics, Proposal 15-1, Taxes

Heads Up Watchdogs

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State Superintendent hints at major advocacy through school systems, and express advocacy.

With the push by big government to drive a 16.7% sales tax increase, we need to be especially vigilant.

A few days ago, Rick Snyder (allegedly) broke the law. We expect the filed MCFA complaint to be fought, but there is little defense when the AG Bill Schuette, and SoS Ruth Johnson were in the front row watching (Witnessing) him doing so. Certainly, the Attorney General cannot decide which laws he will enforce, right?

There are other folks with ‘skin in the game’ who will be weighing in on the ballot measure.  One of them is State Superintendent Mike Flanagan.  Flanagan, already pushing the envelope by posting his advocacy on a state (taxpayer) paid for website will be “actively promoting its passage” in venues as-yet undetermined.

Mike-Yes

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Conservative News, Cronyism, Elections, Michigan Politics, Republicans

Climate change is real. The “republicans” in Congress even said so themselves.

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Senate Amendment 29 to SB-1 (Keystone XL Pipeline Bill):

“To express the sense of the Senate that climate change is real and not a hoax. “

And these are the people we were counting on to stop the Obama Agenda?

I can only surmise that they didn’t read the bill.

Submitted without any further comment.

You Betcha! (22)Nuh Uh.(4)

Elections, Michigan, Opinion, Proposal 15-1

FYI: Registration Deadline for 30 Counties Holding Elections

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Just caught this.

Michigan residents have until Monday, Jan. 26, to register to vote in the Feb. 24 election, said Secretary of State Ruth Johnson.
….

School districts and municipalities in 30 counties are holding elections. The polls will be open on Election Day from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. To find out if there is an election in your community, visit www.michigan.gov/vote.

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View the info for yourself. Consider the February election a precursor to the $300M the MEA wants on, May 5, of which, I will be voting NO.

Fix “JUST” the roads, and enough of the nerdy CPA, robbing Peter to pay Paul EITC games.

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All the Other Stuff, Conservative News, Cronyism, Elections, Michigan, Michigan Politics, Opinion, Republicans

Miller mea culpa…you be the judge.

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Does this sound acceptable to you? I'll let you be the judge.

One of the things I love about elected officials is how seriously they take their jobs.

I mean, where else can you effectively ignore your “boss” and not only do things that you were not empowered/authorized to do when you were “hired”, but when it comes to accounting for your actions, you blow off requests to explain yourself.

I can effective count on one hand (and still have fingers left over) politicians who get back to me in a timely manner after I write a letter or phone their office. Especially, after I specifically tell their staffer that I would like a response from them.

I’ll be realistic. I’m not expecting a call back within the next five minutes from them, although it would be nice, but the level of disrespectfulness from these “professionals” from their actions is appalling.

So what does this have to do with one Candy Miller?

{Click on the button to find out.}

 

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2015 MIGOP State Convention, Conservative News, Cronyism, Elections, Michigan, Michigan Politics, Republicans

Everything That’s Wrong With The MIGOP In One Photo

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The MIGOP Establishment & Romney Dynasty In One Photo

For those of us who are conservative or libertarian, this image encapsulates everything that is wrong with the Michigan Republican Party.

Right to left: Rick Snyder, Ronna Romney McDaniel, Bobby Schostak, Scott Romney

Right to left: Rick Snyder, Ronna Romney McDaniel, Bobby Schostak, Scott Romney

On the right, we have Gov. Rick Snyder – who pushed Michigan’s Republican-dominated legislature to implement Obamacare, raise income and sales taxes, and increase government spending by $2.7 billion annually.

Next is Ronna Romney McDaniel, heiress to the Romney political machine, whose only political experience is speaking at hyped up events for Mitt Romney and being appointed to the Republican National Committee after Terri Lynn Land resigned.

Next to Ronna is her father G. Scott Romney, Mitt Romney’s brother and a failed candidate for Attorney General.

Behind Ronna and Scott we see Bobby Schostak, the outgoing Michigan Republican Party Chair, who used his position for personal profit and shut grassroots activists out of the party.

The kicker to all of this is that they’re all cheering on Mitt Romney’s coronation as the Republican nominee for President. Mitt, as we all know, went on to lose to Barack Obama in what should’ve been a home-run for Republicans.

Now Ronna Romney McDaniel is running to replace Bobby Schostak as MIGOP Chair. Despite having no grassroots experience, she laughably claims that she will mend relationships between the grassroots and establishment Republicans such as herself.

So far the only serious challenger to Ronna Romney McDaniel is Dr. Kim Shmina, a conservative activist and the Vice Chair of the 10th Congressional District’s Republican Party.

You Betcha! (19)Nuh Uh.(4)

Elections, Michigan, Michigan Politics, Opinion, Philosophy, Proposal 15-1, Republicans

Ghosts Of Speakers Past

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Former speaker comments from the political graveyard of deleted PR Pieces.

Yeah, the interwebs are forever.

Then Speaker Jase Bolger had something to say about fixing the roads.  Going to the taxpayers to fund or cover for the malfeasance of our MDOT and legislative road committees was not the top priority of the sometime Snyder enabler Jase Bolger, right?

Given the lame duck performance resulted in nothing positive for Michigan’s burdened taxpayers, it’s not surprising that their ONE opportunity to solve a real problem was passed along for the taxpayer to share in the blame.  A bad package with the promise of pain for the (even with the renewed EITC) poor, and particularly the middle class once again. (Yes, shameless populism – sue me)

Indeed, this is one of the few times we had no disagreement with the speaker.

He was on the mark.

 

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Democrats, Elections, Michigan, Michigan Politics, Philosophy

Stabenow To Visit Ideological Homeland

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Michigan's favorite Meat Puppet Hits the communist travel circuit.

castro-stabenowMichigan’s Senator Debbie Stabenow going to hang out with Fidel.

From the not-so-very-surprised department, a lifting of the ban on travel to Cuba has its first eager traveler from the peoples Republic of Michigan.  From Politico (H/T Weasel Zippers) We find the (now) senior US Senator from Michigan is joining a celebratory junket to the land of the 1956 Chevrolet:

This weekend, the first congressional delegation will visit Cuba since Obama’s December diplomatic shift. The visit to Cuba will be led by Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), who also flew to Cuba last month to bring back freed prisoner Alan Gross.

Leahy will take five other Democrats with him: Sens. Dick Durbin of Illinois, Debbie Stabenow of Michigan and Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island; and Reps. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland and Peter Welch of Vermont.

“We have all been to Cuba before, and we strongly support the president’s new direction for our policy toward Cuba. We are going this time to discuss our expectations, and the Cubans’ expectations, for the normalization of relations,” Leahy said on Friday morning.

In other news even JFK has rolled in his grave.

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