Michigan Politics

Michigan Political considerations.

Michigan Politics

A Unicorn in Michigan?

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Do unicorns exist? Is Christmas magic real? I say yes, definitely on the latter, but not so sure on the former. Until now… I now believe in policy unicorns, i.e., an extraordinarily rare and good event almost unheard of in politics and policy. Michigan policymakers can pull off a trifecta-of-a-policy-unicorn – fund essential programs, promote economic growth, and not raise taxes. Outgoing Gov. Rick Snyder can prove that policy unicorns are real by signing legislation legalizing online gaming in the Wolverine State.

Last week, the State Senate by a strong bipartisan vote approved a plan that would enable Michigan to join a growing roster of states that have legalized online gaming. The bill will create jobs and economic opportunity for thousands of Michigan residents.

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Cronyism, Michigan Politics, Republicans

The Final Grift: A ‘Lame Duck’ Anecdote of Republican Cowardice

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Lame duck session is one of the most fascinating and illuminating times within our government. It is a period when all pretenses of our democracy are jettisoned and a mad cash grab takes place as term-limited legislators secure employment and other benefits in smoke-filled backrooms with lobbyists. It rips off the facade and exposes government for the cruel, soulless machine that it truly is.

Few watched the late-night session that went past 3AM last week when the worst bills were being rammed down our throats. I tuned in to watch the after-hours con job the next day on the Michigan Legislature website as I was sleeping at the time. The fact that the proceedings took place in the dead of night begs the following questions: What are the optics of using the midnight hour to push the lousiest bills forward? What does someone who is less politically inclined think of Republicans after the media reports on these shenanigans? And is it any wonder why we took it on the chin during last month’s mid-term elections?

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Michigan, Michigan Politics, Opinion

It’s A Serious Cracker

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Drug names are bad M'K?

There is nothing as seriously addictive as alcohol.

After watching two of the closest people to me drink themselves to death, one might think I would find drinking jokes to be offensive.  At least if I was a liberal, politically correct, over-sensitized, whiny baby, perhaps. I don’t however. Humor has truths that can make us uncomfortable, but speak a different language.

I cannot get over the overblown, yet seriously pathetic apology for using the cultural name of [methyl (1R,2R,3S,5S)-3- (benzoyloxy)-8-methyl-8-azabicyclo[3.2.1] octane-2-carboxylate], or “Crack” for a french fry.  It boggles the mind that anyone would so care about such a mild reference to something that is addictive, yet still, with any sense of propriety can still run an establishment that caters directly to those who suffer from the worst form of addiction, namely alcoholism.

This video is as priceless as it is pathetic and revealing of the cowardly culture we are backing ourselves into.

All is not lost however.  Visit the video page itself, and enjoy the commentary while it lasts.  If the snowflake who made the video is consistent, he will run from this video even faster than he did the ‘insensitive’ name for a deep fried potato.

H/T scales.

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Michigan, Michigan Politics, Opinion, Philosophy, Republicans

Snyder: “I’m Tired – And Not Really A Republican Anyhow”

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Rick Snyder was never 'with us' anyhow.

His people got folks dead in Flint, and his instincts are off when faced down with the next lost decade.

Skubick asks what he’ll do with the GOP legislature’s attempt at reigning in the oncoming freight train of bureaucratic nightmares.  He says “just wait.”  From Fox2:

“In the new year Democrat Jocelyn Benson will be the new Secretary of State, Democrat Dana Nessel will be attorney general. Democrats have cried foul and want the governor to veto those bills.

The governor steadfastly refused to say what he will do even though he was pressed to do so.

“I will carefully evaluate and make a decision in the best interest for the people of Michigan,” Snyder said.

Tim Skubick: “Is it fair to say you would not have introduced this legislation if given the choice?”

“Tim. I’m not to get into all that speculation because people will try to read into what that means I’m going to do,” Snyder said.

The governor confesses he has personal feelings on this alleged power grab but he would not budge on that either.

“I have personal feelings on many issues but as governor I keep those feelings to myself,” Snyder said. “Because I am responsible to not act on my personal feelings but to represent the people of Michigan.”

Of course he is.

The I–Told–You–So is so damned thick around here.

And it (and at least a couple dozen other stories chronicling Slick Rick’s reign of stupid)  ain’t wrong.

 

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All the Other Stuff, Conservative News, Cronyism, Democrats, Elections, Michigan, Michigan Politics

Lansing “Protest” scheduled for tomorrow.

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Just a friendly heads up from several snitches of mine.

The Michigan People’s Campaign is planning to “lobby”(/protest?) in Lansing on Tuesday at the Capitol Building beginning at 9:00am against the changes made to the Michigan paid sick leave law that Legislature essentially “short-circuited” by passing prior to the election earlier this year.

No word on why the Michigan Legislature couldn’t do the same with Proposal 2, I can only surmise that they just like losing, but I digress.

If anyone has any business up in Lansing tomorrow, again, just a friendly reminder to watch yourselves around this crowd.

Progressives tend to get a little bit hostile when they don’t get their way.

‘Nuff said.

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Detroit, Fees, Michigan, Michigan Politics, Opinion, Taxes

So What Then?

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Can we expect our constitutional officers to do their jobs appropriately after this year?

What priorities will the new attorney general of Michigan bring to bear on the populace?

It sure as hell won’t be protecting citizens from an over reaching government. Except perhaps for those areas where ‘protecting’ means extending ‘rights’ that don’t exist outside of social norms.

All cultural ills aside, what about Michigan’s firearms protections?  What about keeping local feelings about whether or not it is appropriate to be able to defend oneself with a pistol?

Preemption in Michigan has always protected Michigan gun owners from the overtime efforts of ordinances, rules, restrictions, etc.  Theoretically, it provided protections for firearms possession by those with a CCW even in school environments up until the Michigan Supreme Court screwed the pooch.

The law still provides protections however, and the municipalities run by even the shadiest left wing whack jobs cannot even prevent firearms from being carried into council meeting environments.  That is, unless they are held in a bar or (now) a school.

But in January, priorities change.  The Democrats were able to elect the slate they have been pushing for 8-12 years, and what might have once been a state that respected law and order, will now revert to governance by emotion and fear mongering.

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Michigan, Michigan Politics, Opinion

A Dollar Twenty Five

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Is Michigan's bottle deposit law too much?

A buck and a quarter a year is the estimated loss consumers ultimately bear because of the the bottle law.

Scales gets a H/T on the video – And he may agree with a repeal of the law, and I can understand a number of the reasons.  I suspect the actual cost is in fact MUCH higher because of welfare fraud, as well as compliance which requires automation, added employment, and often extra facilities.

However, in my life, I have watched a change in the road side debris that happened IMMEDIATELY following the passage of the law in the  beginning.  I was delivering the Lansing State Journal, the Free Press as a paperboy in the late 70s and spent much time biking the side roads and streets.  When the law was passed, no more were bottles tossed, and those which were found a home in the bags which once carried newsprint door to door.  This resulted in less trash overall, and the areas I was in began to simply look a little nicer.

And now, would it be too much to expand the law to plastic water bottles as they become the new ‘tossable’ we might find littering our roadways?  Or should we throw up our hands and give up trying to encourage less piggishness?

The legislature may pass this on to the governor’s desk, where he probably would not sign it.

Your thoughts?

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Michigan, Michigan Politics

NPV Debate Thursday

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Thursday November 29 debate on Pros/Cons of the absurd NPV manipulation scheme.

Sadly, there are Republicans in our legislature stupid enough who need more convincing about the perils of a national popular vote.

I’ve said my piece time and again, and apparently its not enough to overcome the Hawaii bribery schemes moving our ‘conservative’ mushheads back on track.  Norm Hughes has challenged NPV Shill and fifth columnist Saul Anuzis to a debate on the merits (or lack thereof) of the NPV.  The debate will happen November 29th at the Pontiac Country club, and the doors open at 6:30PM.

Pontiac Country Club
4335 Elizabeth Lake Rd
Waterford Twp, MI 48328

Doors open 6:30PM

 

 

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2018 Michigan Gubernatorial Race, Conservative News, Elections, Michigan Politics, Republicans, State Convention

MIGOP Wins!!!

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The Michigan GOP Establishment achieves its objective…

The Michigan GOP Establishment achieves its objective…

2010 was a benchmark year for conservatives…”Flip the House” was the Tea Party battle cry, and Nancy Pelosi handed the House gavel to John Boehner…The ensuing MIGOP convention saw Dave Agema elected to the RNC over establishment Saul Anuzis, and the establishment held off a serious challenge to the party leadership by defeating the conservative challengers for the State Chair by 71 votes…The “Old Guard” realized they had a significant problem, and set about to to correct it almost immediately…They infiltrated Tea party groups around the state, neutralizing conservative efforts by gaining control of county and regional Tea Party groups, and rendering them mostly harmless…They packed the State and District Committees with a many establishment types as possible, and began changing the rules, or ignoring the established rules to secure their advantage…Voice votes at conventions were used against conservatives in place of ballot votes the establishment knew they would lose…

Conservatives that managed to get elected to offices within county GOP parties became targets also…Our precinct delegates that nearly stole the State convention were also on the establishment hit lists…The CD1 Chairmanship was rigged to elect Jesse Osmer over Adrian Pelousse by a single vote, the establishment pulled out all the stops in that instance…Party and District rules were ignored, slates were printed on the pencils used to mark ballots that were illegally collected and tallied…Elected officials that owed their office to the conservative movement betrayed the very people that put them there…The list goes on, and for most of you reading this, you know these are the facts…because you were there…Even local politics became tainted with the establishment purge…After helping several candidates for the Kalkaska Commission win their seats, and turn a 5-2 Democrat advantage into a 4-3 GOP Commission, I (and others) was literally blackballed from my own County party…Funny how now and again I still get asked for help…

In 2010 we gave them the US House, we gave them Snyder and both houses in the State legislature, in 2016 we gave them the Senate and Donald Trump…In return they gave us higher taxes and a utility monopoly in Michigan, the perpetuation of ObamaCare, and now recreational pot, bureaucratic redistricting, and no fault absentee voting…Soon to come are the National Popular Vote, and the destruction of the Constitution via a Convention of States…The more Republicans we elect, the more they act like Democrats…The result was predictable, and secured November 6th…With the conservative purge nearly complete, they gave us ballot proposals that only served to attract Democrat votes, and a candidate for Governor guaranteed to lose, not to mention giving the US House BACK to Nancy Pelosi…

Yes, the establishment won…Funny, I don’t see anyone celebrating…

God help us in 2020…

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All the Other Stuff, Conservative News, Cronyism, Democrats, Detroit, Government Incompetence, Michigan, Michigan Politics, Opinion, Rent Seeking

Well, that didn’t take long to go back to their old ways.

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Another chapter in the quest to rewrite history that progressives cannot accept.

When Gov. Snyder and Michigan Republicans bailed out the Detroit Public School System and City of Detroit a few years earlier, many posters on this site (myself included), warned everyone that it wouldn’t take long for inept & corrupt former political structure to reassert itself when the time presented itself.

Well, guess what?

{More information after the fold}

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