Michigan Politics

Michigan Political considerations.

Liberty, Michigan, Michigan Politics, Opinion, Part Time Legislature, Philosophy, Republicans

Ad Hoc Ad Interim

by Kevin Rex Heine • June 27, 2017 • 7 Comments

As badly as we need this done, do we care why he’s doing it, or even whether he gets the credit?

“If Hitler invaded Hell, I would at least make a favourable reference to the devil in the House of Commons.” (Winston Churchill, to his private secretary, Jock Colville, on June 21st, 1941, the evening before Operation Barbarossa)

Churchill was well known for being a consistent and vociferous opponent of communism, and had often spoken quite unfavorably about the Soviet Union, and particularly of Joseph Stalin (who was well-known even then as the brutal monster that honest history records). However, in seeking to stop the menace of Hitler’s Nazi Germany, Churchill was willing to adopt an ad hoc “enemy of my enemy” approach, and initiated the Anglo-Soviet Agreement for joint action against Germany.

Given much of the recent hullabaloo regarding a badly-needed grassroots initiative having been likely co-opted, by a moderate opportunist apparently seeking a means to advance his political ambitions, and given that I have personally stood directly in the path of those ambitions at least twice in the past seven years, what I’m about to say is going to sound exceedingly strange, but I’m going to say it anyway.

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Cronyism, Democrats, Detroit, Government Incompetence, Michigan, Michigan Politics, Rent Seeking, Sports, Taxes

Battles of the Lower Depths in Detroit

by 10x25MM • June 25, 2017 • 4 Comments

Davis et al v. Detroit Downtown Development Authority et al; U.S Eastern District of Michigan Case Number: 2:17-cv-11742

Eastern District of Michigan U.S. District Judge Mark A. Goldsmith ruled on June 19^th that Detroit’s Downtown Development Authority can issue $34.5 million in bonds to pay for the relocation of the Detroit Pistons basketball team to the new Little Caesar’s Arena. The Judge’s ruling rejected arguments that the eventual use of school tax money to repay these tax increment finance bonds violates Detroit residents’ constitutional and statutory right to vote on a school tax money diversions.

Judge Goldsmith’s ruling denied Robert Davis‘ and D. Etta Wilcoxon’s motion for a preliminary injunction or temporary restraining order in their lawsuit against the Detroit Downtown Development Authority. The Judge said the plaintiffs did not establish the need for an emergency injunction. The Judge politely neglected to mention that Robert Davis was sentenced in the very same Eastern District U.S. District Court to an 18 month Club Fed vacation for stealing $ 200,000 from the Highland Park School District in 2014. Mr. Davis should still be on probation for this minor peccadillo.

One complication here is that the tax monies being diverted are not those of the current Detroit Community Public School District, but rather those of the legacy Detroit Public School District which was reduced to zombie status last year in the DPS bailout. Is the old DPS really a school district today, or just a financial entity? The Detroit Community Public School District is a near bankrupt ward of the State of Michigan that won’t receive any Detroit property tax revenues until the legacy DPS district debts are paid off. No one alive today will live to see that.

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Conservative News, Cronyism, Elections, Fees, Michigan, Michigan Politics, Part Time Legislature

Political Self Perpetuation

by 10x25MM • June 20, 2017 • 2 Comments

Making The Democratic Process In Michigan Just A Little Bit Less Democratic With A 21st Century Poll Tax

Representatives Steve Marino, Tommy Brann, Julie Calley, Kimberly LaSata, and Jim Lilly have just introduced six bills, HB 4745 to HB 4750, to increase filing fees for various down ballot political offices across the State of Michigan by 50% to 300%. These are the fees prospective candidates can pay to get on the ballot in lieu of filing nominating petitions.

As you might expect, the highest (300%) filing fee increase proposed applies to candidates for State Representative (and Senator).

The kicker here? The filing fee is also no longer refunded to the runner up. So running for political office in Michigan just became more ~~expensive~~ exclusive.

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Conservative News, Detroit, Michigan, Michigan Politics

Not Any Time Soon

by Jason • June 14, 2017 • 6 Comments

Will common sense ever return to our state?

I believe the power of stupid people in large numbers is reaching a climax.

Michigan has its share of both (people and numbers) in all corners of the state. In Traverse City, it might be the new cause-du-jour ‘sanctuary city’ effort, gender fluid/creative/neutral bathrooms‘ or our political class simply not seeing the forest for the trees.

Funny thing about that last. One of the commissioners cannot accept a sale of county property for an amount less than it is worth. But as things always seem to bear out, political classic and commissioner Cheryl Gore Follette was for it – before she was against it.

“There is frustration, but as I’m learning, it’s government,” says Clous. “Government can’t make a decision and stay with a decision and live with it.” He says he’s at “a loss for words” over Gore Follette’s “making an issue out of selling property for less than market value, or making the assumption that we are” after the board accepted a below-market bid for 160 acres of Whitewater Township property last week.

Yes, ‘cognitive dissonance’ is a real thing.

But the hinterlands is not alone in such net-less mental acrobatics. On the opposite corner of the mitten, we have even more willful ignorance. MI Dems were introducing bills to make the world safe for ISIS terrorists last week, the feds arrested a naturalized resident of Dearbornistan for:

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Michigan Politics

Introducing the Michigan Patriot Action Center — Up-to-Date Info and Action Items Regarding Important Bills in Lansing

by shane Trejo • June 12, 2017 • 5 Comments

I have something that I am happy to unveil to you today: The Michigan Patriot Action Center. A team of conservative patriots in Oakland County have been working on it for several months, and we are very proud of what we have come up with!

This legislative center will help you stay up-to-date on bills that directly impact your freedom and your pocketbook. It is regularly updated with new legislative action updates every week. So you always know the status of each bill, which committee the bill is in, when a relevant committee hearing will take place, basic talking points about the legislation, and receive instructions on how to take productive action to move the bill forward.

All of this information is available on the internet but it is often scattered and difficult to find. Sometimes the legislation itself is difficult to decipher because it was written by lobbyists in a deliberately vague manner, and activists might not know how to describe it. That is why we analyze each bill, and provide a basic script for you to use during outreach. We are centralize all of the pertinent information to make productive action much easier.

I do bill tracking around the country for the Tenth Amendment Center, and sometimes only a few dozen phone calls can move a bill in the right direction so if we utilize this bill center to its full potential, we can all make a real difference. Additionally, we are always working to improve the project. Right now, it is hosted from Google docs which is very easy to use. We are always looking to expand so if you have any comments, please email us. We are also organizing a group of individuals in each state rep district and state sen district to increase the power of this center.

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Michigan Politics

Michigan House Passes Constitutional Carry

by Conservative First • June 8, 2017 • 4 Comments

On Wednesday, the Michigan state house passed a package of bills to implement constitutional carry in Michigan. Constitutional carry means that the government does not impose any permits or fees before citizens can exercise their constitutional right to carry firearms. Around five years ago, support for constitutional carry moved from the fringe to a mainstream Republican position. Twelve states now have constitutional carry, and more are considering it.

The four bills received 59 to 61 yes votes, and 47 to 49 no votes. Three democrats voted for all four bills. They are

John Chirkun – district 22 (Roseville)
Phil Phelps – district 49 (Flint suburbs)
Scott Dianda – district 110 (western UP) – running for state senate (district 38) in 2018

Seven Republicans voted against some or all of the bills. They are

Kathy Crawford (against 3 of 4) – district 38 (Novi) – termed out in 2020
Michael McCready (against all 4) – district 40 (Bloomfield) – termed out in 2018 – may run for senate (district 12)
Martin Howrylak (against 2 of 4) – district 41 (Troy) – termed out in 2018
David Maturen (against all 4) – district 63 (E Kalamazoo) – termed out in 2020
Chris Afendoulis (against all 4) – district 73 (GR Township) – termed out in 2020 – may run for senate (district 29)
Rob Verhuelen (against all 4) – district 74 (Walker) – termed out in 2018. Verhuelen ran against Tom Leonard for Speaker last year.
Dave Pagel (against all 4) – district 78 (S Berrien) – termed out in 2018

The bills now go to the state senate, where it is not certain whether they will be taken up. It is also unclear whether Governor Snyder, who has a mixed record on gun rights, would sign them. Nonetheless, Speaker Tom Leonard and most Republicans in the state house deserve credit for getting them this far.

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Government Incompetence, Michigan, Michigan Politics, Opinion, Pensions & Retirement Benefits, Taxes

The Forest For The Trees

by Jason • June 7, 2017 • 1 Comment

Grand Traverse County Commissioners don't even understand why the county is broke.

We all like nice things.

Sometimes we have to choose which nice things we want however. As a community, the pie is only big enough for so many parks, so many police officers, and some of the other necessary ‘amenities’ to make it all happen. One thing it requires is choices and priorities.

Attending a board of commissioners meeting tonight, one participant noted that our Northern Michigan county had the worst pension funding situation in the state. While probably true, the rest of the commissioners in their own ways acknowledged it, and then moved on to prove in no uncertain terms why it is unlikely to change.

In an effort to raise money to cover the ballooning pension liabilities, Grand Traverse County Commissioners voted 6-1 to sell a county property for nearly $100K less than the highest bid for the property. They were convinced by a number of hikers, bikers, and cross country skiers, that letting the property in question into ‘private’ hands would make our slice of heaven intolerable.

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Conservative News, Government Incompetence, Michigan, Michigan Politics

Adverse City

by Jason • June 1, 2017 • 4 Comments

Traverse City Adhoc Committee faces proper and righteous indignation over direction toward sanctuary status.

The left, in its unbridled pursuit of one world lunacy, is fully embedded in Traverse City, Michigan.

Considering a sanctuary city policy that ties the hands of local law enforcement, an adhoc committee of the Traverse City Human Rights Commission (the most concentrated batch of lefties and progressive lunatics in the north) held a public meeting at the Grand Traverse County building yesterday. The meeting was met with (perhaps unexpectedly intense) opposition to the idea of a sanctuary policy from residents in, and out of Traverse City proper.

Outside the county building a couple hundred protesters gathered prior to the meeting to let the HRC know where they stand on the issue. Many had apparently never been moved to protest till this point, and others were regular guardians of good government, and our constitution.

By the time it began, the meeting had to be moved to the larger County chambers venue because of the sheer number of people who showed. The ratio of folks opposing the ‘sanctuary’ nonsense was about 10:1 to those who demonstrated support.

Interestingly, there were those who work with the migrant community as well who were in opposition to the sanctuary policy, because they feared increased ICE activity in the region as a result. Even those who carried the signs protesting the protesters of this may have had some second thoughts after the commenting was finished.

Misunderstanding the difference between migrants and illegal aliens is apparently too easy.

The HRC will make a recommendation to the Traverse City Commission, which will then vote on whether to advocate lawlessness, and neuter it’s police force fully.

Stay tuned for updates.

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Cronyism, Elections, Government Incompetence, Humor in Michigan, Michigan, Michigan Politics, Republicans

Calley’s Next Big Announcement!

by Jason • May 31, 2017 • 1 Comment

What will the next over-hyped roll out of critical information be???

So Brian Calley has not yet come out and said if he was running for Governor ..US Senate ..Muffin man.

He used the build up, the excitement, the hype! ..To announce a legislative effort. The May 30 announcement at the Detroit Crony Club’s Mackinac Leadership conference brought us news that The conservative boy wonder wants to spearhead efforts for a part time legislature.

“Mackinac Island — Lt. Gov. Brian Calley is spearheading a petition drive and potential 2018 ballot proposal to make the Michigan legislature part-time and cut legislator pay, the Portland Republican announced Tuesday.”

Ballot proposal hmm?

While the idea of a part time legislature is a great idea, it is not entirely original, it does not set him apart from ‘the pack’ as Schuette beat him to the punch, and the timing is hilarious. Political opportunism on the back of good policy is a part of Calley’s past. He used RTW promises to get a hand picked supreme court nominee (who lost) and now after a decade of service in Lansing, and NOW it’s apparently time to ‘pull the trigger’ on this ‘necessary‘ reform.

Classic.

The announcement however, left open the speculation of whether Calley would be pursuing higher office. His website hints at yet another big news event, telling us to come back June 1st. Obviously, Calley has a string of announcements planned all the way to the GOP leadership conference. Keeping us in suspense will keep us engaged with (presumably) his next campaign bid!

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