Michigan Politics

Michigan Political considerations.

Conservative News, Cronyism, Democrats, Government Incompetence, Michigan, Michigan Politics, Part Time Legislature, Rent Seeking, Republicans

Switch SuperNAP Michigan Data Center: Chaos in the Offing

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A Few Details Michigan's Legislators Might Want to Consider

Steelcase Pyramid Image 3
Michigan’s nitwit media have been gushing over the announcement last Thursday that Switch, LLC will purchase the erstwhile Steelcase Pyramid southwest of Grand Rapids and convert the site into one of their state-of-the-art SuperNAP cloud computing data centers. The ‘information economy’ has been touted as Michigan’s future by no less than Michael Dell. He was in Detroit to address the Economic Club after his company purchased EMC Corporation, another major data center operator with three facilities in Michigan, in a blow out $ 67 billion buyout. Switch SuperNAP promoters, notably The Right Place, Incorporated, are touting 1,000 new jobs in Gaines Township, but this should be regarded wth the same skepticism as any other MEDC clone employment prediction. No one has said anything about financing, but there is good reason to believe that Michigan will be asked to ‘participate’ here as well.

Steelcase vacated their distinctive Corporate Development Center in 2012 and sold it to to Norman Properties in May. Norman Properties, in turn, has agreed to sell this property to Switch LLC, pending the approval of State tax breaks. Those tax breaks have been introduced in the Michigan House by Representatives VerHeulin, Yonker, and Schor. Identical tax break legislation has been introduced in the Senate by Senators Hildenbrand, Schuitmaker, and MacGregor. These legislators are targeting quick passage in the legislative session which convenes after their Thanksgiving break. They might want to consider a few details before they lunge further forward.

This being RightMI, you might think this post is about those tax breaks. You would be wrong. There is actually a critical flaw in this project which will injure Consumer’s Energy electricity customers all across West Michigan. A couple of other issues exist as well, but they pale in comparison to the electricity consumption of this project.  Those tax breaks are a lost cause in American politics today – not even worth protesting.

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Conservative News, Michigan, Michigan Politics, Philosophy

Humpday Around Michigan – Islamic Invasion Edition

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Don't hold your breath on Rick Snyder's commitment to protecting Michigan citizens.

Paris happened, but it is not spectacularly unique as has been chronicled since 911.

These are some takes from around the state on the federally assisted invasion of high risk into our state.

The Shekel –  The Governerd Begins To Get A Clue  “That he thought it was a good idea in the first place shows rather terrible judgment on his part .. ”  Indeed.

The Michigan Review (April 02) – From One Direction to ISIS: The Zayn Malik Story  Boy band to propaganist recruiting tool.

Muskegon Pundit – The Way Black Lives Matter Responded to Paris Attack Will Boil Your Blood – Comparing Paris to Mizzou? yeesh.  Remember CMU too!

Muskegon Pundit #2 – Is his plan national suicide?—–Obama sticks to his plan for at least 10,000 Syrian refugees — unvetted! Unlikely to change really.

Muskegon Pundit #3 – This entire “refugee resettlement” scam is ALL ABOUT MONEY and MUSLIMS. Not compassion!—–Must see! (only 4 min) Ann Corcoran on Refugee Resettlement Truth. must see then call our governor.

Enjoy the rest of the week.

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Michigan, Michigan Politics

Say no to Syrian Refugees

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Is allowing the refugees worth the risk to our Michigan friends and families?

Michigan’s governor has expressed an interest in opening the gates for refugees from Syria.

As seen in the tragic Paris attack, vetting those who would settle in our nation, and particularly in our state is of utmost importance.  France has discovered at least two of the Islamic terrorists perpetrating the attack in Paris were part of the refugee movement, which would also send high risk refugees here as well.

I must first question the governor’s desire to put Michigan at-risk for the same sort of extremist violence. By ignoring normal immigration procedure and fast-tracking of settlements from such unstable parts of the world, he undermines our citizens’ safety.  By admitting the large number of demographically high risk candidates for entry is asking for trouble in my view.

Will the current representatives offer any legislative warning or interference with the governor’s design? What about my own representative Larry Inman? Has he made a statement in opposition to a broad acceptance of those who carry a higher probability of future violence than those who have gone through a normal vetting process?  No?

Call his office at  517-373-1766 and ask him why not.

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Michigan, Michigan Politics, Opinion

Two Billion Dollars For This.

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Are we getting bang for the buck or being ...

Michigan spends two billion dollars a year funding its colleges and universities.

Michigan is required to support through appropriation our institutions of ‘higher learning’ as described in Section 4 of Michigan’s constitution:

Ҥ 4 Higher education institutions; appropriations, accounting, public sessions of boards.

Sec. 4.

The legislature shall appropriate moneys to maintain the University of Michigan, Michigan State University, Wayne State University, Eastern Michigan University, Michigan College of Science and Technology, Central Michigan University, Northern Michigan University, Western Michigan University, Ferris Institute, Grand Valley State College, by whatever names such institutions may hereafter be known, and other institutions of higher education established by law. The legislature shall be given an annual accounting of all income and expenditures by each of these educational institutions. Formal sessions of governing boards of such institutions shall be open to the public.

What this does not stipulate however, is the amount to be taken from our wallets and given to these indoctrination centers.

The video to the right is an example of the enlightenment your kids might experience in the pursuit of intellectual exceptionalism.  We feed this nonsense by acquiescing to higher taxes and remaining silent when our representatives sell us out to the money interests and the left which profits heavily from our laziness.

Perhaps it is time to starve the beast.

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80th District Special Election (2015), Conservative News, Cronyism, Elections, Michigan, Michigan Politics, Proposal 15-1, Rent Seeking, Republicans

Come Out, Come Out, Whoever You Are!

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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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Elections, Michigan, Michigan Politics, Opinion, Republicans, Taxes

I’ve Heard It Snows In November

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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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Conservative News, Cronyism, Elections, Fees, Michigan, Michigan Politics, Opinion, Part Time Legislature, Philosophy, Proposal 15-1, Rent Seeking, Republicans, Taxes

More weasel words from Gov. Rick Snyder

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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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Conservative News, Cronyism, Elections, Fees, Liberty, Michigan, Michigan Politics, Opinion, Part Time Legislature, Philosophy, Proposal 15-1, Rent Seeking, Taxes

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

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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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80th District Special Election (2015), Elections, Michigan, Michigan Politics, Opinion

Gamrat’s Final Word

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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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80th District Special Election (2015), Cronyism, Elections, Michigan, Michigan Politics, Part Time Legislature, Proposal 15-1, Republicans

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

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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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