Michigan Political considerations.
Purportedly there is some “disagreement” between the Michigan House’s 600/600 plan (with built in perpetual tax hike) and the Michigan Senate’s plan.
So, who is up for a Part-Time Michigan Legislature?
(9)Nuh Uh.
(0)I cannot help but wonder if Sen Meekhof was ever given a copy of the MIGOP "Principles"?
“The senate passed a road funding plan this summer. The senate plan prioritizes state spending, generates new revenue for a long-term solution and returns tax dollars to hardworking taxpayers. ” – Senate Majority Leader Arlan Meekhof (October 20, 2015).
Is it just me, or does that highlighted part of his quote contradict itself?
I’m going to keep this one short today.
{Click below to read more}
(15)Nuh Uh.(0)MAPSA Statement on Gov. Snyder’s Detroit Education Plan
The Michigan Association of Public School Academies (MAPSA) has been the voice of the public charter school movement in Michigan since 1996.
According to them, Governor Snyder’s Detroit Schools plan doesn’t work. Dan Quisenberry, President of the Michigan Association of Public School Academies (MAPSA), the state charter school association, says:
“We all agree that every child in Detroit – and every child in Michigan – deserves a great education in a great school. Everything we do should move us closer to that goal. Based on what we’ve seen, we have concerns with any plan that takes decisions out of the hands of parents, and puts them in the hands of a single, politically appointed person.
“We need to raise student achievement in Detroit and solve DPS’s financial situation, and from what we’ve seen and heard, this proposal does neither. ..
What? A new bureaucracy is bad?
Snyder outlined a plan in April that called for the creation of a new Detroit Education District to oversee traditional and charter schools.
Ahhh.. Emphasis engaged.
(4)Nuh Uh.(0)You MUST keep up on this if you care about your 2nd amendment rights in Michigan.
From Michigan Open Carry: SB 442 S-2 / SB 561 S-1 Analysis of Amendments – More Good and More Bad, Still a Mess
” For those not aware, SB 561 was introduced by Senate Majority Leader Arlan Meekhof the morning before the hearing as a companion bill to SB 442 introduced by Senator Mike Green. Both bills came up in committee and were amended with changes not fully made available to the public until the next day. The bills are now tie-bared together, meaning neither can become law without the other, effectively making them a “package”.
SB 442 S-2 is now a much better bill, while SB 561 S-1 is almost completely gun control. However, they must be taken together as they are tie-bared. Essentially the package is a two bill package that works in a yin yang’ish manner. You can read our original analysis here if you would like to compare.“
Read it.
Then keep your legislators on speed dial.
(16)Nuh Uh.(0)
Since the uprising of the grassroots to reshape Wayne County’s 13th Congressional District, messaging and branding have been at the forefront of the changes made in order to set the stage for proper candidate recruitment and development.
Reaching out to the district properly using the right tools takes funding.
Like you, I decided to get involved to make a difference. Our communities in Wayne County have been overrun with progressivism, and collectivism. But a growing number of people just like you are changing that terrible trend for the better.
You see, our republican organization has taken a stand against the hypocrisies within our own party and the destructive policies of the left. With the new formation of the District we are changing the conversation by reaching out to newer audiences with a clear and defined message of individual liberty.
If you share my concerns and wish to help with our goals, please consider attending our upcoming Fundraiser event.
You are invited to join us on Tuesday October 27, 2015 @ 7:00PM
13th District Republicans, Founders Dinner
Stephan’s Banquets at St. Michael’s
26355 W. Chicago
Redford Mi. 48239
Tickets for the event are $35.00 and proceeds will greatly help to achieve both our short and long term goals of building relationships and trust in communities of Wayne County.
(6)Nuh Uh.(3)(5)Nuh Uh.(2)Albert Einstein Called Him "The Greatest Mind in American History."
Josiah Willard Gibbs
1839 – 1903
The second phase of Governor Snyder’s plan to restore Flint’s damaged water infrastructure was announced today. Michigan’s taxpayers will pay the pirates at Detroit Water & Sewerage $ 6 million to reconnect the Flint water system to DW&SD’s Lake Huron water supply. The Charles Stewart Mott Foundation will ante up $ 4 million more and the City of Flint will will pay $ 2 million extra as well. Governor Snyder said: “The technical experts helping the city on its water advisory all agree this move back to the Great Lakes Water Authority provides the best public health protection for children and families.” Note that our devious Governor gives you the impression that the funds will be going to the GLWA. No, they will all be going straight to the pirates at DW&SD unless Flint’s new Karegnondi water pipeline is seriously delayed.
As we pointed out last week, the Flint water distribution system has been seriously damaged by 17 months of amateur chemistry and government incompetence after resourcing their water supply to the Flint River. Incompetent control of water chemistry after April 2014 has dissolved protective pipe linings, allowing lead, iron and steel corrosion which has released lead and iron compounds into Flint’s water on its way to customers. A process called leaching. The finished water coming out of the Flint Water Treatment Plant is seemingly fine, but it certainly isn’t by the time it arrives at their customer’s taps.
Because the damage to Flint’s water infrastructure commenced with this resourcing, a hue and cry went up to reconnect Flint to Detroit water. A logical fallacy. Detroit water did not damage Flint’s water infrastructure when it was used prior to April 2014, at least as far as we know. (Do we really know?) However it cannot – by itself – repair the damage done since. Flint pipes may not have been corroding before April 2014, but they certainly are now. Detroit water is controlled just enough to prevent damage to water infrastructure, but not enough to repair damaged infrastructure. Flint is going to require a distinctly different water chemistry than Detroit.
The technical experts are touting corrosion control plans to stop the corrosion in Flint’s water distribution piping. By corrosion control, they intend to load up Flint’s water with orthophosphate forming chemicals to prevent further corrosion and attempt to restore the protective scale linings in Flint’s water piping. This is the EPA’s stock recommended practice, derived from their statistical analysis of water systems across the nation. The problem here is those statistical analyses were made of more or less functional water distribution systems. Not a heavily damaged system like Flint’s. Flint’s water problems are an ex novo case. The only recent case of lead pipe leaching even close occurred in Washington, DC, but is enough different in its particulars that Washington’s corrective actions do not provide an assured plan of action for Flint.
(25)Nuh Uh.(0)New Poll: Peabody Up, Courser Tied For Third in Historic Special Election
You may remember that, a few days ago, I had made reference to the Courser-Gamrat saga – at least from the perspective of Todd A. Courser – playing out very much like a classic six-act Shakespearean-style tragedy, in which the catastrophic resolution for TAC was the modern “ritual suicide” of a Nixonian-style resignation, right as it became obvious that republican leadership in the State House had finally brokered a deal with democrat leadership to tally the votes necessary to expel him from their membership. I also mentioned that, unlike the theatre, real life doesn’t end with the final curtain, as we saw play out a mere week later. To quote Brian Began from an Inside Michigan Politics press release from last Friday:
“Much like the residents of Elm Street and the campers at Crystal Lake, the Lapeer County Courser monster just won’t go away. It’s the sequel nobody wanted, and it’s coming to a ballot box near you this November,” said Brian Began, Elections & Research Director of Grassroots Midwest. “This is not a conventional primary, but a 30-day sprint. Courser has a steep climb, but should he convince enough of his allies to support him in November, Republicans could again be dealing with a nightmare scenario.”
So, instead of Romeus Montague, Began believes that we may rather be dealing with Freddy Krueger . . . yikes. Popcorn, anyone?
(10)Nuh Uh.(0)Amateur Chemistry, MDEQ Lies, All Around Government Incompetence, Social Justice Warriors => Everything Goes Wrong
Usually, when the words ‘Flint’ and ‘lead poisoning’ are used in the same sentence you get a mental image of homicides by gunshot. Likewise, in Michigan, ‘amateur’ and ‘chemistry’ conjures up images of an illegal meth lab fire. Now, however, we have allegations that the City of Flint’s amateur drinking water chemistry is causing high lead levels in children. This story has exploded over the last week and, as usual, the ignorati in the main stream media and Michigan politics are clueless.
Flint’s emergency financial manager switched the city’s drinking water source to the Flint River in April 2014, an attempt to save the ruined city $ 30 million a year – the vigorish being extracted by the pirates at the Detroit Water & Sewerage Department. The same extortion which motivated the Detroit suburbs to create the Great Lakes Water Authority. Using river water was an intermediate step, with the ultimate goal of Flint joining the new Karegnondi Water Authority and resuming Lake Huron sourcing after the new KWA pipeline is completed in 2016.
Unfortunately, Emergency Financial Manager Ed Kurtz did not realize that river water would require much different preparation than the Lake Huron water they had been supplied by DW&SD. He rose in life as the leader of a business school, not as a chemist. It doesn’t appear that Flint Water Treatment Plant’s staff water chemists had a clue, either. Comments made by Governor Snyder at the presser for his Supreme Court nominee Joan Larsen suggest he was neck deep in this decision and also completely oblivious to the technical issues.
Flint residents protested immediately, complaining of poor taste, foul odors, and turbidity (lack of clarity). Much of this unrest was part of a long term drive to oust the emergency financial manager running Flint, the paramount goal of the city’s social justice warriors. It didn’t help that Ed Kurtz raised water rates about 50%, emulating DW&SD’s obscene fees on top of maximum taxes piracy. Public outrage has increased in Flint ever since. Genesee Circuit Court Judge Archie Hayman enjoined Flint’s water rate hike, throwing Flint’s finances back into disorder. Since Judge Haymen’s order was left in place by the Appeals Court and went into effect, Flint water collections have dropped by $ 1.75 million a month.
In all fairness to EFM Kurtz, part of his rate increase was intended to replenish $ 15.7 million which had been transferred from the Flint water fund in 2007 to pay a sewerage overflow settlement. However this entire situation was almost certainly an attempt to quickly balance Flint’s books and wrap up emergency financial management. Lansing was certainly sweating EFM Kurtz to conclude Flint’s restoration in order to shut down the social justice warriors before our 2014 election.
So what is happening here, technically? Will Detroit water fix Flint’s problems? (Hint: No)
(30)Nuh Uh.(3)
Don’t bother me. I’m letting people think that I know what I’m doing.
When he’s not busy assuaging his troubled conscience with other people’s money or letting terrorists into Michigan for the very same reason, Gov. Rick Snyder (along with his BFF’s Lil’ Guv Calley, Sen. Meekhof and apparently Speaker Cotter) are still working diligently behind the scenes to shake down Michigan Motorists and businesses to fix the perpetual joke that is Michigan Roads.
I should stress how important the latter is, because the guv’s crew often “forgets” that goods actually get onto those shelves at your local store via truck…not some transporter beam from Star Trek or magical fairies daintily waving their wands.
I also shouldn’t need to remind anyone here of Basic Econ 101, where my boss isn’t going to eat the cost of higher fees & taxes Gov. Snyder & Co. will eagerly impose on him. He (and I’ll venture a guess every other business as well) will pass most, if not all, of that cost along to you.
Just something to keep in mind the next time you run out to your local store for anything.
So where is MDOT flushing more of your hard-earned road funding down the toilet this week?
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(13)Nuh Uh.(0)
