Michigan Politics

Michigan Political considerations.

Cronyism, Democrats, Detroit, Elections, Michigan, Michigan Politics, Part Time Legislature, Philosophy, Proposal 15-1, Rent Seeking, Republicans, Taxes

Mackinac Policy Conference At The Grand Hotel: Protect Your Wallet!

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Detroit Chamber's Mackinac Policy Conference 2015 Starts Today - You Won't Like The Outcome

Is that a donkey in front of the Grand Hotel?

Is that a donkey in front of the Grand Hotel?

Later today Michigan’s Self Very Important Persons start checking in at the Detroit Regional Chamber’s 2015 Mackinac Policy Conference held on Mackinac Island. At $ 2,150 per person for Chamber members and $ 2,925 for Chamber wannabees, average Michiganders will not be much in evidence. The attendees list reads like the last itemized contribution report for SafeRoadsYes!, along with the clueless Michigan politicians who endorsed Proposal 1.

The Detroit Regional Chamber’s “Vision and Pillars” for the 2015 Conference is innocuous enough, but the Conference’s agenda is far less oblique. A host of left luminaries and crony capitalists orbiting Michigan government will be plotting higher taxes, bigger spending, and more vexatious regulations.  When they are not drinking.

The official agenda is all about Detroit, Michigan schools, alternative business subsidies, and the roads, but there is also the transformation of Detroit Water & Sewerage Department into the Great Lakes Water Authority lurking in the background. Roads are the most interesting part of the official 2015 Conference agenda, given the near universal support for Proposal 1 amongst the attendees. Despite touting ‘vision’, expect the Conference to endorse new taxes over improved efficiencies and better engineering.

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All the Other Stuff, Michigan, Michigan Politics, Opinion, Philosophy

Michigan Is On The List

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Michigan is one of several states used to relocate 'refugees' from the most dangerous and corrupted nations on the earth.

Of course you all knew that.

Michigan is one of the ‘resettlement’ states used by the UN and our state department to implant refugees from the worst areas of the world. Under the auspices of humanitarianism, we are being invaded by people who carry with them the very troubles we are told they are fleeing.

Dave Agema mentions A.L.A.C. in his presentation to Michigan conservatives last Saturday. He has seen this coming and has been working with Kamal Saleem spreading the word around Michigan in the past few years. A.L.A.C. stands for American Laws for American Courts, and simply reaffirms the constitution and state laws, while preventing the very anti American aspects of Sharia from creeping into our justice system.

I was fortunate to attend one of the presentations by Kamal Saleem a couple of years ago.

It has not gotten any better since then.

Do we become Europe in a couple of decades? (Video H/T George)

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Conservative News, Michigan, Michigan Politics, Opinion, Philosophy

MiCPAC – Kevin Jackson

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Conservative Kevin Jackson highlighted the 2015 MiCPAC this past Saturday

Want to have some fun?

We were lucky to have had Kevin Jackson speak to the conferees at the May 16 2015 MiCPAC in Troy. He lived up to the hype with a lively presentation. A heck of a nice guy so articulate that I hardly noticed he was short.

Shorter than me anyhow.

Enjoy!

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All the Other Stuff, Cronyism, Michigan, Michigan Politics, Opinion

Click It Or Ticket Force Zones Ramp Up

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Never happy enough with mere taxation and over burdening regulatory efforts, state officials want to remind you who is boss.

Michigan State Police are stepping up efforts to imprint their thumbs on Michigan motorists this coming holiday weekend.

Ever since the seat belt legislation was foisted upon a gullible electorate, millions of dollars have been used to cajole, threaten, and punish drivers who have threatened no one’s safety but their own. Since the inception of the law that was NEVER meant to be a primary offense, TENS OF THOUSANDS of citizens of our great lake state have been harassed by authoritative desires of some in law enforcement, and have had their 4th amendment rights violated under the guise of suspicion that they were not properly buckled in.

From the state department of propaganda today (with commentary inserted):

May 18, 2015

Seat_Belt_Law_Graphic_-_Web_489461_7For the first time, federally funded seat belt enforcement efforts will take place in all 83 Michigan counties to help jump start an increase in seat belt use and reduce traffic deaths and injuries. Starting today through May 31, police departments, sheriff’s offices and the Michigan State Police will conduct stepped up seat belt enforcement as part of the annual Click It Or Ticket campaign.

According to Joshua, a personal injury lawyer in Peoria Az, the enhanced effort coincides with the 15th year since Michigan adopted a law allowing law enforcement officers to stop motorists for not being buckled up. According to the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute, 2,659 lives have been saved since the law began in 2000 as a result of substantially higher belt use. States with primary enforcement laws have higher rates of seat belt use.

15 years of jackboot tyranny, now enhanced courtesy of an overreaching federal bureaucracy.

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Michigan Politics

Senate Passes Prevailing Wage Repeal

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The state senate passed a repeal of the prevailing wage law, which forces the government to overpay for construction projects.  The bill passed 22-15, with five Republicans voting no.

Five Republicans – Sens. Mike Kowall of White Lake, Tom Casperson of Escanaba, Mike Nofs of Battle Creek, Tory Rocca of Sterling Heights and Dale Zorn of Ida – joined all the Democrats in opposing the three bills.

Many of them previously opposed Right to Work.

Kowall – supported Right to Work – term-limited in 2018
Casperson – opposed Right to Work – term-limited in 2018
Nofs – opposed Right to Work – term-limited in 2018
Rocca – opposed Right to Work – term-limited in 2018
Zorn – opposed Right to Work (in the state house) – up for re-election in 2018

Notably, Mike Green and Ken Horn, who voted against Right to Work, voted for this bill.

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Conservative News, Cronyism, Democrats, Detroit, Michigan, Michigan Politics, Philosophy, Proposal 15-1, Rent Seeking, Republicans, Taxes

Did Proposal 1 Decamp to Washington?

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Spectacular Death in Michigan No Bar to Success in Washington

Government Spending Image 3While Michiganders were being entertained and infuriated by the lies of Proposal 1 proponents, few of us noticed that the very same roads funding strife is reaching a crescendo in Washington. The Federal Highway Trust Fund spends about $ 50 billion dollars on ‘transportation’ across the U.S.A. each year. Michigan received $ 1.39 billion from the HTF in Fiscal Year 2014 for new construction of roads and bridges, along with mass transit activities. As a point of reference, Michigan spent an additional $ 2 billion of funds raised within the state for the same ‘transportation’ purposes. The Federal HTF paid for 40.9% of Michigan ‘transportation’ spending in FY 2014.

Funded in the past by an $ 0.184 per gallon Federal gasoline tax ($ 0.244 per gallon on diesel fuel), the Highway Trust Fund’s traditional fuel tax revenues have fallen to about $ 34 billion. The Federal government has been supplementing the Highway Trust Fund from general deficit spending revenues since 2008. In Fiscal Year 2014, the Federal government supplemented the Highway Trust Fund with $ 11 billion in general revenues.

How did this happen?

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All the Other Stuff, Conservative News, Cronyism, Democrats, Detroit, Elections, Michigan, Michigan Politics, Opinion, Part Time Legislature, Philosophy, Proposal 15-1, Rent Seeking, Republicans, Taxes

From each according to their ability…to each according to their need – Part, oh, whatever

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First off, I’d just like to thank those who have sent in suggestions so far for “The Right Michigan Solution for Fixing Michigan Roads” (and yes, I have gotten a few already). I’ve got an update that I like to pass along after the fold.

And for the record, the title of this post isn’t referring to these “poor” schemps.

{More below the fold}

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Michigan, Michigan Politics, Part Time Legislature, Proposal 15-1, Rent Seeking

Really?

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There is enough evidence to demonstrate pay increases have not been earned.

Perhaps we take a different look at how we compensate our legislators (and maybe most of the top level bureaucrats)

Perhaps we do away with all of the term limit nonsense, and decrease the salaries of those who remain in government (YES including those who are high dollar appointees) by 10% each year to encourage them to return to the private sector.

Maybe THAT would be the direction pay should go in the future?

Check this out.

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