Michigan Politics

Michigan Political considerations.

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

Weasel Words? Really? We can do much better than that!

by KG One • May 11, 2015 • 4 Comments

You people in Lansing are supposed to be Conservatives. Why not try acting like a Conservative for a change?

There is an axiom that everyone has probably heard numerous times already that goes something like this: “Those who fail to learn the lessons of history are doomed to repeat them.”

A friend of mine would add in a second line to that to make it a little bit more interesting…”Those who fail to learn the lesson of history correctly, well they are just plain doomed.”

It strongly looks like were seeing that second line play out here in Michigan after the defeat of Proposal 1.

This time around, though, it doesn’t have to end that way.

{More after the fold}

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Conservative News, Democrats, Elections, Michigan, Michigan Politics, Philosophy, Republicans

Mackinac Center’s ‘VoteSpotter’ Application for Smartphones

by 10x25MM • May 8, 2015 • 4 Comments

A Useful Political Intelligence Tool for Political Junkies

The Mackinac Center for Public Policy has created a free, interactive smartphone app which tracks state and federal bills pending floor action and your legislators’ votes.on those bills. This useful app is called VoteSpotter and has has been debugged to the point where it works well. There are only about 1,000 Android users of this app presently, but it is growing in popularity. It is available from both the Google PlayStore and the Apple IOS App Store.

You enter your voting address and the program determines your state and federal representatives from its database. Then you receive regular notifications of impending legislation soon to be voted upon by those legislators, described in plain English. You can then contact your legislator on any legislation for which you receive a notification, indicate your preference before the vote, and then concur or disagree with your legislator after the vote. Legislators have access to the ‘polls’, but not your individual information unless you elect to send them an email through the program.

Mackinac Center is now in the process of extending this application beyond the State of Michigan.

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2015 MIGOP State Convention, Democrats, Elections, Michigan Politics, Philosophy, Republicans

Protecting The Brand

by Jason • May 7, 2015 • 2 Comments

We have an opportunity to clean up the way in which Republican candidates are selected.

This weekend the Michigan Republican State Committee will likely vote on a motion submitted by Tom McMillin to rescind the Open Primary rules that were passed last year.

Generally, many of us who are still in the GOP have decried the corrupting influence of those who could give a rats ass about the platform; a platform which is perfectly reasonable if it was honored. A couple days ago, Tom wrote to state committee members

Dear fellow State Committee members
Attached is an FAQ regarding rescinding the Open Primary rules passed by the prior state committee.

This year’s state committee, not last year’s, will administer next year’s primary. We should not shrink back from that responsibility. It’s clear that Republican activists are tired of people outside our party influencing the primary process, especially when casting votes.

I think it would be wise and healthy for us to reset the table, discuss and debate the options and have the current state committee come to a conclusion.

Sincerely,
Tom McMillin
8th District Chair

I don’t have a copy of the FAQ at this time, but have learned to trust McMillin’s instinct on items like this.

And frankly, we’ve seen the damaging effects of the corrupting influence.

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Michigan, Michigan Politics, Philosophy, Republicans

Reconciliation To End Obamacare

by Jason • May 7, 2015 • 1 Comment

Dear Congressmen, you have not done everything in your power yet. The End.

Lying liars.

Frankly that is the first description I have for the Republican Congress critters who have assumed their positions of power in the last few years. Especially given that there have been several ways to stop Obamacare in its tracks; up to, and including impeachment for executive authority run amuck.

Heritage makes a point that there is STILL a way to effectively repeal the ACA, aka: Obamacare. It is called reconciliation, and it merely requires a majority vote in the Senate.

Dan Benishek – Put Up Or STFU. I name you specifically, because you are my congress critter. You are also arguably the most ignorant in Michigan of the power that congress wields. Get this message across to the senate Republicans or get lost. If you leave office and have not even tried to own up to the multiple promises you have made with regard to appeal of the ACA, then you are as much of a worthless liar and cheat as the president.

H/T Abigail

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

Plan B – A Philosophy

by 10x25MM • May 7, 2015 • 7 Comments

Spending Money Is Not Leadership

Kwame’s and Bobbie’s ‘Bridge of Bucks’ over Telegraph Road

Now that Michigan voters have mercilessly dispatched Proposal 1 to the garbage can of history, lets talk a bit about the philosophy of a truly effective plan to get Michigan’s roads and bridges up to par. This will provide a proper foundation for developing a ‘Plan B’ which will actually improve Michigan’s roads and bridges, and be acceptable to the population as well.

The underlying premise of Proposal 1 was that the only action required to fix up Michigan’s roads and bridges was injecting big money into the Michigan Transportation Fund. The depraved philosophy of modern American government. Not true and the voters knew it. But Michigan’s power elite believed that opposition could be neutralized by icing a pile of feces with chocolate frosting. Didn’t work despite a lavish $ 10 million effort.

The condition of Michigan’s roads and bridges has only a casual relationship with the funds available in the MTF. In 2014, 11% of MTF funds were siphoned off by various State of Michigan Departments in the form of charge backs for ‘services’ rendered to the MTF, as well as priority grants that have little to do with roads and bridges. Debt service is also a component of this 11%, but that is effectively a payment for previous time preferences of bureaucrats and politicians. Then 9.5% of the remainder was diverted to the Comprehensive Transportation Fund for mass transit. Finally, the MTF was partitioned amongst the State Trunkline Fund (36%), county road agencies (34.6%), and cities (19.8%). In each partition, further funds are siphoned off by charge backs, pension payments, and OPEBs. What’s left for the roads is more a function of politicians and bureaucrats preferences at every level than the amount of money front loaded into the MTF.

So how do we proceed? First develop a philosophy to frame and inform the ‘Plan B’ debate. After the fold.

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Michigan, Michigan Politics

Who let the Dogs out???

by Tom Backers • May 6, 2015 • 13 Comments

Woof!…woof…woof, woof!!!

Today on Patriot Voice Radio, “Your Defending Fathers” got a bit carried away with the ‘thrill’ of victory…Trucker Randy evidently told the folks in northern Michigan about plans being laid to recall State Senator Wayne Schmidt…This is not new, as of the August primary campaign many of us paying attention to it were absolutely disgusted with then Representative (104) Schmidt’s campaign practices, and his insistence in his ads that he was a true conservative with conservative values…We know this is a blatant, arrogant lie…The only fly in our ointment is the timing, as we were on schedule to launch the recall organizational effort in August, to be totally prepared for an all out effort to get the recall on a statewide ballot by May of 2016…

After today’s radio program, my phone never stopped ringing, three calls from around the State from people who heard the broadcast, three conversations with Mr. Bishop, and then a blind call from a reporter at MIRS to confirm the effort…busy day…As this is now in the public forum, and supposedly in the news statewide, I feel obligated to confirm the facts of the matter and dispel any rumors to the contrary…We will be mounting an effort to remove State Senator Wayne Schmidt from office…The abysmal failure of Prop 1 yesterday shows support for conservative, common sense government in Michigan on a scale we could only imagine…The architect of this fiasco…one Senator Schmidt…

His record as Chair of the House Transportation Committee will be documented in following articles, where they may be checked for accuracy and authenticity…His sponsorship and support of Prop 1 will be duly noted as well, and his penchant for expanding government at ever increasing taxpayer expense will be exposed for anyone who cares to follow the course of this effort…Every phase of the recall procedure will be published, and released to the media…We may fail in the effort, but the mere attempt should put Wayne (as I like to call him) and all other legislators on notice…We will no longer stand by and watch as our government destroys the people they are Oath bound to serve…We’re NOT going away…

The Wayne Schmidt recall effort has now formally begun, May 6th, 2015…

Tom Backers

Committee to recall Wayne Schmidt (Not yet organized)

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Elections, Michigan, Michigan Politics, Opinion, Proposal 15-1, Taxes

Now What???…

by Tom Backers • May 6, 2015 • 0 Comments

Plan "B"...

Here is a suggestion for the Legislature…You want us to modify the State Constitution???…Try this one on for size…Two simple fixes:

Step One:
Asphalt is petroleum based, the vehicles traveling over it use fossil fuels…The Kammer Land Trust fund has $26 Billion in it last time I checked, and it is Constitutionally protected…The State of Michigan already owns too much land, especially here up north…Change the Constitution to allow 50% of ALL future trust revenues to be used EXCLUSIVELY for road construction, repair and maintenance…

Step two:

The Legislature is currently going after the $20 Billion “No Fault” insurance fund, to the benefit of insurance companies, and in turn, insurance lobbyists who donate heavily to our elected officials and other candidates…They seem to think they don’t need all that cash just lying around…While you’re amending the Constitution to use the gas & oil revenues to partially fund roads, modify the “No Fault” law to do the same…both in perpetuity…
Raising the gas tax at the pump slightly would do the rest…ALL of which MUST be spent on roads and bridges…PERIOD!!!…
Run that one by the voters…you just might see it pass by the same margin…
Way too simple for our masterminds in Lansing???…

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

Not in today’s market.

by KG One • May 5, 2015 • 0 Comments

While still remaining cautiously optimistic on the results of today’s vote, I would still like to take the high road here and avoid doing “a victory lap”, even one that is well deserved.

That been said, one of the pat responses that I can practically guarantee will come from Lansing in the coming days is the worn out lament that “there is nowhere to cut”.

You know that this is bunk.

I know that this is bunk.

The answers are there.

The clip below is just one example of where substantial savings can be found from Lansing.

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Michigan, Michigan Politics

Acta Est Fabula

by Jason • May 5, 2015 • 3 Comments

Proposal 15-1 died as it was supposed to, but there is still work to be done.

Assume ‘gloat mode,’ then get back to work.

If anyone thinks it ends here, they have forgotten the lesson of 2013 when we eased up pressure, (if only temporarily) and the governor slammed us with Medicaid expansion. In fact, when looking at the way things happen with this progressive mess in Lansing, scales put it this way to me directly:

“The gross underestimation has only brought a hike in the State Income Tax, Medicaid expansion, retirement pensions being raided, Common Core, 300+ Ghey *marriage* licenses, a quarter of a billion to the Ilitch’s ice rink who vote Democrat, a Detoilet bailout for the DIA, a recapture of control of the state Party via his pal Baird from Chicago and the Rockefeller-wing Romneys, a monolith of a Health Department, a NAFTA Bridge, a cousin with furniture contracts, more slightly faster Amtrak railcars, driver licenses for illegal alien anchor brats, a H1-B visa center operating out of his MEDC, the launch of moonslime Day at the Capital, Boji payola buildings, no-bid Medicaid contracts with moonslimes, a pending abomination of energy policy waiting in the House and Senate, and this goddam ballot proposal, of which, you notice the Nerd ain’t wooing anybody who falls within the Right side of the political spectrum, yes?”

His point can be taken to the bank.

And it will earn interest.

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Michigan, Michigan Politics, Proposal 15-1

The Final Word On Proposal 15-1

by Jason • May 4, 2015 • 6 Comments

Tomorrow morning the polls open for those who have yet to electorally weigh in on the largest tax increase that Michiganians have ever had the opportunity to give themselves.

We have chronicled the multiple failures of the package here in nearly 80 articles, specifically referencing the proposal itself and dozens of other articles leading up to it. Our efforts over the last five months have demonstrated that the overall issue in Michigan’s roads situation is one of complete dysfunction. In fact we’ve shown the proposal is hardly about roads alone, though that aspect is the only legitimate premise under which the proposal is being sold.

Aside from the convoluted language and constitutionally flawed (and with predictably BAD outcomes) package, it is a cacophony of noisy promises to Michigan’s recipients of taxpayer largess. Townships, schools, ‘the working poor’ and the road builders themselves all seem to have a dog in the fight if one was to buy into the governor’s hype.

It all comes at a cost, and it appears the taxpayers are wising up.

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