Michigan Politics

Michigan Political considerations.

You know the MIGOP is in trouble when it’s already trying to reflect the blame for the May 5th Tax Proposal blowback

Goat-1

Scapegoat

(n.) A scapegoat is an event person or object that is used to lay the blame on for all that goes wrong, regardless of the contributions of others. This will usually carry on until the scapegoat has gone, or has managed to successfully defend itself against the arguments presented to it.

In the MIGOP the scapegoating is a never ending process, done to protect and deflect criticism of the new Sacred Cow of continued government expansion under Governor Rick Snyder.

Scapegoat-03-10-13-400x400
Linda Lee lost as an incumbent, partially due to her out of context ramblings prior to the election concerning RNC Committeeman Dave Agema. (Some claim her bloviating during the BS organized  “Listening (to Linda) Tour” also cost her votes, but the events were so poorly attended I doubt the veracity of that claim). She and others need to take their own advice, and stop the Divisiveness. Her double standards are glaringly obvious, as illustrated by screenshots of a series of Posts she herself has allowed to remain on her page for almost a month now.  If Linda were not black, the posts could easily be called racist,  apparently they are just bitter grapes, a failure to accept election results, Ironic for someone employed as Director of Community Affairs & Election Integrity Liaison, allowed by a sore Loser.

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Where’s The Bridge?

Questionable MDoT Database Compromises Auditor General's Bridge Inspection Performance Audit

Jefferson Rouge BridgeThe Michigan Office of the Auditor General released its overdue performance audit of MDoT’s Bridge Inspection Program Friday afternoon, just in time to miss last week’s news cycle. Weekend news reports focused on bridge inspection frequency, but there is a more fundamental question which should be answered first: Are the MDoT bridge records which were audited complete and correct?  Even remotely so?

The Federal Highway Administration collects bridge data from the State DoT’s and other sources to create and maintain the National Bridge Inventory. It is supposed to list all American bridges which have roads running across them or below them, along with ownership, identifiers, and condition data. Condition data is given as a number from 0 (failed) through 9 (good beyond current standards). These numbers then get converted into the descriptors you read in the press, such as ‘structurally deficient’, poor, good, etc.

The MOAG performance audit is replete with statistics derived from MDoT’s bridge inventory database which show – no surprise – that some of Michigan’s bridges are in poor shape. You can see MOAG’s statistics as of April 30th, 2014 in the audit or go to a searchable database of individual bridge data across the entire country, as of 2012, brought to us by Alexander Svirsky of MassRoads.com.

A first pass at the MOAG bridge inspection audit involved looking at the worst condition category of bridges, those rated 0 or 1 for failed or imminent failure. Going through the Wayne County owned bridge summary on Page 51 of the new MOAG audit, I was heartened to see that Wayne County has no condition category 0 or 1 bridges. But there are at least two zero condition category major bridges in Wayne County across the Rouge River, so let’s say I am experiencing a little cognitive dissonance just now.

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Many Michigan Shooters A Week Away From Becoming Felons

Michigan Law Enforces Obama's Latest 'Pen and Phone' Gun Control With Draconian Penalties

BATFE M855 GreenTip

It turns out that the stealth U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives proposal to prohibit the most popular cartridge used by civilians in the AR-15, America’s most popular civilian rifle, will be enforced by draconian penalties in Michigan law. This prohibition will affect all owners of .223 Remington caliber rifles, not just the AR-15. BATFE has indicated that they are withdrawing a ‘sporting purpose’ exemption for the standard issue U.S. Military 5.56x45mm NATO (.223 Remington) cartridge, claiming that it is armor piercing handgun ammunition under the 1986 Law Enforcement Officer Protection Act.

Michigan legislators cloned LEOPA in 1990 with one important distinction. The Michigan statutory language actually prohibits any use of prohibited ammunition. From MCL 750.224c:

(1) Except as provided in subsection (2), a person shall not manufacture, distribute, sell, or use armor piercing ammunition in this state. A person who willfully violates this section is guilty of a felony, punishable by imprisonment for not more than 4 years, or by a fine of not more than $2,000.00, or both.

‘Use’ includes loading a rifle magazine with prohibited ammunition or even firing it in a single shot rifle. The Federal LEOPTA at least allows gun owners to use up stocks of ammunition on hand when a cartridge is prohibited. A bunch of Michiganders are about to become felons if BATFE gets its way thanks to another triumph of legislative draftsmanship by our Legislature. Violating MCL 750.224c is a four year felony, a rude surprise to someone owning M855 ammunition. Perfectly legal one day, a felon the next. The joy of multilevel government regulation.

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Michigan Roads – How Bad?

paser-1You are about to be buried in pseudostatistics and factoids purporting to demonstrate just how bad Michigan roads are. We have already demonstrated that the TRIP vehicle maintenance factoids fabricated by a devious road contractors’ business league are a complete fraud.

Now State of Michigan government entities are unleashing a wave of propaganda intended to drive your vote on Proposal 2015-01. Two State of Michigan government entities have prepared campaign flyers on behalf of Proposal 15-1 using Michigander’s tax dollars: MDoT and the Transportation Asset Research Council (TAMC).

Both MDoT and TAMC have spent years preparing slick pamphlets decrying the sad condition of Michigan’s roads, citing PAvement Surface Evaluation and Rating (PASER) data collected by TAMC with MDoT and local road agency help. These pamphlets claim that 30 – 40 % of Michigan roads are in poor condition. But are they really?

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Boy, are these people stupid!

Chumps!

Morons!

Idiots!

Dupes!

Simpletons!

Fools!

Betcha think these comments regarding Michigan Taxpayers was “secretly” overheard coming from the confab between Gov. Snyder, Ex-Speaker Bolder, Ex-Sen. Richardville, Rep. Greimel & Ex-Sen Whitmer last December just before they announced placing Prop 15-1 before Michigan Voters?

Close, but not quite.

{Tantalizing details after the fold}

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Sunday Reader

Highlights from Blogging From Around Michigan.

logo-sphereThe pickings may seem to be slim these days.

However, If you know of an active Michigan blog that it NOT included in our link list on the side, be sure to let us know.  In the meantime we have managed to find some folks from around the state who are worthy of some readership. Enjoy.

Jen Kuznicki – Republicans That are Unfit for Office in the House of Representatives There.  That was easy enough.

MTTM – Looking For The Real Fraud? The attorney general has made his top ten list.  MTTM updated it.

The Detroit Constitutionalist – Victories and Losses at the February 2015 MIGOP State Convention Another perspective on the MiGOP convention

The Other Club – Corporate Whore in Chief Read his other stuff too.

The Shekel – Why Gun Control Won’t Work – A Continuing Series Yep.

The Voice OF One Crying Out In Suburbia – The Donald Trump Model Of Church  Not something we might normally think about.   Read the previous (Lead up) post as well.

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Race Hoax at Kalamazoo College

What’s going on at Kalamazoo College?  K College is a far left elite private college just west of downtown Kalamazoo.  It was originally founded as a Baptist college, but that influence is long gone, replaces by progressivism, social justice, gay rights, anti-racism, and all the trendy cultural Marxism common on campus.

Kalamazoo College students start #UnsafeAtK social media campaign, say they feel threatened
Meeting about minority student safety at Kalamazoo College draws more than 100 students
Kalamazoo College officials address #UnsafeAtK social media campaign in campus-wide email
Security increased at Kalamazoo College after online threat to ‘start systematically executing faculty’
‘Don’t let them win’: Solidarity sought at Kalamazoo College in aftermath of online shooting threat
Kalamazoo College threats: Investigators hope Internet trail will lead them to suspect
Despite threat, Kalamazoo College students who have experienced racism push for intercultural center
Kalamazoo College students rally over concerns about racism and marginalization, push for intercultural center

The current controversy involves a student who is a gun rights activist.  He has advocated for open carry on K’s campus, a noble but hopeless cause at an extremely left-wing private college.  In late February, he asked the student government for support for this cause.  They predictably declined, and launched a flurry of insults, as reported by Campus Reform.

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Michigan Open Carry Files Suit Against Clio Area Schools

So a bit later than anticipated, but…

As set forth in the precedent setting opinion of Capital Area District Library v. Michigan Open Carry, Inc, school Districts are barred from making rules forbidding the lawful carry of a pistol. Yet, many districts throughout the state continue to do so with illegal policies and bullying. Michigan Open Carry, Inc (MOC) has partnered with Kenneth Herman to file suit against Clio Area Schools (CAS). Mr. Herman is a dues paying member of MOC.

Starting in 2013, Mr. Herman has, and continues to be, aggrieved by CAS. His constitutionally guaranteed right to self defense has been chilled as a result of threats of arrest and criminal prosecution should he not comply with CAS’s unlawful policy related to firearms. As a result of these unlawful actions on the part of CAS, he has been unable to defend himself while attending to business or other functions at his daughter’s school.

It is our hope that this case may ultimately be appealed to the Michigan Court of Appeals so the matter may set precedent that will guide the policies and actions of other school districts and law enforcement throughout the state.

This lawsuit comes on the heels of Michigan Open Carry, Inc working successfully with several other, more cooperative school districts to modify their firearm policies to bring them into compliance with State Law.

According to Mr. Herman, his daughter’s teachers have taken it upon themselves to mention his self defense choices in class to all the other students, possibly to incite ridicule amongst her peers.

Originally posted here.

Complaint can be read here.

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It Would Be About Time

moore-moneyTaxpayer provided incentives for one industry or another have always been morally wrong and with questionable results.

Maybe this time we can end ONE particular part of an ongoing ‘eating out of our substance’ for the purposes of one industry’s benefit.  HB4122 will do this, and we support its passage.  The Ivory Tower reports on the effort to push through this bill with some commentary on both sides of the debate.  Supporting removal of the subsidies is one former lawmaker:

“The film subsidies send much of the $50 million allocated to them, out of state — to Hollywood millionaires and billionaires,” said former state Rep. Tom McMillin, a leading opponent of the incentives. “A lot more jobs will be created by keeping that money in Michigan and employing Michigan workers to fix roads or keep the money in the pockets of business owners across the state, so they can hire more employees.”

Indeed, one of the missed points when giving taxpayer money away is what the benefit might have been if it had been left in the hands of those who produced it.

This is a start.  Rumors of a bill to end the MEDC have been floating around, and would be well received by overtaxed Michiganians, but so far no such effort from ANY lawmaker has borne any fruit.

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QUANTUM OF SOLACE. TIME TO DO YOUR JOB AND STOP BUILDING POLITICAL CAPITAL FOR THE FUTURE.

“If you board the wrong train, it is no use running along the corridor in the other direction.”
Dietrich Bonhoeffer

This is the second time that Cindy Gamrat (at the behest of Todd Courser?) has considered throwing her hat in the ring for RNC Committeewoman. This is also the second time she has made an attempt to Undermine the TP/Liberty movement this month. An apparent pattern is beginning to emerge, one that many, myself included, were blinded to by Friendship and possibly misplaced loyalty.

Many of us Know that Cindy Gamrat asked Both Cindy Duran and Angela Rigas, to effectively cancel their house races, and Commit their Campaign resources and volunteers to her fight. (Were there others asked to do so?) Angela Rigas and Cindy Duran were both taking on sitting incumbents. With the recent revelations of the endorsement of Ronna last week, and the propping up of Calley at the Pow Wow, one could easily speculate on the motives of such a request, the origination of the requests, and who would benefit the most if either had dropped out? Many realize that while Pscholka and Lyons both still won, neither is in a position of leadership in the house today, and much of the credit for that goes to the diminishing of their power due to being challenged. A secondary thought is the arrogance involved in the concept that a candidate has the “Right” to commit the time, energy, and resources of volunteers, to others.

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