Michigan

Greasing The Monkeys

Apparently there is never enough choice choking regulation for some in our legislature.

car-repairWithout written permission to spend less, your auto repair bill will cost you more.

Incredibly, that first line above was a last minute ‘fix’ in HB4344.  Prior to it being added as an amendment by Pete Petallia, there was no wiggle room for any aftermarket part that wasn’t subjected to the extremes set up by the automakers to make their parts competitive. Meaning, if I wanted Miata wheels to replace the factory wheels on my Miata for any reason, I’d have to go through a lengthy process obtaining them EXCLUSIVELY from the manufacturer, creating time/effort hassles noone wants to deal with. The section of HB4344 addressing this:

House Bill No. 4344 as amended May 31, 2016

1  original warranty, or during the first 5 years of the vehicle  manufacturer’s original warranty, whichever is less, the motor  vehicle repair facility shall replace the major component part, and  a person that is an owner or operator of the motor vehicle repair facility shall ensure that the major component part is replaced, with 1 of the following:

(a) A new original equipment manufacturer part.

(b) A used or recycled original equipment manufacturer part.

(c) A part that meets any applicable federal motor vehicle safety standards established under 49 CFR 571, and meets the standards for parts recognized as OEM comparable quality as verified by the Certified Automotive Parts Association, NSFInternational, or another nationally recognized automotive parts testing agency.

(d) A part that does not meet subdivision (a), (b), or (c), if the facility is directed by the owner of the motor vehicle in writing to install that part.]

Michigan Capitol Confidential might be thanked for bringing this up originally.

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Absentee Voter Ballot Applications Available Now

You Can File One Form For Both The State House Primary and the Presidential/General Elections

Michigan Capitol ImageThe standard form required to request an absentee ballot in the upcoming August 2nd Michigan primary and November 8th general elections is now available online as a .pdf file here. The large print version of the application for the visually impaired as a .pdf is here. Completing and filing this application also gets you the ballot(s) for any local candidates and/or issues also voted on in August and November.

Absent Voter Ballot Application Header
Just download this application form, fill it out, and mail it to your clerk.

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The Winner of “Survivor: Cuyahoga” is . . .

Donald Trump isn’t the republican nominee, and Ted Cruz hasn’t been mathematically eliminated . . . yet.

At roughly noon on May 4th, after running fourth in a three-man race for seven consecutive weeks, John Kasich finally suspended his presidential nomination campaign (raising the obvious question of, “What the hell took so long?”), leaving Donald Trump as the “sole survivor” of what was originally an eighteen-candidate republican field. And, go figure, before Cinco de Mayo was in the books, various talking heads and keyboard pundits were acknowledging, with varying degrees of enthusiasm, that The Donald was now the presumptive republican nominee. However, to channel L. P. Berra, this campaign ain’t over ‘til it’s over, and despite a certain well-circulated AP report, a certain critical milestone hasn’t yet been tallied into Trump’s column, and so June 7th is still going to matter . . . very much.

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Democratic Socialism Comes to Southeast Michigan

RTA Funding Could Buy All Their New Riders New Cars, And Pay For Their Fuel and Insurance To Boot!

RTA Transit Map aThe new Regional Transit Authority of Southeast Michigan is out today with their transportation master plan to soak taxpayers in Macomb, Oakland, Washtenaw, and Wayne Counties for another $ 3.3 billion in property taxes over a 20 year period.Michael Ford Smiling RTA CEO Michael Ford released the regional mass transit plan RTA will submit to voters on November 8th under PA 387 of 2012. A 1.2 mill property tax increase and $ 1.7 billion in new Federal & State subsidies will provide four new bus rapid transit lines, 11 cross county connector lines, one regional rail line, and some extended/intensified local service.

Let’s have some fun by subjecting the new RTA regional mass transit plan to some real, pre Common Core, mathematics.

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Get Yer Jack Boot On

The 'other' definition of "force" once again rears its ugly head.

Pure-TicketThe logical conclusion to an over applied nanny state is the use of violence to prevent one from hurting oneself.

The Stings are on.  Grants to step up ‘enforcement’ (key use of words here) have been doled out. Click on Detroit says:

The Macomb County Sheriff’s Office will be participating in a mandatory seat belt enforcement grant beginning May 23-June 5.

Take the money, or else.

Indeed.  Click it, or we’ll put a gun to your head to save your life.  As Michigan goes into the high travel Memorial Day weekend, the stage is set once again to punish those who tempt fate by not strapping in.  In Macomb County they want to do it the nice way:

Extra patrols start Monday and continue through June 5 as part of the latest “Click it or Ticket” campaign, targeting motorists who are not wearing seat belts.

“Our primary goal is always to encourage voluntary compliance with the law. For those drivers who do not comply, our deputies will deliver warnings or issue violations as the circumstances dictate,” Macomb County Sheriff Anthony Wickersham said.

Oh, how friendly.

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Carpetbagging Confidence

Once again, Democrat aristocracy tries to buy a Northern Michigan political seat.

It is clear that the first lady gent of Obama-for-America fundraiser Julianna Smoot is sure of his impending primary success.

The race between Lon Johnson-Smoot, and (a guy who actually lives in the district) Jerry Cannon might have been a bit more balanced, but for a December car accident that temporarily put into question the retired General’s ability to campaign.  Any recent uptick in Cannon’s perceived chances are apparently not preventing Lon Johnson-Obama-Smoot from tying up the airwaves just before the general election in late October.

The guy who has a cabin-in-the-woods-for-residency has purchased several thousand in TV ads in Marquette already as reported to the FCC.  Cash money already spent

The list below shows recent purchases made

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To the Warriors in the Fight for the Long Haul…

Dr. Strangelove - Riding the Bomb
I spend the better part of each day talking to brave souls around the country who are deep in the trenches of the state sovereignty movement. It is truly a breathtaking and awe-inspiring experience hearing from the patriots on the front lines. I hear war stories from the boots on the ground in the great, animated contest of freedom vs. tyranny everyday.

I am both honored and humbled to be in the position to relay this urgent message, and sound the clarion call of liberty upon the masses. It is with a very heavy heart that I deliver the following report to you.

I will not mince words about what I have heard from these warriors. It is a grizzly sight. Everyone is in pain. I hear about tragedies from every corner of the nation. I see what lies beneath the mask of the federal Hydra, and it is beyond the pale. Sometimes, I feel like I need to bathe in holy water after a day’s work.

It is truly horrific to bear witness to the machinations of the beast system as it manifests itself upon God’s kingdom, and savages the greatest country the world has ever known. Watching it slowly snuff the life out of the American dream, as every American value is demeaned and debauched upon unimaginable lengths is gutwrenching. The darkness has enveloped us. The avalanche of tyranny has descended upon us.

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They’ll Find the Money

Lawmakers will come up with enough dough to settle this temporary matter.

Somewhere.

There is a $460 Million unexpected shortfall in the Michigan Budget.  The Free Press reports:

The budget gap is the combined result of a revenue shortfall of about $330 million for the 2016 and 2017 fiscal years, plus higher Medicaid caseloads that are expected to cost the state about $130 million more than estimated, Budget Director John Roberts told journalists after the conference at the Capitol.

The added strain comes as the Legislature is already grappling with tens of millions of dollars in extra spending requests related to the Flint drinking water crisis and a major financial rescue that’s proposed for the Detroit Public Schools.

Oh yeah..

The Detroit Public Schools.

Gee, we never saw that coming.

 

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If we can convince you that smoking is good and get you to eat for breakfast what we want you to, then we can definitely get you to support this.

Take a good look at the picture below.

Edward Bernays Image

He’s going to factor heavily in this post (and more importantly, what YOU can do to protect your pocketbook).

{Continued below the fold}

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Save The Children!

Are Bailouts The Right Answer for DPS?

school-926213(Reposted from JasonGillman.Com)

The Michigan House just voted to give the Detroit Public Schools a $500 million bailout and the State Senate wants to give $800 million.

104th State Representative and incumbent Larry Inman explains it away as a necessary evil. He suggested on the Ron Jolly radio program Wednesday morning, that lawyers warned house leadership that if they didn’t do something, the courts would take over, and it could be far worse. He referenced the Michigan constitution, and its requirement on the legislature to provide funding for the schools.

My guess is that he did not ask the question of the attorneys advising the house “what might happen if every school district subjected the taxpayers to the same challenge?”

YES, the state is supposed to provide an education. The legislature is supposed to “maintain and support a system of elementary and secondary schools.. ” In fact, From the state constitution:

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