Michigan

Ann Corcoran is one Sharp Lady

She gets it. Read: https://refugeeresettlementwatch.wordpress.com/2015/12/09/speaker-ryan-blasts-trump-over-muslim-ban-can-we-hear-grover-in-his-words/

Now, take a peek behind the curtains: http://theconservativetreehouse.com/2015/12/08/common-sense-points-for-pundits/

See that? Now that Dick and Betsy’s Common Core ¡Jeb! has proven to be a resounding dud, the GOPe’s next strategy is pushing the “Gang of 8” amnesty loving, Marxo Boobio. Doubt the billionaires within the MI-GOPe haven’t splintered in attempts to get their puppet the nomination? Well, just take a look at this guy from the Magic Underpants family who now backs Marxo Boobio’s campaign in the state. Matter of fact, five more cuckservatives outed themselves just yesterday.

lyin-Ryan

The GOP can bank on that.

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Fast and Loose in the Michigan Senate

Switch Subsidy Bill Passage Was A Senate Rules Violation

David Knezek ImageIn their slobbering rush to deliver tax breaks for one very specific data center last Thursday, the Michigan Senate violated its own rules regarding the consideration of appropriations bills. The Knezek amendment to SB 616, S-1:

Enacting section 1. The legislature shall annually appropriate sufficient funds from the state general fund to the state school aid fund created in section 11 of article IX of the state constitution of 1963 to fully compensate for any loss of revenue to the state school aid fund resulting from the enactment of this amendatory act.

converted SB 616 into an appropriations bill according to the definition in Michigan’s 1963 Constitution, in its Article IV, Section 31.

Michigan Senate Rule 3.602 requires:

“Any bill requiring an appropriation to carry out its intended purpose shall be considered an appropriation bill (See Constitution Article IV, Section 31). Appropriations bills, when reported back to the Senate favorably by a committee other than the Committee on Appropriations, shall, together with amendments proposed by that committee, be referred to the Committee on Appropriations for consideration.

Michael Kowall Image 2Senator Kowall moved a suspension of the Senate Rules after the noon recess on Thursday to bring nine bills on to Third Reading, including SB 616. From Senate Journal 106, page 1910: “be placed on their immediate passage at the head of the Third Reading of the Bills calendar.” was his motion. Senate Journal 106 indicates that his request was passed by a majority. This allowed final action and passage on SB 616 in the Senate that day.

Reading the record, it would appear that Senator Kowall was suspending Rule 3.207 to consider SB 616 and the eight other bills which had been placed on to ‘General Orders’ that morning for final passage under ‘Third Reading’, out of normal order. Senate Rule 3.207 requires a one day delay between the ‘Second Reading’ (‘General Orders’), and the ‘Third Reading’ (‘Final Action’). Suspending this prescribed one day delay is a common practice when time is of the essence.

Senator Kowall had already moved that morning, before recess, to place SB 616 and the same eight other bills then under ‘Committee Reports’ (‘First Reading’) under ‘General Orders’ (‘Second Reading’), so they could be on that day’s calendar. Also out of normal order, but again a common practice when time is of the essence.

But did either of Senator Kowall’s two suspension motions suspend Michigan Senate Rule 3.602?

Is Michigan Senate Rule 3.602 a fundamental rule as defined by Mason’s Manual of Legislative Procedure? Mason’s is the underlying body of rules adopted by the Michigan Senate when their own rules are mute on an issue.  Fundamental rules cannot be suspended according to Mason’s and all the other accepted bodies of parliamentary rules.

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Why Schmidt???…

Why recall Wayne...

12231453_1517169498596422_1600511783_nI posted the MIRS article on our filing of petition language to recall Senator Wayne Schmidt to a certain local talk radio host when it came out to see if he was interested in it…His response…Why???…

After Prop-1, the Senate primary campaign against MacMaster, the red light cameras, and now the gas tax, he asked WHY???!!!…

PastedGraphic-1Granted, I’ve only lived up here for a measly 24 years, but during that time I was unfortunate enough to get to know Schmidt and how he operates from his stint in House District 104…been following the guy ever since…enough to know how arrogant, condescending, and downright hypocritical the man is…  Wayne Schmidt is the establishment GOP poster boy, “groomed for leadership” and a “team player” (ask George McManus)…His campaign ads boast of his “conservative values”…his voting record screams progressive liberal!!!…Wayne Schmidt never met a tax or fee he didn’t like, vote for or actually sponsor…He thinks the State should own far more land than it already does, and that the people in Lansing know far better than the folks in CD1 how to run a railroad (pun intended)…He calls himself a Republican, but votes like a Democrat, perhaps if our effort is successful he can take the opportunity to switch parties…

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State Of The State Program Guide Contest Announced

Pure Michigan student creativity unfolding before our eyes.

sotsprogramcoverdesigncontest_cropHey kids, get your art skillz on!

The Michigan State of the State address by governor Rick Snyder is coming soon!  You can watch him get away with breaking the law, tell little white lies (or little dark ones), and learn how much you are already in debt in under two hours!  Gosh, what a treat! (or a trick)

But wait, there is more!

From the Michigan State Department of Propaganda comes a new contest: Design The State of the State Program Cover!

“Students can submit their designs today through Jan. 3. The top five designs – judged by their creativity and originality – will be announced through social media on Jan. 5 and posted on Snyder’s Facebook page. The winning design will be determined by which one receives the most ‘Likes’ on Facebook by the end of the day on Jan. 8.”

Gosh what fun!

To make it easier for our precious snowflakes, here is what the winning entry should look like.

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*sigh* Pat, Pat, Pat…

Read: http://theconservativetreehouse.com/2015/12/07/incredible-amazing-almost-well-unbelievable-ted-cruz-skyrockets-with-massive-surge-in-new-iowa-poll/

Sorry, Cruzers, it only gets better for The Man who speaks RealTalk.

Now, about that $134M you voted to flush down the drain, Sen. Colbeck

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Lie of the Month: “We’re talking about introducing an entirely new industry to Michigan”

Pandora's Box Has Been Opened

Pandoras Box Image 2Actually, no. There are at least 28 third party data centers already up and operating in Michigan. The House Fiscal Agency thinks there are 40, but didn’t specify them. None of these 28+ existing data centers required the tax breaks just reported out of the Michigan House Committee on Tax Policy to get up and running.  But Switch SuperNAP does? Why?

The promoters of Switch SuperNAP’s tax break package launched their campaign back in November with a heavy emphasis on the ‘new industry’ angle. This whopper seems to have been originated by Switch’s spokesman Roger Martin:

“It is a tough issue,” Switch spokesman Roger Martin said. “There’s no question about it. We’re talking about introducing an entirely new industry to Michigan, something that is the future of this country and of this world. It’s a good, vigorous debate.”

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Truth and Charity

'Giving Tuesday' finds a surprising headline.

united-wayI have never been a fan of pressured giving.

It’s giving Tuesday, and one might wonder if the United Way is, or ever was an organization that speaks to our collective benevolence in conscience. We might ask what joy is there in supporting organizations that encourage business to round up it’s employees and make them actively acknowledge that they are “not giving today, thank you.”

As an employee of UPS in Traverse City a couple of decades ago, I attended the Friday morning Charity of the week sessions where United Way sent representatives to talk about the good it was doing with our pulled-from-the-paycheck donations.  We stood around for a half hour (paid by UPS) listening to the mandatory presentation on why we should continue giving.  I Didn’t much care for that; I was there to work.

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