Opinion

All the Other Stuff, Education, Opinion

History forgotten.

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Roughly one week out from their home port, Rear Admiral Matome Ugaki orders the coded fateful message sent to Kido Butai, “Climb Mount Niitaka.”

Save, coming into contact with the Soviet transport ship Uritsky three days later, they continued traveling undetected for several more days until reaching their pre-planned destination and “…a date which will live in infamy.”

Sadly, what passes for the media has forgotten the significance of this particular date.

Hopefully, readers of this post have not.

Keep America alert.

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All the Other Stuff, Conservative News, Cronyism, Democrats, Detroit, Elections, Liberty, Michigan, Michigan Politics, Opinion, Republicans, Taxes

Taxupalozza 2020

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Coming when you least expect it!

So, what do you get when you add a ton of special interest groups who feel that they are even more entitled to your money than you are (and their hopes that you’re not paying any attention to them whatsoever)?

You get the makings for a very interesting (series?) of elections in 2020…that’s what!

{More below the fold}

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Michigan, Michigan Politics, Opinion, Philosophy

Maybe Bat Guano?

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Mike Shirkey forgot to use the dollar sign for his 's'

It is what it is.

Mike Shirkey, Michigan’s Republican Senate leader said what he felt at the time, but forgot that triggered people trigger.  Obviously his position is one of institutional respect, and the branches of our governmental authority must work together for the benefit of Michigan.  But straight out calling the governor and her Democrat counter parts a bad name?  Heaven forbid we continue our word oppression of the overly sensitive progressive.

It started earlier this month with Shirkey’s spokeswoman saying the governor “has proven herself untrustworthy” following a series of public events where Whitmer supported an organization — and then vetoed their state funding in her budget standoff with Shirkey and the GOP.

Then Shirkey spouted off in a speech before a group of College Republicans at Hillsdale College, reportedly painting Whitmer and her fellow Democrats as being “on the batshit crazy spectrum,” The Hillsdale Collegian student newspaper reported Thursday.

Oh crap, now he did it.

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All the Other Stuff, Michigan, Opinion, Philosophy

Remember Them

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This is a day of memoriam, not of celebration . . . “happy” does not EVER apply.

I originally published this article back on the previous version of this site, eight years ago, and thought it overdue for a republish. My source material at the time was an interoffice email, circa 1998, from a shipmate (with whom I’m still in touch), whose letter I’d still had in my digital files, but have since lost. At least to me, the original author is unknown.

As the graphic below illustrates, a mere seven percent of the total American population have ever served in military forces of the United States. (I remember reading somewhere that only 1% of the total American population is currently serving.) To make this number a tad more practical, if you were to door-knock any random twenty houses in your neighborhood, statistically only one of those households would contain someone who’s active duty, a reservist, a guardsman, a retiree, or other veteran.

On a day dedicated to national memoriam, we do well to properly remember those who’ve served, even if we cannot personally name even one of them.

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Elections, Michigan, Opinion

Just Arrived

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Vintage 2016

Gift bottles for all my favorite #DTS sufferers.

I’ve heard there was a version for Hillary supporters, but I would have to think they only wanted sour grapes.  No thanks!

2016 was sweet, and red.   Hoping the 2020 Vintage is just the same!

Have a great weekend!

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All the Other Stuff, Conservative News, Cronyism, Democrats, Detroit, Government Incompetence, Michigan Politics, Opinion, Taxes

Lying liars lying (yet again).

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Multiple media outlets in Detroit are reporting that the Detroit Institute of Arts will renege on their pledge made after the passage of their Regional Art Tax (aka “Art Institute Authority”) in 2012 and seek a renewal on the March 2020 ballot, two years ahead of its statutory end.

Yeah, I cannot wait to see how they’ll justify spending even more money on “art”?

I’m currently running on very little sleep, but more details to follow…

 

 

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2020 Presidential Election, All the Other Stuff, Conservative News, Cronyism, Democrats, Elections, Government Incompetence, Liberty, Michigan, Michigan Politics, Opinion, Redistricting, Republicans

Making a deal with the devil.

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Buried in the headlines this week between yet another fake news story regarding the pending impeachment of Pres. Trump, fixing Gov Whitmer’s line item frenzy (contrary to the media buzz, there is serious talk behind the scenes pertaining to fixing Gov. Whitmer’s not-so little temper tantrum screw-up) and the comedy of errors with the GM-UAW Strike, this story from Lansing surprising got very little attention.

Which gets even more interesting once you are made aware of what the topic of discussion was all about.

{Continues after the fold}

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Economy, Government Incompetence, Michigan, Michigan Politics, Opinion

At What Cost?

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Spending more in one area of the economy comes at what price?

One of Governor Whitmer’s veto targets may have been a good thing.  In one way anyhow.

For all the wrong reasons, the governor popped the fuses on a number of causes that have had state support for years.  Charter schools ability to get on-par funding with their failing counterparts, health subsidies to regional hospitals, and busing for kids in remote regions closely associated with the house speaker’s election district.

All of these met the veto pen as leverage for her 45 cent a gallon gas tax.  Clearly, the governor has shown where her heart lays on particular issues. Using at-risk children and health providers as leverage to get her 45 cent tax on the working poor.

One particular veto however, has a silver lining.  The end of taxpayer dollars used for advertising a particular industry.

Under the guise of benefit to all, the tourism industry has enjoyed a 13 year subsidized existence with the Pure Michigan campaign. 

The state has run the Pure Michigan campaign since 2006, ultimately placing advertisements outside of Michigan in hopes of luring in tourists and their dollars. It has had some memorably creative moments, such as the ads narrated by Michigan actor Tim Allen and overlaid by the theme music from the movie “Cider House Rules.”

We all like the music, and know the voice.

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Michigan, Opinion

Whitmer’s Wrath

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Gretchen Whitmer wants it all, and now!

Negotiating is not this governor’s forte.

During the budget battle she admonished the legislature for not jumping on board with her 45 cent a gallon tax increase.  None of her party’s house or senate members even tried to make it happen.  She was all on her own.

But Gretchen wouldn’t allow the state to move forward without a budget, so she signed what was given her.  She signed it, using the veto pen in a way she may have thought would bring the legislature back to her.  Yet in actuality, she revealed her own apathy for certain segments of government largess.

And at the same time she did another curious thing.  She sent a message to our state workforce, suggesting that if anyone so much as speaks to our legislators, they might regret it.  By lining out protections for those employees within, who also want good government.  From West Michigan Politics:

State employees are no longer protected if they expose questionable activities to state legislators.
Here is what Whitmer removed:

“”The department shall not take disciplinary action against an employee for communicating with a member of the legislature or his or her staff.”

A Whitmer administration source says that language is somehow “unenforceable,” which simply doesn’t add up.

No, it does not.  Why veto the protections then?

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All the Other Stuff, Conservative News, Cronyism, Democrats, Elections, Government Incompetence, Liberty, Michigan, Michigan Politics, Opinion, Republicans, Roads, Taxes

So, who is up for another game of chicken?

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For the next three years?

Biggest liars in political history.

“I did not have sex with that woman” – Pres B.J. Clinton

“If you like your plan you can keep it.” Pres. B.O.

“That’s ridiculous. It’s nonsense and you know it.” – Then Gubernatorial Candidate Gretchen Whitmer responding to a comment that she will raises taxes if elected governor during the Grand Rapids WOOD debate last year.

Oh, this is getting better…

{Click below to read more}

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