Philosophy

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

A Time For Choosing

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There is only ONE Logical choice for Chair of the Michigan Republican Party.

There is no question that it is time for a change in the Republican Party.

We won’t sugar coat it.  Bobby Schostak and the ‘elite’ within the party have produced only a fractured base over the last several years.  Each time the grassroots begins to feel a part of the process, it is told to wait its turn, be pragmatic, and swallow hard with the neo-progressive efforts at reaching out to the socially and fiscally broken ideologues which normally associate with left of center political organizations.  This is unacceptable.

The cronyism and political patronage that has shown itself repeatedly hardly allows any self respecting conservative Republican to make the claim that there is integrity within the party.  The failure of party leadership to step up and offer guidance to an administration and legislature that has done more to advance liberal planks than the last (Democrat) administration is outrageous.

But it is not the party platform that is wrong, the party leadership has been.  And now we are expected to look at the coronation of handpicked succession, and expect anything different?

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You Betcha! (25)Nuh Uh.(3)

2015 MIGOP State Convention, Michigan Politics, Opinion, Philosophy

The Window Dressing of Reverse Racism

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Do we really want a third term for a Vice Chair who appears to be more interested in pandering than in outreach?

Since early 2014, there have been ever-escalating smear attacks against our national committeeman, Dave Agema, that have been as predictable as the calendar, in that they’ve occurred, if my memory serves me correctly, during the runup to every national or state committee meeting last year, as well as during the weeks immediately preceding the “fall” state convention (and are now occurring concurrent to the weeks preceding the “spring” state convention four weeks from now). The pattern is also predictable, in that either Ken Braun or Dennis Lennox (occasionally Kathy Hoekstra just for the sake of variety) will get wind (via one of their trolls) of a social media post on Agema’s Facebook page, will then cherry-pick some alleged “money quote” from the source article (or an article buried up to three links deep from that source) and then report that “money quote” as though Agema originally said it . . . and never-you-mind that they can’t be bothered to accurately report what he actually said with regard to why he found something post-worthy. The next step, again ridiculously predictable, is that the three amigos will then use their press credentials to publish opinion pieces, which allegedly-more-credible reporters will then use as source material for front-page “news” stories, which the usual suspects will then use to fuel a smear campaign of manufactured outrage, which the party’s useful idiots and low-information voter bloc will dutifully echo as an ever-increasing crescendo of calls for Agema to step down “for the good of the party.”

Fully detailing this pattern and the miscreants perpetuating it – which I intend to do – is a topic for another day soon. My purpose in mentioning it here is to merely highlight the hypocrisy of selective outrage within the party leadership, specifically in regard to a certain vice chair whose own conduct has been perhaps more offensive than that of the national committeeman for whose resignation she has recently called.

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You Betcha! (28)Nuh Uh.(4)

Firearms, Michigan, Michigan Politics, Philosophy

Rotten Fish in Michigan

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DNR Fee Increase Backfires

Politicians of all stripes are rooting around for fresh money to fulfill past, present, and future promises lately, figuring that the economy is so hot that their depredations will go unnoticed and have no consequences. Let’s take a look at a Michigan example: the increase in license fees for hunting and fishing which the Legislature authorized in 2013 and which took effect in 2014.

The most popular hunting and fishing license prices doubled under the new fee schedule, although a direct comparison is not possible because the licenses were restructured to ‘simplify’ the license schedule. Governor Snyder’s goal for these increases was to raise an additional $ 18.1 million dollars annually for the DNR. The Senate Fiscal Agency benchmarked the anticipated annual increase at $ 19.7 million.

These are fees, paid voluntarily, so why should we care? Only taxes matter? The State of Michigan has been reducing the amount of money appropriated to the DNR from tax revenues since 2000, a reduction that now amounts to about 70%. So fees are now required to replace taxes. A common story across the United States. Fees play better with voters than taxes.

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You Betcha! (25)Nuh Uh.(0)

Michigan, Opinion, Philosophy

Upton is sMITTen with Glee for Amnesty

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Been meaning to address this recent development, however, living Life 101 sometimes intrudes with stealing time from the perpetual game of Whac-A-Mole that is the Republican Party, its leadership, its members, and the very treachery they all represent.

IllegalsA total of 26 Republicans officially announced themselves as RINO open borders traitors and enemies of the Constitution and its separation of powers today. They did so by voting against the successful Marsh Blackburn (R-TN) amendment to the Homeland Security funding bill which prevents any of those funds from being used in the implementation of Hussein Obama’s dictatorial amnesty or in the funding of future DACA applications or renewals.

The bill passed by a vote of 218-209 [see here], with the defections coming largely in districts in which Republicans represent large minority populations and in which they may have felt it prudent to put their perceived interests of minority citizens and their associated votes over the Constitution and the oath they swore.

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While the writer above appears to like to hang the moniker of RINO upon the 26 self-serving cat’s-paws, I have to ask, why is this a surprise to anyone? Did not 162 Republicans fund amnesty and Obamacare last month?

Sorry folks, but the expression RINO is officially dead. They are what they are – parasites – with only goal as elected members is to maintain a seat at the table of government where they happily run their fingers through the trillions of tax dollars flowing into D.C. Have any doubt? Well, then just witness what the alleged thrice candidate says on November 26, about amnesty.

Indeed, nepotism loyalists – Swallow H A R D.

You Betcha! (17)Nuh Uh.(1)

2015 MIGOP State Convention, Michigan Politics, Opinion, Philosophy

Well This Is Embarrassing

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Young man, the plain language of the law is the plain language of the law, even when it works against you.

Regulars on either this site or the old one likely are sure to recall the Michigan Dele-Gate Fiasco. The quick synopsis, for the Johnny-come-latelies, is that, on the final night of February in 2012, the MIGOP Credentials Committee (at that time consisting of Bobby Schostak, Sharon Wise, Saul Anuzis, Holly Hughes, Eric Doster, Bill Runco, and Mike Cox) had the high-tech equivalent of a middle-of-the-night, smoke-filled-back-room meeting, and decided, by a 4-2 vote – Hughes didn’t get word of the meeting until after its conclusion – that the published and promulgated delegate allocation rules would be overridden, ex post facto, for no other purpose than to preserve the narrative of a “favorite son” presidential primary win. The resultant grassroots backlash culminated in the Showdown In Motown, where the alleged chief engineer of the fiasco, one Saul Anuzis, was convincingly replaced with Dave Agema (to the ongoing agony of Michigan Republican Progressives).

However, with now mere days before the MIGOP Policy Committee meets to rule on the affidavits of candidacy for the various 2015 State Convention candidates, we see a similar scenario playing out . . . with at least one familiar player in the mix.

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You Betcha! (12)Nuh Uh.(17)

Elections, Michigan, Michigan Politics, Opinion, Philosophy, Proposal 15-1, Republicans

Ghosts Of Speakers Past

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Former speaker comments from the political graveyard of deleted PR Pieces.

Yeah, the interwebs are forever.

Then Speaker Jase Bolger had something to say about fixing the roads.  Going to the taxpayers to fund or cover for the malfeasance of our MDOT and legislative road committees was not the top priority of the sometime Snyder enabler Jase Bolger, right?

Given the lame duck performance resulted in nothing positive for Michigan’s burdened taxpayers, it’s not surprising that their ONE opportunity to solve a real problem was passed along for the taxpayer to share in the blame.  A bad package with the promise of pain for the (even with the renewed EITC) poor, and particularly the middle class once again. (Yes, shameless populism – sue me)

Indeed, this is one of the few times we had no disagreement with the speaker.

He was on the mark.

 

You Betcha! (17)Nuh Uh.(1)

Democrats, Elections, Michigan, Michigan Politics, Philosophy

Stabenow To Visit Ideological Homeland

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Michigan's favorite Meat Puppet Hits the communist travel circuit.

castro-stabenowMichigan’s Senator Debbie Stabenow going to hang out with Fidel.

From the not-so-very-surprised department, a lifting of the ban on travel to Cuba has its first eager traveler from the peoples Republic of Michigan.  From Politico (H/T Weasel Zippers) We find the (now) senior US Senator from Michigan is joining a celebratory junket to the land of the 1956 Chevrolet:

This weekend, the first congressional delegation will visit Cuba since Obama’s December diplomatic shift. The visit to Cuba will be led by Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), who also flew to Cuba last month to bring back freed prisoner Alan Gross.

Leahy will take five other Democrats with him: Sens. Dick Durbin of Illinois, Debbie Stabenow of Michigan and Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island; and Reps. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland and Peter Welch of Vermont.

“We have all been to Cuba before, and we strongly support the president’s new direction for our policy toward Cuba. We are going this time to discuss our expectations, and the Cubans’ expectations, for the normalization of relations,” Leahy said on Friday morning.

In other news even JFK has rolled in his grave.

You Betcha! (10)Nuh Uh.(1)

Michigan, Michigan Politics, Opinion, Philosophy, Republicans

In His Own Words

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Dave Agema gives an explanation of the recent attacks.

Dave-bannerReceived this last night.

Given the snowball of uninformed public opinion driven by an active ‘smear Dave’ campaign, its only reasonable that he have at least ONE public outlet beside his own in which to defend his honor and integrity. Unfortunately, Jonathan Gruber is more right than he knew; There are some folks willing to believe anything in print, especially if it has the ability to destroy good things or people.  Dave Writes:

Dear Jason,

The truth is held from you. I felt compelled to deliver the truth behind the uproar.

Dave Agema RNC Committeeman
The Truth Is Not Told Once Again

Once again I find the same people making false statements concerning a repost of an article I got from Col West’s ( former congressman) news letter as my words and opinion. I make no accusation that I agree with the statements supporting the author he posted. I do support Col West’s commentary concerning the authors article and not the content of the article itself. I respect the former congressman and fellow military officer highly and regard his opinions since he grew up in the inner city as a black man who has personal experience. I think his observations are noteworthy and he is certainly not a racist nor am I for reposting his opinions.

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You Betcha! (21)Nuh Uh.(4)