Proposal 15-1

Democrats, Economy, Michigan, Michigan Politics, Proposal 15-1, Taxes

Gretchen Wants to be a One Term Governor

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How unstable can one possibly be to not heed the warning of a 80% rejection from a few years ago to blunder on with a bigger and more dubious fuel tax hike of 45 cents per gallon on top of the last tax hike? Michiganians have no appetite for handing over more of their hard earned money to Lansing, which has been completely irresponsible with its contracts, especially, with favoring the union parasites that endorsed Whitmer. This women is pure evil and, she’s using school-age children as her political agenda hostages as well.

Sorry, deary, this ain’t the vagina monologues anymore. Gretchen’s station is to sign a responsible balanced budget and, honor her campaign promises (Whatever the hell they may have been), which did not include disrupting children’s education.

If Gretchen is smart she will sign the damn budget presented to her and, fix the damn roads with the increased funding provided by the Republican Majority without any tax increase. Then again, there is no trusting a snake who has lied throughout her campaign.

Ps. SML Shirkey, Speaker Chatfield, it would behoove you both to ignore this duplicitous twit as proven over the years he’s little more than a windsock as long as tax monies are tossed his way.

You Betcha! (11)Nuh Uh.(0)

Democrats, Fees, Michigan, Michigan Politics, Proposal 15-1, Taxes

Gretchenomics: Welcome to the Granholm v2.0 era

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Well, that didn’t take long to cast sunlight upon the Progressive Left’s wealth redistribution scheme.

If approved by the Republican-controlled House and Senate, Whitmer’s proposed 45-cent motor fuel tax increase would occur in three separate 15 cent tax hikes on Oct. 1, 2019, April 1, 2020, and Oct. 1, 2020.

The first two tax hikes would increase the tax by 30 cents and bring in an additional $1.26 billion during the 2019-20 fiscal year. But documents submitted by Whitmer as part of her executive budget recommendation on Tuesday indicate that the net increase to transportation funding will be just $764 million in 2019-20 fiscal year.

In other words, $499.2 million — an estimated 40 percent of the $1.26 billion gas tax increase in 2020 — would not go to roads. Instead, it would replace current transportation budget dollars that would be redirected to pay for other state government spending.

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Yet, this obscene agenda has support?

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Democrats, Fees, Michigan, Michigan Politics, Proposal 15-1, Taxes

The Word DUPLICITOUS Does not Even Begin to Scratch the Surface

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It boggles the mind how this clown still collects a paycheck.

I’ve advocated for a tax increase to fund road repairs, and Whitmer reportedly will call for a 45 cents hike in the fuel tax. That will be painful for motorists, but necessary. Michigan has neglected its infrastructure for so long that there’s no painless fix. The hike will give Michigan the highest per-gallon fuel costs in the Midwest, but we have to do it.

Wrong, dummy, we already ARE the highest per-gallon in the Midwest.

How quickly everyone forgets.

As for the rest of this nincompoop’s idle drool about legacy costs, Proposal A, education and other adult age socialism, well, that’s what happens when local leaders cater to public sector unions for endorsements to the offices they sought, of which, the much ballyhooed Freedom-To-Work Act never even came close to addressing.

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Conservative News, Cronyism, Elections, Government Incompetence, Michigan, Michigan Politics, Opinion, Proposal 15-1, Rent Seeking, Republicans, Taxes

Michigan republicans should just concede the next election to the democrats right now.

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Really! I’m a conservative just like the rest of you. Pinky swear!

Lil’ Guv Brian Calley, accompanied Gov. Snyder to Macomb County this week at the Macomb Chamber Alliance luncheon, and after a predictable speech on their successes in office, “teases” a potential run for Michigan Governor.

No, I’m not going to drive up web traffic to his soon-to-be campaign site by posting any links to it here.

..

Honestly!

This is the best that the republican kakistocracy can do?

So far, Team “r” has a candidate who supported bailing out Detroit and giving local governments the opportunity to drive themselves even further in debt by floating bonds to pay for promises they made to their employees which they knew they couldn’t possibly keep.

Now we’re seeing a candidate whose conservative philosophical leanings are questionable, at best.

Does Snydercaid, Common Core or using the power of state government to pay for his own daughter’s autism coverage ring a bell to anyone here?

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Cronyism, Democrats, Detroit, Elections, Fees, Flint Water Fiasco, Government Incompetence, Michigan, Michigan Politics, Opinion, Pensions & Retirement Benefits, Proposal 15-1, Rent Seeking, Republicans, Taxes

Who Rules Michigan?

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The Administrative State or the People?

The titanic political struggle unfolding in Washington is sucking the oxygen out of Michigan politics, but is analogous to the central political struggle which has been playing out here in Michigan for 48 years. Political media breathlessly report on a struggle between liberal Democrats and conservative Republicans. This struggle is not between Democrats and Republicans, liberals and conservatives, nor RINOs and true believers. The Democrats, liberals, and RINOs are completely discredited in Michigan, as they are across most of the United States. All that remains of them is jammed into the Hillary archipelago.

The present political struggle is between the people and the administrative state. Call it bureaucracy, deep state, or administrative state: they are unelected government employees, their agents in the media, and the select beneficiaries of government largess. Their opponents in this struggle are the majority of Americans and Michiganders who pay the price for the administrative state; a now seething mass whose ascendancy was a rude surprise to the administrative state.

The outcome of the struggle in Washington is yet to be determined, but in Michigan the administrative state is clearly winning despite its total responsibility for the Flint water fiasco. The administrative state owns Governor Snyder body and soul. The administrative state will stop at nothing to manipulate the Michigan Legislature when the chips are down. Refractory (but innocent) legislators are expelled before legal process while cooperative (but guilty) legislators sit unfettered until legal process is completed.

How else can you explain the PA 177 of 2015 road tax package, indistinguishable from the soundly trounced Proposal 2015-01? Or the bogus Detroit bankruptcy which somehow neglected a $ 491 million financial hole which will haunt the city with a vengeance in 2024? Half the city’s annual budget. Or the refusal of Michigan government units at all levels to even consider tax reductions due to the simmering public employee pension catastrophe? Those pensions enjoyed by members of the administrative state are but a distant memory to the Michiganders who pay them.  Indeed, all of Michigan’s units of government are jacking up fees to get around Headlee Amendment taxation limits.

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Government Incompetence, Michigan, Michigan Politics, Proposal 15-1, Republicans

A National Model

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Governor Snyder doesn't want to give up the federal money.

Right.

On the eve of the elimination of the greatest disaster spawned by [a Democrat] congress in our lifetime, we still have to fight ‘our own’ to get relief.  One should understand that the road tax passed by the legislature, after it was unceremoniously trounced by voters, was not intended for roads, but rather to pay for for the very thing that Governor Rick Snyder claims should be used as a “national model.”

Don’t doubt for a minute, that careless handling finances so fungible don’t have consequences.

Frilliant, .. yes?

 

You Betcha! (8)Nuh Uh.(0)

Michigan, Opinion, Proposal 15-1, Taxes

Vote No On Proposal 15-1

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Gas Taxes.. say what?

Oh that’s right, it didn’t pass.

It didn’t pass, the voters said “no,” but what the heck.  From the official propaganda unit of the MDoT

October 10, 2016 — The City of Ishpeming and the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) marked the opening of two new modern roundabouts at a ceremony this morning, bringing the summer’s $4 million major construction investment to a close.

“MDOT and the City of Ishpeming collaborated in outstanding fashion to improve a longstanding safety problem and access management challenge in the City of Ishpeming,” said Aaron Johnson, manager of MDOT’s Ishpeming Transportation Service Center. “These modern roundabouts bring a safe and efficient transportation solution to US-41 and the city, and provide a wonderful new gateway to the community.”

Emboldened text deciphering:  “Don’t forget to keep making the NASCAR turns.”

You Betcha! (8)Nuh Uh.(0)

Cronyism, Democrats, Detroit, Government Incompetence, Michigan, Michigan Politics, Part Time Legislature, Proposal 15-1, Republicans, Taxes

Forensic Audit – Now!

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Rhodes Image 1aRetired U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Steven W. Rhodes, now the Detroit Public Schools’ ‘Transition Manager’, just let another financial whopper out of the bag. Detroit Public Schools received about $30 million in U.S. Department of Education reimbursements for the pensions of grant-funded employees, but failed to forward those federal funds to the Michigan Public School Employees Retirement System. So DPS owes MPSERS $ 30 million dollars, give or take. They are ‘negotiating’.

DPS officials knew of this funds misappropriation in December 2015. Judge Rhodes knew “in March 2016”. Before or after the Michigan Legislature got suckered into passing HB 5296 and HB 5385, the DPS emergency bailout and purported financial review commission?  HB 5296, the $ 48.7 million emergency DPS bailout, cleared the Michigan House on 17 March and the Michigan Senate on 24 March. Governor Snyder signed it as Public Act 54 on 12 April.

Did anyone in Lansing know that 60% of the PA 54 DPS bailout was headed straight to the MPSERS?

If so, why did they not share this little detail with the rest of the Legislature and the public prior to the passage of HB 5296?

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80th District Special Election (2015), Conservative News, Cronyism, Democrats, Detroit, Elections, Flint Water Fiasco, Government Incompetence, Michigan, Michigan Politics, Part Time Legislature, Proposal 15-1, Republicans, Taxes

RICO !!!

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It's Spring and Lawsuits Are Busting Out All Over

Blind Justice Image 3Just a few short weeks ago, it appeared that the Presidential race and State House elections would dominate political news in Michigan for the rest of the year. Now it appears that courtrooms in Detroit and Lansing will provide compelling political drama as well. Drama which is going to cost Michigan taxpayers a bunch of money.

There have been a number of lawsuits filed over the Flint water fiasco (over 71!), but yesterday a consortium of law firms filed a Federal class action lawsuit on behalf of Flint residents using the 1970 Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act. This represents a whole new level of legal pain. Civil RICO provides for treble damages when a pattern of racketeering is proven to have occurred over time. It also guarantees the plaintiffs’ lawyers fees, a small fact which assures that civil RICO lawsuits will be pursued with enthusiasm to the bitter end. Conviction applies the stigma of typical previous RICO defendants, such as mobsters and drug kingpins, to a losing defendant. Michigan, at large, is a defendant in this suit. Capisce?

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80th District Special Election (2015), Conservative News, Democrats, Elections, Firearms, Flint Water Fiasco, Government Incompetence, Michigan, Michigan Politics, Opinion, Part Time Legislature, Proposal 15-1, Republicans, Taxes

Bitter Consequences

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Scorched Earth Politics Isolates the Republican Establishment in Michigan

Mitt Romney Image 1Anyone who watched or listened to Mitt Romney’s lame assault on Donald Trump yesterday had to wince at the Obamacare architect and gun control proponent questioning the bona fides of the current Republican front runner. Hypocrisy at its finest. A blatant violation of Reagan’s Eleventh Commandment. A testament to the abject desperation coursing through the Republican establishment today. Stark evidence of how few friends the Republican establishment actually owns has.

Just how did the Republican establishment get themselves into this predicament?

What does their predicament portend in Michigan politics?

This year’s Presidential nomination process demonstrates convincingly that money is no longer a substitute for actual human support in a political process where the great unwashed get to vote. Money – and the TV advertising it bought – had a 40 year run buying elections, but this elixir of modern American politics is no longer working. ¡Jeb! is very expensive history. The great unwashed are in open revolt.

Ace over at the Ace of Spades HQ blog offered the very best analysis of the national Republican establishment’s current predicament, which compelled Mitt’s embarrassing performance yesterday. You should read it in its entirety, but in a nutshell:

The Republican establishment has no one credible to make their case against Donald Trump. Absolutely no one who has even a shred of credibility with Trump supporters. They sent Mitt Romney out on yesterday’s kamikaze mission because they had nothing better to offer. Then they will have to spend a mountain of wealth with no real prospects of success. And engage in strong arm tactics. Making an embarrassing spectacle of themselves.

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