Republicans

Cronyism, Government Incompetence, Liberty, Michigan, Michigan Politics, Rent Seeking, Republicans

Absolvendi Officium

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"Public-Private Partnerships" Are bad business for government.

SB 97 passed 32-4 last Friday.

Seriously flawed in it’s very concept, the bill grants private operators the ability to operate as-if they are the chartering government itself, sans the payback at the voting booth.  Contracts could extend far beyond term limitations, and the ‘authorities’ created would be of a new design.

It will place those who fail to pay the private concern as immediately liable for fees as-if it were a government entity. It also brings back the spectre of eminent domain, and abuse of authority.

It also grants special rights to those who profit from such projects as described in the bill from paying property, sales or use taxes taxes.

Read it here.

Tell me I am wrong.

Please.

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Conservative News, Cronyism, Democrats, Detroit, Michigan, Michigan Politics, Pensions & Retirement Benefits, Republicans, Taxes

Michigan’s Tax Charade

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No Michigan Tax Deal Is Ever Worth The Paper It Is Written On

Since our devious Governor and his RINO caucus pulled out all the stops to quash the HB 4001 decrements in the state income tax last Thursday, it has dawned on Michigan politicians that the optics of the SB 111 – 115 Dan Gilbertville tax breaks just got real ugly. You can’t hand $ 1.8 billion of state revenue over to politically connected developers after stiffing the public at large without gruesome consequences. This is going to decrement some Senators’ campaign finance committee balances.

No one should fault Speaker Leonard for putting HB 4001 up for a losing vote. Bottling up and fiddling legislation behind closed doors until a winning margin is assured is not an exemplar of government transparency. Brits and Europeans may regard such shifty back room shenanigans as the hallmark of sophisticated political process, but here in America constituents want to know exactly how they are being represented. Thursday’s vote told us more about the RINOs in the Michigan House than years of deceitful political media articles and reports.

Thank you Speaker Leonard for fostering genuine political transparency.  Long overdue in Michigan.

It now appears that killing both tax reductions was the plan all along. Bridge Magazine and the Michigan Municipal League just launched a trial balloon to gut the Proposal A constitutional amendment of 1994. Proposal A limited the tax depredations of government employees acting through their local units of government, a popular activity in Michigan’s more leftward big cities and counties. The sales tax was increased 50%, but property owners got some constitutionally protected tax relief in return.

Local government employees and their Democratic political puppets want to renege on the 1994 Proposal A tax deal. Well, not entirely. Just the constitutionally protected property tax relief. No one is offering to restore the 4% sales tax rate. What was it JFK said about negotiating with the Soviets? “We cannot negotiate with people who say what’s mine is mine and what’s yours is negotiable.” Public employees and their subservient Democratic politicians have a lot of gall claiming that President Trump is a Russian stooge and a neo communist tyrant to boot.

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Liberty, Republicans

Trump a disappointment on Civil Asset Forfeiture so far

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I live in Tim Walberg’s district.  In fact, his residence of record is about 10 miles from my house.  Those of you that live in a Rural setting may appreciate that this is “right around the corner”.  I’ve not been a huge fan of Tim Walberg because of his repeated support for the PATRIOT ACT.  I once confronted him over his support for this act at a tea party meeting and he and I got into it a bit.  Anyhow…I smiled this morning while doing some quick research for this piece to discover Walberg sponsored legislation (albeit in 2015) to reform Civil Asset Forfeiture.  Good job, Tim!

I hope Tim continues his Civil Asset Forfeiture reform efforts in the new congressional session.

The new leader of the United States Government, on the other hand, disappoints on this front.  Many of you may have seen this video, I made this post for the benefit of those who have not.

A Texas lawmaker has the audacity to introduce legislation that requires the State Government there convict a fellow of a crime before they gank his stuff! GASP!  What’s Trump’s solution? Ruin the lawmaker’s career!

I think we need to call out bad actors on Civil Asset Forfeiture (and other violations of civil liberties and due process), whether they are Republicans, Democrats, or a beloved (by many, not I) newly elected President.  I recognize he’s not the only bad guy in this regard.  Civil Asset Forfeiture was popular during alcohol prohibition — the better part of 100 years ago.  Let’s hope Mr. Trump sees the error of his ways in the future.

One thing is for sure: he must NOT be given a pass simply because he’s a Republican (at least he says he is now — he was a Democrat between 2001 and 2009).

 

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

Just in case anyone is wondering why Michigan Taxpayers are getting screwed over (again)…

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And what ever happened to that whole “I-BELIEVE-government-must-practice-fiscal-responsibility-and-allow-individuals-to-keep-more-of-the-money-they-earn.” mantra?

All I’ve got to say here is: “Beware of bipartisanship”.

{More below the fold}

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Democrats, Detroit, Michigan, Michigan Politics, Republicans, Research & Analysis

Money Well Spent

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Michigan students at the bottom of the educational assessment list.

V.I. Lenin: Our National Dream Realized!
USSR Education Poster, 1950

Michigan schools are demonstrating unbelievable performance levels.

perhaps not in the way one might like, however.  From the Freep:

“A new analysis of results of a national educational test shows Michigan students have continually made the least improvement nationally of scores since 2003.  

..

That analysis comes less than six months after the release of the Michigan’s Talent Crisis report by Education Trust-Midwest that found Michigan’s students are falling far behind their peers across the nation. The ETM report found that Michigan is in the bottom 10 states for key subjects and grades, including early literacy. “

Surprising?

Oh wait, they probably need more money.  Everyone knows that the amount of money spent per child is closely linked to student performance. More from the article:

” Jacob, a nonresident senior fellow at the Brookings Institute, said there is no single explanation of the Michigan rankings.

“I believe that there are a number of factors responsible for Michigan’s weak performance: a lack of adequate state and local funding for schools, the highly decentralized nature of governance that makes it difficult for the state Department of Education to develop coordinated reforms, the lack of regulation and accountability in the charter sector, and the economic and political instability that have plagued Detroit and other urban areas in the state,” he said. “

Whoop, there it is.

With a bonus.  Bigger control from centralized government, ignore the failing ‘regular’ schools, and put the hammer on the charter schools..

Comrade.

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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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Michigan, Michigan Politics, Philosophy, Republicans

Manasseri: Enemies Within at War with Trump’s Army

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Who are we really fighting on this issue?

Dick Manasseri has been chronicling illegal immigration, the refuge crisis, and the effect on Michigan for some time now.

He writes today on the effort made by our president, and then about those who presumably wear the mantel of Republicanism.  Manasseri points out the contradictory elements within the GOP and other leadership ranks, and how they affect our fight to keep our country safe and viable.

He Reports:

If you voted for President Trump, you need to take the protest, chaos, and general blowback directed at him personally. The Muslim Brotherhood [MB] protests/chaos triggered by his executive order on refugee resettlement are a direct attack on you and your personal security.

Good Guys

These are the people who understand the refugee threat, speak out and take action like President Trump:

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Michigan, Michigan Politics, Republicans

#SurrenderCaucus: Sakwa-Led Sabotage Plan Backfires Spectacularly in 11th District MIGOP

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It’s been a jubilant year in the wake of Trump’s ascension to the Presidency, but the excitement hasn’t lasted. I regret to report to you that the Trump wave is already being aggressively squandered by the same, old, establishment Republican forces. Activists in the 11th District Republican Party made national news for their efforts to get Trump elected. Instead of embarking upon a new era of unity, the establishment actors decided to kick their deceptions up several notches at last week’s county convention.

The Oakland County GOP convention actually got off to a good start. After a series of grueling conventions, there was a sense that all involved wanted party unity and a smoothly-conducted affair. It ran fine up until the point when delegates were slotted into their district sub-caucuses. From there, establishment forces showed that they were not acting in good faith but instead were leading principled delegates into an unsuspecting ambush. The Trump ‘kum-ba-ya’ moment was not meant to be. The establishment cares more about pride, ego, and control than keeping the peace and crushing Democrats, and their agenda couldn’t be more obvious.

First, Matt Maddock was elected chair by an overwhelming margin. This is what usually happens, but due to Chairwoman Theresa Mungioli’s unilateral slaughter of over 500 precinct delegate posts throughout Oakland County, the result was not as certain as it was in convention’s past. Unfortunately for the establishment, their dirty tricks backfired, and Matt easily claimed the chair. Instead of taking their loss with dignity and self-respect, they rushed headlong into a new series of dirty tricks. This latest disgrace has perhaps obliterated any lasting opportunity for party unity once and for all.

After Maddock was elected to his position, there was a fierce debate over the rules. Discussion was called, and delegates began to speak. In spite of a tense atmosphere and heated animosity between the grassroots and establishment factions, none of the establishment lackey speakers were shouted down. Even as they were spewing deliberate falsehoods and other ignorant nonsense, they were granted their right to speak. On the other hand, Matt’s wife, Meshawn wasn’t treated with the same respect. She was Co-Chair for Trump in Oakland County and led Michigan Women for Trump. She was one of the most influential and hard-working Republicans out there working to turn Michigan Red Again. She went around the state at her own expense on Trump’s behalf to stage events and even invented the flash mobs that went viral and spread to other states as well.

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Conservative News, Democrats, Elections, Michigan, Opinion, Republicans

A history lesson is obviously in order.

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Just in case you’ve missed this, President Trump signed an executive order temporarily banning immigrants from certain nations with ties to islamic terrorism from entering the United States.

As usual, the pundits are working feverishly to spin this, with Team “d” demonstration again why they got their backsides handed to them last November.

Sadly, some Michigan Representative, like Rep. Justin Amash, either have no problems with seeing dead Americans or they require a remedial lesson in recent US History.

In Rep. Amash’s case, I’m hoping that it is the latter.

{More below the fold}

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Michigan, Republicans

Glory Glory!

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Tear of joy in DC and around the country as we celebrate the incoming 45th President Donald Trump

Last night Donald Trump and family, in a inaugural-eve show looked splendid.

The Battle Hymn of the Republic playing with fireworks and cheers in the background. What an outstanding way to celebrate the last day, and the end-of-an-error Barack Obama. May God grace our nation once more under the leadership of the new president.

Indeed, the challenges will be great, but with the Almighty’s Blessings, “His Truth” will certainly be “Marching on.”

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