Republicans

All the Other Stuff, Conservative News, Cronyism, Democrats, Elections, Michigan, Michigan Politics, Philosophy, Rent Seeking, Republicans

License Of Looters

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The problem is not the expense of the tools, but the tools themselves.

hammerI have frequently argued that the problem with campaign finance is not the ability of donors to support candidates, but rather the destructive hammer that government wields.

Full disclosure, as we have argued on these pages is critical.  The process out in the open encourages good behavior, and provides a limiting effect on pandering to financial interests by politicos.  Even the amounts even being less important to the argument. Saying:

We DO agree that limits should be removed from campaign finance. We agree that limiting to an arbitrary amount can impede free speech and political expression. What is considered a fair contribution into the process is a completely subjective matter that can only be resolved by the person who is willing to contribute into that process.  A person’s individual priorities and where a subject reaches a level of importance are hardly the providence of external assignment.

The full argument making the point that ‘effect’ of the contributions  being known, lessens the harmful power of the influence.

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Conservative News, Cronyism, Michigan, Michigan Politics, Opinion, Philosophy, Rent Seeking, Republicans

In For A Penny

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Lets simply call it what it is; a corrupted system

waiting-homerIn for a pounding.

The collapse of our healthcare model was not enough for the bureaucrats and politicians, but now they want to double down on stupid by selecting ‘failure’ as the option.  Aside from adding untold numbers onto our welfare rolls, disrupting doctor patient relationships and encouraging sloth, Michigan’s brain trust wants to go with a high bidder who has demonstrated they suck, and is also based out of the country, to handle your sensitive data.

The unicornfarts.org site was designed and implemented by a Canadian firm, and it never worked. It was slow, and had severe security flaws exposing personal records to those of criminal AND innocent intent.  And now Michigan [Take A Vote Not a Vacation©] officials have decided that Michigan deserves more of that, thank you very much. According to the Free Press

“Officials in the administration of Gov. Rick Snyder chose CGI Technologies and Solutions, whose parent company is headquartered in Montreal, over three U.S.-based firms.

CGI did not submit the lowest bid. Accenture, a management consulting and technology firm headquartered in New York, offered the lowest price by nearly $5 million, but “CGI provided best value,” Kurt Weiss, a spokesman for the Michigan Department of Technology, Management and Budget, said Friday.

Oh yeah, did we mention there were US firms bidding?

RightMi.com feels it unnecessary to elaborate further at the moment.

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Cronyism, Michigan, Michigan Politics, Republicans

HB 5108 Fights Crony Capitalism, Protects Personal Property Rights

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You bought it...you own it!

Tickets

It doesn’t matter the industry impacted or how long a law has been on the books. Any law that restricts our personal property rights in favor of crony capitalism should be abolished. That’s why lawmakers need to take action on House Bill 5108.

Right now, if you try to re-sell your sports or entertainment ticket above face value, you are a criminal under Michigan law. It doesn’t matter whether you are trying to unload a couple of tickets from your season ticket package or whether you can no longer go to that concert and only want to sell your tickets for face value plus “convenience fees.”

That is, unless you use a specially-designated “vendor” given a monopoly by the team or venue over all ticket resales. Companies like StubHub and Ticketmaster are milking honest fans by tacking on additional fees just for the “right” to resell a ticket that you already own and are turning around and paying a kickback to the venue for their state-protected monopoly.

House Bill 5108 will end this ridiculous law and open the secondary ticket market up to be more fair and free – everybody will have the same rights and nobody is forced to break the law or pay additional fees just to resell their own property.

The House passed the bill in the spring. And given the Republican supermajority in the Senate you would think this bill would be a slam dunk, right? Apparently not because the bill has been stuck in committee for months.

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Conservative News, Elections, Firearms, Michigan, Michigan Politics, Opinion, Philosophy, Republicans

Calling Mi GOP, Do you really support gun rights?

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Mi GOP Supports gun rights, right? Nah The death of a perception...

Many of you may be aware that I was asked to disarm nearly a year and a half ago at the Michigan GOP State Convention.  Just a few weeks ago (8/23/2014) at the Michigan GOP State Convention in Novi, my dear colleague and good friend Tom Lambert (Vice-President of Michigan Open Carry, Inc) followed in my footsteps of having my rights disregarded or minimized by the GOP.

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

Study: 40% of Michigan Families Can’t Cover Basic Survival Expenses

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Huge Decline in Wages for Michigan’s Working Families

Pay Falls for Low-Wage Men yet Women Still Far Behind,” found that real wages of Michigan workers have fallen by more than ten percent since 1979 for broad sections of the working class.

Hourly pay for low-wage workers of “prime working age” in Michigan fell 13.4 percent between 1979-2013, while pay for mid-wage workers of prime age fell 12.7 percent.

The collapse of wages in Michigan also illustrates president Obama’s and Governor Snyder’s “insourcing” policies, which involves pushing for lower corporate taxes and lower living standards and wages for workers in order to make American cities “attractive” for business. Snyder Obama Meet

Speaking at a Milwaukee factory in 2012, Obama celebrated the results of his and Snyder’s “bailout” policies in Michigan as a model for the rest of the country: What’s happening in Detroit can happen in other cities.

Declining work rates, stagnant wages, the rise of female-headed families, inferior education, and the arrival of millions of “immigrants” with poor education and low skills are little engines pushing up the poverty rate.

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Conservative News, Michigan, Michigan Politics, Republicans

More Than You Might Be Led To Believe

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A great deal of support on the floor of the GOP convention in Novi Michigan for challenger Nakagiri

“I appreciate your enthusiasm” Says Candace Miller as the 300 Nakagiri volunteers do the sign walk.

There were so many, that the next nomination was delayed a moment. (yeah THAT’s the ticket) Truthfully, the video camera work was a little sloppy because I was looking around trying to gauge how many Snyder/Calley supporters were sporting new trouser cookies.  As we have known for a week however, signs unfortunately don’t equal votes.

It was just plain fun as a people watcher however. As a takeaway, we don’t have to think there are no folks actively seeking to better the party. We are NOT alone, nor are we done yet. 

Please enjoy the video.

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Conservative News, Cronyism, Elections, Michigan, Michigan Politics, Opinion, Republicans

State Convention Notes

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Snyder gets his man…reprise…

Convention

The state GOP elite marshaled its forces over the summer with the intention of protecting the Lt. Governor, and they succeeded. While the voting delegate count remained static, the outcome was reversed in comparison with the 2012 result that replaced Saul Anuzis in a conservative push that nearly unseated State Chair Bobby Schostak. A victory for the incumbent regime, or is it? With Common Core looming, and the the tie breaking vote on the Medicaid Expansion in Calley’s political resume’ , the conservative wing of the party may not be finished yet. There is still the November election.

The nomination of Wes Nakagiri was not just a symbolic gesture on the part of conservatives in the Republican party, it was a message to the established leadership that something has to change, and soon. The party has had four years to absorb the conservative message, and has chosen to reject it on a consistent basis. Rules changes for the nomination process were designed to discourage candidates from entering the political fray, not encourage them, and to further the debate. Nakagiri overcame all of them but in the end, the packing of the delegate convention with establishment types; including Lansing staffers; preserved the big government, “little tent” leadership. The decision, and effort, to exclude the conservative base from the party conversation has never been more obvious.

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Conservative News, Elections, Michigan, Michigan Politics, Philosophy, Republicans

A Convention Prayer

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We are in need of guidance at the least, and maybe of a 'family intervention' otherwise.

I offered a prayer for the election August 5th.

Some might ask me with a level of expected incredulity “did it work!?” To which there is only one answer. Yes of course it did. And I will pray again for the same guidance and outcome of what is part of His plan.

Father God above

We know that it is by your grace that man pursues what is right and just. We know that absent reliance of your word, there is only chaos and uncertainty.

As we choose from our brothers and sisters in this gathering, we ask that you guide us to make those choices so that we may better represent YOUR will on earth. Make our eyes discern more clearly truth from deceit. Let the hearts of our leaders know you. Let agents of deception fear the righteous, and keep the will of the righteous strong.

We humbly ask that the voices of the unborn are heard, that our disadvantaged are made self sufficient, that the nation founded through your strength, regains its path of prosperity and leadership of men through you and your son, our savior, Jesus Christ.

Amen

See you in the morning

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All the Other Stuff, Democrats, Elections, Michigan, Michigan Politics, Republicans

Oh & BTW – Convention Edition

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Though many may be casting a protest vote, it won't likely be for Mark Schauer

Schauer-xBad guys is just plain bad guys.

We police our own, but fact of the matter is that Democrat Mark Schauer had the biggest campaign finance violation and fine that Michigan has seen to date.  In 2007 former RM editor and operator Nick DeLeeuw noted the unmitigated gall of Schauer, and the 22 counts of his election violations:

“Here’s how it worked.  Schauer decided to go ahead and raise a bunch of illegal campaign cash.  He received illegal money from Democrats including Carl Williams, Alexander Lipsey, Bob Schockman, Gretchen Whitmer, Mickey Switalski, Buzz Thomas, Liz Brater, Mike Prusi, Gilda Jacobs, Glenn Anderson and Mark Slavens and then pitched in $187,000 himself.  Mind you, the limit is $20,000.  

Once the Democrats realized they’d been discovered each of the folks who currently serve in the legislature went ahead and asked for refunds.  Essentially they said “oops, our mistake, don’t punish us for it!”  Prusi, Whitmer, Switalski, Brater, Thomas, Slavens and Jacobs all took their illegal cash back, essentially admitting they’d been caught with their hands in the cookie jar and trying to make things right (well after the fact).

But no such change of heart from Mark Schauer.  When he breaks the law he stands by his criminal activity!  And he stands by his man, too.  Ken Brock, the anti-Semite who’s racist comments drew the ire of everyone in Michigan except Mark Schauer, was the Senator’s treasurer on this particular money laundering operation and signed all of the papers.  “

The scheme was noted and investigated.

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Cronyism, Elections, Michigan, Michigan Politics, Opinion, Republicans

While You Are At The Convention Part II

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You will have plenty of special things to talk about

This is somehow NOT surprising.

RINOcrat_BairdMlive reports

“Top aide to Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder claiming principal property tax exemptions in 2 states”

A top aide to Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder who ran for a Republican precinct delegate post this month in Bath Township is registered to vote in two states and has reportedly claimed principal property tax exemptions in each.

Oh snap.

Oh yeah..  Isn’t he a voting delegate too?  Why yes, yes he is

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