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And Even More

by Jason • August 14, 2015 • 1 Comment

As I pointed out the other day, the flow of federal funds used for welfare is, and has been huge in our state.

I also hinted at the ka-ching of ‘excess moneys that local communities get to use. It keeps them on board and in line. For example, in this case:

In July 2010 Michigan received $498.6 million in federal Hardest Hit Funds (HHF) in response to the housing crisis that led to an unprecedented decline in home prices and high unemployment. MSHDA created the Michigan Homeowner Assistance Housing Corporation (MHA) to oversee distribution of the funds through a program called Step Forward Michigan.

“The Step Forward program has helped unemployed and under-employed people remain in their homes and in our state as they searched for new jobs as our state recovered,” Gov. Rick Snyder said. “That’s important for families who were struggling as our state started its recovery.”

While the title reads:

“Michigan’s hardest hit families have received $241M worth of assistance since 2010″

Efficient distribution, yes?

Just sayin.

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Re-Writing Welfare In Michigan

by Jason • August 12, 2015 • 3 Comments

Read between the lines or around the 'strikeouts.'

Don’t get me wrong. I personally like some of the players in the bureaucratic mess we know as state government.

Elsenheimer in this story for example, is a relatively right of center guy. Yet he has to feed the family, and the overly high taxes on his estate in GT County have to be paid. It would be an extraordinary act of courage to sit as executive director of a redistribution agency and wind it out of existence. Even declining such an appointment might actually lead to worse people occupying the position and if market forces work, perhaps even be paid more.

How we can eliminate this type of government interference and theft, and return the high wage lackeys of ‘social justice’ back to honest wealth creation is the hard part. In the meanwhile, ‘givers’ gotta give, and making the inexcusable seem oh-so-reasonable is just part of the job.

As an example of how words matter, one might look only as far as the most recent ~~press releases~~ propaganda from MSHDA.

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Misrepresentation

by 10x25MM • August 4, 2015 • 2 Comments

Is University Indoctrination Really a Qualification Required for Political Office?

Sunday, the Detroit News ran a charming agitprop piece bemoaning the fact that 20% of Michigan’s legislators “lack a formal higher education degree, ….. raising the question of whether a college degree is a prerequisite for leadership and political office”. The snide implication of this stooge for the university left is that 20% of Michigan’s legislators are ignorami, but her devious political subtext is that 20% of Michigan’s legislators have missed the political indoctrination necessary to be good left wing robots.

May I remind you of MSU Professor William Penn’s 2013 creative writing class, as recounted by the great Walter Williams in Townhall two years ago:

MSU Professor William Penn

William Penn, Michigan State University professor of creative writing, greeted his first day of class with an anti-Republican rant. Campus Reform, a project of the Arlington, Va.-based Leadership Institute, has a video featuring the professor telling his students that Republicans want to prevent “black people” from voting. He added that “this country still is full of closet racists” and described Republicans as “a bunch of dead white people — or dying white people”. To a student who had apparently displayed displeasure with those comments, Professor Penn barked, “You can frown if you want.” He gesticulated toward the student and added, “You look like you’re frowning. Are you frowning?” When the professor’s conduct was brought to the attention of campus authorities, MSU spokesman Kent Cassella said, “At MSU it is important the classroom environment is conducive to a free exchange of ideas and is respectful of the opinions of others.”

That mealy-mouthed response is typical of university administrators. Professor Penn was using his classroom to proselytize students. That is academic dishonesty and warrants serious disciplinary or dismissal proceedings. But that’s not likely. Professor Penn’s vision is probably shared by his colleagues, seeing as he was the recipient of MSU’s Distinguished Faculty Award in 2003.

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The Butterfly Effect

by Jason • July 30, 2015 • 13 Comments

What happens when a radically unique species is introduced into a 'stable' environment?

Truthfully, its hard to not appreciate ‘The Donald.’

Sure, he’s given vast amounts of money to the bad actors over the years, been a buffoonish character on the ‘tele.’ and has pretty much enjoyed cronyism in his business dealings over the years with great success. Normally, one might expect all of this to be objectionable to conservative stalwarts who respect common sense and real free markets.

Somehow, the largely forgotten weaknesses in the Trump character is conveniently overlooked as he lambastes the existing federal mess of allowing importation of criminals through our porous borders, as he pummels current foreign policy (specifically handling of ISIS and China), and all the while reminds us of his fabulous wealth. He is indeed a self reliant, self promotions artist.

“I don’t need anybody’s money. It’s nice. I don’t need anybody’s money. I’m using my own money. I’m not using the lobbyists. I’m not using donors. I don’t care. I’m really rich”

And yes, yes he is. Even by Michigan’s ‘wooden shoe ghey mafia’ standards.

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The LGBTIQ-crowd tries to screw Michigan Taxpayers just one more time.

by KG One • July 26, 2015 • 3 Comments

Okay, they played the legal lottery and won.

I get that.

I don’t have to like that, but I get it.

We have a Supreme Court Chief Justice whose mental state is seriously suspect. A fellow Supreme Court Justice who is apparently too concerned with “leaving a legacy” than actually following the letter of the law. And if that wasn’t bad enough, the judicial activism displayed by other SCOTUS Justices in preceding rulings (and these) on unrelated cases should also be a cause for concern for any Freedom-loving American. But that is better left for another discussion.

Now, the LGBTIQ-crowd wants to turn the screws just one more time.

Expect to see this flying in Ann Arbor, Royal Oak, Hazel Park and Traverse City sometime soon…

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Now how do you suppose THAT got in there?

by KG One • July 26, 2015 • 1 Comment

I’m in the process of looking for a new truck.

No, not something with 14 more wheels than most people are used to driving.

Just something for me to use personally. Impromptu moving vehicle. Grocery-getter. Off-road. Maybe taking on a side job or two plowing. Towing friends cars out of ditches. That sort of thing.

So, like anyone else who is in the market, I like to keep an eye on what to watch out for while walking around the dealer lot.

Then something I was reading caught my attention.

Yes, I am going somewhere with this.

{More below the fold}

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Why telling it like it is should be a newsworthy event.

by KG One • July 10, 2015 • 5 Comments

Why telling it like it is should be a newsworthy event.

I’ll be honest, the whole kerfuffle regarding the “Confederate Flag” hasn’t drawn very much interest for me because of the following reasons:

One, it’s not directly Michigan-related.

Two, it doesn’t affect me personally or anyone that I know (and I know quite a few people who fall into the category the race-hustlers are trying to round up on their side).

Three, I’m actually amused at the time spent ~~distracting~~ focusing attention away from real issues like disintegrating family structures, a education system whose outcome is criminal, cities which have devolved into war zones, the job situation (just to name a few), which are the direct result of actions taken by democrats (See: Cloward-Piven).

But someone sent me this video, and it…well check it out for yourself regarding one Kid Rock, a do-nothing group of “community organizers” (isn’t that a redundant description), their respective list of accomplishments…and the Confederate Battle Flag.

Yes, the content is “safe for work”.

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All the Other Stuff, Philosophy

Reminder – August 02

by Jason • June 23, 2015 • 0 Comments

30 Second Script:

Are your rights being slowly eroded?
Can you trust your government?
Why have you not been allowed to build your dream home?
What authority do foreign nations have over you?
What does the UN have to do with your local planning board?

Find out why Property Rights and Liberty MUST come first August 2nd at the Great wolf lodge in Traverse City.

For tickets to this four hour event with acclaimed property rights expert Tom Deweese and constitutional scholar KrisAnne Hall, go to event.grow.tc thats event.grow.tc

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All the Other Stuff, Humor in Michigan, Michigan

Frank?

by Jason • June 20, 2015 • 2 Comments

Good for the gooses, good for the Michi-gander ..or something.

Why does the guy falcon get the normal name?

Why even bother? A new set of pigeon eaters has apparently been hatched at a government bridge. The government people tagged em so they could keep track and all that. New AKAs as well:

“In addition to their leg bands, the peregrine chicks received names Tuesday: the females are Jasina, Dwaynette and Q, while the lone male is named Frank.”

I’ll leave it to you all to figure out which one is the gander.

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Unconstitutional: Great Lakes Water Authority Lease Violates Michigan Constitution

by 10x25MM • June 15, 2015 • 8 Comments

--- Absence of Enabling Legislation Clearly Violates Article III, Section 6 --- 40 Year Lease Period Clearly Violates Article VII, Section 30

Friday, the Great Lakes Water Authority board approved a 40 year duration lease of Detroit Water & Sewerage Department’s assets and operations outside of the city of Detroit. This approval passed by a 5 to 1 vote with only Macomb County’s representative on the GLWA board opposed. The terms of the lease subordinate the DW&SD to the GLWA, a new intergovernmental authority created out of the ashes of the City of Detroit’s bankruptcy by a Memorandum of Understanding.

This deal was constructed as a lease to evade the 1963 Michigan Constitution‘s requirement, under Article VII, Section 25, for a vote of Detroit’s electors to approve the sale of any public utility. However, by constructing the deal as a lease, the City of Detroit is essentially granting a lease franchise covering the DW&SD’s water and sewerage operations to GLWA. The 40 year term of this lease franchise clearly exceeds the 30 year maximum permitted by Article VII, Section 30 of our 1963 Constitution:
Merriam-Webster defines a ‘franchise’ as “ the right to sell a company’s goods or services in a particular area; also, a business that is given such a right”. Exactly the nature of the GLWA lease agreement with the City of Detroit. Should you doubt that the City of Detroit constitutes a ‘company’, Merriam-Webster defines a ‘company’ as “ an association of persons for carrying on a commercial or industrial enterprise”. Exactly what DW&SD has been doing for over 100 years.

State Representative Kurt Heise (R-20th) from Plymouth has challenged the establishment of GLWA under the 1963 Michigan Constitution’s Article VII, Section 28:
Taken together with the 1963 Michigan Constitution’s Article III, Section 5:
it establishes our Legislature’s authority over intergovernmental units. But these two sections do not unambiguously grant the Michigan legislature exclusive authority over intergovernmental units, so there is probably legal wiggle room here. Contrary to Representative Heise’s contention, a good lawyer could make a case that the U.S. Bankruptcy Court could establish the GLWA under Article VII, Section 28 and Article III, Section 5.