All the Other Stuff

All the Other Stuff, Philosophy

Traverse City RTW Victory

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FTWAlmost missed this one right in our back yard.

From Up North Live

”  A Traverse City UPS employee won a federal settlement against Teamster Local 406 union for violating her rights under Michigan’s Right to Work law.

…After Michigan’s private-sector Right to Work law went into effect, Plamondon sent several letters to the Local 406 union stating that she was exercising her right under Michigan’s Right to Work law to refrain from union dues payments. In the letters, Plamondon attempted to comply with Teamster Local 406’s procedure to end forced dues payments by revoking her dues deduction authorization, a document union officials use to take dues or fees from workers’ paychecks. “

But as is the case across the state some leeches are hard to pull off without a little help.

H/T Tanya Hill via Politibrew

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All the Other Stuff, Conservative News, Michigan, Michigan Politics, Opinion, Philosophy

Timing Is Everything

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The overturning of the Sixth Circuit Court may have positive impact on other Michigan imperatives.

Supreme_Court_US_2009The US Supreme Court decision today was probably an easy one.

In a 6-2 ruling. (see KG’s article for a link) the court upheld the ban enacted by Michigan voters in 2006; Proposal 2, the Michigan Civil Rights Initiative.  Race shall NOT be used in admission policies in our colleges and public institutions, or for purposes of employment or contracting through government. From the Detroit News

The ruling championed the right of the voters to set policy in writing their own state constitutions.

“Perhaps, when enacting policies as an exercise of democratic self-government, voters will determine that race-based preferences should be adopted. The constitutional validity of some of those choices regarding racial preferences is not at issue here,” Kennedy wrote. The decision here “is simply that the courts may not disempower the voters from choosing which path to follow.”

Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette, who appealed the appeals court ruling, hailed the justices decision.

That was a free promo, Bill. Lets start working on the next battle shall we? – JG

There is no doubt Michigan’s Attorney General carried this one across the finish line, but the argument was simple on a number of levels.

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

Rick Snyder tells Michigan Taxpayers (living outside of Detroit) to go spin on it.

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This story is certainly getting very little attention across Michigan.

I just cannot imagine why?

After living large from the public trough for decades, using the same pubic treasury to pay hush money in order to avoid embarrassing behavior from the public spotlight, money from the public treasury going to businesses that have bought off city council votes and getting a disproportionate share of a myriad of breaks and special carve-outs from Lansing during all that time (and I’m just starting here), Governor Snyder is going to play the crony capitalist game one more time and put Michigan Taxpayers on the hook again.

 

{Continued below the fold}

 

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All the Other Stuff, Philosophy

Happy Easter

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He Is Risen!

empty-tombThe Resurrection.

John 20 Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance. 2 So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!”

3 So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. 4 Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5 He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in. 6 Then Simon Peter came along behind him and went straight into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, 7 as well as the cloth that had been wrapped around Jesus’ head. The cloth was still lying in its place, separate from the linen. 8 Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed. 9 (They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.) 10 Then the disciples went back to where they were staying.

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All the Other Stuff, Conservative News, Cronyism, Michigan, Michigan Politics, Opinion, Republicans

Ethics, Integrity, And Long Knives

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wayne-afp009“He’s our hometown boy.” Said one of the executive committee members of a vote taken this last Thursday.

The vote, was one by the executive board of the Grand Traverse County Republican Party on whether to endorse State Senate Candidate Wayne Schmidt over Greg MacMaster in the 37th State Senate primary contest.  The vote to choose one candidate over another in partisan (GOP) races would normally be considered off the table except under extraordinary circumstances.  At least that is how it is designated in the by-laws of a number of other GOP county parties.

Questions must be asked.  Is it prudent or even a legitimate practice? Is it fair to the candidates?  Is it fair to the membership, and does it misrepresent the opinion of the party at-large?

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All the Other Stuff, Philosophy

We Agree

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One of the stupid things we do when applying the law, is to attempt to read minds.

Motivation is certainly a part of the considerations when determining guilt in circumstantial considerations, but applying a specific penalty to those motives?  Nolan Finley gets it right this time:

“It just doesn’t matter. No one should ever be charged with a hate crime.

For one thing, layering on the hate crime charge creates unequal classes of victims.

If you get murdered by a junkie who wants your wallet, or a jealous husband, or a maniac on a killing spree, you’re just as dead as someone who gets offed by a racist.”

And frankly if the punishment ought to be increased under the suspicion that the perpetrator(s) were doing a ‘hate crime’, then it ought to apply always.

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All the Other Stuff, Michigan, Michigan Politics

AFP Major Tax Day Plans Across Michigan

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Americans For Prosperity Engages For Tax Day Rallies In Michigan And Elsewhere

afp-LH_smallAmericans For Prosperity is not exactly bashful this tax season.

On Saturday April 12, AFP will be with activists to stage demonstrations across the country, and at a couple of places in Michigan.  In Livonia, AFP is holding a Tax Day Rally at the VisTaTech Center, Schoolcraft College from 11 AM  to 3PM The rally will feature speeches by Tony Katz, host of the radio talk show “Tony Katz Tonight” on 93.1 FM WIBC and contributor to Townhall.com; and Frank Beckmann, host of “The Frank Beckmann Show” on News/Talk 760 WJR and Detroit News weekly columnist.

Up North, In Gaylord, AFP will have a “Going After the Bucks” Tax Day Rally at Big Buck’s Brewery in Gaylord; 550 S. Wisconsin Ave Gaylord, MI 49735 to rally for our economic freedoms! If you register, AFP is buying lunch! You can register here! (we hear the food is really good) Time of the rally is 11:30 to 3pm

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