Tag: judgment

Randy Andy Dillon and his merry band of legislators (Rep. Rick Hammel, Rep. Bert Johnson, Rep. Chuck Moss, Rep. Dudley Spade, Rep. John Proos, Rep. Shanelle Jackson, Rep. Vincent Gregory, Sen. Mark Jansen and Sen. Randy Richardville) are out on a weeklong lobbyist sponsored boondoggle to Israel while Michigan continues to face a $1.7 billion state budget deficit. Ooh, what kind of freebies will they get!??

They left today from Newark, on a El Al flight to Tel Aviv. Wonder if the lobbyists paying for the junket got first class tickets? A first class ticket on El Al to Tel Aviv is only $4391 each way but with such prosperous times here in Michigan, who cares? After all, with El Al's prestigious First Class cabin and dedicated crew, they'd be guaranteed the finest in in-flight pampering.... and they deserve it! Wonder if Randy Andy is a Ketel One man or if a single-malt scotch would be more to his liking? After all, it's not his money!

After arriving in Tel Aviv, Randy Andy and pals will stay at the plush Sheraton Tiberias, with an average nightly rate of only $441! ( See picture above-way nice) Hope they had an opportunity to take advantage of the on-site masseuse and spa facilities on the lobbyists' dime... even Mark Sanford didn't have it as nice!

What will Randy Andy and his merry band of legislators do tomorrow? A day shopping in Tiberias?? Or just lounging on the Sea of Galilee, resting after completing their work on the state budget?

Every sport has an off-season (except possibly for Davis Cup tennis, which never seems to begin or end; it just keeps going). Electioneering used to have an off-season, when the voters could relax, watch TV, listen to the radio, and drive without being assaulted by an endless array of commercials, jingles, and road signs.

Those days are over.

Now, the end of one election merely signals the beginning of the next election cycle, when candidates begin lining up support and money for their next try at electoral glory. The parties, fundraisers, websites, and chatty emails begin slowly, then build to a headsplitting crescendo from the primaries to the general election.

And so, we now have candidates jockeying for position in the 2010 race for statewide office. As voters, it's tempting to tune them out, but as responsible voters, we need to take some interest in the candidates now, if only to sort out the contenders from the pretenders.

At this stage, however, there is little to go on. Without position papers, press conferences, and debates, it's not easy to tell what many candidates stand for. In some cases, there is a track record of accomplishment or futility that can inform and enlighten us.

Ah, futility. That brings us to Gretchen Whitmer, a state senator from East Lansing, who is apparently interested in running for attorney general next year. What does her record reveal about her and what kind of attorney general she would be?

Read on...