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(11)Nuh Uh.
(0)I cannot stand DDAs.
They operate surreptitiously, are usually populated with egotistical good-of-the-community jerks, and have little regard for process or the rights of taxpayers. I know, its just my opinion. I just don’t think its too much to ask for some better accountability.
One Judge pretty much agreed .. Until he didn’t. Nothing to see here:
“Exactly why Gillis changed his mind was not clear today. Paperwork filed Monday cancelling last week’s order cited “reasons state on the record” at a hearing on Friday. The hearing was about the DDA’s objection to Davis’ latest complaint. Davis said neither he nor his attorney were notified of the hearing and, therefore, didn’t know Gillis’ reasons. A receptionist for Gillis said the judge was on vacation and unavailable for comment.
Davis wasn’t even invited to a hearing about his complaint?
H/T Sue Schwartz
(7)Nuh Uh.(0)
About 150 turned out for the Traverse City Trump rally today.
At the time we had decided to hold it, the weather forecast looked bleak. Instead of the predicted rainy day, it was sunny and in the upper 20s to low 30s by the time we started the noon event. We were blessed with as perfect weather as we could ask for in early March.
Opening with a prayer and song, attendees were rallied to support the president and mix it up with others who share their values. The coffee and donuts provided by Daylight Donuts took care of the chill and munchie aspect.
One thing missing from our rally which we had actually expected was the lefty protests. Apparently they decided to hold their event and not try to interfere with ours as we had heard in the grape vine. Their event turned up 20 folks or so according to latecomers who passed them on the way in.
Local news station 7 & 4 streamed the first fifteen minutes of the event, and then went to spend five minutes at the ‘we hate life’ rally mentioned above.
Pictures below the fold.
(17)Nuh Uh.(1)
The Detroit News launched a hit piece on Michael G. Ford, the CEO of the Regional Transportation Authority of Southeastern Michigan this morning. Reporters Robert Snell and Christine MacDonald breathlessly review Mr. Ford’s expense accounting and employment contract details over the 33 months since he was appointed CEO of the RTA.
The closest they get to finding any real improprieties is Mr. Ford’s car allowance and mileage reimbursement, but that does not stop them from reporting salacious details of hotel room charges and his very generous employment contract. No illegality or budget overruns are found, but the tone of the article is supremely negative. Mr. Ford’s contract happens to be up for renewal and the RTA Board tabled a $ 16,300 raise for him two weeks ago.
A special meeting of the RTA Board of Directors was held this morning, including a closed session. Public bodies operating under the Open Meetings Act are only allowed to close meetings when deliberating personnel matters and contracts. It is not much of a leap to speculate that Mr. Ford is today’s main course at the RTA Board meeting.
The Detroit News duo filed an FOIA request for Mr. Ford’s contract details and expense reimbursements shortly after Paul Hillegonds, Governor Rick Snyder’s appointee to the RTA Board, began reviewing Mr. Ford’s expenses. Coincidence? Hardly.
What is going on here?
(12)Nuh Uh.(0)
Set the example, right?
Cronyism is still alive and well, and Detroit interests still have their hands out. And maybe it’s not JUST the developers? Detroit’s high taxes, and expensive operating environment has created impediments to natural growth.
Years after Dan Gilbert took money from taxpayers to move his employees into Detroit where they would pay a new income tax, and endure travel challenges, he want to see more of the bottom of the taxpayer purse through capture strategies. And he has cheerleaders.
The Detroit News has opined in favor of taking money from Michigan families and giving it to big developers to subsidize otherwise unprofitable real estate projects. The News wrote:
“In Detroit and other older Michigan cities, rents are still not high enough to fully offset construction costs without incentive packages.”
If the News extended the same logic to its own situation, we might see something like this in a future editorial:
“In Detroit and other old two-newspaper towns, subscription and ad rates are still not high enough to fully offset continuing operations without incentive packages. If we were to get subsidies captured from the taxes paid from our employees, our success would be guaranteed, and [those] taxes would increase!”
Just think of the page rent decreases it could offset!
(11)Nuh Uh.(1)
The “Gang” at the signing of the Gas Tax laws…
The Game Within the Game…
Connecting the dots in Michigan…
Anyone paying attention to what has been going on in Lansing for the past decade or so may be thinking the same thing: Our State government is out of control…and totally unaccountable to the people they are supposed to represent…
After Jennifer Granholm promised to “blow us away”, she did…laying the foundation for government cronyism by establishing the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, basically a slush fund which the government uses to pay back friends and donors with State contracts…The absolute best example of this would be the new Senate building, sold by a former MEDC Commissioner to the State for three times its appraised value…
Now comes Senate Bill 97, designed to expand this practice right down to the Township level…This bill (http://www.legislature.mi.gov/documents/2017-2018/billintroduced/Senate/pdf/2017-SIB-0097.pdf) authorizes any government authority to designate taxing authority to any private business or group that develops infrastructure for health care, transportation, or ‘other’ development purposes…It also includes the use and enforcement of ‘eminent domain’…Think about that for a minute…
(13)Nuh Uh.(1)
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.
Tell me I am wrong.
Please.
(9)Nuh Uh.(1)
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.
(13)Nuh Uh.(1)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).
(6)Nuh Uh.(1)
