To Serve….

What happens when Terri Hibma’s former 2010 running mate (this two-time loser) is allowed to go unchecked?

Ben-Franklin-sheep-and-wolvesPolice in Grand Forks, North Dakota are hailing their new fleet of drones as the “vanguard of police work,” according to the Guardian. But privacy activists are worried that the drones may be a threat to constitutional rights.

Officers in Grand Forks have been operating a fleet of drones, some small enough to fit in a suitcase, others in a larger, fixed-wing design. The department is one of only about a dozen departments across the country testing drones.

MORE

Yes, jackboots without any restraint. North Dakota’s state Senate, much like those in Lansing, are useless. Why has there been no movement on HB 4455 of 2013? Why has Speaker Bolger taken it upon himself to make the fringe cupcake agenda a priority over securing our Natural Rights for all?

Transparency, the man asks? Sorry, that’s just not within the MI-GOP character traits.

You Betcha! (13)Nuh Uh.(0)

Give ‘em Hell, Kerry!

One of the highpoints from multiple outlets in the local media last night was the announcement from a certain incumbent US Representative candidate against a certain foreclosure king, some democrat (and maybe a Libertarian).

Okay, it’s kind of hard to tease this one.

Yes, it is official: Kerry Bentivolio WILL be running as a write-in candidate in the November 4th General.

It doesn’t mean that there isn’t more to add.

{More after the fold}

You Betcha! (20)Nuh Uh.(6)

CATO: Michigan Gets A “D”

The average score for Democrat Governors according to CATO’s recent fiscal report card is 46 of 100.

Rick Snyder Came in at 44.  Though RTW and the MBT repeal was applauded, the push for higher gas taxes and the bloated overall budget, as well as the long term cost of Medicaid expansion to taxpayers walloped his GPA.  Along with charts, comparisons, and analysis, Cato writes:

MICHIGAN Legislature: Republican
Rick Snyder, Republican Took office January 2011
Grade: D
Due to political correctness, the word 'dun**' is no longer allowed on head dressings.

Due to political correctness, the word ‘dun**’ is no longer allowed on head dressings.

After a successful business career, Governor Snyder came into office eager to help solve Michigan’s deep-seated economic problems. He has pursued many important reforms, such as spearheading the restructuring of Detroit’s finances and signing into law right-to-work legisla­tion. He repealed the damaging Michigan Business Tax and replaced it with a less harmful cor­porate income tax. In 2014 pushed through a phased-in elimination of property taxes on busi­ness equipment, which will help spur capital investment. The cut was approved by Michigan voters in August 2014.67

However, Snyder received a low grade on this year’s report card largely because he is support­ing a $1.2 billion-a-year fuel tax increase. That would be a huge hike, pushing up overall state tax revenues by nearly 5 percent.

He also scores fairly low on spending. The general fund budget increased 7.3 percent in 2013 and an estimated 7.8 percent in 2014. The governor also supported Medicaid expansion under the ACA, which will be a costly burden on Michigan taxpayers down the road.

Surprised?

While there can be absolutely ZERO expectation that Mark Schauer would fare any better, the expectation of fuel taxes increasing is realistic as Rick Snyder has said he wants to Increase revenue from fuel sales .

“Increasing revenue” as most reasonable folks know is code for higher taxes.

Call Rick Snyder TODAY and ask him why he wants to raise our taxes. (<- no number – see? we learn from those TV ads and postcards)

You Betcha! (18)Nuh Uh.(1)

Kevyn Acts None the Weiser

It would appear, Mr. Orr has learned his place within the U of M cronies.

NerdOrrWealthy patrons vowed to bankroll a legal fight between the Detroit Institute of Arts and the city before mediators reached a deal to save the city’s art collection, Emergency Manager Kevyn Orr testified Thursday.

Orr testified about behind-the-scenes pressure applied by the DIA and patrons who believed the multi-billion dollar art collection could not be sold and was held in public trust — and explained why the city didn’t hire an auction house tied to a local billionaire. A costly, prolonged legal fight threatened to delay Detroit’s attempt to shed $7 billion in debt and emerge from bankruptcy court.

While not naming names, Orr said patrons vowed to fight any attempts to sell the 60,000-piece collection. Many of Metro Detroit’s leading families, including generations of Fords, have donated art to the internationally renowned museum.

“High-value net worth individuals who have an interest in the (DIA) were motivated and had the wherewithal,” to support a legal fight, Orr testified.

The city believed it could sell pieces of the DIA collection purchased with city funds during the last century.

MORE

Thanks, Ron.

You Betcha! (19)Nuh Uh.(2)

Nice job, Bobby

The Schostak Party of Stooopid strikes again.

Booby ShowStackA local Democratic state House candidate is crying foul after the Michigan GOP sent out campaign mailers this week directing Republicans to call him at a number for his 91-year-old mother’s room at a Portage-based nursing home.

The mailers, which were paid for by the Michigan Republican Party, urge voters to call John Fisher, a candidate for the 61st state House District, and “Tell him hard-working Michiganders are being hurt by Obamacare and the health care policies (Democrats) support.”

Fisher’s campaign acknowledged it had no issue with past Republican mailers that told voters to call him at his personal number, but the candidate said Republicans took it too far by directing citizens to call Fisher at his mother’s number. The number is registered under Fisher’s name, but is a direct line to his mother’s room at Tendercare Portage, where Isabel Kramb is currently receiving hospice care for congestive heart failure, said Fisher’s campaign manager David Topping.

All because Team R sycophants chose to miss the boat on principled leadership.

You Betcha! (14)Nuh Uh.(0)

Transparency? Nahh, we don’t need that.

Yes, it’s long, but I highly recommend watching the whole thing (well, you can probably skip the part that the 10A guy starts talking, he was missing the mark all over the place).

Yesterday (1 October 14), the House Criminal Justice Committee finally heard testimony on Rep. Tom McMillin’s HB4914 (introduced back in July 2013). This legislation would require that law enforcement agencies report every six months on the usage of their SWAT teams.

From the language of the bill:

Sec. 3. Beginning October 1, 2013, and every 6 months after

that date, any law enforcement agency that maintains a SWAT team

shall report all of the following information to the office of the

attorney general using the format developed under section 4:

(a) The number of times the SWAT team was activated and

deployed by the law enforcement agency in the previous 6 months.

(b) Without identifying an exact address, the approximate

location within or outside of the jurisdiction of the law

enforcement agency to which the SWAT team was deployed, including

the name of the county and the city, village, or township, and the

zip code.

(c) The reason for each activation and deployment of the SWAT

team.

(d) The legal authority, including type of warrant, if any,

for each activation and deployment of the SWAT team.

(e) The result of each activation and deployment of the SWAT

team, including all of the following:

(i) The number of arrests made, if any.

(ii) The type of evidence seized, and whether property was

seized.

(iii) Whether a forcible entry was made.

(iv) Whether a weapon was discharged by a SWAT team member.

(v) Whether a person or domestic animal was injured or killed

by a SWAT team member.

But we don’t need reporting for these sorts of things though, right? I mean, bad raids never happen in Michigan!

Well, apparently the Republicans on the committee think otherwise. For example, Rep. Joseph Graves finds it worrisome that the officers would have to go back and justify their actions (7:20 in the clip). Heaven forbid a SWAT deployment be justified, or even just tracked! Further he goes on to say that filing a report of the incident doesn’t take it away (8:58). Really? I didn’t think about that.

However, that’s just one of the many gems coming out of Team-R in this hearing. The amount of stupid coming from them just boggles the mind.

Yup, just shows Team-R is all for transparency!

You Betcha! (21)Nuh Uh.(0)

Jase Bolger is in Bed With This Dude?

Ya, right. Let’s talk about “bigots” for a moment: http://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2014/10/white-lesbian-mother-sues-sperm-bank-after-having-black-baby/

Makes one wonder what decent folks like, Senator Hunter think about that ^ or, parasitic slime like this.

For some time now, Speaker Bolger has given many reasons to think of him as a despicable cretin within a dysfunctional state Party, however, with Jase taking Tim’s $50,000 – all doubt is removed.

You Betcha! (23)Nuh Uh.(0)

Heretic-The conservative case for voting “democrat”.

thCross posted from Muskegon Pundit

(Note-This discussion does not include the Presidency or national candidates. Because of unique Presidential powers, “best of the worst” is our only option)

In August of this year, the MSM reported the death of longtime democrat Senator Jim Jeffords. Coincidentally, his death was one week before the Florida primary election which elected Charlie Crist as the democrat nominee for governor.

It occurred to me that, not long ago, both men were respected republicans. A review of their political activities shows they were not just turncoats. They were hardly even moderates. They were liberals hiding under the cloak of the republican party.

And it worked…for them.

How’d that work out for us republicans?

You Betcha! (18)Nuh Uh.(4)