754 search results for "prop 2"

Cronyism, Democrats, Elections, Government Incompetence, Michigan, Pensions & Retirement Benefits, Republicans, Taxes

Strange Bedfellows Explained

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Hillary's Plan to Loot Your 401k Account

tony-james-blackstone-groupInternational Business Times and Yahoo Finance just posted headline stories on the plan created by Hillary’s Wall Street masters to loot your future retirement savings. Today’s voluntary 401k savings plans will be replaced by mandatory retirement taxes on all private sector workers – and their employers – which would be turned over to Wall Street hedge funds for investment:

Hillary Clinton And Wall Street: Financial Industry May Control Retirement Savings In A Clinton Administration
By David Sirota and Avi Asher-Schapiro, IBT, 10/19/16 at 12:50 AM

While Hillary Clinton has spent the presidential campaign saying as little as possible about her ties to Wall Street, the executive who some observers say could be her Treasury Secretary has been openly promoting a plan to give financial firms control of hundreds of billions of dollars in retirement savings. The executive is Tony James, president of the Blackstone Group.

It is a plan that proponents say could help millions of Americans — but could also enrich another constituency: the hedge fund and private equity industries that Blackstone dominates and that have donated millions to support Clinton’s presidential bid.

The proposal would require workers and employers to put a percentage of payroll into individual retirement accounts “to be invested well in pooled plans run by professional investment managers,” as James put it. In other words, individual voluntary 401(k)s would be replaced by a single national system, and much of the mandated savings would flow to Wall Street, where companies like Blackstone could earn big fees off the assets. And because of a gap in federal anti-corruption rules, there would be little to prevent the biggest investment contracts from being awarded to the biggest presidential campaign donors.

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Cronyism, Democrats, Detroit, Elections, Fees, Government Incompetence, Michigan, Michigan Politics, Rent Seeking, Republicans

Rizzo Environmental Services Bribed Clinton Township Trustee Dean Reynolds

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And Who Else?

clinton-township-trustee-dean-reynoldsClinton Township Trustee Dean Reynolds was charged with bribery Thursday, in the U.S. District Court for Eastern Michigan. Rizzo Environmental Services allegedly paid Reynolds $ 50,000 – $ 70,000 in cash for his vote and influence on an $18 million, 10 year garbage collection contract. Reynolds is also alleged to have received free legal services from a Rizzo connected attorney in his divorce case.

Reynolds is a Hillary supporter, a gun control supporter, and an environmental supporter. Now living proof that you don’t need a gun to commit a serious crime.  As you read about this case, ask yourself why not one article mentions his political affiliation. Were he a Republican, his affiliation would be in every headline. Reynolds is an AFL-CIO toady now running for Clinton Township Supervisor in the November 8th General Election. The Metro Detroit AFL-CIO scrubbed their endorsement of him this morning, but they can’t change history:

detroit-afl-cio-2016-endorsements

The Free Press reports that the “FBI’s years-long investigation is expected to trigger criminal charges against numerous politicians in towns and cities across Macomb County who engaged in pay-to-play schemes with various developers and businesses. The Clinton Township case, sources said, is just the tip of the iceberg and numerous more charges will follow.”

Rizzo Environmental Services is under contract in a lot of communities outside of Macomb County in Michigan. Who else have they bribed?

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Michigan, Michigan Politics

So You Think Its Over?

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Were the words spoken on a 'hot mic' eleven years ago the end for the GOP presidential nominee?

Oh My Goodness, Donald Trump said some vulgar things!

Some Republicans think it matters.  All the Hillary supporters think it matters; yet stand and boo God, crap on police cars, promote police slaying,  blithely stand by while liberal women objectify themselves (caution link includes naked liberals –  prepare eye bleach prior to visiting) in protests, murder the unborn in numbers that never stop increasing, and call for equal standing of those who would marry the same sex, animals, or children.

Yet what Donald Trump has said; the disgusting NY machismo statements made to a [Bush family] television personality during a soap opera shoot over a decade ago, is the end of all paths presidential?  Maybe Barack Obama might think otherwise.

Oh, but that is not in it’s proper context dear reader.  It’s only the president in his former life reading his fabled “Dreams from my father ” work.  He is simply doing a reading ..of what he wrote.

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Conservative News, Democrats, Elections, Michigan, Opinion, Republicans

Mike Pence Destroys Clown

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Deranged clown robs debate of dignity, punished by Indiana governor

joker-kaineNo matter which side of the political fence you might be on, you saw that Gov Mike Pence pummeled Sen Tim Kaine in last night’s debate.

Taking a page from Joe Biden’s drug induced debate performance of a few years ago, Kaine put on the creepy clown smiley face and persuaded America that he was actually trying out for Batman 12 – Resurrection of Joker. With a style of interruptions never seen before in presidential level debates, he embarrassed himself and quite possibly Hillary Clinton (assuming embarrassment is even possible for these two).

Pence wisely did not allow the adolescent antics of Kaine to get under his skin, stayed focused, and even professed his Christian faith in a way not often seen on a debate stage. He demonstrated class and accurately described the lessening of our nation’s security under the watch of Hillary and Obama, all the while Kaine was verbally poking him with a stick.

Team Trump looks real heroic after last night’s performance. 

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Cronyism, Democrats, Government Incompetence, Michigan, Michigan Politics, Republicans, Taxes

Trump’s Taxes

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Why No Criticism of GM, Chrysler, and the UAW? They Got a Much Sweeter Tax Loss Deal from the Democrats.

nyt-logoA Saturday story in the New York Times alleges that Republican Presidential nominee Donald J. Trump may have avoided paying income taxes for 18 years due to a $ 915 million net operating loss declared on his 1995 federal tax return.  A net operating loss is a form of tax loss carry forward which can be used by a taxpayer to offset future (and sometimes past) income taxes due the federal government.  The authors claim that someone anonymously mailed them pages from Trump’s 1995 return.  A felony violation of federal law which the New York Times only participates in when its enemies are the victims.  Given recent history, it is far more likely that some snake in Obama’s IRS mailed the pages to the New York Times.  One more reason to impeach IRS Commissioner John Koskinen.

None of this is news.  Trump admitted to the size of his 1990’s loss in his book Art of the Comeback.  More interestingly, he explains how the Tax Reform Act of 1986 (TRA 1986) crushed the real estate market in New York and created his massive loss.  Note that he mistakenly attributes his predicament to TEFRA, a 1982 act which also caused him some problems, but it was actually TRA 1986 which he is referring to.

U.S. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks at the Family Leadership Summit in AmesTax loss carry forwards date back to at least 1954 in the U.S. tax code. The logic behind them is simple: if the government benefits from an entity’s income, it should share that same entity’s misfortune when it runs losses. Both moral and ethical, two concepts not usually associated with the U.S. tax code. The salacious case being made against Trump has no merit, except as propaganda. Remember, Trump had to lose $ 915 million on long term assets to get the tax loss carry forward.  More importantly, Trump’s massive loss was created by a sea change in the rules of the game dictated by the same federal government.

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Conservative News, Elections, Liberty, Michigan, Michigan Politics, Republicans

Presidential Debate Crawl – Update.

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So, I just wanted to take a few moments to do a quick down and dirty update for everyone on how tonight’s Presidential Debate Crawl put on by the Michigan Conservative Coalition, went in Novi.

I’m going to toss in a few additional notes on some things that I’ve observed as well as a few more upcoming events.

2016-trump-pub-crawl-novi-september-photo-002

Yep, this MUST be the place.

{More details below the fold}

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Michigan, Philosophy

Lions Packers Sunday Memo

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If it's something you want to do, it ought to always be available at the right price.

dsc_1702Truth be told, both teams have some work to do.

Packers broke out the catnip in the first half going to the locker room ahead of the Lions 31-10.  In the second half, the Lions held the pack to a lousy 3 points, scoring 17 of their own.

Funny how math works.  The seven point win over Detroit  was a relief to Packers fans watching live, or in person by the end of the matter in Green Bay on Sunday.  Both teams have talent, but remain unpredictable as the game clock is running.

One interesting highlight of the game was the use of the NFL out of bounds rule to move the Packers ball return up to the 40 yard line by touching the ball while out-of-bounds.

Clever.

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All the Other Stuff, Michigan

I Remember And I Haven’t Forgotten

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Today is the quindecennial of a morning I cannot ever forget.

I originally posted this first-hand account five years ago on the original version of this site, and today seemed an appropriate time to publish a revised version of the original here.

My late father, who was old enough to fly P-51D Mustangs for the USAAF during World War 2, once told me that he could remember exactly where he was and what he was doing when he heard about the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Likewise, my elder brother (the only one of my siblings who is legitimately a baby boomer) can recall exactly where he was and what he was doing when he heard about the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.

In the exact same vein, a certain September day a decade and a half ago is irremovably burned into my memory.

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Michigan, Michigan Politics

The Movement

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Statewide rallies for Trump firing it up!

DSC_0481Meshawn Maddock laid it out the best.

In a Freep article, she correctly assesses the reasons to have the micro events across the state in support of Trump and Pence. She says:

“This is an action thing, you take an hour out of our life, you don’t wait all day to hear a Trump speech,” said Meshawn Maddock, one of the organizers of the flash mob. “We came out to show people who are undecided a movement. We’re trying to show all of these people that we have hope again.”

DSC_0500She is spot on.

The typical media treatment of anything Trump is anything but reality.  Right now as these stories are going on out there, the social media trolls are hard at work attempting to diminish the positive effort made on behalf of the GOP presidential team.

Typically, each social media posting has one or two trolls who are either paid, or simply have no life.  They refuse to let any positive statement go unchallenged through ridicule and insults.  Many supporters rightly avoid the verbal melee, and opt to keep their opinions silent; the goal of such subterfuge.

Reality can rear its head with proper reporting however.

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Conservative News, Elections, Michigan, Michigan Politics, Philosophy

Well Hot Dayum

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I suppose I could have predicted this.

And again, perhaps I should have.  While not exactly putting me in the Nostradamus category, it might have been fun to be that guy who says “I told you so.”   Capitol Confidential has (as expected) caught on to the ‘changing of the guard’ in Emmet County:

While primary elections for local offices rarely garner much attention, the results of the August election were dramatic for one county in northern lower Michigan. Of seven members of the current county commission, only one will be on the fall ballot.

Charlie MacInnis.  And good for him.

We mentioned this a year ago.  At that time also speaking of predictability.

I Could have predicted this.

Perhaps I would have; if I lived in Emmet County.  However, there should still be nothing surprising about an apparent divergence of priority between the voters and the elected numbskulls who ‘serve’ them.  The same type of thinking that drives the nonsense in DC can be just as bad locally, and have a more immediate financial effect.

Reading the bills, or allowing a real debate to happen before committing millions of dollars extracted forcefully from taxpayers should be paramount.  The latter option was never allowed to happen however.  A year ago, Emmet County commissioners jacked the electorate without the chance to object, leaving them to foot the bill for a $15 Million boondoggle.

As quick as a shooting star, Emmet County commissioners (pictured above) approved a sale of $15 million in bonds with nearly half of the proceeds being used to build an observatory and a new event building at the Headlands International Dark Sky Park in Mackinaw City.

Without the chance to object.

Taxpayers didn’t even know there would be a vote on such an expensive proposal. One watchdog called it out.

Apparently the voters are wising up?

One could hope.

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