46 search results for "wayne schmidt"

Michigan Politics

Michigan State Senate Fundraising

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The deadline for pre-primary campaign finance reports for the Michigan state legislature was July 25. The following details the amount raised in competitive primary elections, and cash on hand (COH) in competitive general elections for state senate. Ratings for the races are included. Districts 29 and 38 move to safe R based on fundraising.

2. (D) Safe Johnson
Bert Johnson: 60K
John Olumba: waiver
Georgia Lemmons: waiver

4. (D) Lean Smith
Virgil Smith: 164K
Rashida Tlaib: 230K

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Michigan Politics, Opinion, Republicans

No Powder In This Cannon

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Truth be told, THAT gun has probably never been fired.

poachingMichigan is indeed a sportsman’s paradise.

Naturally, the coveted NRA scoring and endorsement will be flaunted by would-be Michigan politicos who want an edge up on their opponents.  In the strange circumstance however, the NRA has been rewarding legislative support for ammo registration in Michigan yet is fighting it in California.

Go figure.

Yes, in Michigan, several legislators are being punished by the NRA scoring process for voting against a package of bills designed to ‘Keep ammo out of the hands of felons.’ Certainly the NRA is acting responsibly, right? Until you carefully think through what it takes to enforce such an act.

Lets consider what the NRA uses as legislative candidate scoring criteria first.

A+: A legislator with not only an excellent voting record on all critical NRA issues, but who has also made a vigorous effort to promote and defend the Second Amendment.

A: Solidly pro-gun candidate. A candidate who has supported NRA positions on key votes in elective office or a candidate with a demonstrated record of support on Second Amendment issues.

AQ: A pro-gun candidate whose rating is based solely on the candidate’s responses to the NRA-PVF Candidate Questionnaire and who does not have a voting record on Second Amendment issues.

B: A generally pro-gun candidate. However, a “B” candidate may have opposed some pro-gun reform or supported some restrictive legislation in the past.

D: An anti-gun candidate who usually supports restrictive gun control legislation and opposes pro-gun reforms. Regardless of public statements, can usually be counted on to vote wrong on key issues.

Emphasis in bold.

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Michigan Politics

Michigan Right to Life Endorsements

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Michigan Right to Life has just issued its endorsements for the 2014 primary.  RTL swings a significant number of Michigan primary voters, so its endorsements will decide some races.

RTL will recommend all candidates if they are all pro-life, but if there is a serious non-pro-life candidate, they will pick one pro-life candidate to endorse.  Their noteworthy endorsements are listed below.

Congress:
3. RTL endorsed Brian Ellis over Justin Amash.  They did not endorse Amash in 2012.  They apparently are still ticked over Amash not voting to defund Planned Parenthood (he opposed targeting a specific organization).  This may complicate Amash’s reelection.
4. John Moolenaar.  Does this mean that self-funding businessman Paul Mitchell is not pro-life?  Tea partier Peter Konetchy is also running.
6. Fred Upton is again endorsed, despite his long pro-abortion record.
8. Both Mike Bishop and Tom McMillin
11. Kerry Bentivolio over Dave Trott

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Conservative News, Cronyism, Democrats, Elections, Michigan, Michigan Politics, Opinion, Philosophy, Republicans

Minimum Wage Insanity Passes GOP ‘Firewall’

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Sausage Grinding In All Its Glory. Minimum Wage Today, Higher Gas Taxes Tomorrow.

snyderIn a move reportedly designed to head off a ballot initiative, a higher minimum wage was passed and signed by Governor Rick Snyder.

Snyder yesterday signed ‘bipartisan’ legislation raising Michigan’s minimum wage by September to $8.15, and to $9.25 an hour by 2018, a move he said “will help hard-working residents without hindering the state’s improving economy.” SB 934 is now Public Act 138 of 2014.

Oh, and by the way; It should be noted that a majority of the House Republicans voted NO on this. (albeit a small one)

We support those voting no, including one of our Northern Michigan legislators who gets it.  Greg MacMaster (R-105) says

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Michigan Politics

2014 Michigan State Senate Elections

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Cross-posted at The Western Right, Right Michigan, and Red Racing Horses.

All 38 seats in the Michigan Senate are up for election in 2014. Republicans currently have a 26-12 supermajority, and have controlled the senate since 1983.

Republican control of the state senate has prevented democrats from complete control of Michigan’s government, and stopped a lot of bad things from being passed. More recently, the Republican supermajority has prevented some of Governor Snyder’s more liberal plans from being implemented.

Fortunately for Republicans, the Michigan state senate is up only in midterms, which favor Republicans much more than presidential years. 2010 was very good to the Michigan GOP. Republicans picked up four state senate seats (and one earlier in a 2009 special election).

Republicans had complete control of redistricting this cycle. They crafted a very effective map. One democrat district was eliminated in Wayne County and replaced by a Republican one in west Michigan. Four other dem districts were made more dem. Most of the potentially vulnerable Republican seats were made more Republican, though a couple got slightly worse due to the need to avoid splitting counties. The new map is actually cleaner than the old one, excluding the Detroit districts, which are ugly for VRA reasons.

Michigan Redistricting: Official Republican State Senate Map Released
Michigan Redistricting: Republican State Senate Map Passed

There are ten open seats. Seven senators, four republicans and three democrats, are term-limited. Two republicans are just retiring, and one is running for Congress. Three Republican-held open seats (17, 20, 32) are tossups, and one other (13) could be competitive. Democrats have only one top challenger to a Republican incumbent (7), though another (34) could be competitive. Notably, dems failed to recruit credible candidates in several districts that were hotly contested in 2010 (29, 31, 38).

All but one of the current state senators are former state representatives. This pattern held in the past, and most credible candidates this time are current or former state reps.

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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, Cronyism, Michigan, Michigan Politics, Republicans

DNR Strategy & Land Grab Update

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After Event Report - MUCC Hosted Event In Acme, Michigan February 17, 2014

DNR-trust-fundLast night’s Agenda 21 party (oops, I mean Land Trust Town Hall) showed Rep. Wayne Schmidt as the pro-government, anti private property progressive he is. Sitting on a panel hosted by MUCC, surrounded by reps from the Land Conservancy, MEDC, and League of ‘Conservation’ (NOT conservative) Voters; he pressed this audience for support of his bill (HB 5210) to remove the cap on State owned land in the Northern Lower and UP.

Apparently, 5 million acres of State owned land is NOT enough.

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Michigan Politics

Detroit News Report falls short on Michigan’s Road Fund Money Allocation Problem

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gas-tax-hike-snyderMichigan ranks dead last in the nation when it comes to its per capita spending on its roads and bridges, according to a report citing U.S. Census Bureau data. Is it because Michiganders don’t pay a high enough gas tax, or have our legislators been re-directing our road tax dollars elsewhere?

Michigan has the 5th highest Gasoline Tax in the nation, only Democrat controlled CA, NY, HI, CT are higher! Michigan’s gas excise tax is 19 cents per gallon. Michigan also collects sales taxes and an environmental regulation tax for a whopping grand total of 39.4 cents per gallon.

Michigan legislators have been stealing, robbing and shifting “our” road fund monies for years! Now that the kitty is bone dry they have the gull to suggest “we taxpayers” pony up by accepting a gas tax and vehicle registration fee increases.

Michigan legislative Transportation and Infrastructure committee chairs Wayne Schmidt (R) House and Tom Casperson (R) Senate would serve their constituents and all Michigan motorist well by pushing legislation that would outlaw any further diversions of Gasoline Tax monies from roads, bridges and infrastructure. Unfortunately these two seem more concerned about “Horse Trading” with politically well connected real estate developers.

http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20140213/METRO05/302130103/Michigan-ranks-last-per-capita-spending-roads-bridges

~ Article continues below.

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Conservative News, Cronyism, Elections, Michigan, Michigan Politics, Republicans

Too Much Private Property

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If Schmidt has his way, Northern Michigan communities will see new challenges

DNR-trust-2One of the little deals with the DNR and its ability to purchase land, is that it is limited.

Limited to 4,650,000 acres in fact, with some exceptions, and not more than 3,910,000 acres north of a line between Mason and Arenac counties, to be exact.

This means that the amount of land that is available for private use and development will not continue to shrink indefinitely.  It means that the revenues from oil and gas lease rights are not forever used to remove land from local tax rolls. It also means that overzealous misplaced urban planner graduates from the MSU school of property theft have one less tool in their belt of American dream destruction.

in 2012 Michigan Governor Rick Snyder, signed a common sense piece of legislation (huh.. how bout that) that put a check on the runaway property acquisition of the DNR, and the way in which it distorts property values and makes desirable land unavailable for private use.  The ONLY 5 Republicans Voting against the bill at that time were Jon Bumstead, (R) Holly Hughes, (R) Peter Pettalia, (R) Bruce Rendon, (R) and Wayne Schmidt, (R).  They and their Democrat property rights thieving counterparts were sent packing, as the bad ol Republican bullies put that limit on the quite literal GROWTH of government through land purchases.

Surprise, surprise, now they are back. And they brought friends. And they seem to think Michigan has too much private property available to it.

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