Is it just me, or is anyone else waiting for the other shoe to drop?
LG Calley made one of his two big announcements this week.
The second is still anyone’s guess. Will he be running run for governor? Will he run for US Senate?
We’ll know that one on Thursday.
But this one is a real head scratcher.
{I’ve got more after the fold}
(8)Nuh Uh.
(0)Buy TWO and put one on the front to show that you like higher taxes!
The newest fundraising license plates being issued by the Secretary of State are out!
Celebrating the most recent progressive era of Republicanism in Lansing, the official Budget Year Commemorative Series is now waiting to adorn your vehicle. From the more modest budget of $48 Billion to the latest greatest manifestation of politics unhinged, you too can let folks know how you love those high gas taxes, expansion of Obamacare in Michigan, and a full blown explosion of cronyism!
Each plate series carries the Snyder-Calley forward budget for each service year, along with the total taxpayer dollars spent to provide such things as school bailouts, constituent payola, medical welfare, and so-much-more! The special plate fee is peanuts compared to the Michigan Catastrophic Claims premiums, the registration price hike, or the continued overcharging for income taxes!
Be sure to order extras for the kids! (cause they’ll be paying for it long after you are gone) For each plate sold, the Secretary of State will contribute $50 to the ‘Sanctuary State Fund,’ or a secret slush fund for the next couple of Senate leaders.
Exclusive License Plate series with budgetary increases shown below the fold.
(12)Nuh Uh.(0)Northern Michigan activists pursue lip serving politicos in Lansing
The mission statement of DTS Michigan is simple:
“Using public media to hold our elected officials accountable. Raising public awareness of issues critical to the people of Michigan.”
The mission itself, is yet another matter.
Watching taxes go up, socialized medicine implemented, an international bridge obligation, bailouts for Detroit, Bailouts for Detroit schools, and increased bureaucracy develop in the past 6 years, one would think we have a liberal Democrat legislature led by a liberal Democrat governor at the helm. Even the former liberal controlled political machinations of Lansing were never so effective in the growth of the budget, and accompanying growth in taxes.
The reason is as simple as the players behind the scenes pushing for corporate welfare (cough- Detroit stadiums, arts, roads, schools) and an increasingly centralized hospital, insurance, industrial complex. There is much money in these endeavors, and the scaly denizens who benefit financially run the swamp with a tight leash on the legislative majority.
So along comes this activist brigade attempting to educate, make taxpayers aware of how bad they are being abused, and highlight who is doing the abusing. Yeah, we may have been trying to do that here, but Drain the Swamp Michigan is actually running ads and spending money.
The ad on the right is an example of the high quality radio content, but put to a video so it can be shared in popular social media sites that don’t allow MP3 as a standalone.
We’re glad they are on the team, and encourage you to support them as you can financially.
(15)Nuh Uh.(0)Commission to taxpayers - "Gird your loins."
About that blue ribbon report on education?
Governor RINO-Burger’s newly formed ’21st Century Education Commission’ has performed as expected. One theme seems to stand out. In the end, all will be well if we follow some not-so-surprising advice from the best socialist minds around. – Free college. Preschool for every child. No more grade levels.
A report released last week from Gov. Rick Snyder’s office offered lofty goals designed to overhaul Michigan’s public education system. The state needs to offer free community college, expand preschool access, and restructure K-12 public schools, the report suggested. District leaders in northwest Michigan agreed, but they’ll need more clarity on the details.
Sure. why not?
Government employees shilling for expansion of government? But wait! More clarity?
“My first question would be if it’s free, who’s paying for it?” asked Sander Scott, superintendent at Glen Lake Community Schools. “That’s what any taxpayer would say. There’ll be a cost to be able to offer these things. … The state is really struggling to fund its public schools so adding more is interesting.”
(10)Nuh Uh.(0)Supporter of Detroit bailouts and special Detroit tax hikes, a non-libertarian “Libertarian” for president, noted contributor to the democratic party and now this.
This latest rant might have been credible if it weren’t for this.
I’d post that clown pic of him right about now…if I didn’t find that demeaning to actual clowns whose job it is to get people to laugh on purpose.
‘Nuff said.
(8)Nuh Uh.(0)41st Place Among the States
You have probably read the Mackinac Center’s excellent works on Michigan’s government finances, much of which they release through Michigan Capitol Confidential. Top quality analyses, but parochial in the sense that they don’t place Michigan’s government finances in the context of the other American states. An Illinois 501(c)(3) organization, Institute for Truth in Accounting does, and has come up with a useful metric – taxpayer burden – by which you can rank Michigan financial status relative to the other states. No accounting degree necessary.
Suffice it to say, you will not be reading any of Truth in Accounting’s work in Michigan’s nitwit, cheerleading media.
(11)Nuh Uh.(1)Pavlovian Conditioning In Michigan Politics
Michigan’s campaign finance laws were designed to expose quid pro quo donations to legislators and politicians by the individuals and groups having special interests in government actions. A particular goal of campaign finance laws was to prevent politicians from benefiting personally from their votes and actions. In the American Civics version of representative government, politicians are expected to represent their voters exclusively. Selling their votes and actions to the highest bidder creates an unresponsive, alien government in short order. Think Venezuela, Illinois, or Detroit. Where Michigan is now heading.
Political campaigns are expensive today. Consultants and media outlets are the particular beneficiaries of lavish campaign spending and have, in turn, convinced candidates that money is the sine qua non of political success. Today, you are not considered a serious candidate for the lowest rung in the Michigan political firmament – State Representative – unless you have a $ 100,000 campaign war chest.
American politicians and their special interest backers are developing a technique which directs quid pro quo donations right into politicians’ pockets. This technique is fast becoming a staple of Michigan politics and Michigan’s nitwit media have ignored this ingannation of representative government.
Michigan politicians are now morphing into vending machines that cater to the highest bidders in Lansing and Washington. This explains the passage of the PA 192 – 197 Detroit Public Schools bail out over the objections of many outraged Michigan voters.
(18)Nuh Uh.(0)The DPS Bail Out Can Be Spiked By Defeating Just One State House RINO
The six bills (PA 192 – 197 of 2016) of the Detroit Public School bail out package passed in the Michigan House of Representatives by margins of 55 – 53 to 60 – 48. The same six bills passed in the Michigan Senate by margins of 19 – 18 to 21 – 16. Close votes; over 50% + 1 but nowhere near two-thirds. And these close votes were only obtained after an entirely false narrative of doom and gloom was presented to the Legislature. This is becoming a major issue in the August 2nd primaries which Michigan’s nitwit media are conveniently ignoring.
Attorney Thomas H. Bleakley (P23892) filed a lawsuit (Helen Moore et al v. Rick Snyder, 16-000153-MM) in the Michigan Court of Claims on the 5th of July which alleges that the entire DPS bail out package’s passage was unconstitutional; the claim being it was in fact a collection of local acts according to the Michigan Constitution of 1963. Local acts require two-thirds legislative vote margins and voter approvals to become law. The six bills of the DPS bail out package were all passed, in both houses of the Michigan Legislature, under the more liberal 50% + 1 voting rule allowed only for general acts.
The Michigan Constitution of 1963, Article IV, Section 29 states “No local or special act shall take effect until approved two-thirds of the members elected to and serving in each house and by a majority of the electors voting thereon in the district affected….”. Article IV, Section 30 further states that “….two-thirds of the members elected to and serving in each house of the legislature shall be required for the appropriation of public money or property for local or private purposes.”.
(18)Nuh Uh.(0)"While shutting down the schools would be horrible. It is a better option than the alternative."
“This marks a new day for Detroit families, with DPS free from debt and strong accountability measures for all schools in the city that promises a brighter future for all of Detroit’s children.” – Michigan Governor Rick Snyder after signing the DPS bailout package last month.
If only that were really true.
There’s a story making the rounds here locally, that to put it mildly, I am more than a little surprised hasn’t been picked up by other media outlets around Michigan.
It seems that Emergency Manager Transition Manager Stephen Rhodes, Michigan Treasurer Nick Khouri, Gov. Snyder and a few select others within Michigan Government have felt that it is more important to bury some rather disturbing facts relating to Detroit Public Schools, rather than to make them public (Read: Better make sure that Michigan Taxpayers don’t EVER get wind of this!).
Nope, not the crumbling infrastructure of DPS.
And what is this little nugget you may ask?
{Continued below}
H/T to the good people at Channel 7 in Detroit for breaking this story.
(8)Nuh Uh.(0)What's amazing here is not what they tell you, but what they don't...
Well, the children in Detroit are at it again.
And is there any wonder why there is so much blow-back from Gov. Snyder’s latest excuse to waste Michigan Taxpayer money on Detroit?
{Continued below the fold}
(6)Nuh Uh.(0)
