Tag Archive for Agenda 21

A Dam Fine Mess You’ve Given Us

Short sighted grant based planning leaves a community in worse shape financially.

BrownbridgeReposted from grow.tc

Grand Traverse County residents have for the most part, been kept in the dark about the truth surrounding Dams removal.

There have been stories covering the removal process, and no doubt most folks are familiar with the mistakes made during the removal process, but what is the back story behind the entire affair that needs to be told? Who did what, and why is it being done?

However, the as-demonstrated limited attention span of most of the electorate who read this must confine it to some previously unpublished facts. Take it for what you will.

In September and October of 2008, a survey was taken to quickly gauge public knowledge/concern/interest in dam condition/repair/options. The executive summary noted that it was as much informal, as looking for opinion:

“The Public Opinion Survey developed and administered through this project was not designed as a referendum or a statistically valid sample of public opinion. Rather, the Survey and associated Informational Booklet were intended to inform and engage the general population while offering another opportunity for public participation. The Surveys were distributed as broadly as feasible given time and funding limitations between September 23 and October 10, 2008.”

Of course, the “public participation” is quite limited when removal meetings are held mid afternoon, on weekdays when many who might otherwise be engaged, are busy working.

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The Rural Michigan Squeeze

chainedIt took a little time for it to sink in, but Michigan’s legislature may have made the same mistake with ATT, that was made with BCBS.

Consider the decades of [government enforced] monopoly protections and the ability to hang their lines exclusively prior to deregulation. A compact that allowed ATT to profit heavily through its stand alone status, was then modified to ATT’s desires during the breakup of the bell system in 1974. Also consider the effects on small rural operators that rely on ATT for service access.

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DNR Strategy & Land Grab Update

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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Too Much Private Property

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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