Tag Archive for Campaign Finance

2018 Michigan Gubernatorial Race, Cronyism, Democrats, Economy, Elections, Fees, Michigan, Michigan Politics, Rent Seeking, Republicans, Taxes

Governor Whitmer Thanks You For Your Political Donations

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A bunch of crazies were elected on Whitmer's coat tails in the 2018 election cycle. Thanks to the largesse of your electric utility. And you.

Anyone with DTE electric and gas service donated about $ 1 towards Governor Whitmer’s election last year. DTE donated $ 840,000 to the Progressive Advocacy Trust and the Michigan Democratic State Center.  The Progressive Advocacy Trust is an ill disguised front for the Ingham County Democrats, Ms. Whitmer’s home base.

Both groups supported Whitmer in 2018 through cascade contributions made in turn to Build A Better Michigan in the 2018 primary election and A Stronger Michigan in the 2018 general election. All these groups gamed Michigan election law, laundering corporate contributions and transforming them into political advertising supporting Whitmer.

The laundering was quite effective. You would never know that DTE was contributing to Whitmer by looking at BABM’s financial disclosures. Whitmer concealed the corporate contributions further by using snail mail to file her campaign finance reports.

These contributions eventually wound up at Whitmer’s media shop, Great America Media, a Democratic campaign management outfit on K Street in Washington which placed all her mass media advertising.  They paid for her TV ad campaign.

Build A Better Michigan was actually found to have violated Michigan campaign finance laws. Only because they were screwing other Democrats in the primary election cycle.  No one of importance would have cared if only Republicans were being screwed. BABM got a sweetheart deal from our new Democratic Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, paying only $ 37,500 and agreeing to dissolve itself.

Tu quoque

A Republican group, Michigan Jobs and Labor Foundation, was fined $ 18,000 for identical campaign law violations in 2014 The MJALF fine equaled its illegal 2014 advertising expenditures. Build A Better Michigan spent $ 1.8 million in its illegal 2018 advertising campaign, so its $ 37,500 fine was 2.1% of its illegal expenditures.

Governor Whitmer and DTE got a sweetheart deal from our new Secretary of State, Jocelyn Benson.

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80th District Special Election (2015), Cronyism, Elections, Michigan, Michigan Politics, Opinion, Part Time Legislature, Philosophy, Republicans

Running for Money in the 80th

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An Establishment Republican Candidate Seeks Lobbyists' Love

Love-Money-Image

The special election underway in Michigan’s 80th House District is a consequence of forbidden love. Now one candidate in this special election is running for the entirely legal love of Michigan’s political money class.

Michigan’s campaign finance laws do not require financial reporting by candidate committees in the November 3rd special primary until October 23rd, but three of the filed candidates have active campaign committees whose past financial statements are open for public review.

Mary P. Whiteford came in second to Cindy A. Gamrat in the 2014 regular primary election, a hotly contested four-way race. Ms. Gamrat went on to win the general election in the 80th and then got expelled from Michigan’s State House a year later – in no small part because she antagonized the Lansing political establishment.

Ms. Whiteford was clearly the establishment Republican candidate in the 2014 race. Vice Chairman of the Allegan County Republican Committee and a significant contributor to other county Republican committees and all the correct Republican establishment candidates. Ms. Gamrat, on the other hand, has a far more modest contribution record focused on Tea Party candidates.

Ms. Whiteford spent $ 87,400 in her 2014 primary effort, an unremarkable sum by Michigan State House race standards. Ms. Gamrat spent $ 54,150 in her primary victory, so there is no story here.

Both candidates’ committees were in debt at the end of the hotly contested August 2014 primary. Ms. Gamrat’s committee owed $ 7,933.47 – all to herself and members of her immediate family. Ms. Whiteford’s committee, on the other hand, owed $ 67,701.57 – all to herself.

A Year Later…..

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Cronyism, Elections, Michigan, Opinion, Proposal 15-1, Taxes

Congratulations on the Reluctant Baby Steps

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Now that the Michigan Chamber of Commerce has bailed on Snyder and Calley two days ago, it becomes painfully obvious that somebody is sniffing at 2018 in the air.

Hinky_BillAttorney General Bill Schuette said Wednesday he opposes the Proposal 1 sales tax increase on the May 5 ballot, making him the latest Republican politician to buck Gov. Rick Snyder’s plan to raise $1.2 billion in new road funding.

Schuette told The Detroit News that the proposal’s $700 million in added taxes and spending on schools, municipalities and a tax break for low-income families are a bad policy prescription for fixing the state’s roads.

“On a policy basis, Prop 1 has a lot of potholes,” Schuette said in an interview. “There’s too much under the Christmas tree that goes beyond roads.”
….

Schuette would not say whether he would have supported a sales tax increase that dedicated new money only to roads and bridges.

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Cutesy catchphrase that impresses some staffers, which is all fine and dandy, however, when is AG Schuette going to start probing MDOT with the department he created? Pick a spot. Any spot.

Interesting too is how Ruth Johnson now keeps her yap shut about the registration fee hike and loss of deduction within Proposal 2015-1, huh?

You Betcha! (18)Nuh Uh.(0)

2015 MIGOP State Convention, Cronyism, Elections, Michigan, Opinion, Proposal 15-1, Rent Seeking, Taxes

Yet, Granholm’s Kirk Steudle Hasn’t Been Fired nor Jailed

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The latest ongoing MDOT buffoonery from Auditor General, Doug Ringler.

dozer-money“Our review … identified 48 of 92 [52%] expired warranty projects that needed corrective action,” the report said. “As of June 30, 2014, 24 of the warranties had been expired for over one year without MDOT having addressed the corrective action.”

MDOT said it agrees with all six recommendations made by the auditor general and is taking action to improve its system of monitoring and enforcing warranties.

“By October 2015, MDOT, in working with the Department of Attorney General, will develop a procedure for non-responsive contractors that have been notified to perform warranty work,” the department said in part of its response to the audit.

But the auditor noted that similar issues were raised in an earlier audit, released in 2010, and at that time the department said it would “strengthen its procedures to assure the completion of inspections.”

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Hmmm, something to hide here, Mr. Steudle? And, the AG is involved? Can one say like placing a fox to watch the hen house? I can, as they all, the AG, the MDOT Director, and MSP Director, sit on the same committee endorsing Snyder’s Democrat wooed Proposal 2015-1 better known as the $2,000,000,000 16.7% Sales Tax Hike with double taxation for off road agricultural and recreational fuels, 30% registration fee increase, and loss of IRS deduction – among other handouts to buy votes.

Bonus? Just like clockwork, it’s Norm partying in Tampa Shinkle and Dan Pero’s wife Colleen to Snyder’s rescue (No, seriously!). How about it, Rule of Law Ruth? Nah, not so much as a peep.
STOP-167
Shame on those who seldom follow the linked information here on RightMi.com, because we all are truly getting the government that’s deserved, and getting it good and hard.

You Betcha! (50)Nuh Uh.(0)

2015 MIGOP State Convention, Cronyism, Elections, Michigan, Opinion, Philosophy, Rent Seeking, Republicans, Taxes

Now it’s $51,000,000 to $70,000,000 for a “Better View of the Capitol”?

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via WXYZ

Hmmm, now where have we seen these money grab pay-to-play schemes before? Oh! That’s right, Wayne County. And that worked out just swell, yes?

Marshal_Arlan_Randy_Ficano_ShawarmaI’ve long said that Ross Jones, is the only reporter in Michigan, worth following. Unfortunately, there’s a new Senate Marshal in Lansing (heavy on the marsh part), and he goes by the nickname of, Sen. Arlan Randy Ficano.

With obscene waste above nonchalantly endorsed by Boji’s Engler era chatterbox, and the $54B budget Snyder/Calley presented, are folks beginning to understand why his SOTS “Vote Yes” propaganda completely ignored by “Chief election Officer” Ruth Johnson, is little more than a Republican Majority instituted Jizya tax?

I, for one, sure as Hell hope so.

Ps. for those who may be unaware, the same folks involved with the Boji building shenanigans are also behind another $88,000,000 unnecessary project in, Lansing.

You Betcha! (33)Nuh Uh.(0)

2015 MIGOP State Convention, Cronyism, Elections, Michigan, Opinion, Philosophy, Taxes

The Lawyer for the People

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Two things here. When it comes to political expediency, AG “has referred all questions” Schuette, it becomes apparent that he’s in a Party money bundler‘s and the Nerd’s pocket. That’s right, “sit .. Stay .. now roll over .. good boy.”

The other is if it’s one who is in the big spending Democratic Party calling for tax hikes and bogus *transportation* funding, AG Schuette will fake having a pair in the name of rah-rah go Team R nonsense. However, if it’s AG Schuette’s teammates who call for a $2,000,000,000 constitutional amendment tax hike and bogus *transportation* funding? Nope. Not so much as a peep. I know, old story. Constitution schmonstitution. It’s all just doubleplusgood speak.

“I will not tolerate companies that seek to take advantage of Michigan citizens and get rich on the backs of hard-working entrepreneurs through trickery and deception,” Schuette said in a statement.

How about Snyder’s government ran like a business? Trickery and deception? Does the busiest travel time of the year mean anything? Seriously, our AG needs to stop boring us with his ignoring taxpayer funded appointed bureaucrat propaganda crap and do his damn job. Oh, that’s right, Snyder appointed Etue to sit with the MDOT toad where they all rub elbows together with our AG.

Never mind.

You Betcha! (19)Nuh Uh.(1)

Cronyism, Michigan, Michigan Politics, Opinion, Proposal 15-1, Republicans

The King Says Vote Yes On May 5th

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No level of protection for the taxpayer is left, as any defining lines to cross are swept away like sand.

That’s right, ‘the king’ dictates a yes vote.

Enjoy the commercial Rick Snyder has made with taxpayer dollars. All we did was add the funk for all the junk in Lansing’s trunk.

When the bureaucracy cannot (or WILL NOT) tell the difference between an opinion and a directive (express advocacy), no citizen protections are left in play. The Bureau of Elections had already tipped its hand that a denial of my complaint was coming prior to receiving it. The spokesguy Fred Woodhams made that announcement even admitting they had not yet seen it.

How could it possibly be doing its job if it had already made the decision without review of the facts? How could the process be properly run, if the denial of the complaint had to be crafted and spun to fit a predetermined outcome? Strangely enough, Woodhams himself has previously said that no statements about such things should happen prior to review.  In 2012:

“Secretary of State Spokesman Fred Woodhams said that the office had received the complaint as of Friday. Woodhams said the Secretary of State’s office does not comment on allegations until they have an opportunity to review it.”

Pretty FUNKY, yes?

Indeed.  Something stinks in Lansing, and it ain’t the Red Cedar Drain.

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