Tag Archive for Corruption

Cronyism, Michigan, Michigan Politics, Opinion, Philosophy

Site Prep

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When the MEDC says "hold my beer.."

Turnkey operations are clearly the next step.

It’s true, why not turn our government bureaucracies into full blown business incubators? Buy a number of corner buildings, land, ready spaces, and turn em into a new 7-11 chain, tux shop conglomerate, or CBD syndicate. Then, turn em over to someone willing to fill out the paperwork, stand on a stage with a governor,  and swear allegiance to the bureaucracy and our sacred Eco-Dev Central!

the MEDC is having a birthday.  In fact it is apparently ready to graduate from simple cronyism, to full blown Fascism.  Government determining which component of the economy it will promote with taxpayer money is certainly bad, but when it actually does the site work?  From Crains:

Are there are some areas outside of your control and domain that you think we ought to be focused on as a state in order to improve our chances to land the next company from San Jose?

The one that’s in our domain that we have started doing some work on — working with our local partners — and that’s having ready sites. Whether it’s just raw acreage that has the right infrastructure available in terms of electrical capacity, water and sewer. …

We are not a state that has a lot of available spec buildings — the 180,000-square-foot size buildings that have been built speculatively by developers that we can immediately turn to a prospect and say here’s a building you can move into in 60 days. We’re doing some work in that space both on the spec building side … as well as on the raw land site improvement to help get us better prepared or ahead of the curve to take advantage of some of the opportunities that are out there.

In other words “if we build, they will come”

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State Convention

The Swamp Looms Over The MIGOP State Convention Once Again

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It should come as no surprise to any conservative that the SWAMP is looming over the MIGOP State Convention scheduled to take place Friday and Saturday at the Lansing Center. While we tell voters we are going to drain the swamp, typically the swamp is coronated at these kind of affairs. It’s part of the immense hypocrisy that stains our party.

The swamp has its chosen candidates picked out. At the top of the ticket is former State Rep. Laura Cox, who lost a winnable State Senate seat to a completely unknown Democrat no-name challenger last year. After demonstrating her inability to connect with the public, she is going to be rewarded with the biggest leadership position in the party. It doesn’t get much more swampy than that.

Making matters worse, Cox is running a gutter campaign against her opponent Gina Barr, who was Director of Women and Urban Engagement for the Republican National Committee and worked as a regional field director helping win elections for Republicans across the country. The special interests are deluging delegates with false information urging them to vote for Cox, whose record of supporting tax hikes, spending increases, and crony capitalism in the state legislature is well-known.

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Cronyism, Michigan Politics, Republicans

The Final Grift: A ‘Lame Duck’ Anecdote of Republican Cowardice

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Lame duck session is one of the most fascinating and illuminating times within our government. It is a period when all pretenses of our democracy are jettisoned and a mad cash grab takes place as term-limited legislators secure employment and other benefits in smoke-filled backrooms with lobbyists. It rips off the facade and exposes government for the cruel, soulless machine that it truly is.

Few watched the late-night session that went past 3AM last week when the worst bills were being rammed down our throats. I tuned in to watch the after-hours con job the next day on the Michigan Legislature website as I was sleeping at the time. The fact that the proceedings took place in the dead of night begs the following questions: What are the optics of using the midnight hour to push the lousiest bills forward? What does someone who is less politically inclined think of Republicans after the media reports on these shenanigans? And is it any wonder why we took it on the chin during last month’s mid-term elections?

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Democrats, Michigan, Michigan Politics, Rent Seeking

Proposal 2 Funders

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Who are the largest donors of the campaign to screw up Michigan's election districts?

The ‘grass roots’ effort to end gerrymandering in Michigan is a scam.

There was an effort by progressive liberals, to rig the game in their favor using the California model as a template.  Gullible voters could give them the win, but the funding for the proposal’s passage leaves us with more questions as to what they really want to do.

Out of state money is pressing hard to destroy accountability, but fighting the yes-vote is Michigan only Money.  MCFN notes the Tony Daunt comments:

Out-of-state special interests are trying to buy Michigan’s constitution, but our constitution is not for sale,” said Tony Daunt, spokesman for opposition group Protect My Vote, in a press release. “Hypocrite is too kind a description for the liars behind this sham proposal, and voters who’ve been duped by their scam have every right to be outraged.”

Over 80% of the funding for Prop 2 passage efforts comes from elsewhere.

Enjoy the video and pass along.

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Cronyism, Detroit, Michigan, Michigan Politics

Pardon Me?

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Former Detroit mayor seeks unlikely relief from well earned berth.

Things that make you go hmm..  Many times over.

[Former?] Thugmaster K wants “to go home.”  He says he doesn’t like prison, and is now praying for a pardon from the president. He is a changed man:

Our country has always been the land of 2nd Chances! I am hoping, confidently expecting, that I will have the opportunity to boldly move into the next season of my life; outside of these prison walls. Also, that I will have the opportunity to help someone else get off the floor of despair, failure, brokenness and calamity…then walk courageously, confidently, and powerfully into their own new season, their own destiny.

By God’s grace, I have received a pardon from Him, through Christ Jesus. I pray that I will receive the opportunity for Pardon/Clemency from the President of the United States as well.

Changed.

“White Jesus” notwithstanding, change carries with it some personal responsibility, yes?  Just a couple months ago, we saw how he is willing to own up to his former life as a corruptotician.  From Click on Detroit

Kilpatrick was also ordered to pay  $1,637,087 in restitution. He told the court in February that he doesn’t believe he should have to pay because it’s impossible to calculate the amount of money he took from taxpayers.

No comment necessary.

Other than even the folks out West aren’t writing scripts as good as this.

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

Sleight of Hand

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Fast Times At The Detroit Public Schools Community District

Norman Shy, the Detroit Public Schools vendor who stole $ 3 million with the capable assistance of 12 DPS principals and one DPS administrator, has begun paying his court-ordered restitution. The Detroit Free Press reported today that the Detroit Public Schools Community District has received $ 1.5 million from Mr. Shy, out of the total $ 2.7 million in restitution U.S. District Court ordered Mr. Shy to pay in September 2016.

The problem here? Mr. Shy’s scam looted the pre bailout/bankruptcy Detroit Public School District, not the new Detroit Public Schools Community District. The new Detroit Public Schools Community District was created in July 2016, before Mr. Shy’s sentencing but well after his 13 year long scam concluded.

The legacy Detroit Public School District still exists as a ward of the State of Michigan to pay off more than $ 500 million in ‘operating debts’. Debts which, in part, are directly due to Mr. Shy’s scam and dozens of other thieves. Michigan taxpayers at large are paying down those debts of the legacy DPS District, and will be paying until 2025 – if not longer.

Mr. Shy’s restitution payments should be paid to the legacy DPS District, not the new DPSC District. Its not like Michigan taxpayers owe these monies to the new DPSCD. Michigan taxpayers fronted the DPSCD $ 617 million as part of the 2016 bailout/bankruptcy, and the new, ‘debt free’ district is now being financed just as generously as every other school district in Michigan.

$ 1.5 million is real money.  Restitution should be directed to those financially damaged.  In this case, it is the taxpayers of Michigan – not the new Detroit Public Schools Community District – who were looted by Mr. Shy.

Anyone still wonder why Michigan residents are so ill disposed towards Detroit and its very creative government accounting practices?

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Conservative News, Cronyism, Government Incompetence, Michigan, Michigan Politics, Opinion, Rent Seeking, Republicans, Research & Analysis

The Fox Guarding The Hen House.

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Easter eggs hidden all over the place. What's a poor chicken to do?

The MEDC is off the hook corrupt.

I know we have expressed issues before with the cronyism going on with the MEDC and its failures of transparency and effectiveness.  Picking winners only works for ..the winners.

Its not hard to recognize unadulterated failure when we see it. If a person is hungry for the truth, its right in front of us.  One need only look at hangar 42, RASCO, overpaying Film credits by 42%, and A123 just to whet the appetite!

But certainly, the MEDC provides a lot of high paying jobs for otherwise failed business leaders and political partisans.  No way in hell will it willingly surrender the family secrets and threaten the taxpayer goldmine.  Indeed, no dog and pony show of ‘allowing’ bids for outside agencies to measure it’s (the MEDC’s) effectiveness will ever meet the threshold of honest brokering.

Not without some pressure anyhow.

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Cronyism, Democrats, Detroit, Government Incompetence, Michigan, Michigan Politics

Kwame’s Sinkhole

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The former Mayor of Detroit's "impact" lives on.

Kwame Kilpatrick is the gift that keeps on giving.

Long time readers might remember that our outgoing president once lauded praise upon the once venerated Detroit Mayor.  Barack Obama who in the video here was speaking about the “great mayor” responsible for Detroit’s “renaissance” etc.

The as-yet-to-be-elected Senator Obama speaking at the Detroit economic club could little imagine how Detroit’s political crime syndicate was about to crash with Kilpatrick at the wheel. And the As-yet-to-be-dismissed president Obama might be less inclined to offer the intransigent former mayor felon a pass on future political relevance.

Kilpatrick’s current crib will likely remain occupied by the big K.  His legacy is a thing of legend. From the Ivory Tower:

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Elections, Michigan, Opinion, Philosophy

Rational Thought Required

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fuscaldoWhile the women in the media and other “never Trumpers”  fret over Donald Trump’s alleged personal versions of the Vagina Monologues, they ignore how Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama are destroying this country with consistently bad decisions and policy pertaining to the safety and security of this nation.

They and their minions of deceit, with a compliant Congress and incompetent Justice Department, cover up their failures and border line acts of treason. See link below (the fold) to the Benghazi failure and coverup.

Don’t you think it is time to use rational thought, reason and facts to determine the future of American sovereignty and exceptionalism? Regrettably, too many voters and the media are focused and rely on “genitalia” identification, alleged sexual improprieties and political party loyalty to do their thinking.

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