Just whose side are they on again, anyway?
Will this go into the goodies and new “rights” Gov. Whitmer will most certainly be espousing on tonight’s SOTS Speech?
Nope.
This one is more about a certain team playing for the wrong side.
{More to follow below}
(4)Nuh Uh.
(2)The Michigan Republican Party of Rick Snyder is still intact, as Republican lawmakers in Lansing are getting ready to push another gas tax on us!
We just did a gas and fee increase in 2015, which was also pushed by Republicans. They are getting ready to screw us again. Freshman State Rep. Jack O’Malley (the next Arlan Meekhof in training) is leading this new round of armed robbery against the unsuspecting taxpayer.
O’Malley wrote an op/ed in the Detroit News yesterday arguing how his “smart spending” legislation will fix the roads:
(21)Nuh Uh.(1)Former State Senator touches on real reason for continuously expanding Michigan budget.
Pat Colbeck opines on the compromises being paved in Lansing.
“What didn’t get much notice a few years back is that within months of passing a $600 million gas tax hike to ostensibly fix the roads, the state quietly passed a budget “supplemental” bill which transferred $400 million in general funds from the transportation budget to backfill potholes in Medicaid Expansion (aka Healthy Michigan or Obamacare expansion).
You see, the gas tax increase was never truly about our roads. It was about leveraging what is a hot button issue to voters (i.e. the lousy condition of our roads) so that they could have more “walking around money” for other priorities aligned with so-called “special” interests. “
Backfill for healthy Michigan.
Apparently, Medicaid expansion in Michigan is on life support. And now a great big gas tax is needed to move some more road monies into a transfusion bag.
Should we be at all surprised?
(12)Nuh Uh.(0)Rick Snyder to say Adios to Michigan gaspayers this year
Rick Snyder will be gone after this year.
We will no longer have a progressive Democrat masquerading as a Republican in the governor’s office. That is, unless his carefully selected heir is somehow elected. From the Detroit Free Press:
Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder is expected to officially endorse Lt. Gov. Brian Calley at a campaign event in Southfield Wednesday.
“Lt. Gov. Calley and Gov. Snyder will attend an event this afternoon to highlight the best way to continue Michigan’s comeback over the next four years,” said Calley campaign spokesman Michael Schrimpf.
You know the guy.
Mr march-over-a-bridge-with-pied-piper-child-like-men-and-women political ad star?. The guy who is Rick Snyder’s “Hillary?” The guy who was the ‘conservative‘ in the executive branch?
The guy who was there to make sure that Michigan Taxpayers pony up an additional $1.8 Billion for roads sadly neglected because of Detroit bailouts and general fiscal malfeasance. Even after voters said.. “Nah we don’t want that” about Prop 15-1
Certainly, Brian Calley will parrot Slick Rick’s latest beg for new taxes. Go ahead and ask him if he agrees when the Governor says we ain’t ponying up enough.
LANSING – It’s time to raise the federal gas tax to help fix Michigan’s ravaged roads, Gov. Rick Snyder said Tuesday.
Snyder, a Republican who is under fire along with state lawmakers over the shape of Michigan’s roads, said the state has taken steps to increase road funding and can do more, but it’s also time for the federal government to step up.
He said the state has increased road funding more than $1 billion annually since he took office, but federal road funding has decreased $250 million a year during that time.
“We need federal, state and local partners all working together,” but the feds are “going backwards on us,” he said.
Backward.
(14)Nuh Uh.(1)Inside Michigan Politics ranks its most conservative and most liberal legislators, and guess what?
Susan Demas, not exactly known for sympathy to conservative causes must be having fun.
Recently editing the Inside Michigan Politics scoring of conservative and liberal state representatives, she gets to shame Republicans with their own rhetoric, and as a bonus, can gloat over the self inflicted loss of true conservative voting in the Michigan house. Her report:
Inside Michigan Politics has compiled the definitive rankings of the “Most Liberal and Most Conservative” members of the House of Representatives for 2015. The rankings are based on 28 litmus test roll-call votes this year.
“Most Conservative” winners Courser and Gamrat both notched 4.8% liberal voting records. Following them is Rep. Gary Glenn (R-Midland) with a 7.1% liberal record. Reps. Jim Runestad (R-White Lake) and Lana Theis (R-Brighton) tied for third by posting 10.7% liberal voting records.
Snap.
A reminder BTW, that such ‘diehard’ conservatives Glenn, Runestad, and Theis all voted yea on the expulsion of Gamrat, and the expected expulsion of Courser prompted him to resign prior to expulsion. Gosh, they could have used a vote or two of support on HB4736, as each voted correctly to deny the government beast more of our kibble.
Hello Birthday Tax.
(11)Nuh Uh.(0)
Michigan State Representative Larry Inman has requested clarification on his reference to AFP’s Pete Lund in yesterday’s post.
We are happy to provide an outlet for clarity. Posted without comment.
” Please disregard my remark regarding Pete Lund and Americans for Prosperity. I was misinformed by a third party comment. I have since had an opportunity to personally speak with Pete Lund and he does not support any bills or actions by the Michigan Legislature that are in any form of a tax increase both personally, and representing Americans for Prosperity . My deepest apology to Pete Lund and Americans for Prosperity for this miscommunication. I accept full responsibility for this miscommunication that was reported. Larry C Inman. “
(14)Nuh Uh.(3)Reflex Conditioning Drives Uncontrolled Government Spending
The brilliant, Nobel Prize winning physiologist Ivan Petrovitch Pavlov demonstrated that you could condition a dog to salivate by sounding a metronome. All he had to do was sound the metronome when putting out food for his dogs. It did not take long for his dogs to associate the sound of the metronome with food. Then he no longer even had to put food out to get the dogs to salivate; he only had to sound the metronome.
Today, inferior rank politicians have been conditioned to salivate when a financial grant is offered by superior rank politicians. The only problem with these grants of largess is that they always come with caveats, and usually require matching funds. These restrictions are a deliberate – and successful – effort to frustrate all efforts to manage government expenditures.
(15)Nuh Uh.(1)Having no one to tell them "NO" previously, our leadership brazenly assumes immunity from the law.
Watching Obama the other night was something many of my friends could not do.
As he quite literally leaned on the podium and gave an in-your-face ‘I don’t give a damn about your efforts’ speech to the congress, he further provoked with the threat of veto for anything that did not meet his agenda. The soft sneer of disrespect to the people’s house and its ‘opposition’ inhabitants was palpable. But it was not unexpected.
How else might a top executive act when he is given every thing that he wants? In what other way would he comport himself when weak threats are buttressed by inaction and outright political cowardice? The Republican controlled House of Representatives has hardly put its foot down each time the president has acted in an unconstitutional manner, and there is little indication it might in the future.
So the law does not matter to this president, and for many of the same reasons, it does not matter to Michigan’s governor. When people seek power, they are sometimes willing to overlook the blatant disregard for checks and balances, and pretend the emperor is indeed fully clothed.
(38)Nuh Uh.(1)Otherwise known as “What's good for thee, but not for me (con’t).
Breaking from the republican kakistocracy’s latest rope-a-dope on the Grassroots (aka Dave Agema’s “controversial comments” brouhaha), it is important to note that Governor’s Snyder’s plot to raise the Michigan Sales Tax 16.7% is beginning to pick up a few supporters.
On the plus side; So is the opposition.
And what interesting bedfellows are beginning to appear.
{Continued below}
(20)Nuh Uh.(2)Kurt Heise Will Pay For Breaking Campaign Promise
Republican activists threaten a recall of Rep. Heise if he votes to double gasoline taxes.
This would not be the first time citizens attempt to recall a State Representative from the 20th House District. In 2008, State Rep. Marc Corriveau (D-Northville) faced a recall over his vote for higher taxes.
More recently in 2014, recall petitions were filed against several Plymouth Township Board Trustees.
Whether or not recall petitions will be filed against Rep. Heise remains to be seen, however.
“We will only go through with this if he votes for the tax hike,” Marques said. “But we are fully prepared to get the necessary amount of signatures to force a recall election if Heise breaks his campaign promise against higher taxes one more time.”
(18)Nuh Uh.(8)
