Tag Archive for Michigan

Firearms, Michigan, Michigan Politics, Philosophy

Rotten Fish in Michigan

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DNR Fee Increase Backfires

Politicians of all stripes are rooting around for fresh money to fulfill past, present, and future promises lately, figuring that the economy is so hot that their depredations will go unnoticed and have no consequences. Let’s take a look at a Michigan example: the increase in license fees for hunting and fishing which the Legislature authorized in 2013 and which took effect in 2014.

The most popular hunting and fishing license prices doubled under the new fee schedule, although a direct comparison is not possible because the licenses were restructured to ‘simplify’ the license schedule. Governor Snyder’s goal for these increases was to raise an additional $ 18.1 million dollars annually for the DNR. The Senate Fiscal Agency benchmarked the anticipated annual increase at $ 19.7 million.

These are fees, paid voluntarily, so why should we care? Only taxes matter? The State of Michigan has been reducing the amount of money appropriated to the DNR from tax revenues since 2000, a reduction that now amounts to about 70%. So fees are now required to replace taxes. A common story across the United States. Fees play better with voters than taxes.

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Conservative News, Cronyism, Michigan, Michigan Politics, Opinion, Rent Seeking

A Letter To Amazon

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An open letter to Amazon.com Owner Jeff Bezos on the Main Street Tyranny tax.

Regulars have seen the attempts here to correct the misinformation about the main street fairness act.

Michigan lawmakers were snookered by Kowall and Verheulen into passing their tyranny in the lame duck; a time when there would seem to be no voter backlash.  We call that cowardice, and reprehensible.   This morning I penned (typed) a letter to Jeff Bezos, owner of Amazon.com:

Jeff,

I am an online retailer.  I have been fighting the mainstreet fairness taxes for several years now.  Recently, Michigan legislators in a lame-duck session voted to address nexus issues in the state in an attempt to collect use taxes from out of state vendors such as Amazon and other drop shippers.

Clearly you have been arguing that the commerce clause is the remedy to what the states are trying, and frankly you are right.  Quill v North Dakota settled the matter, and if there was EVER a reason for Article 1, Section 8, Clause 3, this is it.  The states cannot use tariffs or taxes to discourage (or encourage) trade with other states.  It is one of the enumerated powers of the congress, and the states have little business attempting to work around it.

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Conservative News, Cronyism, Democrats, Elections, Michigan, Michigan Politics, Opinion, Philosophy, Proposal 15-1, Rent Seeking, Republicans

I think that it is time to begin filling out a scorecard before May 5th.

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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}

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Michigan, Michigan Politics, Opinion, Philosophy, Republicans

Speaker Race Tops Today

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An opportunity to STOP the Obama agenda - Will we get it?

FireBoehnerMost the regulars here would love nothing more that to see a second round of voting for the US House Speaker’s race.

Its something that has not apparently happened since 1923, and would be a significant blow to the Obama agenda. Will Boehner hang on to the necessary number of votes?  Will the 29 needed defections in the Republican caucus happen?

We can only pray that it does.  Two more years of blindly allowing the president to use the constitution as his personal wet wipe is not what this country needs.  Blindly allowing the expansion of the the Obama Bureaucracy is hardly a way to return this nation to its former glory.  And running up the debt on our children, their children, and a few more generations to follow, is bad government plain and simple.

We urge our Michigan Republican delegation to consider the consequences of letting the WORST PRESIDENT EVER continue to rot this country through emperor’s decree.

Remind them  (numbers below the fold) THIS MORNING!

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All the Other Stuff, Conservative News, Cronyism, Detroit, Michigan, Michigan Politics, Opinion, Philosophy, Rent Seeking, Republicans

Maybe A little Mis-Read?

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A Traverse City Retailer might well feel the pain of his misplaced good cents.

There will be more than a few legislators regretting their turkey moves of additional regulatory rules during the ‘lame duck’ session.

But its not just the legislators. ‘Exhibit A,’ might well be a story that ‘celebrates’ the “early Christmas present” that Front Street Traverse City business received via SB 569 and SB 658 on Friday Morning. Demonstrating that the lobbying efforts of a few rent seeking business interests are not at all in line with taxpayer interests, the piece on Saturday’s TC Ticker starts with the ‘celebration’ of the “main-street fairness” law:

“It’s been years in the making, but state lawmakers have handed brick-and-mortar retailers like Bill Golden and others throughout Traverse City and Michigan a welcome Christmas present. Starting in October, more online retailers will have to add on Michigan’s sales tax to customer purchases — just like Michigan retailers have always had to do.”

Of course, folks around here (and very likely in all other places) understand that what is sold as fairness is usually anything but fair.

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All the Other Stuff, Conservative News, Cronyism, Democrats, Detroit, Elections, Michigan, Michigan Politics, Opinion, Philosophy, Proposal 15-1, Rent Seeking, Republicans

Why wait?

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It's time for the creation a statewide "Tax Me More" Fund. Just think of the possibilities.

When I got back in range of Michigan radio stations this morning and caught the diabetes-inducing, sugar-coating that Gov. Snyder and the proponents of this road funding sham were trying to spoon-feed Michigan Taxpayers, several things came to mind.

Take a sip…you’ll enjoy it!!!

 

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All the Other Stuff, Conservative News, Cronyism, Democrats, Detroit, Elections, Michigan, Michigan Politics, Opinion, Philosophy, Proposal 15-1, Rent Seeking, Republicans

Stop The 16.7% Tax Increase

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Stop the sixteen point seven percent tax increase May 5th.

Higher taxes, and the return of redistribution aided advanced by Republicans in Lansing last night.

A May 5th special election will have poor voters deciding if they will be getting more cheese.  The corporate abusers will get their pie, and the rest of us in the middle will get the bill.  Pandering welfare gimmicks, corporate cronyism on steroids and a blanket party for the working class.  Whats not to love?

STOP-167

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All the Other Stuff, Conservative News, Michigan, Michigan Politics, Republicans

McMillin Farewell Remarks

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A great big THANK YOU to a rock solid friend of the constitution and conservatism!

Tom McMillin would have been an outstanding congressman.

Though we have some incredible voices joining the Michigan legislature this upcoming session, we will be losing one that is unique and irreplaceable. Tom McMillin has been a stalwart conservative voice in Lansing, has put his himself out in front to keep taxes low, fight the crony capitalism that seems to be the force majuere of our executive branch, and lead in the DOMA battle.   Much of it knowing the battle was lost before it began.

We will miss him as the true representative of appropriate governance, and a fine example of the best this state has to offer.

Thank you Tom.

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Michigan, Michigan Politics, Philosophy, Republicans

Credit Where Due

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We applaud our Attorney General for opposing Obama's illegal acts.

Ilegal_AliensMichigan is a border state.

We have also been blessed with planned migration of illegal children, and causing what I believe to be an outbreak of disease we have not seen in decades.  Then taking the immigration action the fraud-in-chief has perpetrated into account, its about damned time we do something as a state to fight back. Its not like we haven’t been encouraging it, right?

Yup, Its bad enough our congressional delegation hasn’t done JACK.  But I guess a limit was finally reached in Lansing.  From an Attorney General’s Office release:

Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette today joined a lawsuit brought by attorneys general and governors from 20 other states to challenge the President’s recent unilateral executive order on immigration.

“America deserves a hopeful immigration policy. Throughout our history, America has provided a beacon of hope across the world. But the President’s unilateral executive order on immigration, bypassing Congress, is constitutionally flawed,” said Schuette.

The States’ complaint was filed by Texas in Federal District Court and was immediately followed by a request for a preliminary injunction. The multistate coalition includes Alabama, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Michigan, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, West Virginia and Wisconsin.

Good start.

Read the States’ motion for a preliminary injunction filed on December 04, 2014, HERE.

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Conservative News, Elections, Michigan Politics, Proposal 15-1, Republicans

Citizens Threaten To Recall Rep. Kurt Heise

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Kurt Heise Will Pay For Breaking Campaign Promise

Republican activists threaten a recall of Rep. Heise if he votes to double gasoline taxes.

Republican activists threaten a recall of Rep. Heise if he votes to double gasoline taxes.

Rhetoric has been getting heated recently as the Michigan House of Representatives prepares to vote on a bill which would raise gasoline taxes by $1 billion annually.The focus of much of that heated rhetoric is Kurt Heise, the Republican representing Canton, Plymouth, and Northville in the State House.”Some activists are talking about recalling Kurt Heise if he votes to double the gas tax” said Ignacio Marques, a Republican Precinct Delegate in Canton. “Heise already broke his campaign promise to lower taxes when he voted for similar bills hiking gasoline and vehicle registration taxes in the past – we can’t let him get away with it again.”

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.”

The bill, which passed the State Senate, will replace the flat gasoline tax of 19 cents per gallon with a higher wholesale tax. Under the new wholesale tax, state gasoline taxes could rise to 41 cents per gallon by 2018.
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