Tag Archive for Representatives

80th District Special Election (2015), Cronyism, Michigan, Michigan Politics, Opinion, Philosophy, Republicans, Taxes

Michigan House Leadership Off-The-Rail Witch Hunt

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Speaker Kevin Cotter's antics in Lansing may reveal an underhanded effort to raise taxes.

kevin-cotterMichigan House speaker Kevin Cotter is turning out to be a real turd in the punch bowl.

Personal ‘Impropriety,’ and the lack of ‘qualifications’ are two very different things. Of course the State Constitution allows each house to determine the qualifications to occupy a seat as a representative.  It ALSO allows the house under certain circumstances to (remove) “expel” sitting representatives with a two thirds majority vote.

§ 16 Legislature; officers, rules of procedure, expulsion of members.

Sec. 16.

Each house, except as otherwise provided in this constitution, shall choose its own officers and determine the rules of its proceedings, but shall not adopt any rule that will prevent a majority of the members elected thereto and serving therein from discharging a committee from the further consideration of any measure. Each house shall be the sole judge of the qualifications, elections and returns of its members, and may, with the concurrence of two-thirds of all the members elected thereto and serving therein, expel a member. The reasons for such expulsion shall be entered in the journal, with the votes and names of the members voting upon the question. No member shall be expelled a second time for the same cause.

Qualifications, elections, returns, are all specific to the elections, and the follow up is the expulsion clause.

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

Cuban and Gilbert On HB5606

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Perhaps it takes a rent seeker to know a rent seeker?

I have spoken to a couple of representatives about the passage of HB5606, disappointed with the way that they voted.

One says “It was not at all presented to us in this way,” remarking that he would have voted differently if he had only fully understood it.  This of course revealing that sleight of hand, obfuscation, and maybe a little laziness by representatives is easily exploited in Lansing. Should there be any wonder why a certain amount of time must pass before bills are voted on in their finality?

This competition limiting act is perhaps a little rent seeking at its best, and flat out corruption by those who designed the changes.

Two folks whom I regard as rent seekers in their own right are correct in this video; Dan Gilbert in particular. But when he says “Man up and compete” with regard to the automakers? 

Woof.

Oh, and thank you Representative Tom McMillin for actually paying attention.

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