Tag Archive for Special Interests

State Convention

The Swamp Looms Over The MIGOP State Convention Once Again

by  •  • 4 Comments

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.

READ MORE ►

You Betcha! (16)Nuh Uh.(0)

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

Running for Money in the 80th

by  •  • 0 Comments

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…..

READ MORE ►

You Betcha! (22)Nuh Uh.(5)

Cronyism, Michigan, Opinion, Rent Seeking, Taxes

To Collect for who They Serve….

by  •  • 6 Comments

Thank to the folks over at MCC exposing this corruption.

Getting rather common, huh? Yep. It’s everywhere.

Once again, we well informed RightMi.com readers get to see the benefits of public sector unions, and there are many – for them. Why Hell, our LEO even game grant money as means to prop up their pension funds. Unfortunately, this is not a Democrat vs. Republican problem – it’s an American citizen problem. We are not of the privileged Elected Class who set the rules and bends them as they so choose (yes, LEO’s masters made that “irrelevant“).

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

Cronyism, Michigan, Opinion, Rent Seeking, Taxes

Sen. Jones is on a Roll

by  •  • 0 Comments

As if it wasn’t just a few days ago we here at RightMi.com learned of Sen. Rick Jones creating carve-outs for his fellow retired LEO brethren. Today, we learn that Sen. Jones has taken it upon himself to gift a little extra in the till to those beloved public sector retirees in Schuette’s Office.

Hinky_Bill2015 Senate Bill 12: Allow pension double-dipping by “retired” Attorney General employees

Yes, unanimous vote so, it must meet Lansing’s bifarceisan two-party standard. Still have doubts about the legalese jihadi cabal ruling supreme? Just look no further than their former revenue recruiting LEO who champions a wallet lining statute.

Makes one wonder if it’s an old prosecutor’s office bootlicking reflex or, just riding out of office in a payola bang?

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

Cronyism, Firearms, Michigan, Opinion

All the King’s Horsemen

by  •  • 1 Comment

And all the king‘s men

Wouldn’t put our Constitution together again.

shiny-badges-privilege“regular citizens“

Just another way our Elected Elite provides for their unionized protectors to seek pathways of supplemental income in their retirements.

Sen. Jones, you’re only as good as your last attaboy. Your village called, again.

Matter of fact, RightMi.com’s phone has been ringing a lot lately asking if we’ve seen him and his peers.

You Betcha! (19)Nuh Uh.(0)

Cronyism, Detroit, Elections, Michigan, Opinion, Philosophy, Rent Seeking

WTF! Now it’s Speed Cameras?

by  •  • 7 Comments

Yet another good argument for a part-time legislature.

“I signed on to this bill because it was presented to me as something to protect the safety of children,” Sen. Jones continued.

MORE

AbsurditiesThat is perhaps one of the dumbest walk-backs I’ve seen in a long, long time. Hello? Who was the sponsor of the bill? Senator Jones, your village called the offices of RightMi.com looking for their missing idiot. Please return to your district ASAP.

You Betcha! (26)Nuh Uh.(1)

All the Other Stuff, Conservative News, Cronyism, Democrats, Elections, Michigan, Michigan Politics, Philosophy, Rent Seeking, Republicans

License Of Looters

by  •  • 1 Comment

The problem is not the expense of the tools, but the tools themselves.

hammerI have frequently argued that the problem with campaign finance is not the ability of donors to support candidates, but rather the destructive hammer that government wields.

Full disclosure, as we have argued on these pages is critical.  The process out in the open encourages good behavior, and provides a limiting effect on pandering to financial interests by politicos.  Even the amounts even being less important to the argument. Saying:

We DO agree that limits should be removed from campaign finance. We agree that limiting to an arbitrary amount can impede free speech and political expression. What is considered a fair contribution into the process is a completely subjective matter that can only be resolved by the person who is willing to contribute into that process.  A person’s individual priorities and where a subject reaches a level of importance are hardly the providence of external assignment.

The full argument making the point that ‘effect’ of the contributions  being known, lessens the harmful power of the influence.

READ MORE ►

You Betcha! (10)Nuh Uh.(0)