Bloggin on down the Rogue

Shake, Rattle, and Roll - An Earthquake in the Great Lakes Region

Lets see if the Algore Faction of Nuttiness claims this was caused by global warming.

According to the USGS <http://pasadena.wr.usgs.gov/shake/cus/> there was an earthquake this morning. The center of the quake was in the area down near the Illinois/Indiana/Kentucky border (Event ID: 851141 19 miles SSE of Olney, Illinois - Lat. N38.50/ Long.W87.90).

Our local News/Talk radio station, WOOD AM 1300, was buzzing about it this morning. I personally did not feel it. My dog, Maggie, came in and woke me up at about 5:30 Am local time. People on the radio station were saying that the deer were unusually active this morning.

As far as I have been able to research, Michigan is not located over or around a fault and we are listed as an area that is unlikely to be affected by earthquakes. The big fault zones are many miles from here, but a sufficiently large magnitude quake may be fealt here.

More information may be added as an update if and when it becomes available.

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Posted by James Foley at 7:41 AM EDT
Categories: Algore, global warming and hot air, Amusements, Entertainment News, Music, Michigan News and Info


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Fieger got 64 to give, U.S. says

Thanks to a friend for an email tip on this news about a very ballsy Geof Fieger. He really pulls some doozies. Is he that well politically connected that he cen do this without fear of prosecution? He has been doing this for some time now... just goes to show that Democrats can do most anything and get away with it. Will little Geoffy slide by once again?

Fieger got 64 to give, U.S. says

Judge rules trial to stay in state

BY DAVID ASHENFELTER • FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER • April 10, 2008

Geoffrey Fieger was so eager to raise money for John Edwards' 2004 presidential campaign, he put the squeeze on the owner of the gym where he works out, prosecutors said in court papers this week only days before his criminal trial in U.S. District Court in Detroit is to start.

All told, prosecutors said, Fieger and his law partner, Vernon (Ven) Johnson, recruited 64 people -- including law partners, paralegals, vendors and others -- to contribute $127,000 to Edwards' ill-fated campaign.

In every case, prosecutors said, Fieger and Johnson reimbursed the so-called straw donors from law firm coffers.

Prosecutors also said Fieger urged straw donors not to talk to federal agents, advised one donor how to testify before a federal grand jury and tried to conceal a memo that a member of his firm wrote to warn Fieger that using straw donors was illegal.

[more]...

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Posted by James Foley at 11:22 AM EDT
Categories: 2008 election info, Cross Posts (Yahoo, VDare, etc.), Democrat Wackiness and Hypocrisy, Local, National, World News, Michigan News and Info


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Property values down, taxes UP

Michigan Congressman Tom Pearce (73-Rep) replies to an email I sent on the subject:

James, below is an editorial explanation, from the February 21 Lansing State Journal, that I think does a good job of describing the current property tax situation most people find themselves in.  I do think it is important to note that if you look at your tax bills you will find that the taxable value on your home has yet to reach the assessed value -- this is due to Proposal A, which the citizens of Michigan put in place back in 1994.

I believe the crafters of Proposal A never envisioned the kind of downturn we are currently experiencing in the state. For this reason, I do believe a fix needs to be put in place and I am supporting a bill that would make one change to Proposal A.  The bill, states that if the assessed value of your home drops, then the taxable value of your home would be frozen, rather than be allowed to increase by either 5 percent or the cost of living, whichever is less.

Looking Forward and Up,

Representative Tom Pearce

73rd House District

_____

Prop A driving tax bills

State law allows property taxes to rise as values dip

Maria L. Irish is the City of Lansing's Assessor

It is that time again for Lansing homeowners to receive their 2008 Assessment Change -- the annual statement of your home's assessed value and taxable value.

These two numbers -- taxable value and assessed value -- can be confusing.  The taxable value is the amount we use to calculate your property taxes. The assessed value (also known as the SEV ) represents one-half of your home's market value.  Depending on how long you have owned your home, there can be a big difference between these two numbers.  For many Lansing homeowners, the assessed value of their home is lower than last year's.  This is due to the weak state of Michigan 's economy and a soft real estate market.  Yet for many homeowners, the taxable value of their home has increased over last year.

How can this happen?  If the market value of your home is less, shouldn't your property taxes also be less?

The answer is: not necessarily.  The reason is found in the state law known as Proposal A, which was approved by Michigan voters in 1994.

Proposal A limits the annual increase in your taxable value to 5 percent or the rate of inflation, whichever is less, adjusted for losses (demolition, for example) and any additions (such as new construction).

The assessed value of your home is not affected by Proposal A.  Therefore, even if the assessed value of your home is less than last year, your property taxes can still go up because the taxable value -- the number used to calculate your property taxes -- increased due to Proposal A.

This concept can be difficult to explain, so let me use an example:

Jack Anderson bought a home 10 years ago for $50,000 on Lansing 's east side.  The market value of his house has since increased to $100,000, which means the assessed value has increased from $25,000 10 years ago to $50,000 today.

Yet the taxable value of Jack's home this year is only $35,000.  This is because the increase in the taxable value of his home did not increase at the same rate as the assessed value.  It was limited each year by Proposal A, while the assed value was not limited.

Unfortunately, the market value of Jack's home this year dropped to $90,000 due to the soft real estate market.  Therefore, the assessed value declined to $45,000.  So, why didn't Jack's property tax bill go down?

Answer: Because the taxable value of his home increased due to the requirements of Proposal A.  As long as the taxable value remains below the assessed value, the taxable value on Jack's home can and will increase each year by the amount required under Proposal A.

This explains how your property taxes can increase, even when the market value of your home is declining.  However, when the property is sold, the taxable value is "uncapped" and once again becomes equal to the assessed value.

But that is a topic for another column.

_____

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Posted by James Foley at 4:08 PM EDT
Edited on: Wednesday, March 19, 2008 4:11 PM EDT
Categories: Eye on the Government, GOP (KCGOP, MiGOP, and National), Michigan News and Info, TAXES


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Yobba dobba doo - thread 12547 on mlive.com

MLive.com Grand Rapids Forum

by NamVetPlnfld, 3/7/08 12:39 ET

by Swade, 3/7/08 15:34 ET
Re: Yaba daba doo Redux by NamVetPlnfld, 3/7/08

by NamVetPlnfld, 3/9/08 15:12 ET
Re: Yaba daba doo Redux by NamVetPlnfld, 3/9/08

by Kennybear, 3/7/08 19:58 ET
Re: Yaba daba doo Redux by NamVetPlnfld, 3/7/08

by NamVetPlnfld, 3/9/08 15:01 ET
Re: Yaba daba doo Redux by NamVetPlnfld, 3/9/08

MLive.com is a forum owned and operated in Michigan by the Booth News Group, a subsidiary of ADVANCE, the mega media conglomerate.

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Posted by James Foley at 4:22 PM EDT
Categories: ...and your point is?, 2008 election info, Blogs, Forums, and The Media, Cross Posts (Yahoo, VDare, etc.), Little Johnny, McCainiacs, Michigan News and Info, mlive.com


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Nolan Finley whines: No room in GOP tent for free thinkers? He means mavericks!

Cross posted from that bastion of liberal thinking, The Detroit News

http://www.detnews.com/ apps/pbcs.dll/ article?AID=/20080210/ OPINION03/ 802100308/ 1007/OPINION

[ed: I wonder if Nolan has been sippin' the Tullamore Dew again? Nolan is a supporter of Pro-amnesty politicians who should be aware that their time in office is limited when citizens become aware of this anti-citizen position. Liberal positions out-of-step with constituents merit removal from office.]

No room in GOP tent for free thinkers

by Nolan Finley

[WAAAAhhhh! Snif Snif Whine... from Nolan, the liberal MSM McCain apologist.]

Joe Schwarz knows how it feels to be fragged by his own political party.

Schwarz, the former congressman from Battle Creek, had his legs shot out from under him by the Republican Party's right wing, which decided his independence and occasional flirtation with moderate politics violated party doctrine and demanded excommunication.

Now Schwarz is watching as the GOP's self-righteous screechers try to hang a scarlet "L" around the neck of his good friend John McCain.

So Joe was a free thinker and McCain is a maverick. Either way, if you piss off the electorate, your career as a representative of the people is over unless you can wangle a way into national politics where the MSM can spin you into a celebrity GOP backstabber.

"The same gang that got me is going after him," [whimper, sob] says Schwarz, who lost his seat after just one term in 2006. "They are so intolerant and their minds so narrow that they can't see the damage their doing to their own party. They're not interested in getting candidates elected; they only want doctrinal purity." [breaking into 'gator tears, sobbing uncontrollably]

Conservatives to Joe Schwarz: "When citizens demand that you vote one way and you decide unilaterally to vote against the wishes of the people who put you there, it is BYE-BYE time for you. The citizens didn't put you there to vote with the Democrat caucus. Listen to the 'whine' in the tone of Joe's message. He can't pick up his marbles and run home because he had them taken away from him."

The assault on McCain from conservative talk show hosts and the party's high priests continues even though it's inevitable now that the Arizona senator will be the GOP's nominee for president. If it keeps up, McCain will have to survive deadly assaults from both Republicans and Democrats to win the White House.

Conservatives to McCain: "Your liberal MSM friends, liberal cross-over voters, and other moderates got you to this point without any help from conservatives. Lets see them propel you the rest of the way. Why should we now be forced to support the choice of liberals for our party candidate? You now claim conservative positions after sleeping with the enemy for years, John."

To win in 1992, Bill Clinton had to convince the Democratic Party's pinkos that victory would only be found in the center. John McCain, to win in 2008, must force the GOP's right-wing nuts to the same reality.

Conservatives to Nolan Finley: "Ahh Nolan. What are we going to do with you? You confuse a hard right shift to a middle of the road position by Bill Clinton, at least during his "How can we fool them today?" campaign when he had to dupe voters, with conservatives that do not need to shift right. Conservatives lose whenever that are perceived as moving to the left as you say we should be doing. GOP modrates lost seats in the 2006 midterm to Democrats, who had campaigned on positions more conservative than the Republicans they replaced. This was a case of Democrats moving RIGHT to unseat middle of the road Republicans who more than likely had staked out left of center positions to try to appeal to liberals (just like McCain). In the case of the John McCain campaign, it has been fueled thus far by moderate Republicans and cross-over Democrats. Ahhh why bother, Nolan is editor for the liberal motor city rag, The Detroit News."

===

...and may the schwarz be with you!

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Posted by James Foley at 3:25 PM EST
Categories: 2008 election info, Blogs, Forums, and The Media, Cross Posts (Yahoo, VDare, etc.), Little Johnny, Local, National, World News, Michigan News and Info, Random Thoughts and Comments, The RINOs


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URGENT ACTION ALERT: Help defend the Constitution... TODAY!

Cross posted from RightMichigan.com

URGENT ACTION ALERT: Help defend the Constitution... TODAY!

By Nick

Posted on Wed Jan 23, 2008 at 07:53:51 AM EST

That's not right.  And it can't stand.  That's where we come in.  

I know you're busy today.  I know there's a part of you that says this isn't your problem.  There's a part of you that says "everyone else is going to help, I don't need to."  Please warm up your backhand and slap that part of you around a little bit.  We need YOU today!

Please take five minutes (out of the 1,440 you have today) and fire off a quick email or phone call to each of the CMU officials listed below.  Ask them to support Dennis Lennox's right to free expression and political thought.  Ask them to toss the bogus anti-speech "charges" that are being bandied about.  Ask them to stand up for a little thing we like to call the Constitution.  

Here is the contact information... five minutes...:

CMU President Michael Rao:
Email: president@cmich.edu
Phone: (989) 774-3131

Assistant Dean of Students Anthony Voisin:
Email: anthony.a.voisin@cmich.edu
Phone: (989) 774-3016

Board of Trustees Chairman Jeffrey Caponigro (R):
Email: capon1jr@cmich.edu
Phone: (248) 355-3200

Board of Trustees member Stephanie Comai (R):
Email: comai1s@cmich.edu
Phone: (734) 761-6915

Board of Trustees member John Kulhavi (R):
Email: kulha1jg@cmich.edu
Phone: (248) 737-6222

Board of Trustees member Gail Torreano (R):
Email: torre1gf@cmich.edu
Phone: (313) 223-7171

===

links;

CMU Dean assaults student, caught on video

FOIA delivery in Michigan leads to duelling assault charges

ACLU Picks Up Dennis Lennox’s Case Over Video Recording Ban at Central Michigan University

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Posted by James Foley at 8:57 AM EST
Categories: Cross Posts (Yahoo, VDare, etc.), Guest Editorial, Michigan News and Info


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Dillon has another tax-hike in store for you after the November election!!!

Michigan Speaker of the House Dillon (D) has another tax-hike in store for you after the November election!!!

E-mail from Nick - RightMichigan.com

http://www.rightmichigan. com/story/ 2008/1/ 18/17719/ 0354

Posted on Fri Jan 18, 2008

One of our loyal readers here at Right Michigan tipped me off about a shocking Q & A session at last night's Michigan Infrastructure and Transportation Association (MITA) Conference yesterday evening at the Soaring Eagle in Mt. Pleasant. Andy Dillon told the audience that his caucus was going to take a vote on raising the gas tax but not until after the general election in November after each of his members was safely re-elected. Here's how it went down...

The featured attraction of the evening was a panel discussion with Senate Majority Leader Mike Bishop and House Speaker Andy Dillon being moderated by Tim Skubick. This sort of event is pretty standard fare and typically doesn't offer much in the way of controversy but Skubick certainly has a way of catching politicians off guard. The entire program was going fine and the legislative leaders were appropriately on message when the following exchange took place... (I'm sure we'll read about it in MIRS or the LSJ sooner rather than later but remember, you read it here first!)...

Skubick: "Will you take a vote on the legislation to raise the gas tax before the November election?"

Bishop: "No."

Dillon: "No."

Skubick: "Will there be a vote to raise the gas tax after the November election and once all of your members are safe from voter scrutiny during the lame-duck portion of the session?"

Bishop: "No."

Dillon: "It is probable."

I'm told that an audible gasp went up out of the audience (there were about two hundred industry professionals and interested parties in attendance). Skubick followed up and Dillon reiterated that "it's probable." I guess the look on his face went pretty sour pretty fast after he realized what he'd just confirmed in public.

There's a reason Dillon is considered the Speaker of the tax-hike-caucus.

They already passed the largest tax hike in the history of the State of Michigan and even though they're telling us that they're through with the rate hikes we knew they were lying. It's all politics with these guys. They want to convince you that last year's vote was "really tough" and that they won't do it again but from the mouth of their own legislative leader, they've got one planned for immediately after the election once they're safely out of the reach of the voters!

He didn't say it was possible. He said it was probable!

Hold on to your wallets, boys and girls. The House Democrats are planning on goreing us again.

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Posted by James Foley at 1:46 AM EST
Categories: Blogs, Forums, and The Media, Cross Posts (Yahoo, VDare, etc.), Democrat Wackiness and Hypocrisy, Michigan News and Info, TAXES


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Polling data of the primary in Michigan

This poll was only for voters for Romney and McCain, ignoring all others except when the category was "Evangelical Christians". It does not appear that the immigration question was a part of the poll.

The list here is not the full results as posted on freep.com but an excerpt. I believe that these results were compiled from Wayne, Oakland and Maccomb counties but they seem to be pretty representative of the state.

How Michigan voters cast ballots for top Republicans

The following tallies regarding the top two Republican candidates are based on exit polling of 1,362 voters by Edison Media Research and Mitofsky International of New Jersey. The margin of error varies upward from plus or minus four percentage points, depending on the size of the sample.

• Among voters ages 30-44 - Romney... 38%, McCain... 26%

• Among voters ages 45-59 - Romney... 39%, McCain... 28%

• Among voters ages 60 or older - Romney... 38%, McCain... 39%

• With family income $75,000-$99,999 - Romney... 46%, McCain... 25%

• Among self-identified Democrats voting in the Republican primary - McCain... 41%, Romney... 33%

• Among self-identified Republicans - Romney... 41%, McCain... 27%

• Among self-identified independent voters or something else - McCain... 35%, Romney... 29%

• Among self-described moderates - McCain... 40%, Romney... 34%

• Among self-described conservatives - Romney... 41%, McCain... 23%

• Among voters describing themselves as born-again or Evangelical Christians - Romney... 34%, Huckabee... 29%, McCain... 23%

The Huckster didn't pull the wool over everyones eyes here in Michigan as he did in Iowa. The constituency he was hoping would work here actually voted in a slightly higher number for Romney. This can be explained by various factors including the power of the Romney name in Michigan.

The moderate independent constituency that McCain was counting on didnt materialize in the numbers he sought. They either stayed home, voted "uncommited" in the Democrat Primary, or have previously left the state to seek jobs elsewhere. This was a low turn out election dominated by party faithfull on the right, and disenfranchised blacks and other Obama and Edwards supporters on the left. The wishy-washy moderates [you know, those people the MSM like to put on TV who claim to be undecided at the last minute] were not really a factor here this time.

Voters just have to remember a simple equation concerning McCain:

McCain = Amnesty for Illegals

Anything else you hear from him denying amnesty is a carefully crafted and coached political lie to be rebuked and recalled at a later date.

The other candidates like Thompson and Hunter are the forgotten boys of the campaign. Money wins again. The Huckster is a fluke.

Nowhere are Giuliani numbers mentioned either. Obviously he was never number one or two, but just out of curiousity I would like to know where ALL the candidates on the slate were.

To view the full poll visit the freep.com.

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Posted by James Foley at 10:25 AM EST
Edited on: Wednesday, January 16, 2008 11:57 AM EST
Categories: 2008 election info, Blogs, Forums, and The Media, GOP (KCGOP, MiGOP, and National), Michigan News and Info, Random Thoughts and Comments


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Mike Cox's opinion...

...reverses the opinion of Frank Kelley, the former Democrat Michigan AG. Frank was a long time Michigan AG during the reign of Republican and Democrat governors. He pretty well preserved the interests of the Democrat party in Michigan.

People of the ACLU and other appeaser groups say that now we will have illegals out here driving and no one will know who they are.

Hmmm..... They have to get license plates. To get a plate, I have ALWAYS been asked to show my drivers license, registration, and proof of insurance.

With the opinion issued this week, maybe illegals will start driving on expired plates which will get them noticed. Cops have an eagle eye for expired plates.

On any given day, you can go to the WALMART on Alpine Ave (NW side of Grand Rapids)[*and a certain industrial temp and day labor agency near 4 Mile Rd and Alpine*] to see hundreds of illegals with current Michigan license plates on cars and trucks, which means that they have been issued Michigan drivers licenses if they got the plates the same way I have to do. Next question: Which insurance companies have been insuring the illegals?

Hey, this could affect the outcome of elections here. I plan to be a challenger at the polls again and will be watching.

[* They moved off Alpine to the very last building on a small industrial side street off 4 Mile Rd, so as to remove their stock-in-trade from public view from the main roads. Its just too lucrative, servicing businesses that want cheap illegal labor on a day-to-day basis.]

Technorati Tags:mike cox, frank kelley, drivers licenses, illegal aliens, license plates
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Posted by James Foley at 10:34 PM EST
Edited on: Wednesday, January 02, 2008 11:42 AM EST
Categories: Immigration and the Law, Michigan News and Info, Random Thoughts and Comments


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Michigan AG Cox on illegal alien drivers licenses

Mich. AG: Only legal residents can drive

By DAVID EGGERT AP Writer

LANSING, Mich.—Illegal immigrants are ineligible for driver's licenses, Michigan's attorney general said Thursday in an opinion that affects one of the few states that have been granting licenses to undocumented residents.

Attorney General Mike Cox's opinion is legally binding on state agencies and officers unless reversed by the courts. It was not immediately known how soon any changes would take place or what the opinion means for illegal immigrants with currently valid licenses.

Michigan law prohibits the secretary of state from issuing a driver's license to a nonresident. Cox, a Republican, said it would be inconsistent with federal law to regard an illegal immigrant as a permanent resident in Michigan.

The opinion supersedes a 1995 opinion by former Democratic Attorney General Frank Kelley.

Kelley suggested that denying a driver's license to an illegal immigrant might violate the U.S. Constitution's equal protection clause, according to Cox. But Cox said "there can be no doubt that a rational basis exists for denying driver's licenses to illegal aliens."

Cox cited national security concerns, but the American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan contends his opinion could actually make the state less secure.

"It drives them further underground," ACLU executive director Kary Moss said of illegal immigrants. "If they have licenses, then the state knows about them and has information about them..." [Ahhh but you are wrong. The state doesn't have any info on their legal status as illegal aliens with the issuance of a drivers license. Giving them licenses gives them legal standing for services and priveleges they are not entitled to receive.]

===

My quest to get something done about the issuance of drivers licenses to illegals in Michigan finally bore fruit this week. It finally gained a critical mass.

But I find it inexplicable why the Michigan Attorney general waited until now to finally issue an opinion concerning the issue of drivers licenses to illegals. This week he openly made it official. He says that Michigan will NOT issue illegal aliens drivers licenses. How to verify and track this is the next question. Also the opinion is law until the ACLU or another communist organization challenges it in court and gets a sympathetic commie judge to rule their way. Illegals are still being issued licenses elswhere, so a license from there would have to be questioned as a possible fraud. The rub is that many states also use the drivers license as the prime ID for all sorts of other services and to register to vote. Since the Motor-Voter act was passed in Michigan and other states, the possibility of vote fraud is enormous. The Democrat leadership (along with La Raza, AFL-CIO, MoveOnKoSoros, US Chamber of Commerce, miscellaneous other appeasers and traitors, and the Bush Cartel) seek easy voter registration to allow illegals to vote. Money and Power! It is all tied to amnesty and converting illegals into legal residents.

Here are some links to read on the subject of drivers licenses for illegals:

http://www. rogueriver.tzo.com /NoAmnesty/ archives/2007/ 11/entry_168.html

http://www. worldnetdaily. com/news/ article.asp? ARTICLE_ID =34640

http://www. eagleforum. org/column/ 2005/apr05/ 05-04-20.html

http://tinyurl.com/3dkd36

http://atlanta. creativeloafing. com/gyrobase/ Content?oid=oid %3A7840

http://www. newszapforums. com/forum 222/48146. html

Pete Roskam [IL-6] said "Issuing driver’s licenses to illegals allows states to subvert federal immigration laws."

He is right. We already know that there are sanctuary cities and defacto sanctuary states such as California that are actively subverting immigration laws with the blessing of the Bush Cartel in Washington D.C.

If that doesnt satisfy your urge to read on the subject, google "drivers licenses for illegal aliens". You will find approximately 920,000 hits to read.

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Posted by James Foley at 9:58 PM EST
Categories: 2008 election info, AFL-CIO (UAW and other Democrat Drones), Amnesty (Bush-Kennedy-McCain and the rest), appeasers, hypocrits, and traitors, Eye on the Government, Immigration and the Law, Michigan News and Info, Random Thoughts and Comments


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The Turtle Fence in Michigan

History lesson: Dumbocrat Jenny Granholm coasts through 4 years as governor with deficits. In 2006 she conceals the fact and gets re-elected. In 2007 she suddenly decides that she has done a shitty job of governing Michigan since she has been unsuccessfull in forcing tax increases the first 4 years. The "Close Down Government" bludgeon used by Dumbocrats gets dusted off and hauled out. She doesnt realize that some of us feel that less government is a GOOD thing and a government not in session is a government that can do us no harm. Jenny says "I inherited a deficit". She just won the election as governor from.... Jennifer Granholm, so Jennifer Granholm left her a deficit to fix! Hmmmm....

Recently, Democrat Governor Jenny Granholm was willing to shut down the engine of state in Michigan to force tax increases on the citizens of Michigan. She got her 1.5 BILLION dollar increase in tax on income and services. Now she wants to spend tax money on a "TURTLE FENCE". Governor Granholm has adopted an "If it moves, tax it" policy to determine what will get slewered by the new services tax. Now she has 1.5 billion of new revenues to play politics with. Anyone who believes she will use it to lower the deficit when she can instead start new spending is very stupid or just gullible. Here is a letter from Congressman Pete Hoekstra.

Hoekstra Releases Letter to Governor Granholm on Turtle Fence

Washington, Oct 24 -

U.S. Rep. Pete Hoekstra, R-Holland, released the following letter mailed to Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm about the turtle fence under construction along U.S. 31 in Muskegon County:

Oct. 23, 2007

The Honorable Jennifer Granholm

Governor

The State of Michigan

P.O. Box 30013

Lansing, MI 48909

Dear Governor Granholm:

In light of the fiscal crisis in which our state currently finds itself, and particularly after the massive tax increase adopted to fund state government, I am disturbed by the Michigan Department of Transportation choosing to spend $318,000 in taxpayer dollars for construction of a 4-foot-tall fence to protect turtles.

The fence will run along a stretch of highway that lies in the congressional district I represent, and despite my being aware of the remedy the fence seeks to provide, I am alarmed at the lack of prioritization demonstrated by this allocation of funding.

It is not the concept of the project, rather it is the message sent by the state that concerns me. By passing a massive tax increase, I believe that Lansing has asked the citizens of Michigan to sacrifice without first holding itself accountable and challenging itself to exercise some degree of creativity with the state’s budget. By spending $318,000 dollars on a fence to protect turtles, the citizens have effectively been told that Lansing is indifferent to their sacrifice.

At a time of such limited resources, I believe that MDOT should prioritize the allocation of federal dollars on projects that impact the movement of people or commercial products, rather than spend money on projects that make sense when times are good.

Thus, I am writing to request that you convene a working group to study how the State can better allocate funds from its budget. I am willing to volunteer my time and effort to help determine how to more effectively spend federal dollars coming into the state, and I believe others would be prepared to do the same.

As you know, approximately one-third of Michigan’s budget comes from federal funding. Yet, at no time have I nor any of my federal counterparts – to my knowledge – been approached about providing greater flexibility with the allocation of federal dollars. Cooperation amongst all parties who care about Michigan is critical in a state whose unemployment rate is 63 percent above the national average.

I have begun exploring options available – including introducing legislation – to provide states in dire straits, like Michigan, with the flexibility to help residents and businesses rebound. In fact, I fully support relaxing the restrictions placed on federal funds if Lansing bureaucrats would demonstrate some sensibility in prioritizing the state’s fiscal situation.

We must examine every opportunity to determine how we can help the Michigan economy bounce back.

I look forward to your response and cooperation.

Sincerely,

Pete Hoekstra

Member of Congress

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Posted by James Foley at 10:32 AM EDT
Categories: Amusements, Entertainment News, Music, Democrat Wackiness and Hypocrisy, Eye on the Government, GOP (KCGOP, MiGOP, and National), Local, National, World News, Michigan News and Info, Random Thoughts and Comments, TAXES


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CMU Dean assaults student, caught on video

CMU Dean Pamela Gates practices her right jab on a student who filed a FOIA form for information on a professor (Gary Peters, former official with the Michigan lottery) who is running for political office in violation of the law. (It prohibits public employees from running for an elected position while on the public payroll.)

A charge of assault and battery was filed against the pugilist/Dean. Here is the video of the incident. The university says it is investigating but expect them to close ranks. The American Communist Liberties Union would be all over this if it wasn't against one of their own political allies.