The Bain Report: “Articles that Affect You and your Family” for June, 21, 2010

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Sen. Richardville Repeatedly Refused to Provide Responses to Citizens on Issues
Senator Randy Richardville repeatedly refused to provide any responses to citizens on issues through the 2006 and beyond to the national political awareness test when ask to do so and by key national leaders of both major parties.
 
Tea Party has support of 40% of voters, poll shows
Forty percent of Michigan voters support the conservative Tea Party movement, and most of that support comes from Republicans, according to a new poll by EPIC-MRA of Lansing. Vote all the incumbents out! They represent themselves, special interest & lobbyist and their careers not the citizens.
 
Forced Unionization: Big Labor’s Last Stand?
Some experts suggest that’s the driving force behind the “stealth unionization” in Michigan to rope in sometimes unsuspecting independent contractors who watch children and the elderly and take state subsidies from low-income clients. There are some State Republican Senators who are staunch Union avocats such as Randy Richardville and Jason Allen just for the sake of re-election votes and campaign contributions and not what’s best for the State let alone Republican principles.
 
Expect Newt to rock Mackinac
 
States passing budget cuts onto local governments
Confronted with severe revenue shortfalls, some states have found a convenient way of softening painful cutbacks and avoiding statewide tax increases: They’ve passed the buck to their counterparts in cities and counties.
 
Tea Party mindset overtakes Flushing Township board
A small group of residents became fed up with the way government was going and decided to make a change. They attracted their like-minded friends who were against any tax increases and believed government needed to cut spending. That small group became a larger movement and they began to win elections. Nationally the Tea Party and other anti-establishment groups have been turning heads by winning elections, despite the odds. Established congressmen both Republican and Democrat — with the backing of heavy Washington hitters — have been uprooted in Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Utah.
 
Senator leads probe into Michigan Economic Development Corp (MEDC)
The state senator leading a probe of the Michigan Economic Growth Authority said it’s the “rightful duty” of lawmakers to question if incentives to lure businesses to Michigan are working, and at what cost to taxpayers. This entity should be cut as part of government reform for it’s been a complete failure and waste of taxpayer dollars and this money could be better allocated towards education instead of the per pupil cuts that have been made to our children.
 
For balancing budget, voters want cuts — not tax hikes
Michigan voters would rather cut state programs and state employee benefits than raise taxes to balance the budget. A good start would be, Michigan Economic Development Corp., 21st Century Jobs Fund, Michigan Film Produces subsidies, the DEQ, and a plethora of other failed and useless programs and departments!
 
Businesses, homeowners appeal Michigan tax bills
A record number of Michigan property owners are appealing their property tax assessments as small-claim homeowners and high-stakes businesses seek relief in a difficult economy. We are all overpaying our property taxes!
 
Warren Board Member: “MEA Will Eat Their Young”
The MEA turned against him in his reelection bid because Wagner wasn’t beholden to the union, he claims. Media reports indicate that his MEA-supported opponent raised ten times as much money as the typical school board candidate traditionally takes in. “Individual teachers have said to me, ‘We will gladly take a pay cut, we will gladly pay for a portion of health care. We just want to keep our jobs.’ But the MEA’s mantra is ‘no’.”
 
New poll shows doubts about Michigan’s economy
A new poll shows that barely a third of Michigan residents think the state’s battered economy has begun to turn around. “Aside from the stress and terrible insecurity about being able to make the mortgage and utility payments and buying the bare necessities, any luxuries have just gone right out the window,” he said. “I’m not much of a consumer anymore.” Until we have a change in leadership in Lansing we will stay stagnant! We cannot expect results from the same one’s who have helped create the mess we are in now. We need creative thinkers and a complete reform of government not the business as usual we have had.
 
Lake turbine plan hits rough seas
“It’s frustrating — you pay a premium for the land because it sits on the water and then you pay those taxes each year,” said the 46-year-old, who works as a property manager. “And they can just come in and, on their own whim, decide to throw 50 windmills out in front of our homes.” At least one group has formed to challenge SouthPoint over its interest in Lake Erie. The Citizens Against Lake Erie Wind Turbines has moved from circulating petitions to creating a legal defense fund to battle the company.
 
House committee aims to retain university funding
However, the Republican lead Senate can cut per pupil funding! Michigan’s 15 public universities would escape a cut in funding from the state in the next fiscal year under terms of a budget bill advancing in the Democratic-run state House.
 
Michigan teachers mull retirement deal
Tens of thousands of senior Michigan teachers will have to decide this summer if a bill aimed at luring them into retirement is a good deal. To help them decide there is what amounts to a 3% pay cut if they stay. Remaining school employees will have to pay an additional 3 percent of their salaries into retiree health plans starting July 1, and new teachers will be put in a retirement plan that combines traditional pension benefits with a defined contribution plan.
 
This Country needs a Civics lesson
Here’s former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor’s thoughts on what Americans know about civics: Barely one-third of Americans can even name the three branches of government, much less say what they do. The Founding Fathers, the framers of the Constitution, wanted to form a government that did not allow one person to have too much authority or control. While under the rule of the British king they learned that this could be a bad system. Yet government under the Articles of Confederation taught them that there was a need for a strong centralized government.
 
Google Michigan jobs fall short
 
Businesses React to Rising Cost of ObamaCare: They’re Cutting Benefits
Remember the part in the ObamaCare pitch when they said if you like your current healthcare, it won’t change? Turns out it might. Companies are already announcing that their healthcare premium costs are going through the roof.  Some are responding by firing people. Some are cutting benefits. And some are presumably eating it.
 
Michigan lawmaker’s proposal to license journalists a slippery slope
First a deposit on newspapers, now this? This is the chubby face of tyranny. A Michigan State Senator has introduced an Orwellian bill that would provide for the licensing of journalists. There is no doubt that this thing is aimed squarely at delegitimizing the New Media, silencing bloggers, and creating a protected class of state approved “journalists.”
 
Soaring costs force Canada to reassess health model
Pressured by an aging population and the need to rein in budget deficits, Canada’s provinces are taking tough measures to curb healthcare costs, a trend that could erode the principles of the popular state-funded system.
 
Fears Mount That Europe’s Debt Crisis Will Hit the U.S.
“The European banking crisis has already crossed the Atlantic,” says Ted Truman, a former assistant Treasury secretary for international affairs and now a senior fellow at the Petersen Institute for International Economics in Washington, D.C. “It has affected equity markets around the world and there is a general level of uncertainty. The fact that markets are down 10-15% means that American consumers are less wealthy.” As if to underline the point, the European Union reported Tuesday that the euro zone unemployment rose by 0.1% to a 10-year high of 10.1% in April. Spain, where the construction industry has imploded after a housing bust, registered 19.7% unemployment, also up 0.1%.
 
Every government degenerates when trusted to the rulers of the people alone. The people themselves, therefore, are its only safe depositories.
Thomas Jefferson
 
 
 
Posted in: Bain Report, Politics

The Bain Report: “Articles that Affect You and Your Family” for June, 14, 2010

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Races draw a crowd of Candidates
“People are upset, and they want change, real change,” said Robert Harbaugh, an adjunct political science professor at Adrian College and Jackson Community College. “It’s a reflection of their dissatisfaction with government.” The sentiment from talking to many citizens is how can we as an electorate expect the establishment career minded incumbents who helped create these problems fix them? We can’t! We need fresh creative thinkers, serious solutions, and serious leadership that we do not currently have now! We need real citizens with real life experiences. The lobbyists and special interest have corrupted the representation that we deserve and expect! In George Washington’s farewell address, he warned against the “spirit of party”; because he foresaw how money being necessary to sponsor candidates, could also corrupt candidates. Races draw a crowd of Candidates
 
With so much at stake, not voting is not an option
In much of the state where one party is dominant, the primary is the really key election. That’s where your votes can make the first difference. And just because you vote in one party’s primary in August doesn’t mean you have to belong to that party or even vote for the same candidate come November.
 
No more, no more politics, he begs you
Followers of politics in Wayne County’s northwestern suburbs were stunned when state Rep. Marc Corriveau, D-Northville, dropped out of the running for the state Senate seat held by term-limited Bruce Patterson, R-Canton. That means Corriveau, who had been considered an odds-on favorite in the Senate race, won’t run for re-election to his House seat, either. Which begs the question, why would an incumbent be willing to spend up to a million dollars for one last 4 year term? The word out of the Democratic camp in Monroe is that one such elected official made a statement in a phone call to his Democratic opponent encouraging him to drop out of the race because he was willing to spend just that? The position pays $79,000 per year! Looks like typical government fuzzy math, spend a million for $320, 000 in return.
 
Michigan’s fiscal crisis will worsen
Filling the $1.7 billion state budget hole this year won’t come close to solving Michigan’s nagging fiscal crisis, economic experts warned Monday. The problem will only grow worse over the next few years, analysts told about 300 business and civic leaders at the Business Leaders for Michigan’s summit on the state’s economic future. What is clear to me is the current budget is not sustainable, said Gary Olson, director of the Senate Fiscal Agency.
 
Budget cuts don’t slow new initiatives
Budget cuts haven’t stopped officials at the Michigan Economic Development Corp. from rolling out a new initiative for the state’s 21st Century Jobs Fund. Not everyone agrees that the new funds are the best way to spur economic growth.
 
Michigan’s 21st Century Jobs Fund a Failure
Taxpayer money could be better allocated for essential discretionary purposes. This entity while sounds good on the surface has been a complete failure. It’s just a useless spoke in the wheel of our career minded incumbent’s in Lansing that use this fund as part of their shell game with taxpayer money. They have been robbing this fund for other purposes and looks like that may be what it’s intent is? Michigan Economic Development Corporation administers the jobs fund. The MEDC is another failure within itself and should be eliminated along with many other state bureaucracies we have in Michigan government. We need real and honest government reform not just talk!
 
State Taxpayers Eat $350K Loan for East Lansing Property Purchase
This is just another of many examples of the failed MEDC at taxpayer expense. The way Phil Bellfy sees it, it may not be illegal, but that doesn’t make it right. Bellfy is a Michigan State University professor and vocal critic of an East Lansing Downtown Development Authority deal he says doesn’t smell right. Tim Dempsey, East Lansing’s Director of Planning and Community Development, said the MEDC forgave half the loan. Sen. Richardville consistently votes in favor of this entity.
 
Reforming education retirement benefits has turned into a money grab
Talks aimed toward a compromise between differing House and Senate proposals have become bogged down by demands from the Michigan Education Association, which holds sway with Democratic lawmakers and also uses campaign cash and endorsements to influence key Republicans.
 
After Mass Layoffs, Survivors Get Rising Workloads
After the mass layoffs that took place amid the Great Recession, it’s not surprising that those workers who remain report they’re laboring harder than ever. But the number of employees enduring the stress of increased workloads is staggering. This has been confirmed from a friend who has worked for Ford Motor Company for 25 years. He said, they are trying to get the work of three people out of him in an effort to get him to take the buyout!
 
Michigan state senator proposes cutting pay and benefits for lawmakers every time they cut school funding
Now here’s a radical idea in the minds of our legislators! Problem is, if they wouldn’t cut their own salarys and benefits like they did for incoming newly elected freshman lawmakers what is the chance they would accept this proposal? NONE!
 
Private Pay Shrinks to Historic lows as Government Payouts Rise
Paychecks from private business shrank to their smallest share of personal income in U.S. history during the first quarter of this year, a USA TODAY analysis of government data finds. The trend is not sustainable, says University of Michigan economist Donald Grimes. Reason: The federal government depends on private wages to generate income taxes to pay for its ever-more-expensive programs. Government-generated income is taxed at lower rates or not at all, he says. “This is really important,” Grimes says.
 
Former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick Sentenced To Prison
Kilpatrick was escorted out of the courtroom in handcuffs and will be transported to Jackson, where he will be processed and soon learn which prison will become his new home. I wonder who is shaking in their boots right about now wondering if he will try and cut some kind of deal as to shorten his sentence? There are many others players involved in this web of corruption and deceit!
 
Gov. Granholm signs teacher retirement bill
But what school leaders don’t yet know is what will be their district’s contribution to the pension fund. That could rise from an amount equal to 17 percent of each employee’s salary to more than 19 percent, an increase that would cost Grand Rapids Public Schools about $3 million. The losers here are the children, parents, teachers, districts, and taxpayers. The winners are the incumbent career politicians who made this all possible. This is nothing more than a shell game and passing the buck! The state lottery comes to mind on this one!
 
Anti-liberalism voters speak out
More and more people are beginning to wake up to the fact that there is an extremely high economic price to pay for big and intrusive government. Locally, liberal Democrat State Representative Kate Ebli, RINO Republican State Senator Randy Richardville and liberal Democrat U.S. Representative John Dingell are the incumbents whose voting record clearly show they support big government, higher taxation, and over regulation and need to be voted out of officer for Michigan and our Country to proper! 
 
Mich. Senate bill would cut revenue sharing payments
Local governments are warning they will be forced to make deeper cuts to law enforcement agencies, fire departments and other services if Michigan lawmakers reduce their tax-sharing payments in the fiscal year starting Oct. 1, 2010.
 
What seniors need to know about ObamaCare
As soon as 2011, America’s 77 million Baby Boomers will begin to retire. All of them will require health care. Many will turn to Medicare. And many will approve of President Obama’s new health care law, which contains superficially appealing provisions such as more taxpayer subsidies for the Medicare drug benefit. With all these cuts in Medicare at both the Federal and State levels this doesn’t bode well for our senior population! At the
 State level our very own Senator Randy Richardville voted in favor of Medicare cuts! We should remember this come election time in the upcoming Primary in 2010!
 
Geithner, Paulson make case for overhaul
Now here’s a team! Geithner and Paulson are to the political arena what Laurel and Hardy was to comedy. What a joke! The two leading architects of the financial bailout made the case Thursday that Congress must give regulators more power to curb risk-taking on Wall Street.
 
The Stock Market in May — Worst Since 1940
The stock market had its worst May performance this year since 1940: Most of the indexes were down 8%. Contrary to what the liberal media and government is saying that the economy is improving, the American public is not falling for this propaganda.
 
Three American cities on the brink of broke
Several downtrodden cities are on the verge of defaulting on their debt, putting financially encumbered states and taxpayers on the hook to pick up the tab. Rampant unemployment, tepid consumer spending, and deeply underfunded public pensions are the leading causes of the balance sheet issues cities are having today. With years of political chicanery and poor financial decision-making by incumbent city officials are what led to this problem.
 
Military Families Struggle with Mounting Debts
At the same time Obama wants to cut their pay! The military deserve more from their leadership! We are asking young men and women to serve during time of war and they are stepping up to the plate. Military personnel including military retirees ought not have to take a hit in order to support Obama’s social spending programs. The recession has clearly done nothing to help the situation. Unemployment among new veterans has also risen, and now stands at about 14.7%, significantly higher than the national average which hovers near 10%. How does your elected official stand up for our military personal?
 
A wise and frugal government, which shall leave men free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned – this is the sum of good government.
Thomas Jefferson
 
 
 
Posted in: Bain Report, Politics

The Bain Report: :Articles that Affect You and Your Family” for June, 7, 2010

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Retired Police Officer Says Cox Was At Party
Explosive new details have surfaced about the alleged party involving Kwame Kilpatrick and murdered exotic dancer Tamara Greene.  Sworn testimony from Retired Detroit Police officer Sandy Cardenas says officers responding to 911 calls told her that Mike Cox was actually at the party. Cox, who would later call it an “urban legend,” denied the allegation.
 
Michigan Republicans Bludgeon 21st Century Jobs Fund, Pure Michigan
Michigan Senate Republicans moved Wednesday toward a budget that slashes funding for local governments, roads and economic development programs, the 21st Century Jobs Fund and the Pure Michigan advertising campaign – but doesn’t raise taxes.
 
CDC ALERT: Warning about a new virulent strain “voters” take special notice
The Center for Disease Control has issued a warning about a new virulent strain of this old disease. The disease is called Gonorrhea Lectim. It’s pronounced “Gonna re-elect ‘im.” It’s sad because it is so easily cured with a new procedure just coming on the market called Votemout it’s pronounced… “Vote-em-out!”
 
Steele not comfortable with Rand Paul
I guess he wouldn’t be. As the moderate leader of the National Republican Party who by the way, threw everything but the kitchen sink against Rand Paul in the election to defeat him. The Republican Party still doesn’t get it! True conservatives who believe in the founding principles, traditions, and the values that the party was founded upon have had enough of the direction our party has taken. We have too many liberal left leaning Republicans who have strayed and lost their way.
 
Richardville Named Legislator of the Year is like giving Bernie Madoff Financier of the Year
A perfect analogy of giving Monroe’s Senator Randy Richardville  this award is like giving “Bernie Madoff Financier of the Year”! I can see why this association would give him this award this only serves and succeeds in satisfying certain segments of the business community’s sweet tooth! On 5/11/10, MMA President and CEO Chuck Hadden presented Senator Randy Richardville (R-Monroe) with the “Legislator of the Year” award. Senator Richardville’s amendment is nothing short of a clear example of corporate welfare. Specifically, this doesn’t pertain to all businesses; it is specific to the manufacturers that have lobbied extensively. These are the same manufacturers who were able to game the Michigan business tax, lowering their tax liability, and are receiving checks in the mail, shifting the tax burden to the rest of the business population all the while shedding jobs. Now they refuse to be fair. They speak for immunity from lowering their rebate checks, and let all others endure the cuts! This is all about picking business winners and losers!
 
Nobody’s safe in elections this year
This past week’s political message is that not even switching parties brings salvation in an era of unbridled anti-incumbency. In 2010, the most important letter behind any politician’s name isn’t D nor R, but I — as in incumbent. And it’s a trend that could intensify in stormy primaries and intraparty fights stretching beyond Labor Day. The road to re-election has never been more perilous than in 2010 for status quo establishment incumbents.
 
Bedford votes to lay off 46 teachers
The Bedford Public Schools Board of Education voted to lay off 46 teachers during a special meeting Tuesday night. The district needs to cut $3.1 million from its 2010-11 budget. The citizens of Bedford need to realize that their Monroe Representative in Lansing (Senator Randy Richardville) voted in favor of cutting education. Tell him how you feel at the ballot box Aug. 3rd, 2010.
 
In the Middle in Arkansas, and Hit From Both Sides
A Senator in Arkansas is discovering that, with the overheated political passions battering incumbents this year, being in the middle only gets you hit from both sides. Republicans and conservative Democrats have had enough of the center left of either party! What was once considered politically smart for re-election to be a liberal moderate is a thing of the past. The out of control state budgets, tax and spend, subsidizing mentality of this type of representation will pay the price in the 2010 elections! 
 
Incumbents Rocked by Voters in early Primary’s
If Tuesday’s primaries around the country were any indication, incumbents and establishment-backed candidates should be worried. It remains to be seen if the voters here in Monroe County and the State of Michigan have suffered enough as to send the same message to Lansing that we deserve and expect better representation?
 
SEIU and Randy Richardville
That some Michigan Republicans sponsored a bill to give tax payer money to SEIU is an outrage. To many citizens of Monroe it is not surprising that Randy Richardville is one of those Republicans. People who are aware of Randy Richardville’s record as a politician consider him to be a self serving opportunist.
 
$4 Million Taxpayer Giveaway to SEIU
Senator Jason Allen has introduced SB 731, which would take a shady, sneaky and probably illegal deal giving the sister organization of ACORN, SEIU, a $4 million dollar
taxpayer giveaway and make it legal. Co-sponors include: Roger Kahn, Bruce Patterson, Raymond Basham, Valde Garcia, Tony Stamas, Judson Gilbert, Martha Scott, Dennis Olshove, Irma Clark-Coleman, Michael Switalski, Gilda Jacobs, Mark Jansen, Deborah Cherry, Randy Richardville, Patricia Birkholz, Gretchen Whitmer.
 
Richardville standing up for Banksters against Homeowners & Workers
Richardville, chair of the Senate Banking and Financial Institutions Committee, stripping out a provision in Senate Bills 4453-4455 that would help workers having their homes foreclosed on. The provision would have stipulated that if at the end of the 90 days a homeowner is eligible for a loan modification, but the lender does not give it to them for whatever reason, then the lender would be forced to take the foreclosure through the judicial process. That provision passed the House, but it was striped out and approved along party lines in the Senate with Richardville standing up for banks against workers.
 
Randy Richardville, R-Monroe, carried water for the home mortgage industry
LANSING — State Sen. Randy Richardville, R-Monroe, carried water for the home mortgage industry whose greed plunged the country into a financial meltdown by fighting off every attempt by Senate Democrats Wednesday to pass a meaningful moratorium on home foreclosure and help keep people in their homes.
 
Crony Capitalism at the State Capitol
Richardville voted TO RESTRICT THE RIGHT of shareholders to sell their own stock
The people who own a Michigan insurance company have been effectively deprived of their power to sell their own investment under a new law hurriedly introduced and overwhelmingly approved by the Legislature this spring. Another term for it is “crony capitalism” — when business and politicians gang up to thwart the marketplace and the rule of law.
 
Rand Paul Wins in Kentucky Race for Senate, Major Victory for Tea Party
The conservative tea party movement has scored a major victory as its candidate won the Kentucky senate Republican primary in the latest sign of the anti-establishment anger stirring up American politics. We can only hope that Michigan voters follow suit? Remember it was Kentuckian James Winchester that brought his force of 700 Kentuckians and 200 regulars to the River Raisin to help defend Michiganians.
 
IMF Warns U.S. Debt Nears 100 Percent of GDP, Greece In Better Shape 
The United States’ national debt will soon reach 100 percent of gross domestic product, the International Monetary Fund predicts in a new report. The sharp rise in U.S. debt started in 2006 and by 2015, the IMF suggests, debt could reach more than 100 percent of GDP.
 
GOP Representative Will Resign Over Affair
Indiana Republican Rep. Mark Souder announced Tuesday he would resign from Congress, effective Friday, because he had an affair with a staffer. Don’t think for a minute we don’t have some representatives here in Michigan that has shown questionable moral character such as this! I’ve heard rumors and behind rumors lie’s a bit of truth! Moral character does matter! 
 
The Michigan Economic Development Corporation a Colossal Failure
Here’s a good place to start significant reforming and cutting the size of Michigan government. An example according to the MEDC, Google brought in 163 jobs in 2007 and then 61 in 2008, far short of the 200-a-year pace needed to meet the 1,000 jobs Granholm said the deal would yield. Using the MEDC’s tax credit formula, it is estimated Google received about $800,000 in tax credits for 2007 and 2008 for the 224 jobs. The Republican controlled senate consistently votes in favor of these taxpayer subsidies including our own Sen. Richardville.
 
Politician’s with Union support have strings attached
A letter from a union leader shows that endorsements from organized labor don’t come without strings attached. What they want is a candidate’s pledge that they will continue flushing Michigan’s economy down the hole before they will support them, said Leon Drolet, chairman of the Michigan Taxpayers Alliance. “Smart unions realize they can’t rely on Democrats to maintain control of all branches of government forever. They know how to shave off just enough Republicans to prevent reforms.”
 
Could a proposed Restaurant Tax be coming to Monroe?
Some restaurant owners are concerned that an alcohol tax under consideration could end up sending patrons outside the city limits for their night out on the town. House Bill 5059 allows municipalities the option of putting on the ballot a 50 cent tax on alcoholic drinks sold by the glass. What’s next a meal tax?
 
A wise and frugal government, which shall leave men free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned – this is the sum of good government. 
Thomas Jefferson
 
 
Posted in: Bain Report, Politics

The Bain Report: “Articles that Affect You and Your Family” for May, 31, 2010

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Instead of Revamping Financial Structure, State just keeps moving money around
Michigan legislators have created budget overspending crises every year since 2002. Since tax rates rarely went down and since most spending is directly under their control, these deficits are largely a matter of the legislators wanting to spend more than they did the previous year. One example is Senator Richardville budget bills approved increases of $1,332,045,900 billion for fiscal 2008 verses 2007!
 
Richardville Votes to Transfer Road Tax Money to other purposes
It’s no wonder we have terrible roads! When the money we pay in taxes specifically for roads is diverted for other state spending! In a Monroe Evening News article in 2009 Senator Richardville stated the problem was with how the funds were allocated in the formula of Public Act 51. What he didn’t tell you was that he voted in favor of robbing these funds!
Passed in the Senate (37 to 0) on October 20, 2009, to reduce the amount of infrastructure project spending from the transportation economic development fund by $12 million in the Fiscal Year that ends Sept. 30, 2009, and another $12 million in the next fiscal year. House Bill 5073 diverts this money to other state spending. 
 
Cost of treating autism shocking
Legislation is pending so Senator Randy Richardville and a panel of experts and speakers will travel to several other cities in the coming weeks to gather facts on the disorder so to better understand the complexities of autism. This is nothing more than grandstanding on Senator Randy Richardville’s part for re-election! He is riding the coat tails of Representative Kathy Angerer who has been the one championing this issue. Representative Angerer is so devoted on the issue of autism she decided it was more important than to run for office. He did the same thing with the Secretary of State Office closure in Temperance where once again Representative Angerer took the lead!  He is also very much aware that right here in Monroe we have an individual with impeccable credentials in the field of autism and he has never once inquired with this individual about this issue! Seems to me if he was so concerned with the issue of autism he would have taken advantage of this person’s knowledge and experience in the field of autism! This is nothing short of pandering to the voters in this re-election year!
Credentials are an attestation of the qualifications, competence, or authority issued. Said individuals resume includes: 33 years of experience in education and Administration. Administrator of the largest center for students with Autism in the country. Responsible for balancing the centers budget. Committee participation in school systems. Board member Monroe County Mental Health Authority. Member of Wayne County Association Supervisors Special Education. Member of Council for Exceptional Children. Presentation speaker at the International Conference on autism in Beijing China. Presentation speaker to the Wisconsin Council for Children with Autism, Presenter to the Special Transportation In-service for Wayne County. Holds the following degrees: Associates Degree, Bachelors of Science Degree, Masters of Arts Degree, Education Specialist Degree, Eastern Michigan University Ypsilanti, MI.
 
Michigan Tax Burden Grows Despite Claims to the Contrary
Per capita figures make Michigan seem worse off by comparison to other states since population is less responsive to economic changes than are tax revenues. Still, Michigan’s per capita tax burden increased over the past decade.
 
Citizens in Utah unseat RINO (Republican in Name Only) Senator
This needs to happen here in Michigan! We have far to many Republican Representatives in Lansing who are beholding to the special interest, lobbyist, and unions and not the citizens they are supposed to represent!
 
Randy Richardville vs. R. Al Bain
R. Al Bain is contesting incumbent Randy Richardville in the Republican primary for State Senator Richardville’s 17th district seat. R. Al Bain is very well known in conservative circles in Monroe. Mr. Bain is known to be a staunch constitutionalist. R. Al Bain would never vote for let alone sponsor legislation that robs citizens of Michigan in order to give money to special interest groups as Senator Richardville’s record has shown!
 
Activists stunning Republican platform win in Maine
The effect it will have on Maine politics could be quite epic in scope. It has certainly stunned the Republican Party Establishment and the Maine media.
 
Lawmaker Says $150 Million in Unearned Tax Credits Given Out by State
Based on a review of the Auditor General’s report there is likely $100 million — $200 million of tax credits actually given out that were not earned by the businesses receiving them. The Auditor General only looked at 7 percent of the tax credit certificates in one year and found $2.6 million of likely unearned, but awarded tax credits anyway. The businesses didn’t really create the jobs they said they had in order to get the credits or the MEDC just gave them credits without checking on job creation numbers… but that was money out the door — money that should have remained in our state’s coffers to help alleviate the budget crisis.
 
Limits to be placed on ObamaCare insurance coverage for dependents
Regulations drafted by the Obama administration show that there is a limit to the new requirement that health plans allow families to keep young adults on their policies up to age 26. In addition, families can be charged more for coverage of the young adult to the extent individuals can be required to pay more under their health plan.
 
Obama Threatens Veto of Obamacare as Cost Estimates Soar Above $1 Trillion
The politically explosive revelation, which is likely to give new impetus to the GOP’s repeal movement, came after the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) said the law potentially could add at least $115 billion to government healthcare spending over the next 10 years.
 
Obama Administration Targets Military for Pay Reductions
President Barack Obama — who came to power with the help of government employee unions across the nation and has lavished on them hundreds of billions in stimulus funds to keep them on federal, state and local payrolls with no strings attached — is moving to cut spending on salaries for military personnel. Our own Republican Senator Randy Richardville here in Monroe voted to cut the Military Veterans Benefits in the 2009-2010 appropriations Bill by 37.7 million dollars! Begs the question, what’s the difference between Obama’s administration and Richardville? Not much! They both support the Service Employees Internation Union (SEIU)!
 
U.S. reverses stance on treaty to regulate arms trade
The decision, announced in a statement released by the U.S. State Department, overturns the position of former President George W. Bush’s administration, which had opposed such a treaty on the grounds that national controls were better. The Obama administration is attempting to use tactics and methods of gun control that will inflict major damage to our 2nd Amendment before US citizens even understand what has happened.
 
European Debt Crisis Will Eventually Hit U.S.
A weaker European economy could reduce demand for U.S. exports, as European consumers cut back their purchases of autos, appliances and other goods.
 
The Welfare State’s Death Spiral
What we’re seeing in Greece is the death spiral of the welfare state. This isn’t Greece’s problem alone, and that’s why its crisis has rattled global stock markets and threatens economic recovery. Virtually every advanced nation, including the United States, faces the same prospect. Aging populations have been promised huge health and retirement benefits, which countries haven’t fully covered with taxes. The reckoning has arrived in Greece, but it awaits most wealthy societies.
 
Conservative wins Republican Kentucky Senate race
Opinion polls have found voters in a sour mood fueled by distrust of Washington and worries that neither party is doing enough to rescue the economy and restrain government spending.
 
U.S. Debt Shock May Hit In 2018, Maybe As Soon As 2013
“Nobody knows when you bump up against the limit, but you know when it happens it will really hurt,” said fiscal watchdog Maya MacGuineas of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget.
 
NFIB Confirms Health Care Law Bad For Workers
This is confirmation for every person worried about their job or looking for work, that the health care law is only making matters worse.  If it is bad for small businesses, it is bad for America, and this health care law is bad for both.  Instead of increasing costs and adding new mandates on employers, we need to lower their costs so they can start hiring again. With Michigan’s already high cost of doing business and tax burdens leveled on them, we need a total revamp of the Michigan Business Tax structure to promote jobs and make Michigan a place were businesses want to locate.
 
Bank of England Governor: US Faces Same Danger as Greece
The United States is facing the same fiscal problems as Greece, says Mervyn King, Governor of the Bank of England. King is not the only leading opinion-maker worried about the parlous fiscal state of the United States. Nouriel Roubini, appearing on Fox News, notes that the fiscal crisis started in 2007 with too much debt in the private sector.
 
DHS to States: Pleeease Spend This Money!
States don’t want to implement REAL ID, and the American people don’t want a national ID, but the DHS bureaucracy is rattling cages to try to get money spent purely for the sake of spending. It’s flabbergasting. As both the states and the Federal government face increasingly tough budgeting decisions, it is more important than ever that these available funds be utilized. Senator Randy Richardville serves on the Homeland Security committee.
 
Why the Stock Market Could Crash This Year
Investors wondering about the U.S. stock market’s future course are focusing on this question: Will the debt crisis ravaging European banks and the bursting of the Chinese housing bubble affect America’s economy and corporate profits? It’s becoming increasingly difficult to claim that these global storms won’t ever reach America’s shores. But even more worrying — the fundamentally unsound U.S. economy is in a poor state to withstand such shocks.
 
The People are the only sure reliance for the preservation of our liberty
Thomas Jefferson
 
 
Posted in: Bain Report, Politics