jennifer granholm

Posted at 8:36am on Jun. 25, 2008 (Re)Enter: The Nanny State-- OR --Click it or Ticket, Junior!

By RightMichigan.com

Cross-posted on Right Michigan at www.RightMichigan.com.

Michigan moms and dads, are you ready for Tuesday?  Well, are you?  Or maybe more importantly, is your eight year old ready?  This coming Tuesday Michigan's fancy new booster seat regulation goes into effect and Junior had better be buckled up in a shiny new piece of vinyl or the Michigan State Police will hunt you down.  "Even at night."  Click it or ticket, kid.  You don't want to cost mom and dad $65 bucks, do you?

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Posted at 8:03am on Jun. 19, 2008 8.5% unemployment in Dem controlled Michigan (a year after the biggest tax hike in history)

By RightMichigan.com

Cross-posted on Right Michigan at www.RightMichigan.com.

Here's the skinny on the latest Michigan unemployment numbers.  Numbers Dan Dickerson and Jim Price might refer to as "crooked."

But first, allow me to congratulate Andy Dillon, Mark Schauer, Jennifer Granholm, John Cherry, Bob Dean, Mary Valentine, Mike Simpson, Marty Griffin, Kate Ebli and the whole billion-dollar-plus tax hike team on a job well done.  We figured they were trying to kill the economy when they raised taxes by a full 10 figures last year and sure enough, we're bleeding out pretty good right now.

So, without further ado...

National Unemployment Rate (May): 5.5%

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Posted at 9:46pm on Jun. 14, 2008 Jennifer Granholm Is a Greater Threat to Women Than John McCain

By Erick

Jennifer Granholm is a desperate woman. Witness her attack today on John McCain.

Seeking to block an effort by John McCain to draw support from Hillary Clinton supporters, Gov. Jennifer Granholm on Saturday called for women to unify behind Barack Obama and attacked McCain's record on women's issues and the economy.

McCain's outreach to Clinton-backing women "is an effort to mask his effort on the issues important to the women who supported (Clinton)", said Granholm, who supported Clinton during her primary campaign against Obama.

Telling reporters that "women are not single issue voters," Granholm immediate waved the red shirt of abortion. That is so typical.

Likewise, Granholm highlighted the economy as a reason to support Barack Obama. Does anyone trust what Granholm says about the economy? Under her watch in Michigan, more people have left the state than any other state in the Union save Louisiana, which was hit by Hurricane Katrina.

It's too bad Granholm's tenure does not qualify as a federal disaster, because Michigan sure could use the federal investment to repair the damage Granholm has done.

Given the jobs, education, and economic statistics of Michigan, Granholm herself is not good for women. As Hillary Clinton, the candidate Granholm endorsed, said, she and McCain bring experience to the White House. Obama, Granholm's new choice, will bring a recycled speech.

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Posted at 8:03am on Jun. 5, 2008 Average Day in Michigan: Lansing raises taxes, Detroit fails kids and Granholm to veto freedom

By RightMichigan.com

Cross-posted on Right Michigan at www.RightMichigan.com.

Hey, Hey, Hockeytown!  Congratulations to the Wings and all of the fans who've been with the team all year!  What a last couple of games.  Wow.  Ozzie's the man and would have been my choice for the Con Smythe but you can't argue with Hank.  

And in the immortal words of the great Mike Shanahan, "offseason starts tomorrow because (when we come back) we're going for two!"

Now, at the risk of moving too quickly from euphoria to despair, there's news all over the wires this morning illustrating that Lansing, the Governor and far more than half the students in Detroit either haven't learned or just plain refuse to try.  

Proving that you can teach a liberal government new tricks provided each one comes with it's own tax or fee, the Lansing State Journal reports this morning that residents in the Capitol City are about to see over a half-million dollars swiped out of their pockets and shoved into the big-government trough at City Hall.  Put succinctly:


Lansing is expecting to raise $520,000 for its $199.3 million 2008-09 budget by increasing existing fees and creating new ones.

Best, just about all of the new fees either directly targets job providers or low / no wage earners relying on City services.  And folks grieving the loss of a loved one.  Because if there's anyone who needs picking on it's those left behind after tragedy.

If you can't afford your own home and you're forced to rent a room in a multi-family house?  You'll be paying more.  Can't afford fancy after school activities for your kids and rely on City athletic programs?  You'll pay more.  Need to bury a loved one?  Get ready to pay more.

Lansing is raising taxes on each of the following:

  • Rental property

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    • Posted at 8:20am on Apr. 29, 2008 Hsu's the fourth largest contributor, you ask?

    By RightMichigan.com

    Cross-posted on Right Michigan at www.RightMichigan.com.

    Indicted Democrat money-man and long-time wanted felon Norman Hsu can't get him enough of Jennifer Granholm.  And apparently she can't get enough of him either.

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    Posted at 8:12am on Apr. 28, 2008 It's like rain on your wedding day

    By RightMichigan.com

    Cross-posted on Right Michigan at www.RightMichigan.com.

    You've got to love irony.  Assuming you know what it is... I know we've got a few friends who like to visit the site these days who get big words like that confused with others... mean turns to median, irony turns to iconic which turns to iconoclastic.  Whoa!  But chin up, at least you're in good company.

    Irony, for the definitionally challenged, is "an outcome of events contrary to what was, or might have been, expected."

    Exhibit A:  House Democrats suddenly admitting their massive MBT surcharge should be repealed.

    The Detroit News reports this morning on the growing number of Michigan businesses being crushed under massive increases in their tax burden.  The Michigan Chamber of Commerce reports that many small and medium sized businesses are seeing doubling, tripling and even a quadrupling of their previous tax liability.  The Republican controlled Senate last week passed a $240 million tax relief package to ease the burden but the Democrat controlled House of Representatives is yet to take any action.  According to the News:

    Read on . . .

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    Posted at 8:23am on Apr. 16, 2008 I take back all my criticism -- this is obviously money well spent

    By RightMichigan.com

    Cross-posted on Right Michigan at www.RightMichigan.com

    I guess we can consider this a day-after-tax-day surprise from Jennifer Granholm, John Cherry and the Michigan legislature.  As if it wasn't bad enough that folks had to write bigger checks yesterday to cover that massive tax hike they passed along to us last fall we get to see exactly how some of that money's being spent today.  

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    Posted at 7:57am on Mar. 31, 2008 Looking for work? Try Hollywood or... American Axle?

    By RightMichigan.com

    Cross-posted on Right Michigan at www.RightMichigan.com.

    Opening Day.  Of course it's raining in Grand Rapids right now and it's supposed to rain most of the day in Detroit and the mist, sort of lingering there in the air, is trying it's best to dampen the perfect idea of Opening Day.  We might even have to move the actual game to tomorrow.  Fingers crossed and knock on wood.  We can't really wash out the first game of the year, can we?  It wasn't all that long ago we were playing in snow.

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    Posted at 7:35am on Mar. 20, 2008 Granholm promises bill will create 400,000 jobs... and, there goes that last shred of credibility

    By RightMichigan.com

    Cross-posted on Right Michigan at www.RightMichigan.com.

    Was last night painful or what?  There are some things that just never get easier to listen to.  The platitudes, the promises, the reassurances... you hear them every single time in these sorts of situations.  But none of them ever change the bottom line.  There are greener pastures elsewhere.  In fact, everywhere else.  The only difference between last night and every other time we've heard that particular type of speech is that the Governor actually addressed reality, too.  For a minute anyways.  Right before she slipped off the edge head first into sheer, unadulterated lunacy.

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    Posted at 7:36am on Mar. 11, 2008 What have you got to hide? Besides plans to raise taxes, election results and police reports...

    By RightMichigan.com

    Cross-posted on Right Michigan at www.RightMichigan.com.

    There was some discussion late last week in Lansing insider publication MIRS about the continuing possibility of a vote to raise the gas tax this year.  The report quoted a Republican lawmaker who wanted to assure folks that as far as the GOP was concerned the idea of raising the gas tax wasn't just dead, it was buried too.  But it also quoted an official with the road construction lobby who was equally certain that a vote would come... in November.  

    The assurance of a tax hike vote echoed the statements of House Speaker Andy Dillon who earlier this year told the Michigan Infrastructure and Transportation Association that a lame duck vote to raise the gas tax was probable.

    If you fueled up yesterday or drove by a service station you might have asked the same question that popped to my mind... are they crazy?!

    There's never a good time to raise taxes but there are worse times than others.  Take the current gas prices, add another summer season with it's traditional jump at the pump and then go ahead and add three, six, nine more cents to each gallon in the way of a tax hike to help feed Lansing's never ending budget hunger.  Not a pretty picture.  The Detroit News reports:


    Monday's average price in Metro Detroit was up a hefty 14 cents in just a week, reflecting a surge in oil prices that started in mid-February. Nationally, Monday's average of $3.22 for a gallon of regular unleaded was a half-cent from the record high of $3.277, according to AAA.

    And no letup is in sight, with the price of oil spiraling to $108 a barrel Monday before closing at a record $107.90.

    "We're definitely inching closer to that $4-a-gallon mark than ever before," said Jim Rink of AAA Michigan, which on Monday reported a statewide average of $3.28 for regular unleaded and a Metro Detroit average of $3.23.

    In other words, perfect timing for Lansing to gorge itself on what little we've got left in our wallets.  We can cancel the cable TV and we certainly don't need to take a family vacation next year or buy silly little things like groceries.  Not when Lansing has a budget monster to feed.  

    Interesting, too, that those lobbyists still seem to think that a vote is coming after the November general elections.  And after all of the hand wringing that the Democrats would neeeeever do anything like that.  But hey, it makes sense.  The only thing worse than another tax hike right now would be the sheer political and personal cowardice of a lame duck vote on another tax hike.

    And that's saying something because there are a lot of bad ideas floating around these days.  Take the continuing discussions about Michigan and Florida's Democrat Presidential Primary delegates.  Former candidate and current Barckstar groupie Chris Dodd has his own bright idea on how to resolve the conflict.  The Associated Press reports he'd like to just take the delegates and split them down the middle.  Convenient since his guy lost both elections.  

    Democrats are still familiar with the concept of elections, right?  You have these polling places, people show up, they mark this little card and slide it into a machine... whoever gets the most votes wins?  Coming back to you yet?  We had one of them on January 15th?  Obama and Clinton both decided they didn't want to ask for our votes?  Remember?


    Some in the party have proposed having major Democratic donors pay for the do-over primaries instead of taxpayers. Dodd rejected that approach.

    "The idea that a bunch of fat cats are gonna finance it, I don't like that idea at all," Dodd said.

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    Posted at 6:12am on Mar. 11, 2008 MI Morning Update: Suprise, Suprise, MI Dems have a plan to increase taxes by $42 million

    By saul anuzis

    239 Days until Election Day

    MORNING UPDATE:

    Michigan House Democrats push a $42 million tax increase…didn’t we say we told you so? When Democrats control Michigan, your taxes go up. It happens every time.

    The Political, Candidate & Party Assistance team were on the road again last night on the "Unity Road Show" in Oakland county Michigan. I met with Oakland County GOP Chair Dennis Cowan before the meeting to discuss plans and strategy.

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    Posted at 8:47am on Mar. 7, 2008 Another day in Libtopia (read: Michigan): Barack claims he won MI while UAW puts nearly 30,000 out of work

    By RightMichigan.com

    Cross-posted on Right Michigan at www.RightMichigan.com.

    Great examples of what happens when you've got lefties running the show splashed all over the news this morning.  Ironic great.  Not awesome great.  Actually, the opposite of awesome since we're talking about violations of the law, discrediting of the law and tens of thousands of workers out of a job by Monday.

    In other words, just another day in Michigan.

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    Posted at 8:54am on Mar. 6, 2008 It's a horrible idea for Michigan which means it'll probably happen soon

    By RightMichigan.com

    Promoted by Jeff

    I suppose it was only a matter of time before Michigan Democrats went ahead and intentionally lost their minds.  The high-pitched buzzing about scrapping legal election results because the Democrat National Committee didn't like the date they were gathered is growing more intense by the day with folks here in the State who previously defended Michigan now suddenly willing to bow down and kiss the ring on Howard Dean's middle finger.

    Read on.

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    Posted at 9:37am on Mar. 4, 2008 Since it's awards season...

    By RightMichigan.com

    Cross-posted on Right Michigan at www.RightMichigan.com.

    I didn't watch the Oscars this year.  I mean, I rarely watch the Oscars but I have in the past.  There just wasn't anything there for me this time.  No rooting interest.  I'd seen a few of the movies being discussed but the whole thing was anti-climactic.  Javier Bardem was going to win best supporting actor and "No Country for Old Men" was a lock to take home a couple more little golden statues.  Probably deserved them too.  It's the sort of creepy movie that gets under your skin for a few days.  And I'm not too proud to admit that when I got home from the theatre the first thing I did was check my deadbolts to make sure they hadn't been knocked out of place.

    The movie wasn't a dark horse and it did what it was expected to do.  It won it all.

    Same situation with the Wolverine State and "States and Governing" magazine.  You may recall that back during the 2006 gubernatorial election Michigan was actually rated the best managed State in the entire Union.  And let's be honest... this particular publication is written about state governments.  You think they're going to have any sort of smaller-government editorial policy?  Heavens no.  It's a periodical for bureaucrats by bureaucrats.  Bigger and more obtrusive equals better in that world.  It's really almost a shock that we fell all the way to third!

    But it did wake me up in a sense.  It'd be unfair if we let this time of year go by without unsealing envelopes and naming winners of our own.  Since it's awards season and in honor of Michigan's shocking third place finish in the magazine's management rankings I figured there's no time like the present to keep red carpet unfurled.  And hey, we'll start small.  Instead of looking back over the whole year let's just take a look at today's news and hand out some little statuettes.  (Readers lacking a sense of humor please note: I am not actually going to give anyone any physical statuettes.  I'll simply distribute them in spirit.)

    So without further ado, I'd like to present the first annual, or monthly, or weekly... or, well, today's... LEFTY Awards!

    Best Use of a Bribe To Get Favors from Corrupt Michigan Democrats:: Fifth / Third Bank and Christine Beatty

    The Detroit News reports this morning that Kwame Kilpatrick's girlfriend and former Chief of Staff Christine Beatty seems to have received a massive grant to purchase a second home.  The tricky part is, when she received the cash the grant program hadn't been created yet.  And she got more than they ever awarded after they did create it.  And internal memos indicate the payoff was designed to influence the mayor and his administration.  And Kwame and company fought tooth and nail to keep those memos from ever seeing the light of day.  But it's all above the board.  They promise.


    ...A federal judge did not order Fifth Third Bank to create that "economic empowerment program" until May 19, 2004 -- two weeks after Beatty received her mortgage, federal court records show.

    Not only was Beatty the first Detroiter to receive a grant under the program, the $12,000 the bank gave her was more than anyone else in the program received, Fifth Third senior vice president Jack Riley confirmed. Four months after Beatty received her grant, Fifth Third set a $2,500 cap on individual grants, an amount that later was increased to $5,000, Riley said.

    The Detroit News previously reported the bank gave Beatty the money after a loan officer wrote a memo that Fifth Third should approve a $237,000 mortgage for Beatty, despite her poor credit rating, because she was "a personal referral from the mayor" and the bank was working on a deal with the city for collection of taxes.

    "This could go a long way with 5/3 Bank's efforts in the City of Detroit and the Mayor would think very favorable of our bank," bank official Keith Anderson wrote in the April 14, 2004, internal bank memo.

    Yep, nothing shady about that at all.  Democrats are perfect and noble and good and wonderful and smell like clean linen and shine like the face of Moses after he walked down from the mountain.  No graft.  No corruption.  No bribes.  No personal favors.  No purchasing of influence.  No need to resign.  No affair.  No romantic trysts.  No standards.  No ethics.  No accountability.  No integrity.  No... oh, wait... nevermind.  Next category.

    Best Use of Greed to Kill Jobs: The United Auto Workers

    The Associated Press reports that the number of plants now shuttered because of the UAW's greed-fueled strike of American Axle has reached five.  Nearly twenty-thousand moms and dads are officially out of work this morning as the union refuses to talk.  According to reports last week American Axle has been waiting at the table for days but is entirely absent a negotiating partner.

    You'll remember that the union bosses called the strike when the company sought a bit of wage parity.  Their competitors in the United States currently pay between $20 and $30 an hour all-in per employee.  American Axle currently pays their UAW workers $73 an hour all-in.  


    The closures bring to five the total of factories GM has closed due to a lack of parts made by American Axle & Manufacturing Holdings Inc., affecting more than 13,000 GM hourly workers. The laid-off workers will get most of their pay under their union's contract with GM.

    About 3,600 workers represented by the United Auto Workers at five American Axle plants in Michigan and New York went on strike last week in a contract dispute.

    American Axle and the UAW haven't returned to the bargaining table since talks broke off on Feb. 25, although both sides have said they're ready to resume negotiations at any time.

    American Axle spokeswoman Renee Rogers said Monday afternoon that no talks have been scheduled...

    If you listen to the fat-cat union bosses at the UAW halls you'd think this was about NAFTA, CAFTA, the SHAFTA and Mexico.  The three amigos plus one.  If you listen to the competition here in the United States and to common sense you realize this is about survival.  But hey, you can't make an omelet if you don't break a few eggs.  What are 3,600 Michigan jobs in the long run?  Small price to pay to maintain a tough-guy-on-the-block image and forced dues money for the UAW.  Big deal if thousands of moms and dads find themselves out of a job.  

    Best Example of How Living Up to Expectations Isn't Always a Good Thing: The Big 3

    Sales are down.  Way down.  Again.  As predicted.  And now it's costing folks their jobs.The Ivory Tower reports:


    Two months into the year, this much is clear: The dreary auto sales market predicted for the first half of 2008 is living down to those lousy expectations...

    In all, Detroit's automakers posted a combined decline of 11%. Sales were off 14% at Chrysler LLC, 12.9% at General Motors Corp. and 6.6% at Ford Motor Co. That led GM and Ford to announce North American production cuts of 5% and 10%, respectively, for the second quarter.

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    Posted at 10:22am on Mar. 3, 2008 Still working on that "cutting to the bone" thing while Lansing talks new taxes (again)

    By RightMichigan.com

    Cross-posted on Right Michigan at www.RightMichigan.com.

    It's no secret that Lansing democrats are hoping to raise our taxes again.  It was only weeks ago that Speaker of the House Andy Dillon told the Michigan Infrastructure and Transportation Association that a lame-duck vote to spike the gas tax was "probable."  The man took a lot of heat for that accidental confession so you know he's enjoyed the thaw these last couple of days, the damage it's caused to the roads and the corresponding action at the State Capitol.

    While drivers across the State try and often times fail to dodge some of the biggest pot-holes in recent memory (near record setting snowfall and cold will do that to roads, Al Gore) a group is meeting in Lansing to discuss the future of State funding for roads.  There's no time like the present to find a handful of angry motorists who are willing to charge themselves an extra nine cents a gallon if it means charging every other Michigander hundreds of millions of dollars.  At least that's the way the thinking goes.  

    After all, there's still an entire political party full of activists, bloggers, political hacks, elected officials and taxpayer funded public employees who didn't mind the last $2.4 billion tax hike, don't mind the thought of a new $8 billion tax hike on natural gas and electricity and wouldn't mind at all if we chalked up another hundred million here or there to protect their pet political projects and government waste.  

    What they constantly hope taxpayers will forget is that money is fungible.  It can be spent on anything.  Similarly, it can be saved from anywhere.  It can be applied, reapplied or, as is often the case under the Capitol dome, misapplied.  

    The Lansing State Journal reports:


    The state estimates it needs to come up with an extra $320 million a year in order to maintain state-managed roads at their current level. That doesn't take into account the thousands of local roads...

    The governor this past month launched a task force designed to figure out how to pay for what needs fixing. And this Wednesday, the County Road Association of Michigan will host its annual meeting in Delta Township, drawing an audience of road experts from every county.

    The overall theme is money and how much more must be spent if road maintenance is to keep ahead of decay, according to the association.

    Liberals and conservatives, these days, read that last paragraph in two very distinct ways.  The left asks "how much more money" and "how will we raise it?"  Conservatives ask, among other questions, "how much more money" and "where can we save it?"  

    They may also ask, "why do Carl Levin and Debbie Stabenow continually fail to bring Michigan out of donor status in Washington DC?"  The state with, arguably, the most consistently weather-beaten roads in the nation still only receives about ninety-two cents for every road tax dollar we send to the federal government.  If there's one state that should be above the dollar threshold it's Michigan.  But alas, Senator Levin is apparently too busy readjusting his glasses.  But that's neither here nor there.

    The roads are a mess, Democrats want to raise our taxes (again), `probably' plan to hold a vote in November on a gas tax hike, according to Andy Dillon, and Jennifer Granholm is creating task forces and commissions to "study" the problem and release likely-pre-drafted reports telling residents just how bleak the future looks without more "revenues."  She's... ahem... paving the way for another tax increase.  (Ba-dum-CHING!)

    While the tax-hike drum beats start again it is important to remember that it isn't a gas-tax-or-nothing proposition.  If the State really does require extra money for road construction and repairs there is an opportunity to find it elsewhere in government through the elimination of wasteful spending.  

    As long as Lansing continues to spend hundreds of millions of dollars on items like a fancy new Michigan State Police Headquarters that even MSP said they didn't need and didn't want, on full-time staff for an Office of the First Gentleman, on lifetime welfare benefits for able bodied adults... the list can go on and on... they'll have a hard time convincing anyone that Lansing has a "revenue" problem.  For the love of pete, they just swiped an extra $1.5 BILLION last year alone and that still isn't enough.  

    Instead of another taxpayer funded blue ribbon panel on ways to gorge working moms and dads how about Lansing simply examine some of our local units of government who, it turns out, are finding interesting ways to save a little cash themselves.  The Detroit News reports this morning that places like Inkster have saved $10,000 by eliminating nice but unnecessary programs (and they're not the only ones).


    So sorry, Santa. Inkster gave you the ax over the holidays. Mayor Hilliard Hampton tapped the Downtown Development Authority to pay for decorations, ending a long tradition of the city footing the bill.

    "We made a commitment every season to purchase (the displays), but we haven't been able to do that," Hampton said. "It demonstrates that cities are forced to deal with core responsibilities. Everything else is on the chopping block...

    Elected in November, Mayor Jim Fouts nixed a chauffeur who had escorted his predecessor, deploying the driver and shifting the duties to create a mobile mini police station. "It serves as an effective deterrent," Fouts said. "We're making it easier for people to report things to the police and making it more flexible and mobile. It's allowing residents to become familiar with the police."

    Savings: $30,000 in overtime cuts.

    Imagine how much cash a city like Detroit could save by scaling back the mayoral chauffeur service... or refusing to pay for losses in multi-million dollar lawsuits that find the mayor responsible for illegal firings, perjury and who knows what else.

    Would it be nice to pay Kwame's legal bills?  Sure.  Would it be nice to pay for a driver for Jim Fouts?  Of course.  And everyone loves Santa.  It'd be nice if the city could pay for those decorations instead finding others to sponsor the displays.  It'd also be nice if we could buy iPods for every school kid and put a pony in every little girls backyard.  But alas, this is reality.  We just plain can't afford it.  

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