Republicans play politics with Show-me-your-papers law

You just knew some Republican locked in a primary battle was going to jump on the recently passed unconstitutional and racist show-me-your-papers law in Arizona, and the winner is carpetbagger Rep. Kim Meltzer, R-Clinton Twp?.

She is running for the Michigan Senate in the 11th Senate District currently held by term-limited Republican Alan Sanborn, the most conservative member in the Senate, and it is considered a safe Republican district. She is facing off with some well known, actually infamous, opponents in former state Representative Leon Drolet. He has led the “tea parties” and a crooked recall of Speaker of the House Andy Dillon, and it’s a miracle he’s not in jail. Also running is former extremist state Rep. Jack Brandenburg.

Meltzer plans to introduce a bill “that would give local law enforcement the ability to arrest people determined to be illegal immigrants.” Just the press release had it’s desired effect, and I saw her face on every single local news broadcast last night.

According to a story in the Livingston County Daily Press & Argus, the proposal will only “allow police to ask about immigration status in the normal course of "lawful contact" with a person, such as a traffic stop or if they have committed a crime.” Once sentence in the attempt to localized the AP report caught my eye: “Arizona's voter-approved immigration law requires police enforcing another law to question a person about his or her immigration status if there is "reasonable suspicion" that the person is in the United States illegally.

The law was not “voter-approved.”

It’s obvious why Meltzer is introducing the bill, and one reason is because she has to play to the extremists that control the Republican Party to win the primary and the seat. However, what was confusing was the take and support of Rep. Bill Rogers, R-Brighton. This is a perfect example of what happens when a nice guy goes to Lansing.

Rogers said, “he'd like to see Michigan group with other states to create one comprehensive policy, rather than having states individually approving local immigration authority.”

I could not agree more. What a great idea, and I guess that’s why the Founding Fathers thought of it some 230 years ago and formed the United States of America and the present system of federal government.

The show-me-your-papers law is also about voter suppression of minority voters, and Meltzer has been the point person in the House fighting any attempt to increase voter turnout and make it easier to register and to vote.

HC petition drive kickoff turns out to be another Republican tea party

The kickoff of a petition drive Monday night to stop 32 million Americans with no health care insurance from getting it and place a constitutional amendment on the ballot to exempt Michigan from the historic health insurance reform law signed into law by President Obama last week was little more than a “tea party.”

Howell School Board member and head teabagger Wendy Day led the event at the Howell Freshman Campus cafeteria, and it was little more than the typical rhetoric bashing Democrats and the president we have seen at the racist, Astroturf “tea parties.“ the only thing missing was the racist signs.

“Some people say Obama broke his oath of office to protect the Constitution,” Day said. “This is a peaceful way for people to express their frustration.”

Day is the treasurer of the ballot committee called "Michigan Citizens for Healthcare Freedom.”

Constitutional Amendments require the valid signatures of registered voters equal to 10 percent of the total number of votes cast for all candidates for governor in the last election, and that comes out to the signatures of 380,126 registered voters just to place it on the ballot. They have to turn those signatures into the Secretary of State no later than July 5.

“This petition has been legally vetted by the Goldwater Institute,” Day said. “It has been preliminary approved by the (Michigan State) Board of Canvassers.”

I doubt that statement is true, and the board has not approved the language. Every signature should be challenged on that basis alone.

I missed the first hour of the partisan campaign event because I had to work, and I was only able to catch the last 45 minutes. Day took questions from the approximately 150 people, but most of it was just the usual rhetoric and lies we have heard in the past. Day said the best place to get signatures was at Republican events, like a “tea party.”

“Go to one tea party; go to two,” she said.” We can get plenty of signatures. The tea party express is coming through.”

If you needed any more proof that this was a partisan Republican event, you just needed to see the Republican politicians in attendance. Most of them are running for office, and I lost respect for some I once had respect for, despite our political differences.

Those I personally saw were Sen. Wayne Kuipers, R-Holland, - who is running for U.S. Congress in the seat vacated by “Twitter” Pete Hoekstra and who introduced the amendment under discussion that was rejected in the Republican controlled Senate - Rep. Bill Rogers, R-Brighton; Rep. Cindy Denby, R-Fowlerville; former Republican House Speaker Rick Johnson, R-Leroy; and Senate candidate Joe Hune; and of course some guy from the rightwing think tank Mackinac Center.

Like I said in past posts, this clearly violates the school district’s policy on allowing district facilities to be used for partisan political events. I talked to HPS Assistant Superintendent Rick Terries - who authorized the event - is really skirting the policy. He said if the petition drive was successful, it would be a political meeting, but somehow getting there is not. In other words, launching the petition drive is not political, but it’s only political if the petition drive is successful.

It makes no sense.

This masquerade has little chance of succeeding, but that does not mean we should not fight it. We have spent a year fighting to reform the broken system, so what’s three more months.

Rogers criticizes House Dems for 'politial ploy’ but ignores Senate GOP

Rep. Bill Rogers, R-Brighton, is filling his role as the minority party quite nicely, and his attack on a House Democratic plan to end so-called lifetime health care benefits for state lawmakers illustrates that.

In a story that ran in today’s edition of the Livingston County Daily Press & Argus, Rogers called it a "political ploy" and "the worst case of stupid politics, petty politics." But, that’s only when Democrats do it. Rogers is upset that a bill the Senate Republicans introduced, House Bill 5019, on May 28 would have eliminated the lifetime health insurance benefit, but House Democrats, who control the gavel, are going t take up a similar bill introduced by one of their members instead.

Welcome to being the minority party, Mr. Rogers. You would think his number one concern would be to get it done, but it’s not. The House Democrats plan to take up HB 4194 introduced by Rep. Dian Slavens, D-Canton, three months earlier on Feb. 5. That bill, unlike the Republican’s bill, has bipartisan support, and it was co-sponsored by Rep. Tom McMillan, R-Rochester Hills; a freshman and perhaps the most conservative Republican the House.

Under the bipartisan bill introduced by Slavens, only legislators elected before January 1, 2007 would be eligible for retiree health insurance coverage. The nonpartisan House Fiscal Agency said in its analysis of the bill that it “would provide long term savings by incrementally reducing and eventually eliminating the costs of health care benefits for members of the Legislature as the number of members in the closed system decreased over time.”

But Slavens has introduced a substitute to that bill, a very common practice on bills that have already been taken up, that goes even further and would exclude legislators serving on or after Jan. 30, 2009, from receiving the benefit. That would mean even she would lose the benefit.

What has Rogers upset is that he claims Republicans had the idea first, and that it is just a political ploy. But Rogers has been silent when earlier this week Senate Republicans unveiled their so-called reform package at a press conference that includes eliminating the benefit for lawmakers that have “not vested before January 1, 2010.” The problem there is that it would only impact future legislators, not current ones. No bills have yet been introduced based on that proposal.

Plus, the bill Rogers is pushing would have the state pay, according to the Press & Argus, “30 percent of costs after 10 years of service —a percentage that would increase 3 percent each year until 30 years of service were reached..” Considering that the most years a Senator can serve is 8 years and state Representative 6 years, it doesn’t make much sense.

I was bowled over to read the P & A editorial on Thursday that actual criticized a Rogers. The paper has a deserved reputation for being unabashed supporters of the Rogers family, especially U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers. But the editorial said “ it was disappointing this week to see Rogers fall into the partisan profile that he said he disdained when he was initially elected.”

I agree, but I was surprised not only to see the editorial, but a little confused as to why the editorial ran before the article the editorial was talking about.

I do not agree with either the Democrats or the Republicans on this issue.

It should be pointed out that the so-called lifetime health benefit is really not a lifetime health care benefit, unless they only live until 10 years after they reach age 55. It kicks in only after they are finished with their entire maximum term they can serve and it kicks in at age 55 and is in force until they reach age 65 when Medicare kicks in.

When you consider the responsibility the Legislature has, how much money they oversee and the amount of money lobbyists have to spread around, why is it we want to pay the people making our laws so little? Many mayors make more money and school principals make more that lawmakers. This will kill the notion of the citizen lawmaker, and all we will have in Lansing will be retirees and the independently wealthy. It will cut out the working class from serving that is actually close to the people. You also have to consider how much it costs to be a lawmaker. Lawmaker from the UP has to drive some 500 miles to work, one way.

In just the Democratic caucus, we have an auto worker, a miner a carpenter and a nurse. If we keep going in this direction, that will change, and we will have nothing but the independently rich and lobbyists will hold sway.

Attractive MagLev mass transit system is years away

The Interstate Traveler Task Force issued its report at the Capitol in Lansing on Tuesday after some 10 months, and state lawmakers on the task force recommended fast-tracking of the mass transit system from Detroit to Lansing, if they can find the money.

According to the Interstate Traveler Company from Whitmore Lake, this high tech system called a “Maglev“ system travels using high speed magnetic levitation. The “on-demand public transit network will be built along the right of way of the US Interstate Highway Systems, and any other permissible right of way.” It will be fueled by solar power and hydrogen.

According to the Livingston County Daily Press & Argus, Task Force chair Rep. Bill Rogers, R-Genoa Township, said "This proposal could single-handedly change Michigan's future by providing thousands of jobs, additional revenue for state and local governments, and a massive expansion of our electrical grid." He also said “the MagLev could create a "watershed moment" for Michigan, creating thousands of jobs, and should immediately be discussed in state House and Senate transportation committees.”

I agree, and that’s one reason I have always been a big supporter of mass transit. However, I’m still amazed at the Rogers flip flop. You will recall that when Rogers was the chair of the all-Republican Livingston County Board of Commissioners, they voted in September of 2008 to not only not provide any money to the Washtenaw Livingston Line (WALLY) commuter rail line, but also to not be part of the coalition that wants to form a taxing authority. Rogers was quoted as saying the county cannot afford to finance the project that aims to create a Howell-to-Ann Arbor rail link.

This is a project that has public backing and exiting infrastructure. Now, I support the Maglev system and hope it becomes a reality, but part of the problem is there is not even a prototype demonstrating how the line works. That’s in sharp contrast to WALLY that has a federal funding commitment and existing infrastructure.

Now, critics will say Rogers supports MagLev system because they are only using private investment. The fact is there is no mass transit system that does not have some form of public subsidy, and I would have no problem with using it for MagLev. In fact, the public land the system will be built on can be considered a public subsidy.

But the MagLev may not have private funding. The task force report said, “the Interstate Traveler Co. refused to or did not have answers to many of the financial questions the members asked .”

I sure hope both systems go forward, but the one thing we know for sure is that the MagLev system is a log way off in the future.

Newspaper misses the point on workplace smoking ban

As the smoke clears following the passage of the historic workplace smoking ban yesterday that includes bars and restaurants, it has been interesting to read all the congratulatory messages and the news report.

Not surprisingly, Livingston County’s Legislative delegation all voted against protecting the public from deadly secondhand smoke. All three are Republicans, but that should not matter in this important, bipartisan public health bill.

Reps. Bill Rogers, R-Brighton, and Cindy Denby, R-Handy Township, joined 23 other Republicans in voting no, but 20 of their fellow caucus members did the right thing and voted yes. Sen. Valde Garcia, R-Marion Township, joined 12 Republicans voting no, but nine did the right thing.

I respect Garcia, but his reasons for voting no were disappointing. He told the Livingston County Daily Press & Argus that many restaurants that allow smoking are investing in ventilation systems to prevent smoke from permeating buildings. He said the system of offering both smoking and non-smoking sections still works.

Really? Does he believe smoke obeys a non-smoking signs? If the Senate had held a hearing on the bill like the House did, he would have heard from Dr. Greg Holzman, the medical officer from the Michigan Department of Community Health (DCH), who testified in committee last March that there is no ventilation system invented that can clear out secondhand smoke.

My hometown paper’s editorial on this historic victory was not a surprise, considering they have called the 12-year fight unimportant and displayed a disturbing lack of understanding on how the Legislature works. But it was confusing, and it left readers unsure of what their position really is, other than they had a hole to fill as deadline approached.

It starts with this ridiculous gem: “Do Michigan lawmakers really want to take a position that it is OK to kill casino workers as long as there are some jobs saved in the process?
Apparently so.”

Please. That statement makes no sense when you later go on to say, “If business owners want to allow their customers to smoke, they should be allowed to. The public is free to choose other establishments if they don't like a smoke-filled environment.”

If it kills people, and it does, then it's not a freedom issue it’s a pubic health issue. The reality is that secondhand smoke kills. In fact, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has classified secondhand smoke as a Group A carcinogen containing 4,000 chemicals, including 43 cancer-causing chemicals. In Michigan alone 3,000 people die each year from secondhand smoke. Smokers' rights end when their personal choices negatively impact the health and well-being of nonsmokers, and what freedom is it that allows their addiction to affect the 80 percent of the population that does not smoke? This is especially important given that secondhand smoke is the third leading preventable cause of death in the U.S.

As for jobs, it will have zero effect. How do we know? We have the results from the 37 other states with smoking bans, as well as from the many countries with smoking bans, like Ireland, Italy, Canada and Turkey.

After New York went smoke-free, studies were conducted to evaluate the impact of the smoking ban on restaurants and bars. The results showed an increase in employment and sales tax receipts from these establishments. Regardless, there have been absolutely no studies that show a negative economic impact resulting from a state-wide or country-wide smoking ban. In fact, two recent studies in Michigan reaffirm that fact.

The University of Michigan Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy released a study on May 29, 2009 that concluded the state's bars and restaurants would not be hurt by a proposed workplace smoking ban. Another recent study in the spring of 2008 by the leading Lansing research firm Public Sector Consultants Inc. - called “Smokefree workplaces: The Impact of House Bill 4163 on the Restaurant and Bar Industry in Michigan” – also found a smoking ban had no negative economic impact on bars and restaurants.

It should also be pointed out that the exception only applies to the gamming floor, not the casino’s bars and restaurants, which are smokefree. If anyone thinks we have giving up on banning smoking in the casinos, they are mistaken.

I believe a clean bill with no exceptions would have passed the House yesterday, thanks to the new freshman Representatives. Last session before it ended and all bills not signed into law died, the House took up a clean bill. It got the majority of votes, but it failed to get the required 56 votes to pass. I think this time around it would have gotten the required number.

It would have picked up Livingston County’s two House votes.

The fight is not over, and strange things have happened during Lame Duck.

Livingston County Republicans breach the public trust

As expected, Livingston County’s state Legislative delegation is toeing the Republican line on the budgets cuts that will devastate the state, but the comments of Rep. Bill Rogers, R, Brighton, are becoming screechy.

Just minutes after that the House adjoined on Tuesday after a marathon session that lasted until almost 9 p.m. where a modest revenue increase was approved, Rogers’s staffer sent out a press release blasting the increase.

The House approved a physician Quality Assurance Assessment Program (QAAP) that assesses a 3 percent tax on doctors. Revenue collected from doctors would be matched with Federal funds bringing in $2.70 for every $1 the QAAP raises, and those matching funds would be used to increase Medicaid reimbursement to doctors, bringing them up to Medicare standards. The Department of Community Health budget just approved last month cut the reimbursement rate by 8 percent, putting hospitals in danger of going into bankruptcy and causing some doctors to stop treating Medicaid patients.

But Rogers told the Livingston County Daily Press & Argus that the increase is "a stunning breach of the public trust" that would make it harder to live and work in this state. Please.

If you want a stunning breach of public trust, how about telling high school students that if they do well on the MEAP test they will earn the Michigan Promise scholarship, but once they are enrolled in college, we take it away. That is a breach of the public trust.

He then said he was "outraged" by the proposals, which he said were introduced in "the 11th hour under the cover of darkness." He can be outraged all he wants, but the 11th hour charge is what’s really outrageous. The proposal has been around since late July.

According to the article, Rogers and Rep. Cindy Denby, R-Handy Township, both said the proposals broke an agreement between state House Speaker Andy Dillon, D-Redford Township, and Senate Majority Leader Mike Bishop, R-Rochester, to balance the budget without raising taxes.

Simply not true. Dillon made the deal without the agreement of this caucus, and they both left out the second half of the agreement: Republicans would support supplemental appropriations bills to restore some of the cuts. Dillon said all along he would look to safeguard K-12 education, college scholarships, local police and fire protection and health care for children and seniors.

Livingston County’s state Legislative delegation spews GOP talking points in response to budget crisis

It was no surprise that Livingston County’s state Legislative delegation is against any new tax revenues to save essential programs, but the comments coming from them are still a little surprising.

The comments from freshman Rep. Bill Rogers, R-Brighton, were a little surprising. Rogers is a genuinely good guy in person, but his earlier pretense of being a bipartisan leader went quickly out the window following the budget process last month. Rogers was elected as the co-chair of the Freshman Caucus with the mission to foster friendship and cooperation that would address the problems facing Michigan. They even signed a pledge to cooperate even when they disagree.

Rogers told the Livingston County Daily Press & Argus on Sunday that it would be better if state government shut down. I’m not sure how putting some 50,000 people out of work would help the budget situation. He then said Gov. Jennifer Granholm “entered the budget debate at the zero hour, and that legislators on both sides of the aisle are enraged.”

That is simply not true. The Legislature Rogers is a member of approves budgets, not the Governor. She sent a recommended budget to the Legislature and they can accept or reject it. She was involved in the negotiations with the Speaker of the House and the Senate Majority Leader, but she did not agree with the agreement reached between the two to balance the budget with all cuts. Neither did many in Speaker Andy Dillon’s caucus.

Then he takes a ridiculous shot at the Governor: “Now she gets engaged? Maybe she should go back to Japan," Rogers added, referring to the governor's recent overseas business trip.” Maybe the Republicans should have stayed at the party in Mackinac just three days before the budget deadline.

The Governor has created a lot more jobs on mission trips than Bill Rogers has, and that includes his family business. The auto industry has shed jobs at an unprecedented rate because of the national recession, and the Governor has traveled far and wide with success to diversify the economy and bring new jobs to the state.

The fact is the economy is changing, but our tax structure has not. We are a service economy, yet there is no tax on services. That means every level of government has had to do more with less, yet the demand has increased.

Rogers and the Republicans continue to push the false argument that lower taxes equal economic growth, but we have cut taxes every year in Michigan for the past 15 years. They also buy into the false argument that Michigan is a high tax state. Simply not true.

The conservative Tax Foundation found Michigan has the 17th best business tax climate in the nation, up from 28th in 2006.

Leadership for Freshman Caucus is lacking

Remember all the fuss last winter when the 46 new Michigan State Representatives took the oath of office because of term limits?

It was one of the largest classes of incoming freshman lawmakers in the history of the Legislature, and this group formed a Freshman Caucus to foster friendship and cooperation that would address the problems facing Michigan. They even signed a pledge to cooperate even when they disagree. Livingston County’s own Rep. Bill Rogers, R-Brighton, was elected as the co-chair of the bipartisan caucus.

That pledge appears to be worth no more than the paper it was printed on. Veteran political correspondent Tim Skubick calls out one of the largest caucuses in the House as Michigan faces a budget crisis eerily similar to the budget mess in 2007.

In a column in the online magazine Dome, Skubick says they have failed to assert any influence on the closed-door negotiations between the Governor, the Speaker of the House and the Senate Majority Leader. Sen. Mike Bishop, R-Rochester, is doing the same thing he did in 2007; telling the press he will not consider a revenue increase, but privately, he says he will support it if the Democrats take the heat again.

"Senator Bishop, it’s time to stop negotiating out of both sides of your mouth. For public consumption you demand that the budget be balanced with cuts and no new taxes, yet quietly behind the scenes you’ve given the green light to your minions to negotiate a possible revenue raising deal with the governor," Skubick wrote.

Skubick also has harsh words for Gov. Jennifer Granholm and Speaker of the House Andy Dillon, but he cannot question their honesty like he does Bishop.

He also calls out the freshman for the summer work schedule, but I disagree with part of that. He says, “the House has met one time since the first of July. That’s a six-week summer snooze.“ That’s simply not true. The House has met at least five times since July 1, and they have held committee hearings every day. The Senate has met twice and held no committee meetings.

However, Skubick did say there was some hope for the Freshman Caucus; at least the Democrats.

"There is one ray of hope. The bulk of the new Democrats demanded and got a closed-door meeting with two of the senior Democratic leaders, where they complained about the lackadaisical summer work schedule and griped about being left out of the loop on the budget. Major points for that. But the speaker did not attend. Major points off."

Maybe Rogers, a genuinely nice man, can organize a few more frames of bowling.

All-GOP Board of Commissioners pushing back against Senate Republican unnecessary budget cuts

HOWELL – The rest of the state is finally catching on to the deep, draconian and unnecessary budget cuts Senate Republicans made just before they broke for the two-week summer vacation.

The Senate passed House Bill 4436 that sets the Department of Community Health (DCH) budget on June 24 with only Republican votes. The cuts included some $500 million in general fund cuts as well as $18 million in cuts from the Healthy Michigan Fund. This budget also includes an eight percent cut to Medicaid providers, as well as cuts to community mental health and school health programs. All of the programs save tax money in the long run.

Senate Democrats offered numerous amendments to restore much of the funding that was in the House version, but they all failed along party lines.

Apparently, the all-Republican Livingston County Board of Commissioners is pushing back, and on Monday they passed a resolution with a 7-2 vote opposing the Senate passed version of HB 4436. The bill would consolidate the state's 46 community mental health boards into 18, and the resolution calls that action illegal under the Michigan Mental Health Code.

Mac Miller, Executive Director of Community Mental Health Services of Livingston County, told the Livingston County Daily Press & Argus for a story published Wednesday that if the Senate version passes, his department will have to "kick people out" who are currently receiving services.

Miller told the newspaper that it would mean that the fastest growing county in the state would have to merge with another county, likely Washtenaw, and they “would control how Livingston County money is spent or distributed. The department provides emergency services, assessment, health and medication services, client services management, individual and group therapy and several other services to the community. It serves 1,500-2,000 clients annually.”

Livingston County’s state Congressional delegation were at Monday’s Board of Commissioners meeting to defend their votes. Sen. Valde Garcia, R-Howell, who voted for the Senate version, tried to defend the cuts by saying cuts had to be made somewhere, ignoring the fact that the House version accomplished that. He also claimed “the state is focused on creating more "efficient" government.”

Veterans Commissioner Jack LaBelle dismissed that claim, saying bigger is not always better.

Apparently, Senate Republicans are gearing up for the 2010 campaign, and the decision to deny help to thousands of mentally ill residents was simply so Senate Republicans can claim they cut spending when they are on the campaign trail.

Rep. Bill Rogers, R-Brighton, who voted against the House version, confirmed that, telling the newspaper, it was "good old-fashioned gamesmanship," then criticized the House for passing a bill that added "eight or nine" new programs that will be almost exclusively funded on stimulus money, which will dry up next year. However, he ignores the fact that the House version actually deleted 14 programs.

This is not, however, the final vote on the DCH budget. Because the House and Senate have not agreed on the same funding provisions this bill will be referred to a conference committee where the differences between the House- and Senate-passed versions will be resolved.

Rogers flip-flops on mass transit

Freshman Rep. Bill Rogers, R-Brighton, has been getting plenty of ink since he was sworn into the Michigan House just two months ago in January, but the latest piece of publicity really floored me.

Radio station WHMI is reporting a “press conference will be held Monday by State Representatives Bill Rogers of Brighton and Wayne Schmidt of Traverse City, along with the founder of Interstate Traveler Company” to announce “the creation of a task force to study the feasibility of a rail line from Detroit to Lansing.”

Say what?

Is this the same Bill Rogers that served as the chair of the Livingston County Board of Commissioners who last September voted not to provide any money to the Washtenaw Livingston Line (WALLY) commuter rail line linking Howell to Ann Arbor? The answer is yes. In fact, the board, under Rogers’ leadership, not only decided not to help with any money, but it also decided not to be part of the coalition that wants to form a taxing authority.

I am a huge supporter of mass transit, and use it every day; I van pool to Howell from Lansing. So, I’m excited about this proposal. Mass transit will generate jobs, especially one this extensive, but I fear this is just one more way for Rogers to get his name in the paper.

According to the Interstate Traveler web site, this high tech system reminds me of movies made in the 1950’s when everybody believed we would all have hover cars in 2000. The system Rogers and the House Republicans are pushing is called a “Maglev“ system that travels using high speed magnetic levitation.

According to the company web site, it’s a “first of its kind full integration of solar powered hydrogen production and distribution system supporting a high speed magnetic levitation ( MagLev ) on-demand public transit network built along the right of way of the US Interstate Highway Systems, and any other permissible right of way.” The system is “accessed by Traveler Stations that are built within the right of way of the Interstate Highway within the land locked real-estate.”

This sounds like an exciting concept that will take advantage of new, renewable energy sources, and I hope it comes to fruition. However, I wonder how much it will cost and how long it will take to build an entirely new system and infrastructure.

WALLY will use existing railroad tracks to link Livingston ad Washtenaw counties, but we couldn’t even get Rogers’ support for that. Why is he now supporting a promising but possible pie in the sky proposal? The Livingston County Daily Press & Argus has editorialized against every mass transit system and proposal that has been floated in the county for the last 20 years, and some right-wingers in the county have called WALLY a “train to nowhere.” It will be interesting to see what they think of this proposal.

The good news is no one is giving up on WALLY. The Ann Arbor Transportation Authority (AATA) took control of the planned WALLY commuter rail line. The coalition includes representatives from the cities of Ann Arbor and Howell, Washtenaw county, the University of Michigan, WATS, the Michigan Department of Transportation, Northfield Township, the Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority, Washtenaw Community College, St. Joseph Mercy Hospital, local Chambers of Commerce, AATA and other interested groups and individuals from throughout the WALLY proposed service area. Howell City Councilmen Steve Manor has even spent his own money to support the project.

According to the WHMI report, the press conference will be conducted by Rogers and Rep. Wayne Schmidt, R-Traverse City. With the House controlled by Democrats and the Senate controlled by the Republicans, any successful proposal will require bipartisan support, especially one as complex as this. Where is it?

I see this as just one more proposal by Rogers aimed more at garnering publicity like his other ones than actually accomplishing anything.

His proposal to eliminate the Michigan Business Tax (MBT) surcharge without a replacement will - and should - go nowhere.

He recently introduced a bill and press release that would amend the Public School Employees Retirement Act to require all new Michigan public school employees hired after July 1, 2010 to have a traditional defined contribution plan instead of a defined benefit plan.

This bill was also introduced in the last two legislative sessions. It passed the GOP-controlled House in 2005 when the Republicans controlled both the House and Senate and didn’t become law. Why would it become law now?

I hope this transit plan is not just another publicity stunt.

House Speaker doles out committee assignments

Livingston County lawmakers received some good committee assignments after Michigan House Speaker Andy Dillon, D-Redford Township, announced committee assignments on Monday.

Freshman Rep. Bill Rogers, R-Brighton, was named to the important Appropriations Committee. The appropriations committee is broken down into 19 smaller sub-committees that approve the budgets for each state department, but that list was not yet promulgated or announced.

Freshman Rep. Cindy Dendy, R-Handy Township, was named to four committees. She was named minority vice-chair of the Insurance Committee. Her former boss, term-limited Rep. Joe Hune, R-Hamburg Township, served on that committee, and was briefly the chair. The former Handy Township Supervisor and Clerk was also named to the Committee on Intergovernmental and Regional Affairs, the Committee on New Economy and Quality of Life and the Health Policy Committee.

Dillon also announced the chairs of the 24 committees, and only seven are returning to the same committees thy chaired last session. Among the most interesting, at least to me, was the assignment of Majority Floor Leader Kathy Angerer, D-Dundee, from the chairmanship of the Health Policy Committee to the chair of the Ethics and Election Committee. I'm a little biased because I once worked in her office as the world's oldest intern, but she has a well-deserved reputation for getting things done. Rep. Mark Corriveau, D-Northville, takes over the chair of the Health Policy Committee.

Rep. Kate Ebli, D-Monroe, who I campaigned for, gets a chairmanship for the first time with the important Tax Policy Committee.

P & A’s tradition of Rogers’ cheerleading moves on to another Rogers

The Livingston County Daily Press & Argus is living up to its name as the Rogers Newsletter, and it has shifted its kid gloves coverage to anointer Rogers, freshman state Rep. Bill Rogers, R-Brighton.

In his five terms in the U.S. House, the newspaper has been the biggest cheerleader for U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Livingston County. The paper’s reporters and editors have not asked many tough questions of Rogers. I, unfortunately, was also guilty of that when I covered politics for the P & A. The only reporter I know of who was ever tough on Rogers - actually more on Press Secretary Sylvia Warner - was Jon Zemke. The Rogers camp complained, and he was reassigned. To be fair, every single beat was changed, and I don’t know if they were related.

A few weeks ago the newspaper editorialized that Mike Rogers should run for governor, simply because he’s from Livingston County. Why?

“Because having a governor from Livingston County would obviously benefit the home folks.” So why Rogers shouldn’t put his hat into the ring? “The Howell High School grad is as qualified as anyone else considering a run.”

The facts don’t bear that out. At best his record is thin, and at worst anti-child; voting against the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). Can anyone point out a major accomplishment or even something he has done for the 8th Congressional District? His biggest accomplishment is his ability to raise money for the GOP.

Last Sunday there were four articles that mentioned Mike Rogers, but the most blatant cheerleading piece was a column from metro editor Buddy Moorehouse, a former Republican state House candidate. He predicts Rogers will run and most likely win.

“Furthermore, if he does run for governor, I think he'll have a good chance of winning. A very good chance.”

The only thing I do agree with is when Moorehouse says, “I've never seen a better campaigner. Ever.”

If he decides to run, the task for Democrats will be to force him to run on his record and not on his ability to work the room.

The kid gloves treatment has now shifted to an elder Rogers. Now, Bill Rogers is really a nice guy, but that does not make him a good lawmaker. His predecessor proved that. In Friday’s edition of the newsletter, it basically reprints a press release outlining Roger’s legislative agenda. If you ever need an example of uncritical reporting here it is. In fairness, I’m sure if some of it has to do with overworked reporters doing more with less.

The press release that came out on Jan. 22 says, “Rogers today began work on that agenda by introducing legislation to immediately repeal the job-killing Michigan Business Tax surcharge.” It also said, “The lawmaker's MBT surcharge legislation now goes to a House committee for review.”

The only problem is the bill was never introduced; not by any state Representative. On Jan. 22 there were 119 bills introduced in the House, but not that one. The only bill Rogers introduced was House Bill 4082, the “Hardesty Law” that bars a candidate who loses in the primary from running as a write-in candidate in the general election.

The press release also says, “Along with ending the MBT surcharge, Rogers also will introduce legislation to reduce state legislators' pay if they do not attend session in Lansing.”

There is only a small problem with that. Rep. Paul Opsommer introduced House Joint Resolution (HJR) A that cuts legislative pay and reduces lawmaker’s pay when they miss votes. HJR D, introduced by Rep. Marty Knollenberg, also reduces lawmaker’s pay when they miss votes. Rogers is a co-sponsor, but that is not much more than ceremonial. Lawmakers like it when they have cosponsors from the opposite party to demonstrate bipartisan support. But the sponsor and the other two co-sponsors are all Republicans.

Freshman Livingston County Rep elected to leadership position in GOP House

Even though he has not yet been sworn in, Bill Rogers was elected to a leadership position Thursday in the Republican House Caucus, tapped as the Assistant Minority Floor Leader.

The position does not carry much responsibility when you are in the minority party, but it's unusual that a freshman is elected to a leadership position. However, in the era of term limits three incoming freshman Representatives were chosen for three of the seven leadership positions for the 43 seat GOP caucus. The Democrats won nine seats in the election to increase their advantage to 67-43. The person Rogers replaced, term-limited Chris Ward, was the Floor Leader when Republicans controlled the House, but he was ousted after he voted for the income tax increase last fall to avoid a government shutdown.

I got to know Rogers when I covered the Livingston County Board of Commissioners, and he is a competent, friendly and respectful man. Prior to being elected to the House to represent Livingston County's 66th District, he was the chair of the Board of Commissioners. However, he was clearly bested in the debates during the election.

The election seems somewhat surprising when you consider how much experience fellow freshman Livingston County colleague, Cindy Denby, has after serving as a legislative aide to Rep. Joe Hune, whom she replaces to represent the 47th House District.

Name to lead the GOP caucus Thursday as the House Republican Leader was Rep. Kevin Elsenheimer, R- Bellaire. Elected by his colleagues as the House Minority Floor Leader was Rep. Dave Hildenbrand, R-Lowell; chosen as House Minority Assistant Speaker was Rep. Arlan Meekhof, R-West Olive; chosen as Caucus Chair was incoming freshman Eileen Kowall, R-White Lake; and chosen as Assistant Caucus Chair was incoming freshman Larry DeShazor, R-Kalamazoo.

Despite facing a drunk driving charge and being asked to resign by some Republican colleagues, Rep. Kevin Green, R- Wyoming, was elected as Minority Whip.

The Great Debates continue for those candidates flying solo

With just two weeks before the historic General Election, The Center for Michigan and Detroit Public TV are winding down their inaugural series of televised debates between Michigan House candidates dubbed "The Great Debates."

The series began last month with candidates squaring off in 30-minute, fixed-format debates taped at DPTV’s Detroit studios with a panel of state journalists moderating and asking the questions. The debates are being aired on PBS and available on line at the sponsor's web sites. It was hoped to feature all of the 110 contested House seats. They fell short of that goal, but the concept is a good one and can be called a success.

As the election approaches, the format has changed as some candidates declined to appear for various reasons, and the format has evolved into a panel discussion for those candidates whose opponent has decline for whatever reason.

The current debate airing features Livingston County Democrat Donna Anderson running for the open 66th District House seat. As you may know her opponent, Republican Bill Rogers, backed out of an earlier commitment. Anderson is accusing Rogers of ignoring voters and coasting on the fact that Livingston County is predominantly Republican and on his family name. His excuse is that that work commitments caused him to cancel, but that seems flimsily.

I understand that often the front runner prefers not to debate in order not to give their opponents any free publicity at their expense, but this does not seem to fit that bill. If U.S. Sen. Carl Levin can agree to debate a nobody like Jack Hoogendyk, then Rogers can surely carve out 30 minutes of his busy schedule to speak to voters. Plus, it's a public service.

Regardless, you can watch Anderson on line now appearing in a panel with Republican Sandra Eggers and Democrat Robert Murphy running for the open 36th District 36 seat that covers Romeo and Shelby Township.

Also on tap is a separate forum featuring Republican Neil DeBlois, Republican Edith Floyd, Republican Eric Lielbriedis and Democrat Mark Venie running for the open 44th District seat that covers parts of Highland, White Lake and Clarkston.

Next week will feature Democrat Rep. Tim Melton, D-Pontiac, Republican David MiCola and Republican Jason Balaska. That will air from 3-5 p.m. on Oct. 26 and online.

GOP House front runner cancels debate at the last minute

Apparently Bill Rogers, GOP candidate for the 66th District Michigan House seat, can't find 30 minutes in his busy schedule for the voters.

Rogers and Donna Anderson, his Democratic challenger for the open seat that covers Livingston County, were set to tape a 30-minute televised debate sponsored by the Center for Michigan and Detroit Public TV. In what is being called the Great Debates, 30-minute, fixed-format debates are being taped at DPTV’s Detroit studios with a panel of journalists consisting off Nolan Finley of The Detroit News, and Ron Dzwonkowski and Stephen Henderson of the Detroit Free Press. The plan is for all of the 110 contested races to be televised.

Last week saw three debates televised on Sunday afternoon and on the two sponsor's web sites, and four more are set this week. They are Livingston County's open 47th District featuring GOP candidate Cindy Denby and Democrat Scott Lucas, Oakland County's 37th District featuring GOP candidate Paul Welday and Democrat Vicki Barnett, Oakland County's 45th District featuring ultraconservative right-winger Tom McMillan and Democrat Randy Young and Washtenaw County's 54th District featuring perennial GOP candidate Tom Banks and Incumbent Alma Wheeler Smith.

Those debates can already be viewed online, and they will air from 3-5 p.m. Sunday on Detroit PBS.

Rogers and Anderson's debate was also supposed to air this Sunday, but Rogers apparently canceled at the last minute, according to the local newspaper. Anderson is accusing Rogers of ignoring voters and coasting on the fact that Livingston County is predominantly Republican and on his family name; he is the older brother of U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers and his mother was the director of the Greater Brighton Chamber of Commerce for many years. According to the article, Dave Manney, director of program development with Detroit Public Television, is still hopeful the debate can be rescheduled.

County board's decision to kill transit line demonstrates lack of foresight

A perfect example of why we need another viewpoint on the nine-member, all Republican Livingston County Board of Commissioners is their decision last week to not only not provide any money to the Washtenaw Livingston Line (WALLY) commuter rail line, but it will also not be part of the coalition that wants to form a taxing authority.

According to a report in the Livingston County Daily Press & Argus, board chair Bill Rogers said the county cannot afford to finance the project that aims to create a Howell-to-Ann Arbor rail link. Officials have estimated annual funding from each county ranging from $75,000-$150,000.

A move to establish a mass transit hub in Howell and Livingston County has been ongoing since the late 1990's, but there was hope this latest effort would succeed because of the strong commitment of the coalition members, gas prices above $4 a gallon and the backups experienced along U.S. 23, the north/south highway to Ann Arbor where many Livingston County residents work.

The good news is that even though the county board continues to lack any forward vision at all, the coalition members plan to go forward despite the county's refusal to get with the times. Washtenaw County Chair Jeff Irwin said establishing the line is still feasible without Livingston County's help.

Locally, the City of Howell and the Greater Brighton Chamber of Commerce are behind the project. U.S. Rep. John Dingell, D-Dearborn, said a solid taxing authority needs to be in place before federal funds can be secured.

I have heard this project described by one rightwing blogger as a "train to nowhere." I don't consider Howell, Brighton or Ann Arbor nowhere. Perhaps we could have gotten some of the massive federal funds Alaska gets every year, like from the money for the real bridge to nowhere. The problem is Gov. and GOP VP candidate Sarah Palin, who campaigned hard for it then and now says she is against it, accepted the money anyway.

The current gas prices illustrate the need for some real mass transit in this state. Hurricane Ike helped shoot gas prices back up to as high as $4.24 a gallon in Howell. The day before the hurricane hit the Gulf Coast on Friday, there were reports that gas went as high as $5 per gallon in Lansing.

This spike came after weeks of a slow, but steady decline in gas prices that led to gas prices falling to as low as $3.69 a gallon in Howell. Now, that wasn't because of the goodness of the oil companies or because supply increased. It was because demand fell because Americans are cutting back on driving and finding alternative ways to get to work, such as car pooling.

Now, wouldn't it be nice if commuters actually had a few options besides one car and one driver? Since November I have been a member of a car pool, van pool actually. This might be a good time to give a shout out to the Michivan. I'm sure you have seen them tooling around Lansing or parked in the commuter lots scattered all over Michigan.

But the failure of the county board of commisioners to cooperate with its neighbors and help create something that will benefit the region is just one more failure to look forward and provide any type of service to its residents.

Livingston County is a bedroom community, and it was also once one of the fastest growing counties in the state. That has been because two major interstates – one east/west and one north/south – meet in Livingston County. After talking to many people, I have found that the county is a compromise of sort when people relocate. One spouse may work in Lansing and the other in the Detroit area. Then Livingston County is the compromise. With gas relatively inexpensive that commute was not much of a problem, but with gas at or near $4 a gallon Livingston County is not so attractive anymore.

Now, for the people in the county who are against growth and want to shut the door behind them that may be fine. But for school officials who need new pupils and the per-pupil foundation grant they bring to the budget it's not so good. A commuter option would help.

The board's lack of foresight will ensure we stay a bedroom community where we have to leave the county to work, to go to college or even to take in recreation.

The county has more than 180,000 people, but we don't have as much as a community college of our own. Of the five counties that border the county, all but one has a community college of its own. We only recently got a county park, and that was only after it was forced on the county with a donation via a will more than four years ago. It is not much more than a piece of property, but Washtenaw, Ingham and Oakland counties have active parks with amenities.

All five of the counties have a full-blown YMCA – on of my pet peeves, by the way – yet Livingston County has just started one but does not yet have a facility. Even much smaller Shiawassee County has one. Now, I understand that county government does not have much to do with establishing a YMCA, but it certainly illustrates our lack of identity.

Livingston County favorite sons get by with too much help from their friends

Anyone trying to beat a Rogers in Livingston County has an uphill battle on their hands.

U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Brighton, is running for his fifth term in the U.S. Congress after wining his first term by a less than 1 percent of the vote with a mere 111 votes in 2000 back in the days when the 8th District was actually a competitive swing district. This is the same district than produced Democratic U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow, and it was her election to the Senate that opened the seat for Rogers. He is again running against Lansing resident Bob Alexander.

After Republican gerrymandering in 2002, Rogers needs little help in keeping the seat, but he is getting plenty of it anyway. So I was a little surprised to see this notice about the Greater Brighton Area Chamber of Commerce’s membership breakfast on Sept. 15. In the middle of election season, it is featuring Mike Rogers.

The blurb says he will present something called "Energy, Economy and Jobs." “Congressman Rogers will delve into his plans to help the United States develop diverse and clean sources of energy with his Energy Independence Plan, lower gas prices and share ways to bring jobs to Michigan.”

I don’t know what else we are going to hear from Rogers, other than drill here drill now. Rogers has been a extremely close alley of oilman George Bush, and anything he says beside drill, drill, drill is just rhetoric from him.

But the most glaring thing for me was: how can they allow him to give basically a campaign stump speech less than two month before the election and not extend the same courtesy to his opponent? This is even advertised on the Livingston County Republican Party’s web site.

I understand his mother was the director of the chamber for many years and the building that houses the chamber offices are named in honor of her, but there are still standards.

We need to call the chamber at (810) 227-5086 and ask for some fairness.

As you know, his older brother, Livingston County Commissioner Bill Rogers, is running for the open seat in the state House for the 66th District against Democrat Donna Anderson.

Last month the hometown Livingston County Press & Argus, long friendly to the Rogers family, did a puff piece on the Rogers family last month. The general manager of the paper has even contributed to Mike Rogers campaign. When supporters of Donna Anderson complained about the piece and not giving equal time, they were told it was not a political piece.

Now, I will agree it was a puff piece in that no tough questions were asked, but to paint it as not a political piece is disingenuous at best. None of the three are new to public office, so you have to question the timing of this article.

Then a quick check of Bill Rogers campaign finance report reveals an interesting tidbit. On July 29 there is an expenditure to the Press & Argus for $2,207 in advertising . Now, there was once a time when the best way to reach voters was through the local newspaper, and if you went through back issues from 15-20 years ago you would see lots of political advertising in the local newspaper. However, that has gone the way of kids on bicycles delivering the local newspaper.

As a support of newspapers and a former print journalist that’s a sad fact, but you cannot deny that readership has fallen off. Newspaper advertising is not the best way to reach voters anymore, unfortunately.

He spent $1,340 on the local radio station, but a mere $180 on the Ann Arbor News weekly product that covers Livingston County with an office in downtown Brighton.

It seems funny that less than a month after spending more than $2,000 with the paper, we get this puff piece.

Just asking.

Pair of local stories illustrate the ridiculous notion of the ‘Liberal media’

I continue to be amazed that people continue to try and float the ridiculous Nixonsque political strategy of the “liberals media.”

It has worked so well that reporters - I know because I was once one of them - work so hard to disprove that disgusting, false label that their reporting is skewed so far right it’s not funny. When you add the fact that 99.9 percent of the traditional media outlets are owned by a few large corporations, the media can truly be called conservative.

We see an excellent example of that in Sunday’s edition of the Livingston County Daily Press and Argus in a pair of pieces from reporter Kristofer Karol. He does an article on Republican presidential candidate Grampy McSame‘s desperation pick of small time mayor Sarah Palin as his VP.

In the article he quotes all local Republican leaders. Not one Democrat is quoted. That would seem to make the article a little one-sided. But it’s their candidate, so it may be nit-picking to criticize. The best quote is from Bill Rogers, the chair of the county Board of Commissioners and the Republican candidate for the 66th District state House seat. He says the pick of Palin is a political ply. I agree, at least with half of his argument.

“To me, this is all a political ploy," Rogers said. "They're going to say she's a novice, which then we ... see that the (Democratic) presidential hopeful is a novice, so it kind of killed that argument."

That’s in sharp contrast to his brother, Republican U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers, who toes the party lie:
"As a popular maverick governor who fought corruption, Governor Palin has demonstrated she shares Senator McCain's independence and dedication to fix a broken Washington.”

Is this the same Washington a member of the Keating 5 has been a part of for almost 30 years?

I don’t agree with many of Bill’s positions, but I respect him. If he’s elected, it will be refreshing to have someone who will represent all of the people in the 66th District, not just Republicans.

Judy Daubenmier, chair of the Livingston Country Democratic Party, has an excellent analysis of the article on her blog LivingBlue

There is also a story in the same edition by the same reporter on Democratic Presidential Nominee Sen. Barack Obama’s historic acceptance speech called “Area Dems inspired by Obama's speech.”

The problem here is the article quotes three Republicans in the story - all three were also quoted in the Palin story - and all three, of course, toe the party lie that Obama is just a good speaker and nothing else. Term-limited state Rep. Joe Hune’s quote is the most ridiculous, who says it was just fluff. This from a man who has done little in he state House besides collect a paycheck for six years.

“"I compare him to (Gov. Jennifer) Granholm: A lot of fluff," Hune said.

The story only quotes three Democrats, and the obvious question is why quote Republicans in this story and not quote Democrats in the Palin story?

The other disturbing thing is the Democratic quotes were collected at the convention watching party held Thursday at Memories Lounge and Restaurant in Brighton. I was there, and Mr. Karol was there too because I saw him. Why not talk about the excitement there, the overflow crowd or the volunteers making calls to undecided voters at the event?

Why the imbalance? I know reporters on small and mid-size daily newspapers have to churn out lots of copy on tight deadlines, buy one more phone call or two less would have added balance to both stories.

Blogger concurs with editorial board state House endorsements

The editorial board of the Livingston Daily Press & Argus confirmed the endorsements I made Friday when they came up with their endorsements Sunday for the contested races for the two open state House Districts in Livingston County.

The paper endorsed Handy Township Supervisor Cindy Denby in her bid for the Republican nomination for the 47th District seat. The paper endorsed Livingston County Commissioner Bill Rogers - older brother of U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers - for the Republican nomination for the 66th District seat. It endorsed community activist Donna Anderson for the Democratic nomination for the 66th District seat.

I live in the 47th District, and I am considering voting for Denby. Remember, you can’t split your ticket between parties in the primary or the ballot will be rejected. I don’t believe there is a contested race in my commission district, so I may vote on the GOP side.

Like I said before, I strongly disagreed with the positions Denby took in the latest debate, but I hope she was playing to the base like many politicians do in primary elections. I will be voting for Scott Lucas in the General Election. My experience with Denby from covering Handy Township as a reporter is she is fair, competent and professional.

But I want the best candidates running in the General Election in case Denby wins in the General Election, and past history says the GOP nominee will win the General. A vote is too precious and too many people died to secure the vote for me to waste it on an inferior candidate just because I want to see a Democrat win.

I disagree with the paper’s final word of caution. “Denby is often low-key and quiet for a policymaker. We believe she'll have to show initiative in Lansing to get attention for her agenda and the agenda of Livingston County. She'll need to show more assertiveness to get her issues heard in the hubbub of the House of Representatives.”

My experience is the person who works quietly behind the scenes with both party’s gets things done.

Leadership of political parties in Livingston County will change with resignations

I was surprised and disappointed to find out Joe Carney will be stepping down as chair of the Livingston County Democrat Party. I have known Joe since I moved back to Livingston County for good in 2000, and I consider him a friend.
He has served the party well for 13 years, and anyone can see how the party has grown under his leadership. We have our own HQ and the number of volunteers is growing and continues to grow. I, and, the party, will miss Joe, and I hope he stays around to help us out. I know Kathy will still be around as the chair of the 8th Congressional District.
Even though there are big shoes to fill, finding a quality replacement should not be that difficult because there are so many qualified people out there. Just to throw out a few names I know personally who will do a great job include Irene Cahill, Donna Anderson, Bob Alexander, Mary Andersson, Debby Buckland, Anne King-Hudson, one of the McGivney brothers, Jim Swonk or Jan Vogel. Those are just names off the top of my head.
A new chair will be chosen at the party’s annual holiday party Sunday at the party HQ.

On the Republican side, party chair Cindy Pine also stepped down after four years. I personally know Cindy, and I have a lot of respect for her. The names of the possible replacements the Daily Press & Argus is throwing around is rather scary. The extremist wing of the party that was responsible for the shameful judiciary questionnaire put out last summer could seize control of the party. Bill Rogers, the chair of the Livingston County Board of Commissioners, hit the nail on the head when he said the episode may have been a case of extremists taking over the party's agenda. "Extremism doesn't do you any good," he said.
I know Bill personally and respect him, and he’s a class guy. He would be an excellent chair if the county and the party's charters allow it. His leadership would benefit the entire county. But an endorsement by a Democrat will do him no good. From a political standpoint I would prefer to see some of the other candidates mentioned get the job.
Wendy Day, a member of the Howell School Board and a member of the so-called LOVE hate group, was one person mentioned.
For a good laugh check out this paragraph from the article by Dan Meisler: “When asked about the direction of the party, Day said it should keep sight of the "family values" that define Republicans, as well as the limited government and low taxes championed by President Ronald Reagan.” Family values? Is she for real?
Also mentioned was Jay Drick, a member of the GOP exertive committee and a candidate for Livingston County District Judge earlier this month. It was Drick who helped create the much talked about split in the party when the party took the unusual step of endorsing in a nonpartisan race. His campaign lit also put out some false charges about his opponent, Judge Theresa Brennan.
A new chair will most likely be chosen at the party’s convention on Thursday.