Teabaggers trying to spin partisan event as nonpartisan

Apparently, Howell Public School Board member and head teabagger Wendy Day’s ballot group is aware it’s violating school district rules by holding a petition drive kick-off event tonight at a school district facility.

The latest promo that appeared in the local newspaper is now calling it a “townhall meeting.” That or the newspaper is helping them because the ballot group, called "Michigan Citizens for Healthcare Freedom,” is still calling it a petition kickoff on its web site. A better name would be Freedom From Life-Saving Care. This is, by the way, is the third straight day the promo for this event has appeared either in the newspaper or its web site, yet it lets the person who authorized my tax dollars to support a political position many people do not support off the hook.

The so-called “Michigan Citizens for Healthcare Freedom” is planning a petition drive kickoff for 6:30 p.m. tonight, Monday, March 29 at the Howell Freshman Campus cafeteria - 1400 W. Grand River Ave. 48843- to exempt Michigan from the historic health insurance reform law signed into law by President Obama last week and place the constitutional amendment on the ballot.

School District policy prohibits district facilities and equipment from being used for political purposes, and this is clearly a partisan political rally. HPS Assistant Superintendent Rick Terries authorized the event because he says it is considered an “informational meeting.” The problem with that logic is that it’s information for launching a petition drive, or, in other words, it’s a one-sided political event.

I have already called and complained, but have got no answer. Call Mr. Terries at (517)548-6357 to respectfully lodge your complaint over tax dollars being used to advocate for a political position.

Stop teabaggers from denying Michiganders access to life-saving health care

Apparently, Livingston County is going to be “ground zero” or teabag central for the petition drive to place a constitutional amendment on the ballot to try and deny thousands of Michigan residents access to life-saving health care.

A ballot group called “Michigan Citizens for Healthcare Freedom” is planning a petition drive kickoff for 6:30 p.m. Monday, March 29 at the Howell Freshman Campus cafeteria - 1400 W. Grand River Ave. 48843- to exempt Michigan from the historic health insurance reform law signed into law by President Obama last week.

The group is led Howell Public School Board member and teabagger Wendy Day. An article in today’s Livingston County Daily Press & Argus is little more than a promo for the event, and I’m sorry I suggested it to my former colleague. It’s ironic that just a few feet away from where Day voted to strip health care from more than 30 Howell school bus drivers she wants to rally people to deny it to thousands of Michigan residents.

This partisan political rally clearly violates district policy about using district facilities and events for political purposes, and this is a partisan political rally. The reporter never got an answer from Assistant Superintendent Rick Terres on why this is not a political rally advocating for a position. There is no way it can be “considered an informational meeting, which isn't prohibited in the district's building-use policy, according to the article.

Where is the other side if it’s an “informational meeting?”

“A prior district policy prohibited political campaigning in district buildings, though Day's event doesn't fall in that category, Terres said.
That policy was revised in 2008 to allow candidate forums for local, state and national political races. The change was made after a Daily Press & Argus candidate forum scheduled at a district building was canceled by district officials, Terres said.”

Again, this is a political rally, and it is not in any way a political forum. Now, if a representative from both sides of the issue held a debate, then it would meet the criteria for a forum or informational meeting. Clearly, it doesn’t. It’s a partisan political rally, and I don’t want my tax dollars as a homeowner in the HPS district to be used to try and kill something that is needed so much.

So, if you’re not doing anything Monday evening, please attend to show your support for the 32 million people who will receive health care coverage under this bill. If you can’t make it, call the person who made the decision to allow taxpayers funds to support a partisan position. Call Associate Superintendent Richard Terres at (517) 548-6357 to lodge a complaint.

Teabaggers led by school board member kickoff petition drive, again

Teabaggers led by Howell School Board member Wendy Day are launching a petition drive to stop 32 million Americans with no health care insurance from getting it and violating Howell Public School policy in the process.

Subscription only MIRS is reporting Day and a ballot committee called “Michigan Citizens for Healthcare Freedom” is planning a petition drive kickoff for 6:30 p.m. Monday at the Howell Freshman Campus cafeteria to 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.

This is the same amendment the Senate Republicans tried to pass on March 16, but it fell two votes short of the two-thirds majority it needed to get on the ballot. It’s also the same petition drive extreme rightwing Rep. Tom McMillin, R-Rochester Hills, launched on March 22 outside William Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak. Apparently, teabaggers like kickoffs.

Like McMillin, Day has not had much success in petition drives. Day took the unusual step of launching a recall attempt against three of the four Howell Public School Board members who voted to fire the Superintendent. That attempt against her fellow board members failed miserably.

It’s ironic that the petition drive is taking place at the Freshman Campus, 1400 W. Grand River Ave. It also houses both the district’s administrative offices and board office. District policy bars facilities and equipment from being used for political campaigns. That was illustrated in April 2007 when the district canceled a forum for school board candidates, and cited the district policy that states, “District facilities and equipment shall not be used or made available for political campaigns.”

That was simply a nonpartisan forum so voters could hear from candidates, and this petition drive is extremely partisan.

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. The Michigan State Board of Canvassers must first approve the ballot language before any signatures are collected. Once language is approved, the required signatures must be collected in six months and there can be no more than 90 days between the first and last signature. Any signatures collected before the board of canvassers are invalid, and that, to my knowledge has not happened.

However, the ballot committee, “Michigan Citizens for Healthcare Freedom,” was filed with the Michigan Secretary of State on March 22, and Day is listed as the treasurer.

MIRS reported “Day said the Michigan Citizens for Healthcare Freedom is in the process of rallying liberty groups across the state to pass around petitions for this effort.”