Washtenaw Republican Informer Archives

Washtenaw Republican Informer
October, 2009

In this Issue:

* Mackinac Island Republican Leadership Conference Report
* National Level: The Fight Over a Health Care Reform Bill is not Done
* State Level: September 30? Was Something Supposed to Happen by September 30?\
* Local Level:
     WISD Enhancement Millage
     Washtenaw County Tax Increase
     County Commissioner Mark Ouimet’s Guest Column
* National Issues Forum (NIF) Forums
* Candidates for Office
* Events
* How to Influence Public Policy
* Letter to the Editor Guide
* Statement of Ideals
* Links You May Enjoy

Mackinac Island Republican Leadership Conference Report

About 2300 active Republicans swarmed Mackinac Island September 25-27. The highlights included dinners with nationally known speakers, 3 sessions of “Fix Michigan” panelists, very promising candidates for state offices holding receptions and a debate, and a straw poll for those candidates. The most important activities, however, were the networking, sharing information and catching the infectious optimism that not only do the Michigan Republicans have ideas on what to do to Fix Michigan, but that 2010 will be a good year for Republicans to win the elections needed to implement those ideas.

Hazzah! (an old, “Spirit of ‘76“, Revolutionary War period cheer!)

National Level: The Fight Over a Health Care Reform Bill is not Done

Vocal opposition to the “Health Care Reform” efforts in Washington, D.C. is cooling. In part, this is because most citizens who become politically active only do so for a short period of time, before returning to their immediate needs in their daily lives. Others have been fooled by the Baucus Senate Finance Committee “health care reform” bill which the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) and the staff of the Joint Committee on Taxation have calculated will not raise the deficit.

Beware!

1.      There is no “Baucus bill” as it is only a conceptual framework without actual legislative language. See Jubilation over the “Health Care Reform” Bill that Isn’t a Bill and Isn’t Going To Be the Bill and Max's Adventures in Wonderland.

2.      The calculations include increased revenues and “savings” over ten years but the cost of benefits over only 8 years.

3.      The increased revenues are obtained by tax increases.

4.      The “savings” are achieved by benefit reductions, primarily to seniors, and vaporous “cutting fraud and waste”.

5.      The bill is estimated to still leave 25 million Americans uninsured.

6.      The Democrats are likely to ram a bill through the Senate using either

a.       60 votes to invoke the cloture rule to close debate (either by having all Democrats vote for cloture or bring along one or two Republican Senators, such as Snow) or

b.      Using Congress’s budget reconciliation process which requires only a simple majority vote, which is outside the normal Senate procedure, which requires 60 votes to end debate on a bill; thus taking away the filibuster, letting some Democrat Senators off the hook to vote for a controversial bill and passing the bill without the need for any Republican votes.

c.       And, carving out a bill such as use H.R. 1586—a bill passed by the House in March to impose a 90-percent tax on bonuses paid to employees of certain bailed-out financial institutions—as a ‘shell’ for enacting the final version of the Senate’s health care bill (to evade the Constitutional requirement that such a bill originate in the House of Representatives) The House Democrats are very reluctant to take “unnecessary” hard votes on a bill which may not have the votes in the Senate, due to the first term Democrat Representatives being very nervous about their ability to get re-elected next year.

d.      And, passing the bill with little time for the public to read and react to “the final agreed upon” bill, despite cries for the proposed minimal 3 day period that a bill be posted prior to passage. Oops, it appears House and Senate Democrats recently blocked amendments that would have required health care bills to be posted online for 72 hours before a committee vote. Hmm, I guess citizens really wouldn’t be interested anyway, you think?

In short, a bill may be passed using a very unusual closed door procedure to craft the bill with no input from the American people. Such a bill will NOT be bi-partisan, and it will not achieve the dual objectives of containing costs and universal coverage that were the original reasons for many Americans initially supporting the concept of health care reform. This is NOT the change we need!

 For more information from the Republican National Committee: Grab Your Pocketbooks: When Democrats Say ‘Deficit Neutral’, Americans See Their Taxes Go Up

State Level: September 30? Was Something Supposed to Happen by September 30?

The September 30 deadline for passing the budget came and went without the necessary agreement being reached. House Democrats stalled until the last days to even get serious about the budget, and then tried to ram tax increases through to avoid the hard choices needed to balance the budget. Governor Granholm was missing in action.

At this writing, it appears that an agreement has been reached on the K-12 school budget and perhaps some revenue increases (which includes a 3-year phase-out of the Michigan Business Tax 22% surcharge).

For up-to-the minute updates, several Republicans have been posting on Facebook what is happening in each chamber. The Senate Republican and House Republican websites are good sources as well.

 Clearly, the budget process is busted!

 Local Level:

WISD Enhancement Millage – The Washtenaw County Republican Executive Committee overwhelmingly voted to oppose the Washtenaw Intermediate School District millage which would levy 2 mills for the next 5 years on all property within the school districts within Washtenaw County. This will be on the ballot November 3, 2009. While the Committee was unanimously supportive of education, they felt the struggling homeowners and businesses in our difficult economy do not need an additional burden. Following a presentation and a question and answer period with the Superintendents from the Ann Arbor, Chelsea and Saline school districts, the Committee felt that cost cutting measures that the districts had not implemented and were still available were the better approach. For more information from the districts, go to: Information Flier and Questions and Answers  

Washtenaw County Tax Increase – The Washtenaw County Board has given a preliminary OK to a .04 mill property tax increase. More information.

County Commissioner Mark Ouimet’s Guest Column in the Heritage Newspapers re increasing government efficiency and appreciation events for first responders.

National Issues Forum (NIF) Forums

 Earlier this year, Washtenaw County Republicans sponsored two NIF forums. This fall, the Gerald R. Ford Library is holding two forums at the Library at 1000 Beal Avenue, Ann Arbor, MI 48109 Map

October 27 (Tuesday), 5:30 – 8:00 p.m. Coping with the Cost of Health Care: How Do We Pay for What We Need? The questions to be addressed are: how can we get the health care we require, in the face of rising costs? How can we pay for what we need?

November 17 (Tuesday), 5:30 – 8:00 p.m. Regaining the American Perspective: Building an Economy that Works for Everyone. The issue to be discussed: Once we restart the economy, how can we build it into a place where we would want to live? For information call (734) 205-0555.

 In addition, we will hold an NIF style forum on Reforming the Michigan Tax Structure: Putting Michigan Back to Work. Options to be discussed include “holding the line”, some tax increases, and the proposed Michigan Fair Tax. The tax structure is greatly in need of a total revamping, but the Legislature has kicked the can down the road year-after-year with short term “fixes”. This discussion dialogue forum will give you a chance to express your opinion about what makes the most sense to you. It is hoped to be just the first of many such forums across the state to gather the sentiments of the voters to be communicated to our State Legislators.

The forum will be on Wednesday, October 21 from 6:30 - 9:00 p.m. in the first floor meeting rooms at the Republican Headquarters: NCMS Building, 3025 Boardwalk, Ann Arbor, MI 48108 Map To RSVP and get more information, contact Rick Olson at olson48176@comcast.net .

 Candidates for Office

 The Straw Poll at the Mackinac Island Republican Leadership Conference (September 25-27) yielded interesting, if not very meaningful, results.

Governor (alphabetical)

Mike Bouchard - Oakland County Sheriff, Ex-State Senate Majority Leader, Ex-State Rep & '06 US Sen. Nominee (with Terri Lynn Land (Secretary of State) named as his running mate for Lieutenant Governor

Mike Cox - Attorney General, Ex-Wayne County Deputy Prosecutor & USMC Veteran

Tom George (R) - State Sen., Ex-Senate Majority Leader, Ex-State Rep. & Physician

Peter Hoekstra (R) - Congressman & Ex-Manufacturing Executive

Rick Snyder - Venture Capitalist, Ex-Gateway Computer CEO & Attorney

John Cherry or Andy Dillon appears to be the likely Democrat candidate. 

Secretary of State

Cameron Brown - State Sen. & Ex-St. Joseph County Commissioner

Judy Emmons - Ex-State Representative

Michelle McManus - State Sen., Ex-State Rep., Ex-Gubernatorial Aide & '98 US Rep. Nominee

Ann Norlander - Calhoun County Clerk & Ex-Calhoun County Commissioner

Paul Scott – Grand Blanc first term State Representative (reported by Tim Skubick as considering running)

Jocelyn Benson, a Harvard Law School graduate, WSU Professor & Attorney appears to be a recently announced, favored Democrat candidate

 
Attorney General

Mike Bishop - State Senate Majority Leader, Ex-State Rep. & Attorney

Bruce Patterson - State Sen., Ex-State Rep., Ex-Wayne County Commissioner & Attorney

Bill Schuette - Ex-State Appeals Court Judge, Ex-Congressman, Ex-State Sen. & '90 US Sen. Nominee

Gretchen Whitmer - State Sen., Ex-State Rep. & Attorney is the only potential Democrat candidate mentioned on http://www.politicsone.com/mi.htm 

7^th Congressional District

Marvin Carlson – Manchester area businessman, real estate entrepreneur, rancher

Brian Rooney (apparently, yet an “un-announced” candidate) - Attorney, Ex-Marine, & Brother of Florida Congressman Tom Rooney

Tim Walberg - Ex-Congressman, Ex-State Rep. & Minister

The winner of this Republican primary aims to unseat first term Democrat Congressman Mark Schauer, who was elected on the coattails of Obama in 2008, and refused to hold forums in his district on health care reform.

15th Congressional District

Jack Lynch – Businessman, 2008 Congressional Republican Nominee

The Republican nominee will take on John Dingell, the man behind the plan – the Health Care Reform effort that he has introduced year after year

 
Help Wanted! We will provide an update at the State House and Senate level in the next edition. However, in State Senate District 19 (parts of Jackson and Calhoun Counties), Mike Nofs is running in this year’s November 3rd election to fill the seat previously held by now Congressman Mark Schauer (D). This election is expected to have not only State but also National ramifications in 2010!

The campaign is conducting “Nofs Blitz Days” in Jackson on October 24 and 31, and in Battle Creek on October 17. Mike can use all the help we can give him. Please RSVP to Mike Marzano to let him know you are coming: 517-977-2002 or mmarzano@migop.org. Plan to arrive by 10:00 a.m. and stay as long as you can. Activities end at 4:00 p.m. Both doorbellers and telephoners are needed. See details immediately below under “Events”

Events:

Oct. 17 (Saturday): Nofs Blitz Day, Battle Creek Mike Nofs Headquarters: 119 E. Columbia, Battle Creek, MI 49015 Map

Oct. 21 (Wednesday, 6:30 - 9:00 p.m.): Reforming the Michigan Tax Structure: Putting Michigan Back to Work. NIF style forum, see above.

Oct. 24 and 31 (Saturdays): Nofs Blitz Days, Jackson Fix- Michigan Center: 103 S. Jackson Street, Jackson, MI 49201 Map On October 31, special prizes for the best Halloween costume.

Oct. 27 (Tuesday, 5:30 – 8:00 p.m.): Coping with the Cost of Health Care: How Do We Pay for What We Need? NIF forum, see above.

Oct. 29 (Thursday): 15^th Congressional District Republican Committee Fall Dinner 6:00-7:00 Candidate Meet and Greet (cash bar), 7:00 Dinner and Program, almost all (if not all) of the candidates for Governor, Attorney General and Secretary of State will be there. Epicurean House, 1660 Fort St., Trenton, MI 48183. $35 per person, RSVP by Oct. 23 to  Bob Chmielewski, 25159 Pamela, Taylor, MI 48180. More info: 734-946-7931 or susanleemigop@yahoo.com .

Nov. 9 (Monday): The 10th Congressional District Leadership Dinner, with all the Republican candidates for governor. $25/person, or $250/table for 10. The dinner takes place at 7:00 p.m. at the Palazzo Grande Banquet Center, 54660 Van Dyke, Shelby Twp., MI. For reservations and information, contact Randy St. Laurent at randy4lapeer@charter.net

Nov. 12: (Thursday, 7:00 p.m.): Washtenaw County Republican Party Executive Committee meeting, Republican Headquarters, NCMS Building, 3025 Boardwalk, Ann Arbor, MI 48108, Map  Campaign and Public Relations sub-committee meetings start at 6:00. All Republicans are welcome!

Nov. 17 (Tuesday, 5:30 – 8:00 p.m.): Regaining the American Perspective: Building an Economy that Works for Everyone. NIF forum, see above.

You can go to Washtenaw County Republican Committee  website, the Washtenaw County Republican Committee Facebook page, or the Michigan Republican Party Events page for all the latest on exciting events for Michigan Republicans (although it appears to still be lightly utilized on the newly designed Michigan Republican Party website).

How to Influence Public Policy

 Want to influence public policy? Here are some ideas on how to do it effectively.

 Letter to the Editor Guide

In the last edition, we enclosed a link to an excellent Guide for writing letters to the editor drafted by Wendy Carter. We need to get our point of view out as much as we can. Please help by downloading the guide and writing a letter to the editor today. With just a little effort by each of us, we collectively can make a BIG difference. Download Guide:

 Statement of Ideals

 At the October 8 meeting of the Executive Committee, we planned to  discuss and act on the Statement of Ideals co-developed by William Rushlow and Chairman Mark Boonstra. Action on this has been postponed until the November 12 meeting. You can send any comments regarding additions, deletions, corrections or suggested amendments to comcentral@wash-gop.com   Download file: http://voiceforthepeople.net/downloads/StatementofIdeals.pdf

Links You May Enjoy:

Tom Gantert has created a new, objective, but conservative leaning, online news site, “Reporting Michigan” at http://www.reportingmichigan.org You might also wish to join his Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/reqs.php#/group.php?gid=117791218323 so that you get notices when news is posted.

For a conservative/Republican view of local, state, and national issues, be sure to check out Wendy Carter’s blog, “The Perky Patriot,” at http://perkypatriot.blogspot.com/

 Rick Olson also has a blog entitled “Sharing Ideas for a Better Michigan” at http://rickolson.blogspot.com/

Washtenaw Republican Informer
September, 2009 (inaugural edition)

In this Issue:

* The Wind is on our Back – Time to Raise the Sails!
* National Level: Health Care Reform Flounders
* State Level: Budget Might be Balanced Without New Taxes
* Letter to the Editor Guide
* Newspaper Article with comments from County Chairman, Mark Boonstra
* Candidates for Office
* Bill Summaries and Links by William Rushlow
* Statement of Ideals
* Events
* Links You May Enjoy

The Wind is on our Back – Time to Raise the Sails!

Who would have thought 11 months ago that we would have:

·         About 250 energized people at our summer picnic

·         The Obama administration playing defense on Health Care Reform, Cap and Trade, enormous deficits, auto industry bailouts, proposed new taxes, and on and on.

·         An estimated 1.5 – 1.7 million people in Washington, D.C. for the Tea Party Rally last weekend, after many well attended local rallies with the Tea Party Express bus passing through.

·         Hearings to be held on the “Audit the Fed” proposal

·         And, a state budget September 30 deadline looming and the Cherry – Granholm administration only recently laying out a rough proposal!

·         And, oh, yes, the Detroit Tigers playing in the post-season. (keeping fingers crossed)

National Level: Health Care Reform Flounders

 After President Obama’s speech and Sen. Baucus' health care reform proposal released on Wednesday, some believe a health care reform package has a better chance at passing. Many provisions are still far from acceptable to most Republicans, however. General agreement exists that something must be done, if for no other reason to keep Medicare and Medicaid from bankrupting our county, but after that, common ground is yet to be found. See “New health care plan and your wallet: Sen. Baucus' health care reform proposal contains a number of measures that have the potential to affect Americans' bottom line” at http://money.cnn.com/2009/09/16/news/economy/baucus_health_reform/index.htm?postversion=2009091704

“The bill, which would cost around $800 billion over ten years, is paid for mainly by reducing Medicare and Medicaid costs, imposing fees on health care companies, and taxing high-cost insurance plans. The Congressional Budget Office has estimated the bill would reduce the deficit by around $50 billion over the next decade and significantly more thereafter.
 
". . . This bill absorbs a lot of money that could otherwise be used for deficit reduction. Obviously costs should be brought down and savings increased. For health care reform to be successful, we need to bend that health care cost curve significantly."

From the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, a bi-partisan source.

We must resist until our legitimate concerns are addressed – true reduction in health services costs (and not just fees and taxes to make the proposal “deficit neutral”), protection of services to our retired folks, retention of choice, retention of Health Savings Accounts, increased competition (such as allowing insurance to be purchased across state lines), and tort reform.

To stay informed in the progress on this critical issue and more, you can sign up for the “GOP Leader Alert” newsletter from House Republican Leader, Congressman John Boehner (R-Ohio) by clicking here.

 State Level: Budget Might be Balanced Without New Taxes

There appears to be an agreement on the general structure (i.e., the target budget numbers) of the new State of Michigan Budget, with no new taxes. Our Republican legislators are working hard to hold the line. See Lansing State Journal or for a more detailed version (and, after all, the devil still is in the details) http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=136347607962  (Facebook account needed)

 Letter to the Editor Guide

 Wendy Carter has drafted an excellent Guide for writing letters to the editor. We need to get our point of view out as much as we can. Please help by downloading the guide and writing a letter to the editor today.  Download Guide: http://voiceforthepeople.net/downloads/LettersGuide.pdf

 Newspaper Article with comments from County Chairman, Mark Boonstra

Mark hit a home run with this one with his comments on Obama, health care reform and Obama’s plummeting poll numbers. It is well worth reading.  “What is Important is Fixing Michigan”, http://www.heritage.com/articles/2009/09/01/milan_news_leader/news/doc4a9d703b38d6e872181704.txt

 Candidates for Office

http://www.politicsone.com/mi.htm is a website that lists all known candidates running for 2010 offices at the State or National level. It is not up-to-date, however, as neither Marvin Carlson nor Brian Rooney (actually, yet an “un-announced” candidate) are on the list as candidates for Congress from the 7^th Congressional District. Much more will be know about the front-runners after the Mackinac Conference on September 25-27.

At the State House and Senate level:

·         Senate District 17, Randy Richardville (R) Completing his first term as State Senator, will run again. No known R or D opponent known yet.

·         Senate District 18, Liz Brater (D) Term limited. No known candidate, but several term-limited Democrat State Representatives might take a run at this seat.

·         Senate District 19 – Mike Nofs is running in this year’s November election to fill the seat held by now Congressman Mark Schauer (D). This election is expected to have not only State but also National ramifications in 2010!

·         House District 52, Pam Byrnes (D) Term limited. Word from a credible source is that we will have an excellent, well-known Republican candidate, who has not yet officially announced. Stay tuned!

·         House District 53, Rebekah Warren (D) Term limited. No known candidates.

·         House District 54, Alma Smith (D) Term limited. No announced candidates, but there are some Republicans exploring whether to run.

·         House District 55, Kathy Angerer (D). Term limited. Rick Olson and Joe Zurawski, both from York Township, have announced their candidacy on the Republican ticket. No known D candidate yet.

Bill Summaries and Links by William Rushlow

·         HR 1207: The Federal Reserve Transparency Act of 2009   http://voiceforthepeople.net/downloads/HR1207Fed.pdf

·         HR 3200: America’s Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009  http://voiceforthepeople.net/downloads/HR3200HealthCare.pdf

Statement of Ideals

At the October 8 meeting of the Executive Committee, we will discuss and act on the Statement of Ideals co-developed by William Rushlow and Chairman Mark Boonstra. You can send any comments regarding additions, deletions, corrections or suggested amendments to comcentral@wash-gop.com .  Download file: http://voiceforthepeople.net/downloads/StatementofIdeals.pdf

 Events:

 Sept. 20, 2009 (Sunday): The Jackson County Reagan BBQ, 4-7pm, Weir Farms in Horton MI. www.Jacksonrepublicans.com

September 25-27, 2009: The 28th Biennial Mackinac Republican Leadership Conference. For information, go to http://mackinacconference.com/

October 8, 2009 (Thursday, 7:00 p.m.): Washtenaw County Republican Party Executive Committee meeting, Republican Headquarters, NCMS Building, 3025 Boardwalk, Ann Arbor, MI 48108, Map: http://www.wash-gop.com/contact All Republicans are welcome!

Nov. 9, 2009: The 10th District Leadership Dinner, with all the Republican candidates for governor. $25/person, or $250/table for 10. The dinner takes place at 7pm, Palazzo Grande Banquet Center, 54660 Van Dyke, Shelby Twp., MI. For reservations and information, contact Randy St. Laurent at randy4lapeer@charter.net

You can always go to http://www.migop.org/event.asp for all the latest on exciting events for Michigan Republicans.

Links You May Enjoy:

Tom Gantert has created a new, objective, but conservative leaning, online news site, “Reporting Michigan” at http://www.reportingmichigan.org You might also wish to join his Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/reqs.php#/group.php?gid=117791218323 so that you get notices when news is posted.

 For a conservative/Republican view of local, state, and national issues, be sure to check out Wendy Carter’s blog, “The Perky Patriot,” at http://perkypatriot.blogspot.com/

 Rick Olson also has a blog entitled “Sharing Ideas for a Better Michigan” at http://rickolson.blogspot.com/

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This Washtenaw Republican Informer is the product of the Washtenaw County Republican Committee Public Relations Committee, Rick Olson and David Pangborn, Co-Chairmen, with contributions from William Rushlow, Wendy Carter, Laurel Federbush, and Jan Riggs.

Paid for by the Washtenaw County Republicans with regulated funds. Washtenaw County Republican Committee NCMS Building, 3025 Boardwalk, Ann Arbor, MI 48108