Great Lakes Politics

One of the unique things about running a political blog (or any kind of a web site, for that matter), is that your constantly bombarded by scam artist who send you phony bills – and if you pay those “bills”, you soon discover that someone else is now hosting your web site or controlling your domain registration.

Third parties will purchase or steal domain names and resell the Internet site to an interested party for a higher price.  Through the U.S. Department of Commerce, the International Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) regulates the domain registration infrastructure.  ICANN has been criticized for not enforcing the illegal transferring of domain names to another registrar (a practice that’s commonly known as “slamming”).

The folks at MyDomainPain.com have launched their own effort about this – a grass roots campaign to demand Congressional action.

Take a moment to check out MyDomainPain.com.

Posted by fnemecek at 09:48 AM | Permalink

Over the weekend, the Detroit Free Press published an article that took a critical look at GOP gubernatorial nominee Dick DeVos and his leadership of Amway.  The article even went so far as to say that the fact that so few of Amway's independent distributors actually make money could make his promises to improve Michigan's economy less believable.

I have to admit that I was tempted to send the Free Press a bill when I read that.  I've been arguing the same thing for months and have made several posts about it on this blog.

Of course, I shouldn't harp on the Free Press too much.

They did do a significant amount of independent research for their article.  For example, I had frequently pointed out, in spite of DeVos' promises in Amway sales literature to the contrary, the overwhelming number of Amway representatives are left with nothing but a few cases of soap.  The Freep managed to track down the exact number of Amway sales represenatives who are able to make a living from selling Amway - 2 out of every 1,000.

0.2%

This, of course, means that the other 99.8% of those who bought into DeVos' promises were left with nothing but disappointment and a few cases of soap.

If DeVos wants to be taken seriously as a gubernatorial candidate, he is going to have to start addressing that issue.  He needs to somehow prove to Michigan voters that he really can be trusted to do the job.

Quite frankly, I doubt that television ads will ever be able to do that.  If he wants voters to feel that they can trust them, he is going to have to meet them face-to-face; answer their questions and criticisms honestly and directly.

More importantly, he is rapidly running out of time in which to do that.

In the meantime, anyone who is interested can read the Freep's take on this matter here. 

Posted by fnemecek at 03:30 PM | Permalink

Congressman Pete Hoekstra (R-2, Holland) announced this afternoon that a Muskegon agency has been awarded $108,158 from the U.S. Department of Defense that will enable it to continue assisting local businesses, large and small, in procuring contracts with the federal and state governments.

Muskegon Area First’s Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC), which also receives funding from the Michigan Economic Development Corporation and other local funding partners, will provide a 50% match with the Department of Defense PTAC Agreement for a total amount of $216,315.

Muskegon Area First PTAC Director Pam Vanderlaan-Poort said that the agency helped local businesses procure nearly $80 million in government contracts in 2005. Contracts have included such items as food, aircraft components and cleaning supplies and contract awards have ranged in value from $1,000 to $1.5 million.

Posted by fnemecek at 03:04 PM | Permalink

Governor Jennifer M. Granholm (D, MI) signed legislation yesterday that will continue Michigan’s efforts to modernize management policies for our forestland, help create jobs in the timber industry as well as protect and keep access available to the state’s natural resources enjoyed by hunters, fishermen, and outdoor enthusiasts.  The six-bill package will encourage additional timber harvest through financial incentives to private landowners.
 
Michigan has more than 19 million acres of forestland.  Despite this abundance, less timber is harvested in Michigan than other Midwestern states that have fewer acres of forest.  As a result, wood costs in Michigan are high, putting forestry jobs and the manufacturing jobs our forests support at risk.
 
The six-bill package signed by Granholm addresses this problem by: 

• Providing property tax relief to private landowners who harvest their land for timber according to long-term, sustainable management plans;
• Changing the way commercial forestland is taxed, giving private owners a clearer, more predictable tax structure;
• Requiring that commercial forestland be accessible to hunters and fishermen in exchange for the reduced tax status;
• Encouraging development of management plans for private forestland to ensure its sustainability.

Senate Bills 912-914 and 917 were sponsored by State Senators Gerald Van Woerkom (R-34, Norton Shores), Tony Stamas (R-36, Midland), Jason Allen (R-37, Traverse City) and Shirley Johnson (R-13, Troy), respectively.  House Bill 5454 was sponsored by State Representative Kevin Elsenheimer (R-105, Bellaire).  House Bill 5455 was sponsored by Representative Bill Huizenga (R-90, Zeeland).

Posted by fnemecek at 02:43 PM | Permalink

On SBT, lawmakers leap before they look

The folks at the Kalamazoo Gazette published an editorial in their Sunday edition, criticizing the Michigan Legislature for not enacting a replacement to Michigan's Single Business Tax. They correctly point out that our current state of limbo on the matter is only hurting Michigan's economy.

I look forward to hearing all of the various incumbents defend their decision to postpone discussion of this matter in their respective campaigns.

Posted by fnemecek at 12:40 PM | Permalink

For weeks now, I've argued that Republican gubernatorial candidate Dick DeVos needs to move the debate away from the factory that he opened in China as president of Amway.  I even went so far as to say that he needs to move the debate away from Amway itself - because anything that reminds voters of his connection to Amway only helps Governor Jennifer M. Granholm (D, MI).

Well, it looks like DeVos has finally found a way to do that - by advocating the teaching of "Intelligent Design" in science classes throughout Michigan.

I have to admit that I was suprised by this.

It wasn't that I was shocked that DeVos advocates putting things in science classes that have nothing to do with science.  I just couldn't believe that DeVos was willing steer the debate away from economic issues, towards a conservative social issue.  He was only responding to a question that he got from the reporter.  However, his campaign to date has been trying desperately to steer clear of the conservative social policies that he has advocated over the years.

And now, after more than a year of successfully dodging these issues - he jumped into the middle of them all with only 47 days left until the election.  I have to ask: purely from a political sense, what was he thinking?

Conversations for the next couple of days will no doubt be dominated for DeVos' new call for Intelligent Design to be taught in Michigan science classes.  That's time that won't be spent talking about anything else.

To make matters worse for Michigan Republicans, I suspect that what eventually bumps the Intelligent Design story out of the news cycle will only be more coverage of DeVos opening a factory in China for Amway.

Granholm is declining any public comment on this.  Still, knowing the impact that this will have, she has to be pleased. 

Posted by fnemecek at 01:43 PM | Permalink

Former Chrysler Chairman Lee Iacocca is currently starring in a new television ad for Republican gubernatorial nominee Dick DeVos.  When I first heard about Iacocca's appearance in a DeVos ad, I was actually excited.  I thought this would be the beginning of end for the debate on whether or not DeVos sent Michigan jobs to China and a signal that DeVos as starting to put some political distance between himself and Amway.

But then I saw the actual ad itself.

Quite frankly, the Iacocca ad may as well have been put out by Governor Jennifer M. Granholm's re-election campaign.  In the ad, Iacocca specifically talks about DeVos' leadership in Amway.

Quite frankly, it boggles my mind that DeVos is still willing to talk about Amway.  His company, quite frankly, is built on hundreds of thousands of broken promises; promises that were made to folks who wanted to create a better live for themselves and became independent distributors for Amway to make that happen - only to be left with nothing more than a few cases of soap for their trouble.

When Iacocca was making televised pitches for Chrysler cars, he didn't talk about how many product recalls his company had.  So, why in world would he want to make an ad that was obstenstibly in support of DeVos' candidacy; only to talk about his leadership in Amway?

It truly boggles my mind.

 

Posted by fnemecek at 10:30 AM | Permalink

Companies receiving a tax-free renaissance zone designation to build or expand in Michigan would be required to give preference to Michigan construction firms under legislation sponsored by State Senator Jud Gilbert (R-25, Algonac). Testimony in support of Senate Bill 1414 was given today in the Senate Committee on Commerce and Labor.

“This legislation helps clarify and put in writing something that should have been an obvious part of any contract – that Michigan workers be given preference over out-of-state workers,” said Gilbert. “In this day and age, a verbal agreement means nothing and is too easy for someone to forget. We need to ensure something as important as employing Michigan residents is put in writing so these jobs are not outsourced.”

This issue arose because a company in Marysville is using out-of-state laborers to build its new ethanol plant instead of local workers. Allegedly, there was a promise between the city and Marysville Ethanol to use local workers but nothing was ever written in the contract or city resolution.
Gilbert highlighted the importance of having local units of government involved in the process of establishing renaissance zones. He noted this is crucial because they are the first level of government with the opportunity to stress using Michigan jobs by including appropriate language in a resolution.

Gilbert's proposal makes it explicit that the following must be taken into consideration when designating renaissance zones for tax abatements:

• The creation of indirect jobs associated with construction or expansion of a facility; and
• The number of Michigan residents to be employed to construct or expand a facility.

Posted by fnemecek at 10:15 AM | Permalink

 

Governor Jennifer M. Granholm (D, MI) called on the Michigan Legislature earlier this to create a new tax deduction for workers transitioning from jobs in the auto industry into new careers. The deduction is aimed at auto workers taking an early retirement incentive or buyout.
 
“As workers from Ford, General Motors, Delphi and other auto makers and parts suppliers transition from their jobs into new careers, I want to make sure they have assistance in enhancing their education or creating a new business,” Granholm said.  “The ingenuity and work ethic of our industrial workforce can be a tremendous asset in the new economy that is emerging in Michigan.”
 
Granholm’s proposal would create an income tax deduction equal to the amount of qualified education, training, and relocation expenses paid by recipients of an early retirement incentive or buyout.  This deduction would assist taxpayers displaced due to industrial reorganization with the transition into new careers.  The deduction would be available for the tax years 2006 through 2009 and would be limited to $10,000 per year for education and training expenses.  This deduction would be limited to workers who accepted an early retirement or buyout offer from an automobile manufacturer or supplier.  The taxpayer also would be required to be a Michigan citizen on the last day of the tax year.
 
Granholm added that she also is calling for a new deduction of up to $40,000 for new business start-ups by workers who accepted an early retirement or buyout offer from an automobile manufacturer or supplier.
 
Information on the various tools available to those seeking jobs and those transitioning into new careers from the auto industry is available at www.michigan.gov/newjob

Posted by fnemecek at 08:56 AM | Permalink

Saulius “Saul” Anuzis announced over the weekend that he will leave his position as Chairman of the Michigan Republican Party.  Effective immediately, he will begin campaigning full-time for Democratic Governor Jennifer M. Granholm’s re-election.

Okay – that’s not totally true.

Anuzis is still Chairman of the Michigan Republican Party, but – for all practical purposes – he did start working for the Granholm campaign over the weekend.

For the past couple of weeks, the Granholm campaign has been airing ads that attempted to link Republican gubernatorial candidate Dick DeVos’ decision to layoff Michigan workers at Amway to his subsequent opening of a factory in China; implying that those Michigan jobs were sent to China by DeVos.

Anuzis was the latest person to join in the fray by issuing a statement regarding the DeVos/Amway/China connection.  In doing so, he kept DeVos’ decision to layoff Michigan workers at an Amway factory in the news cycle.  The fundamental problem with this whole thing, and the thing that the Granholm camp is undoubtedly trying to capitalize on, is that any connection to Amway ultimately hurt DeVos.

DeVos promised millions of people a better way of life by becoming independent distributors for Amway.  In fact, most people in Michigan know someone who bought into DeVos’ Amway promises and worked hard as one of his Amway distributors – only to be left with nothing to show for their troubles than a few cases of soap.

This November, voters in the Great Lakes State will have to decide whether or not they can trust DeVos to deliver on his promises.  If the connection between DeVos, Amway and China is still being debated on Election Day then Granholm can start practicing her second inaugural address.

Posted by fnemecek at 02:12 PM | Permalink

 

 

Legislation that would encourage major sporting events to locate in Michigan passed out of the Senate Appropriations Committee and now moves to the Senate Floor, said State Senator Shirley Johnson (R-13, Troy).

Sponsored by Johnson, Senate Bills 1372 and 1373 would extend the current sales tax exemptions given on sponsor packages at certain major sporting events. Such events include the Super Bowl, PGA Championship and the NCAA basketball tournament. The current tax exemption is set to expire on January 1, 2007.

The driving force behind the legislative package is the success of the 2006 Super Bowl at Ford Field in Detroit and the 2004 Ryder Cup at Oakland Hills Country Club in Bloomfield Hills.

By extending the tax exemption to include the NCAA Basketball tournament and the PGA Championship, sports organizations will be allowed to sell sponsorship packages at the event. The packages are an integral part of a major sporting event’s promotion.

I'm glad that Senator Johnson took a leadership role on this issue and that the Committee acted on it.  Now, however, I hope that the full Senate as well as their counterparts in the State House act swiftly to approve it.

Of couse, I can't help but contrast Senator Johnson's bill with State Senator Nancy Cassis (R-15, Novi) and her decision to keep an incentive package bottled up in the Senate Finance Committee that was designed to attract film and television production to the Great Lakes State.  Cassis' unwillingness to let this legislative package has already cost Michigan more than $1 billion in new investments and jobs.

Posted by fnemecek at 01:26 PM | Permalink

In a letter to United States Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, Governor Jennifer M. Granholm (D, MI) on Friday encouraged the newly-confirmed official to use his first trip to China next week as an opportunity to combat that country’s manipulative currency practices which are hurting American manufacturers.
 
Granholm applauded Paulson for his speech earlier this week in which he called on China to live up to its responsibilities as a member of the global economic community, including addressing trade barriers, currency manipulation, and intellectual property rights.  Granholm also encouraged Paulson to stand up for manufacturers and the workers who rely on their success with as much enthusiasm and creativity as he does for emerging nations around the globe.
 
Granholm also welcomed today’s news that the U.S. has joined Canada and the European Union in asking that the World Trade Organization convene a dispute resolution panel to compel China to live up to its trade obligations on auto parts.
 
Readers can view a complete copy of Granholm's letter on-line at http://www.michigan.gov/documents/gov/Letter_to_Secretary_Paulson_9-14-06_172521_7.pdf

Posted by fnemecek at 12:41 PM | Permalink

 

Detroit's Mayor Kwame M. Kilpatrick managed to broker a tentative deal between the Detroit Public Schools and Detroit Federation of Teachers early this morning.  This deal could have teachers back in their classrooms as early as Thursday after an all-night negotiating session that was held in his office.

Governor Jennifer M. Granholm (D, MI) was quick to issue a statement saying how glad she was that students were returning to school.

I am personally thrilled that Detroit teachers will be in their classrooms instead of on a picket-line.  However, I truly hope that Kilpatrick and Granholm will not end their involvement once the agreement is ratificed.  It is time, after all, for everyone to take the next step.

For years, the Detroit Public Schools have lagged behind the rest of Michigan in their test scores.  In some classrooms, more than 90% of students fail to meet the state's minimium standards for academic performance.

Now that the teacher contract is out of the way, it's time for all parties to come together and find a better way to teach our children. 

Posted by fnemecek at 01:19 PM | Permalink

 

Michigan residents can prevent criminals from stealing their identities under new legislation unveiled today by House Republicans that will continue the caucus' push to help reduce the growing number of ID theft crimes in the state.

State Representatives Rick Baxter (R-Concord), David Farhat (R-91, Fruitport) and John R. Pastor (R-19, Livonia) unveiled legislation this morning to better protect residents' personal financial information. The bills allow consumers to register to be notified when a new line of credit is opened in their name, streamline process of recovering stolen information for consumers and put a time limit on how long businesses can hold a consumer's account and credit card information.

"To protect seniors and consumers our laws should focus on crime prevention and stopping the thieves before they get away with someone's identity," explained Baxter. "Our current ID theft laws are working, but we can always do more to ensure Michigan residents do not become victims of this appalling crime."

The Farhat bill streamlines the process of repairing the effects of having personal checks stolen. Once filing a police report, the individual presents their bank with an Affidavit of Forgery, which ensures the banks stop the stolen checks and notify the merchants of the crime. The Baxter bill creates the option for all Michigan residents to be placed on the Office of Financial and Insurance Services Credit Activity List, a quarterly report given to consumer reporting agencies. Consumer reporting agencies then notify the individuals who are on the list when any new line of credit opens in their name.

The Pastor bill would prohibit a person or business from retaining any part of a consumer's credit card or account number after the transaction is completed for more than 4 years, or for more than the period established between the person and the credit card issuer.

"Stopping personal checks before ID theft takes place and notifying individuals when a credit card opens up in their name are two critical steps to stopping ID theft," said Farhat. "Innocent victims in Michigan should not have to prove their identification was tampered with, nor should they have to fall victim to the hassle that surrounds recovering their identification."

Pastor, said: "A consumer's credit card and account information should not be accessible for longer than necessary. Implementing a time limit for businesses that retain valuable consumer information is needed to ensure this information is not out there long enough for it to get in the wrong hands."

These bills improve upon a comprehensive ID theft package enacted by House GOP in 2004 that created the Identity Theft Protection Act, listed ID theft as an unlawful practice of trade or commerce and established the right of an ID theft victim to obtain a police report.

The legislation is part of a month of reform, in which House Republicans have focused on cutting government bureaucracy, protecting residents and children, decreasing mortgage fraud and creating jobs.

Posted by fnemecek at 12:37 PM | Permalink

Improve Foster Care Oversight

 

The Detroit Free Press published an editorial yesterday urging the Michigan Legislature to act quickly on State Representative David Law's (R-27, Commerce Township) proposal to move the Children's Ombudsman's Office to the legislative branch of state government. Quite frankly, I think this is very good idea.  It makes the Ombudsman more independent from the institutition that they are in charge of reviewing and such a move would improve the Legislature's ability to exercise its oversight role.

State Representative John Stahl (R-82, North Branch), Chair of the House Committee on Family & Children Service, has scheduled a hearing on Law's proposal (House Bill 6440) for tomorrow at 2 p.m.  I encourgage the committee to proceed with Law's proposal expeditiously.

Posted by fnemecek at 11:44 AM | Permalink

Engaging on politics on the anniversary of a national tragedy, such as today’s 5th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, is a double-edged sword.

On one hand, there’s the simple fact that there are journalists and television cameras looking for quotes all-day long.  That, of course, is a very tempting opportunity for any political candidate.  It’s even more so when you’re in a hotly contented race, such as Michigan gubernatorial election where you can’t afford to go a day without being in the news.

However, if you come across as too brazenly campaigning – even during the middle of a political campaign, it’s a public relations disaster in the making.

Governor Jennifer M. Granholm (D, MI) took the easy and non-confrontational approach by signing a proclamation to remember the heroes of 9/11.  She encouraged everyone in Michigan to honor a moment of silence at 8:46 a.m. this morning, the precise moment when the first place hit the World Trade Center.  Things like this are one of the advantages of being an incumbent; you can put forward proclamations like this to put your name in circulation without risking a negative backlash.

Her Republican challenger, Dick DeVos, took a very different approach.  One that, quite frankly, I don’t think was a wise tactical move.  He essentially ignored the anniversary.  Instead, he focused on Granholm’s attack ad, which focused on 1,400 Michigan jobs that were lost during DeVos’ tenure as President of Amway.

This, in my opinion, was a bad tactical move on so many different levels.

First, the person delivering DeVos’ response was his campaign manager, Greg McNeilly, and not the candidate.  This fact put McNeilly’s name out in circulation and not the candidate’s.  That’s always a bad idea, in my view, because voters won’t see McNeilly’s name on the ballot in 57 days.

Second, his comments simply keep the ad at the forefront of everyone attention.  I would argue that it doesn’t really matter that the 1,400 Michigan jobs lost at Amway were the result of only 600 layoffs (the rest were a mixture of attrition and employee buyouts).  There were still 1,400 fewer Michiganders working at Amway under DeVos’ stewardship.

Plus, the whole controversy serves as a reminder of DeVos’ connection with Amway.  Since almost every voter in Michigan knows someone who worked hard as an independent distributor for Amway and never realized the kind of rewards that DeVos promised, every reminder of DeVos’ connection to Amway is essentially questions whether or not he can be counted to deliver the economic benefits that he is promising Michigan now.

Posted by fnemecek at 04:40 PM | Permalink

Governor Jennifer M. Granholm’s (D, MI) re-election campaign unleashed an attack ad earlier this week, which criticized her Republican challenger Dick DeVos’ decision to layoff Michigan residents while he was president of Amway and then open a new factory in China.  Granholm’s ad attempted to establish a link between these two events, something that DeVos vehemently denies and that several newspapers have labeled as false and misleading.  The DeVos campaign even launched their own ad in response as well as a new web site – TheTruthAboutChina.com – to refute Granholm’s charges.

From a business standpoint, there really isn’t any connection between the Michigan layoffs and China.

From a political standpoint, however, this is largely an albatross that will continue to hang around DeVos’ for the duration of the campaign and that the Granholm camp will likely to keep using until the moment the polls close on Election Day.  Whether or not there was any correlation between the two events is almost irrelevant, at least from a political standpoint.

The fact of the matter is these ads serve as a constant reminder of DeVos’ association with Amway and, in particular, that he was calling the shots at Amway.  Even DeVos’ own rebuttal web site mentions the word “Amway” twice, essentially forcing him to remind voters of something that he’d be best to hope they forget.

Since its very inception, Amway has promised its network of independent distributors a chance at financial freedom by selling Amway products and recruiting others to do the same.  The problem, of course, is that the overwhelming majority of Amway distributors do not make any money.  They invest their time, money and energy into something and are left nothing but a few cases of soap.

Pretty much everyone in Michigan knows someone who bought into DeVos’ promises at Amway; someone who worked hard and was left with nothing but shattered Amway dreams.  Mentioning Amway and DeVos’ connection to those broken promises, whether in the context of layoff in West Michigan, a new factory in China or even in a rebuttal to those charges, simply makes a sizable number of Michigan voters wonder whether or not they can trust him.

Posted by fnemecek at 11:29 AM | Permalink