(3897,'node',' justice in america when i was a kid i remember playing with gi joe i had a bunch of the toys and my friends and i would fly our jets around the house a friend would shoot a heatseeking missile at my jet and i would say that my jet has flares then they would change the missile type and say it was a laserguided missile so i would say my jet has strobe lights to blind the missile then it would be a remotecontrolled missile and then my jet mysteriously could block the signal this is basically the american justice system today take the george zimmerman trial i have no idea of his guilt or innocence that is what the jury is for or what they used to until the news networks took over that job the first phase the criminal trial didn t go the way the media liked poor angelic sainted trayvon martin who i believe was on his way deliver meals on wheels the night he died of course what is the proper response to a judgment that the mob doesn t agree with  storm walmart  of course ah memories of the oj trials when oj was acquitted there was happiness and joy in the streets the mob was ecstatic but when the police officers were acquitted in their own trial for allegedly using excess force riots looting and general mayhem ensued and we were asked can t we all just get along i ll bet reginald denny is staying away from south central intersections these past few days so the zimmerman trial didn t go the way that the mob government wanted after all if obama had a son  he d look like trayvon  so now phase 2 of get george begins the push for a civil rights trial after all it s not double jeopardy if you charge them for something different right there will be no justice until the government wins or all the walmarts are burned down either one  ',0),(3898,'node',' ccrp no july ccrp monthly meeting tonight there will not be a ccrp july 18 2013 monthly meeting in st johns because of the summer bbq that is next week on july 25 in bath township our next monthly meeting will be on august 15 in dewitt at the city hall at hat meeting will have a brief business meeting and then we will hear from pauline holeton on the issue of smartmeters if you are interested in hearing more on your rights and the utilities plans to install or replace your analog meter with a smartmeter at your residence please plan on attending 2013 ccrp scholarship winner essays we have finished posting the winning essays on our website from this year rsquo s scholarship winners if you would like to read them read their essays at this link  http wwwclintoncountygoporg content 2013scholarshipwinners all three of the scholarship winners and their parents will be at our summer bbq next thursday in bath so let s have a great turnout to meet and greet them summer bbq registration you can rsvp by calling 5172816212 registering online at  http wwwclintoncountygoporg content 2013ccrpsummerbbq  clinton county 2013r  ',0),(3900,'node',' ag schuette against medicaid expansion  obamacarexxjpg ag schuette against medicaid expansion  ',0),(3899,'node',' ag schuette against medicaid expansion  the governor continues his ldquo relentless positive action rdquo campaign by vilifying the people in his own party by any and all means available maybe he doesn rsquo t know and or understand that his ldquo own party rdquo is not in favor of what he is pushing hopefully the senate will hold the line and stay united in their opposition to the obamacare medicaid expansion when it comes up in the senate later this summer as of today both senator emmons senator jones are still no votes additionally according to an attorney general spokesperson bill schuette   ldquo believes that the federal government is not a reliable or steady funder and the long term fiscal costs of government expansion of health care is not sustainable and will result in huge costs to michigan taxpayers  to read more on attorney general schuette rsquo s comments click on this link  http wwwmichigancapitolconfidentialcom 18893 19  schuette against medicaid expansion  ',0),(3901,'node',' should michigan consider amending or repealing the stand your ground law  yes no undecided  ',0),(3869,'node',' obama fails to improve us standing around the world do you remember hearing that barack obama was going to improve the standing of the united states in the world so how has that worked out get the full story  washingtonexaminercom obamafailstoimproveusstandingaroundtheworld article 2532517 ',0),(3902,'node',' ccrp poll repeal of stand your ground law in michigan  you can now comment on stories and polls let us know how you feel about the issues new poll overview michigan senate majority leader says he has no problem in reviewing michigan s version of the florida stand your ground law if there are legislators want to look at the issue michigan law currently allows anyone to shoot an intruder if their life is in jeopardy however former sheriff senator rick jones couldn t disagree more senator jones who helped write the socalled castle law sees no reason to reconsider the content of the law and he fears if they reoepn the debate somebody would like to gut it new poll question should michigan consider amending or repealing the stand your ground law yes no undecided to vote in this poll click on this link http wwwclintoncountygoporg content shouldmichiganconsideramendingorrepealing e2809cstandyourground e2809dlaw  to enter your comments click on add new comment after you vote previous poll question should the legislature pass legislation to create countywide school systems to consolidate services yes 38 no 52 undecided 10 there were two comments submitted on this poll comment 1 countywide school systems i believe that clinton county resa does a good job in providing special education and vocational technical educational services to clinton county residents and their students however to expand ccresa s duties and responsibilities to include providing countywide food services busing and transportation etc is unnecessary and possibly more expensive for taxpayers i m also concerned that ccresa or clinton county intermediate school district board members are not popularly elected by local voters rather they are elected by a special ballot cast only by members of constituent local school boards and then mailed to ccresa the ccresa board should be nonpartisan and they should be democratically elected by registered voters in annual elections let democracy rule here in clinton county under our state and national constitutions comment 2 school consolidation i was board chair of the district for 10 of my 12 years on the board in that time we consolidated almost all of our administrative services we have enjoyed significant savings and improved services we have built a wonderful mouse trap and i shared much of what we have done with a state senate committee i know we can achieve the same savings by the state simply incenting schools to do so by their choice not by mandate i m not totally sold on our isd s and their ability to lead either   all emails addresses  ',0),(4280,'node',' is an obamacare bailout next   ldquo in an attempt to salvage the failed launch of the healthcare law president obama is planning an event at the white house in which he will ask handpicked americans to go on display to illustrate the alleged benefits of the healthcare law and in case that does not do a sufficient job of undoing the damage that the healthcare law has done to obama rsquo s reputation the white house is laying out plans to bail out insurance companies to help offset the loss of revenue and profit that the industry is experiencing under obamacare rdquo  to read the rest of the article outlining a potential bailout we will all pay for click on the following link  http wwwthenewamericancom usnews healthcare item 17076healthcarebailoutontheway 19  ',0),(5273,'node',' it s dumblaworama in california  let s celebrate the new year with taking time out of our busy days to mock californians yay i love this time first up  illegal aliens are now allowed to drive legally  what fantastic news for too long people who have illegally entered the united states have had to drive in the shadows always worried that their illegal driving would get them arrested and deported for their first crime of illegally entering the country now these paragons of virtue can legally crowd the freeways of california even more while not paying taxes and using up services for a virtually bankrupt state apparently being naked in someone else s room isn t consent enough for californians or perhaps it was because there are so many college students that are drunk out of their minds that lawmakers felt the need to protect those incapable of realizing they cannot make rational decisions of course that doesn t explain why california lawmakers make the decision they do but maybe that is coming this year i can t wait for the yes means yes unless yes means no except sometimes yes still means yes law dogs are allowed on restaurant patios now there was an issue just crying out for attention what about furries are they allowed on patios and what about cats if cats aren t allowed to eat with owners on patios then clearly we have discrimination california is like selma in the 60s where is al sharpton probably embezzling funds but he needs to get on this issue really california you make it too easy but it still is fun  ',0),(3904,'node',' will obama bailout detroit  ifihadacityjpg will obama bailout detroit  ',0),(4583,'node',' should the governor sign a bill to legalize betting on historic races from the past between races at the tracks  yes no undecided  ',0),(3556,'node',' who should run as the republican candidate to replace senator carl levin in the us senate in 2014  congressman justin amash congressman dave camp congresswoman candice miller congressman mike rogers national committeewoman terri lynn land state attorney general bill schuette governor rick snyder none of the above  who should run the republican candidate replace senator carl levin the senate 2014  ',0),(4861,'node',' ccrp poll more funding for schools   new poll overview several michigan school superintendents are calling for lawmakers to return to lansing to fix the new state budget by boosting their funding the recently passed budget signed by the governor increases traditional state aid by between 50 and 175 per student the lowestfunded districts receive 175 more while higherfunded districts get 50 more with other districts getting somewhere inbetween about 126 of michigan s 800plus districts and charter schools getting the smallest increase complain it s not enough to offset an increase in their payment toward school employees retirement one of the current areas of contention is that significant amounts of the revenue that schools currently receive goes for non school related expenditures including benefit payments for teachers healthcare and retirement opponents of additional funding feel the educational system benefit structure needs to be addressed so that the teachers are contributing more significantly to their own benefits new poll question should the legislature come back into session to grant additional revenue to schools yes no undecided to vote in this poll click on this link should the legislature come back into session to grant additional revenue to schools   to enter your comments click on add new comment after you vote previous poll question should the president and congress approve 500 million in aid to the syrian opposition for training the rebels yes 0 no 95 undecided 5 one comment was made on this poll comment 1 isn t this the same strategy isn t this the same strategy we tried against the russians in afghanistan and in irancontra don t we have better ideas new ideas i m not sold on this being the best way to change what is happening in syria and the greater middle east   all emails addresses  ',0),(3905,'node',' obama overruled by courts  presdident obama was was doing something unconstitutional when he made recess appointments to the national labor relations board imagine that the prez doing something unconstitutional to read more on on the court decision taht over ruled his appoinments click on this link  http mwashingtontimescom news 2013 jul 17 thirdcourtoverturnsobamarecessappointments  ',0),(4064,'node',' congress s exemption from obamacare noobamacarejpg congress s exemption from obamacare ',0),(3906,'node',' an alternative to snyder s healthy michigan obamacare trojan horse  state senator patrick colbeck has introduced a free market alternative in a pair of bills in sb 459 and another bill yet to be released as an alternative to medicaid expansion a special senate committee is currently working on an alternative to house bill 4714 that the house has already passed and that the governor is relentlessly beating the drum for the senate to pass having heard senator colbeck give an overview of the proposed legislation i have many questions regarding its feasibility and if it is a viable alternative for an overview of the free market alternative from jack mchugh from the mackinaw center read the following article  http wwwmichigancapitolconfidentialcom 18907 ',0),(2536,'node',' canada scowls indiana cheers over caterpillar moves caterpillar has closed a plant in london ontario it acquired last year since new year s the plant has been under lock out by the canadian auto workers union because the union rejected a proposal to cut wager and reduce benefits moves that were required for the plant to be competitive in the global marketplace caterpillar s new plant in muncie indiana held a jobs fair over the weekend that attracted so many applicants it had to shut down early why is caterpillar so popular in indiana and so unpopular in canada get the details at  wwwforbescom sites michelinemaynard 20120206 canadascowlsindianacheersovercaterpillarmoves  ',0),(4124,'node',' will the legislature ignore the rtl initiative petition  right to life of michigan is counting on the michigan legislature will take up its abortion insurance bill this fall but republican leadership has not yet pledged to do so the legislature could make the legislation law without governor snyder rsquo s signature if both chambers pass it because it is a ldquo citizens initiative rdquo the problem is that once the petition signatures have been certificated the legislature needs to act on it within 40 days if no action is taken it will go on the ballot in 2014 for the people to decide as usual politics will have an impact on what the legislators will do because voting for against passage will impact their reelection in 2014 for a detailed article on what is in play read on at  http wwwmlivecom politics indexssf 201310 richardvillerighttolifeofhtml incartriver  19  will the legislature ignore the rtl initiative petition  ',0),(4125,'node',' will the legislature ignore the rtl initiative petition  rtljpg will the legislature ignore the rtl initiative petition  ',0),(3909,'node',' a kemp growth plan for detroit detroitskylinejpg a kemp growth plan for detroit ',0),(3910,'node',' big brother in dewitt township  it would appear that dewitt township is moving forward with their ldquo international property maintenance code rdquo and they will be holding a public hearing on july 22 2013 to take public comments to read the article in the state journal it sounds like a great deal of work has gone into the process prior to making their decision about the actual content of the ldquo code rdquo if i were a resident of dewitt township i would have serious concerns about anything that has the word ldquo international rdquo in it as part of its description you know the saying ldquo we need to pass it so we will know what is in it rdquo just a little warning ldquo make sure you know what your township board is approving before you jump onboard because you will have to live by it ask yourself if more government regulations are better and if your personal property rights are being infringed as a result of this new ldquo code rdquo read the state journal article on the issue at this link  http wwwlansingstatejournalcom article 20130714 dewittbath01307140020 dewitttwpconsideringpropertymaintenancecode nclickcheck 1 19  ',0),(3911,'node',' a ceo seye view of obamacare earlier this month the obama administration postponed the employer mandate portion of the affordable care act commonly known as obamacare maybe the mandate was delayed because the administration truly needed more time to get it right or maybe there really was a political reason having to do with the 2014 midterm elections or maybe the administration has realized that some portions of the aca are unworkable despite its good intentions that s what andrew putzer ceo of cke restaurants hardee s and carl jr s believes what does he think that get the details  onlinewsjcom article sb10001424127887323309404578613653344566068html ',0),(3557,'node',' ccrp poll carl levin s replacement in the senate  poll overview senator carl levin has said he will not seek a seventh term in the us senate michigan has not had a republican us senator since spencer abraham was elected in 1994 political pundits say the senate race has moved from solid democratic to lean democratic and is in play for the 2014 election potential republican candidates include congressman justin amash congresswoman candice miller congressman mike rogers congressman dave camp national committeewoman terri lynn land and state attorney general bill schuette to name a few new poll question who should run as the republican candidate to replace senator carl levin in the us senate in 2014 congressman justin amash congressman dave camp congresswoman candice miller congressman mike rogers national committeewoman terri lynn land state attorney general bill schuette governor rick snyder none of the above to vote in this poll click on this link  http wwwclintoncountygoporg content whoshouldrunrepublicancandidatereplacesenatorcarll  to enter your comments click on add new comment after you vote previous poll question should congress should pass hr 748 that would require every 18 to 25 year old to participate in some form of national service yes 38 no 56 undecided 6 there were five comments made on the poll comment 1 national service requirement another great idea probably not require all persons in the united states between the ages of 18 and 25 to perform national service either as a member of the uniformed services or as civilian service in a federal state or local government program or with a communitybased agency or communitybased entity to authorize the induction of persons in the uniformed services during wartime to meet endstrength requirements of the uniformed services to provide for the registration of women under the military selective service act and for other purposes 1 the first question i have is how will you pay for it and the benefits that the participants will have 2 will that state and local government have to put these people on their payroll 3 will these be full time obligations 4 what does communitybased agency or communitybased entity mean 5 do we create a new department to handle all of this infrastructure at the federal level 6 do we really want to register all women for military service and the last line and for other purposes what does that mean only a democrat of charles rangel s intellect could envision another boondoggle of this magnitude that would add to the eventual bankruptcy of our country let s deal with realty and cut programs not add more to our debt maybe we should education our children and have them become productive members of society not put more people on the public payroll comment 2 mandatory national service absolutely absolutely absolutely this should have been a law a long time ago freedom is not free and it really is a privilege to live in this country it is too easy to take for granted things which we don t have to build ourselves pay for ourselves or take care of ourselves serving our country might help each of us not to take for granted most if not allwhat we have comment 3 law hr 748 only if we start we with charles rangel s kid grandkids neices nephews family members first and of ever agrees with this bill fred schroeder eaton rapids mi comment 4 national service could have its benefits but should remain a matter of personal choice also proposed length of service proposed not specified comment 5 national service how about having universal taxpaying now that s a novel idea people don t value what they don t invest in for the 48 of americans who don t pay taxes how about paying at least 500 per month that should not be onerous for anyone i think it would make a huge difference in attitude and if everyone is paying taxes they might be more curious about how the money is being spent they might even become better informed and more engaged citizens   all emails addresses  ',0),(3926,'node',' ag schuette on defending detroit pensions scheuttejpg ag schuette on defending detroit pensions ',0),(3927,'node',' detroit looks to health law to ease costs health care costs are a big part of every government s budget and detroit isn t any different the city is looking for ways to reduce the 57 billion it owes in retiree health costs will obamacare provide a solution read more  wwwnytimescom 20130729 us detroitlookstohealthlawtoeasecostshtml ',0),(3930,'node',' obama offers corporate tax deal highwayprojectjpg obama offers corporate tax deal ',0),(3929,'node',' obama offers corporate tax deal president obama is willing to work with republicans to bring down corporate tax rates so he can spend the money to create jobs with infrastructure projects does this sound familiar claiming he is still open to a grand bargain the president makes an offer that isn t revenue neutral and doesn t offer any spending cuts this is working with republicans get the details  thehillcom blogs onthemoney domestictaxes 314497obamaoffersdealtocutcorporatetaxrateto28perc  obama offers corporate tax deal  ',0),(3928,'node',' regionalism obama s quiet antisuburban revolution the president is on traveling around the country talking about the economy again the response is mixed we ve hear it all before but there is something else going on behind the scenes that may actually be a more effective way for obama to redistribute the wealth regionalism what is regionalism how does it work what are its goals are the wheels of change already turning read more  wwwnationalreviewcom corner 354734 regionalismobamasquietantisuburbanrevolutionstanle ',0),(4032,'node',' congressman camp tax code update congressman camp has been working with senator max baucus to ldquo clean up rdquo the tax code that has seen more than 4000 changes in the last decade alone for an article on how they are attempting to streamline the tax code click on the following story link  http wwwmlivecom opinion saginaw indexssf 201309 guestviewofusrepdavecamp1html incartriver ',0),(3931,'node',' drone surveillance expanding beyond combat zones everybody knows the us military has been using drones in combat zones for quite some time not only in service for the purposes of spying they have been used to kill our enemies on foreign soil but now the devices are being used for spying in hot spots all over the globe where are they being deployed read more  wwwwashingtonpostcom world nationalsecurity usmilitarydronesurveillanceisexpandingtohotspotsbe 201307200a57fbdaef1c11e281632c7021381a75storyhtml ',0),(3932,'node',' economic growth likely weakened in q2 the gdp calculation is adjusted roughly every five years in an attempt to reflect current components of the economy the latest revision in this calculation which will be used to report gdp in july is significant and will be used to recalculate gdp back to 1929 critics say the new calculation that includes among other things books and movies doesn t reflect true production in the economy and given that the us is the only country using this measure of gdp so far the comparisons between nations will be meaningless nevertheless many believe this new method of calculation will lift the us gdp calculation for 2013 to 3 but what s really happening in the economy even a shift in the method of calculation can t hide the fact that the economy barely grew in the second quarter of this year what s really going on in the economy and where is it heading get the details  newsyahoocom useconomicgrowthlikelyweakened2ndquarter053822563h ',0),(2137,'node',' ge obama kickbacks  shepherds flat  you probably haven rsquo t heard of it yet ndash but you will the next solyndra type scandal will soon unfold before our eyes showing how the president pays back his loyal supporters at our expense to see how ge is getting a sweetheart deal from the government on a project that should have never happened click on the following story link from wwwnationalreviewcom  http wwwnationalreviewcom articles 279802 americasworstwindenerg 19  obama kickbacks  ',0),(3933,'node',' camp looking at michigan senate race michigan rep dave camp has indicated that he s looking at a run for the senate seat currently held by sen carl levin what are people saying about the possibility read more  thehillcom blogs ballotbox senateraces 314607repdavecampmullingsenateruninmichigan ',0),(3936,'node',' irs employees just say no to obama care looks like obamacare is getting more and more unpopular first the big labor unions started complaining about the law and now irs employees want to be exempted as well who knew the same people who promoted the passage of obamacare would want to bail once it went into effect get the details  wwwnationalreviewcom article 354686 irsemployeesjustsaynoobamacarederoymurdock ',0),(3871,'node',' dems want to hide obamacare for a year the closer we get to the roll out obamacare scheduled for october 1 2013 the more its proponents want to delay it for a year they are beginning to recognize what the impact is actually going to be and don rsquo t want to have its negative impact affect the 2014 mid term elections and the possibility of taking back the house and completing the destruction of our country for an article on the dem rsquo s reticence to have the obamacare exchanges take effect in october read the following article at wwwwashingtonpostcom  http wwwwashingtonpostcom blogs postpartisan wp 20130701 theinsidersdemocratsaretryingtosuppresstheconfusio  19  dems want hide obamacare for year  ',0),(3937,'node',' who do you feel is the best candidate for the us senate in michigan to represent the republican party on the ticket 2014  justin amash dave camp terri lynn land someone else undecided we need keith butler  not only does keith butler have a clear concise vision and understanding of where this country needs to go he has already put it in writing in his book he doesn t waiver on his convictions and would serve with integrity something we have not seen at our senate level in michigan in a long time as a bonus he would have the ability to draw voters from both the independents and the democrats he did not receive the backing of the party previously when he ran if he had stabenow would not still be in office let s not continue to make these same mistakes over and over again put the best person in the position to do the job that can actually win the election thank you respectfully submitted by rene e jeffords undecided not sure who would be the best candidate but i ve lost confidence in dave camp dave camp for levin s seat dave camp s willingness to work across the isle just says establishment to me our country needs to head in a new direction or we are lost forever i would rather take my chances on trying to turn things around with a more back to the constitution candidate like amash he may not have the money behind him but is more conservative and its time we stop taking the easy way out on elections we might as well have a democrat as to end up with a democrate lite  senate land is accusing camp of being establishment someone send her a mirror camp at least starts out with 3 million and land is not a good fund raiser and the tenor of her campaign so far has been lackluster while amash would be good in the senate getting there is another story the fact that amash is actively running for reelection while saying that it would be difficult for a republican to win the senate seat does suggest to me that he is unlikely to run for the senate as he would need to be running now senate race terry lynn land needs to get her ego in check and get out of this race if any of the other potential cnadidates who could beat a democrat get into the race the last thing we need is any infighting or competititve fundraising going on to decrease or chances of taking the senate seat someone else justin amash needs to stay in the house we can t take the chance he will lose in the primary and be gone from congress entirely my choice is dr rob steele candidates we the people need a true conservative and we need to get rid of the rhinos we vote supposedly conservatives to congress and they vote liberal or moderate in the mich senate we have the same problem ida s  who you feel the best candidate for the senate michigan represent the republican party the ticket 2014  ',0),(3939,'node',' the gop in 2016 what will its identity be  several political pundits say the tea party influence on the gop is dead or dying some say that to be competitive the gop needs to move to the middle and the conservative evangelicals aren rsquo t willing to abandon their stand on moral issues the 2016 election is still 3 years off but the potential candidate spectrum is still very fluid the final choice will depend on what the congress and the president end up doing to destroy ldquo the peoples republic rdquo in the next three years if past history is any indicator the gop will continue its destructive path and pick another non conservative moderate or center left candidate who the true conservative base will never vote for ultimately until the republican party finds its identity and goes back to its roots they will continue to lose elections to the party that is at break neck speed moving us to our socialist future to read an analysis on the issues and the candidates read the following article at  https wwwnationalreviewcom nrd articles 353785 presidentialhopesandhopefuls 19  ',0),(2817,'node',' st johns company to hire 40 employees  the fc mason co is estimating it will hire 40 additional employees and open a manufacturing facility at the former federalmogul corp plant site in st johns for the details on how the deal with the fc mason company came about click on the following story link  http wwwlansingstatejournalcom article 20120612 news01306120034 ',0),(3941,'node',' snyder to target state employee retiree wages benefits snyderwagejpg snyder to target state employee retiree wages benefits ',0),(3942,'node',' new regulations on the way  here are just a few of regulations we will be hearing about in the coming months 1 power plant regulations to slow down ldquo climate change rdquo 2 menu labels at restaurants 3 home care worker minimum wage standard 4 dust levels 5 biofuel additive minimum content for gasoline 6 penalty for not signing up for obamacare 7 worker executive pay disparity to read more about the encroachment of government regulations into our everyday lives read the complete article at  http thehillcom blogs regwatch pendingregs 315359sevenobamaregulationstowatch ',0),(3944,'node',' ccrp poll pass funding bill without money for obamacare   you can now comment on stories and polls let us know how you feel about the issues new poll overview conservative leaders are urging house speaker boehner to threaten a government shutdown in order to defund obamacare many of those conservative leaders have told boehner that this is the best and last chance to stop obamacare before its major provisions begin to take effect they feel passing a government funding bill without money in it for obamacare will give the president and senate democrats the options of 1 continuing to fund the government or 2 shut down the government on behalf of an unpopular law a growing list of establishment republicans senators john mccain tom coburn roy blunt richard burr and richard shelby and rep tom cole say the strategy will prove fatal to the gop in the 2014 elections if it ultimately stops the government from functioning they also feel president obama will never agree to kill his signature healthcare law and that the public will blame republicans if the government shuts down on the other side more than 50 conservative leaders have signed a letter in support of the proposed defunding of obamacare new poll question should the republicans in the us house remove the money for obamacare as part of their funding for the federal government yes no undecided to vote in this poll click on this link http wwwclintoncountygoporg content shouldrepublicansushouseremovemoneyobamacarepartth  to enter your comments click on add new comment after you vote previous poll question who do you feel is the best candidate for the us senate in michigan to represent the republican party on the ticket 2014 justin amash 26 23 votes dave camp 61 55 votes terri lynn land 3 3 votes someone else 4 4 votes undecided 6 5 votes total votes 90 seven comments were made on this poll questions comment 1 we need keith butler not only does keith butler have a clear concise vision and understanding of where this country needs to go he has already put it in writing in his book he doesn t waiver on his convictions and would serve with integrity something we have not seen at our senate level in michigan in a long time as a bonus he would have the ability to draw voters from both the independents and the democrats he did not receive the backing of the party previously when he ran if he had stabenow would not still be in office let s not continue to make these same mistakes over and over again put the best person in the position to do the job that can actually win the election thank you respectfully submitted by rene e jeffords comment 2 undecided not sure who would be the best candidate but i ve lost confidence in dave camp comment 3 candidates we the people need a true conservative and we need to get rid of the rhinos we vote supposedly conservatives to congress and they vote liberal or moderate in the mich senate we have the same problem ida s comment 4 justin amash needs to stay in the house we can t take the chance he will lose in the primary and be gone from congress entirely my choice is dr rob steele comment 5 terry lynn land needs to get her ego in check and get out of this race if any of the other potential cnadidates who could beat a democrat get into the race the last thing we need is any infighting or competititve fundraising going on to decrease or chances of taking the senate seat comment 6 land is accusing camp of being establishment someone send her a mirror camp at least starts out with 3 million and land is not a good fund raiser and the tenor of her campaign so far has been lackluster while amash would be good in the senate getting there is another story the fact that amash is actively running for reelection while saying that it would be difficult for a republican to win the senate seat does suggest to me that he is unlikely to run for the senate as he would need to be running now comment 7 dave camp s willingness to work across the isle just says establishment to me our country needs to head in a new direction or we are lost forever i would rather take my chances on trying to turn things around with a more back to the constitution candidate like amash he may not have the money behind him but is more conservative and its time we stop taking the easy way out on elections we might as well have a democrat as to end up with a democrat lite   all emails addresses  ',0),(3945,'node',' ccrp monthly meeting august 15 2013 in dewitt the clinton county republican party will be holding our monthly meeting on august 15 2013 in dewitt at the dewitt city hall 414 east main street at 700 pm please find attached a copy of the agenda for the august 15 ccrp monthly meeting ccrp monthly meeting agenda for august 15 2013 this months meeting will include a brief business segment and then we will hear from pauline holeton on the issue of smartmeters if you are interested in hearing more on your rights and the utilities plans to install or replace your analog meter with a smartmeter at your residence please plan on attending our monthly meetings are open to anyone who would like to attend if you are interested in hearing what is going on in clinton county lansing and washington please feel free to attend sincerely steve willis chairman clinton county republican party h 5176416657 c 5172814458 sgwillis1945 gmailcom    all emails addresses  ',0),(4743,'node',' the 2014 election looking into the crystal ball a devastating new politico poll released on monday shows likely voters in key 2014 midterm election races favor a republican candidate over a democrat by seven points driving democrats electoral descent is the unpopularity of president barack obama and his signature legislative achievement obamacare to read more about the politco predictions go online at  http wwwbreitbartcom biggovernment 20140519 politicopollelectiondisasterloomsoverdemocrats 19  the 2014 election looking into the crystal ball  ',0),(3946,'node',' do michigan s congressmen believe in the constitution  only three of michigan rsquo s republican elected officials amash bentivolio and huizenga in the us house vote to protect our rights to privacy that are guaranteed in the constitution it rsquo s sad that we live in a world where fear has allowed our government to convince the people we elected to office to defend our rights to vote to take those same rights away for an article on what the government is collecting about each of us and storing click on the following link  http wwwthenewamericancom usnews constitution item 16196othergovernmentagenciesclamorfornsasurveillan 19  ',0),(3947,'node',' do michigan s congressmen believe in the constitution  unders2jpg do michigan s congressmen believe in the constitution  ',0),(3948,'node',' the cost of not having a smartmeter  why does the legislature allow a ldquo public service commission mpsc rdquo to force us to have something installed without our approval or permission require us to pay for it when we feel it is an invasion of our privacy and may well be hazardous to our health because we refuse to have our lives monitored and to protect our health we will be forced to pay a fee under the guise that it will cost the company to send someone to read a meter on usage there are other ways to deal with the issue other than to penalize the consumer that would not require the overhead that the utility says they will have to incur there has actually been legislation introduced in the last two legislative session to address these concerns but neither of the bills ever came out of committee or to the floor for consideration for passage this is where the michigan legislature has been negligent in the past and now in that they could address the issue legislatively to assure that michigan citizens are not unfairly treated by the utility companies to know why they don rsquo t do anything about it all you have to do is ldquo follow the money rdquo from the energy lobbyists and the energy companies to the legislators who have the power to do something about it this issue needs to be given consideration and a fair hearing read here about the mpsc rsquo s decision on consumer opt outs and the cost that will be levied on the consumer because of their desire to protect their rights and health  http wwwmlivecom news muskegon indexssf 201306 thosewantingtooptoutofthhtml 19  ',0),(3949,'node',' the cost of not having a smartmeter  smartmeterjpg the cost of not having a smartmeter  ',0),(3950,'node',' telling the truth may get you fired  it has always been my understanding that an ldquo oped rdquo piece was an opinion and that the news media should always present opinions from all sides of the political spectrum to allow for discussion and an honest dialog but in our day and age any opinions that are not of the progressive ilk are suppressed by the main stream media to gain approval and favor from those in power ie the progressive politicians to see the latest suppression of opinions other than those that meet the ldquo acceptable standards rdquo set by the liberal left media click on the following link  http wwwthenewamericancom usnews item 16187tennesseenewspapereditorfiredforopedcriticalo ',0),(3951,'node',' would the real conservative please stand up  tim skubick has penned a piece on the potential face off between congressman dave camp and former secretary of state terri lynn land in the august 2014 primary for the open us senate seat by the retirement of carl levin i know mister skubick thinks he is ldquo truly unbiased rdquo in his analysis on issues and people but come on everyone know he is a die hard lib i just wonder what his end game is in his latest piece is he pushing camp as the better candidate because he thinks that peters could more easily beat him or is he dissing land because he despises anything related to the ldquo tea party rdquo for me i just want someone on the ticket to represent the republican party that is a ldquo real conservative rdquo and that will vote that way on the issues to read tim skubick rsquo s analysis on the candidates click on the following link  http wwwmlivecom politics indexssf 201308 post91html incartriverdefault ',0),(4198,'node',' court rules in favor of religious liberty in abortion case  a federal appeals court on friday struck down the birth control mandate in obamacare the washington dc circuit court of appeals ruled 21 in favor of business owners who are fighting the requirement they provide their employees with health insurance that covers birth control for an article on the court decision that may ultimately end up in the supreme court click on the following link  http thehillcom blogs regwatch courtbattles 188983appealscourtrulesagainstbirthcontrolmandate ',0),(3955,'node',' are obesity police the next federal agency  as if we didn rsquo t have enough ldquo government oversight rdquo in our lives now a ldquo federally funded rdquo group has come out with recommendations on what steps should be taken to address the issue of obesity by the ldquo government rdquo i can rsquo t wait to see what it will all cost read what there recommendations are here  http wwwcnsnewscom news article govtadvisorygrouprecommendscommunitylevelobesitywa ',0),(3956,'node',' obama the true nixon apostle  if only we had real investigative media like we did in the nixon days of watergate as the benghazi details become more well known the associated press james rosen monitoring situation becomes more clear the irs corruption scandal grows the nsa surveillance becomes more detailed and fast and furious becomes even more widespread in its scope the media still finds itself ignoring each of these stories to curry favor with obama administration any one of these scandals should have brought at a minimum a grand jury or congressional investigation for an in depth story on all of the issues that the president has failed to address with any level of detail click on the following link  http wwwnationalreviewcom article 355157 obamaswatergatesvictordavishanson 19  obama the true nixon apostle  ',0),(3959,'node',' progressive playbook smear change the subject  cainjpg progressive playbook smear change the subject  ',0),(3958,'node',' progressive playbook smear change the subject  at recent public hearing held by the michigan house on ldquo common core standards rdquo in education for michigan the focus of the hearing became an issue of race as so often is the case the progressive democrats will do anything to change the subject so that the truth is ignored through the subterfuge that was the case as representative david knezek ddearborn heights interrupted as larry arnn president of hillsdale college was giving his presentation on why common core is bad for michigan schools for an article on the hearing and the truth about hillsdale college and their policy regarding ethnicity click on the following link  http wwwdetroitnewscom article 20130806 opinion01308060008 thesmearinghillsdalespresident odyssey mod newswell text frontpage s 19  progressive playbook smear change the subject  ',0),(3960,'node',' it s coming soon the irs and obamacare  the irs is preparing to make sure you are complying with the obamacare mandate of having insurance in 2014 the forms are ready and the agents are ready to go after any violators of the new draconian law forcing us to purchase a service we may not want read more on the irs andwhat the future holds for 2014 at  http dailycallercom 20121030 getreadytofilloutobamacaresindividualmandatetaxfor  19  ',0),(4047,'node',' ccrp poll religious freedom child placement  you can now comment on stories and polls let us know how you feel about the issues new poll overview adoption agencies could refuse to place children in homes based on religious or moral beliefs according to a bill that will be considered by the state house this week the bill has been touted as supporting religious freedom of adoption agencies by allowing child placing agencies to refuse to assist counsel recommend or facilitate an adoption that violates its written religious or moral convictions or policies according to an analysis of the bill the bill would prohibit the state from refusing to provide taxpayer funds or grants to those agencies that choose to not participate in adoptions on those grounds the aclu and equality michigan who advocate for the lesbian gay bisexual and transgender communities say the proposed law is written so broadly that it would allow for state sanctioned discrimination on the basis of just about anything the aclu stated that we don rsquo t argue that faith based agencies have their own rules but they shouldn rsquo t be able to discriminate if they receive state money for an article on proposed legislation regarding this issue click on the following story link  http wwwlansingstatejournalcom article 20130911 news04309110004 housebillwouldallowadoptionagenciesrefuseplacechil  new poll question should adoption agencies be able to refuse to place children in homes based on their religious or moral beliefs yes no undecided to vote in this poll click on this link http wwwclintoncountygoporg content shouldadoptionagenciesbeablerefuseplacechildrenhom  to enter your comments click on add new comment after you vote previous poll question at msu what should be the result of what is acceptable in college courses that are not related to political content 70 universities should hold all professors instructors accountable for their biased teaching up to and including dismissal 14 professors instructors should present all material in an unbiased and fair manner and represent all sides of an issue 11 professors instructors should limited to the relevant materials need to teach their class 5 professors instructors should be free to use any content to teach any class 0 undecided one comment was made on this poll comment 1 consequences for biased teaching and behavior in any course i have a problem with the question as currently stated universities should hold all professors instructors accountable for their biased teaching and behavior in any college course including a course that is related to political content and or when the bias involves political matters beliefs political parties associations religion ethnicity any demographic characteristic bullying intimidation etc in any course political content is precisely one of the most likely areas in which wacko profs instructors go off with their bias bullying and false information and it may or may not be related to the course the prof who recently went on a rant at msu to bully and intimidate students to his way way of thinking about republicans and conservatives etc and political issues that he falsely claimed about them did so in a creative writing class he not only intimidated conservative students to realize they were not academically free to state their conservative views orally or in writing in this creative writing class but he also spewed false information about republicans which could cause those students to question or change their beliefs similarly the rant false information and hate speech about republicans and conservatives impacts how the liberal students and nonpolitical students think and act about republicans and conservatives including their fellow students   all emails addresses  ',0),(4046,'node',' should adoption agencies be able to refuse to place children in homes based on their religious or moral beliefs  yes no undecided  ',0),(4804,'node',' should the legislature pass a package of bills that would make abortions illegal after a fetal heartbeat is detected  yes no undecided abortion legislation pkg it is the constant non stop revisiting of issues like this that cost eric cantor his job and will put hilary clinton into the white house in 2016 time to move on people there are many issues just as important relevant to people born after 1980 that need to be addressed  should the legislature pass package bills that would make abortions illegal after fetal heartbeat detected  ',0),(3961,'node',' it s coming soon the irs and obamacare  obabaformjpg it s coming soon the irs and obamacare  ',0),(3957,'node',' obama the true nixon apostle  noxon2jpg obama the true nixon apostle  ',0),(3507,'node',' ccrp poll mi electoral vote change poll overview michigan legislators are weighing possible changes to electoral college rules michigan is currently one of five states debating changes to how its electoral college votes are counted republicans want to change the rule that the popular vote winner gets all of that state s electoral votes instead they want to apportion the state s electoral votes according to which candidate gets the biggest popular vote in each of the 14 congressional districts if this would have been in effect in the last election mitt romney would have received a majority of michigan s 16 electoral votes last year even though obama beat him by a nearly 450000 popular votes there are plans to introduce a bill that would award all but two of michigan s 16 electoral college votes according to congressional district results the remaining two would go to the candidate winning the statewide majority the us constitution allows each state to determine how it will split up its share of the 538 electoral votes available new poll question are you in favor of the michigan legislature changing the way electoral votes are allocated to be by congressional district yes no undecided to vote in this poll click on this link  http wwwclintoncountygoporg content areyoufavormichiganlegislaturechangingwayelectoral  to enter your comments click on add new comment after you vote previous poll question are you in favor of the legislature passing legislation that would expand the medicaid coverage as part of obamacare yes 20 no 77 undecided 3 there were no comments made on the poll   all emails addresses  ',0),(3963,'node',' ccrp poll dump calley at the 2014 gop state convention   you can now comment on stories and polls let us know how you feel about the issues new poll overview a livingston county tea party member and treasurer of hartland townshipbased retakeourgov wes nakagiri is leading an effort to replace lt gov brian calley with a more conservative republican at the state gop s 2014 convention he has even said that if no one else is willing to challenge calley on the ticket to run with governor snyder to be the lieutenant governor he would be willing to do that nakagiri said michigan and the republicans need a more conservative lieutenant governor candidate and that it would bring more republicans to the polls who otherwise would stay home on election day rather than support the potential snydercalley ticket he also said calley should be replaced to bring a balanced perspective to an administration that has supported the expansion of medicaid to michigan s working poor creation of a staterun healthcare exchange increased road revenue and the common core state english and math standards those are the issues that are really aggravating traditional republicans and people like myself so i don rsquo t think it rsquo s a hard sell nakagiri said the plan to replace calley is supported by about six other tea party representatives in michigan who would like to see to calley replaced snyder s office said the governor and calley have made a strong team but that disagreement is to be expected when asked if snyder believes the tea party plan will gain traction snyder spokeswoman sara wurfel said i think it rsquo s clear that the governor and lieutenant governor have been and will continue to stay focused on making the tough but needed decisions that will ensure michigan rsquo s comeback continues and that are in the best interests of 10 million michiganders regardless of politics or polls we know that rsquo s bound to make people on the left unhappy from time to time as well as those on the right and those in the middle wurfel said new poll question should the michigan gop convention delegates replace calley as the lt governor candidate at the 2014 gop convention yes no undecided to vote in this poll click on this link http wwwclintoncountygoporg content shouldmichigangopconventiondelegatesreplacecalleyl  to enter your comments click on add new comment after you vote previous poll question should republicans in the us house remove the money for obamacare as part of their funding for the federal government yes 91 no 7 undecided 2 one comments was made on this poll leave money out of aca funding absolutely should defund obamacare any way possible gop has to stand firm against this horrible program any way possible fear of offending voters has caused the gop to become a party that stands for nothing conservatives will applaud their standing firm on something now for some conservative candidates for the midterm elections   all emails addresses  ',0),(2319,'node',' a dirty little secret remember the quote ldquo to big to fail rdquo  that rsquo s all we heard when the housing bubble burst in regard to the banks decisions were made behind closed doors by the fed that impacted each an every one of us every day we move deeper and deeper into the government abyss where decisions are made that are not in our best interest ron paul has been calling for an audit of the fed and for fiscal responsibility for years and has been laughed at he has been right on the mark with his concern and in his demands the fed is nothing more than a secret society in collusion with other special interests to manipulate our monetary policy and markets for an in depth article from wwwbloombergcom on what has happened over the last four years with the fed and the banks and how they all attempted to keep it a secret through a supreme court suit to block the obtaining of the facts click on the following story link  http wwwbloombergcom news 20111128 secretfedloansundisclosedtocongressgavebanks13bill 18  ',0),(4170,'node',' should the michigan legislature pass a law that would ban smoking in a motor vehicle that has children in it  yes no undecided smoking in car at face value this seems to make good sense but what s next police able to enter your home and make arrests for smoking and only tobacco but its ok to smoke pot in the car with your kids this is a personal liberty issue good choice or not it certainly shouldn t be 500 fine how about stronger enforcement t of more hazardous habits like repeat drunk drivers and texting while drivingthis is nanny state overreach and you would think rep singh would devote his energy and experience toward higher priorities smoking in a vehicle with children please state of mi just leave us alone federal govt please just leave us alone why can t you just leave us alone ida s please ban smoking in the car and homes with children people need to realize that smoking is killing our kids and when i leave this earth i want my kids to breathe and healthy you not losing your rights we losing our kids and second smoking is effecting a lot people so i agree to pass the law but 500 is too much for fine it make sick how people think about their self and not think about our children health  does anybody know anybody does anybody know anybody that has died of second hand smoke poor choice of using resources that can be better spent elsewhere  ',0),(3059,'node',' roscommon teachers decertified from mea the teachers in the roscommon education association voted last week to decertify from the michigan education association by a 4222 vote finally a group of teachers that looks at what the mea is doing and their agenda and decide to separate themselves from the organization for an article on their decision click on the following story link  http wwwmichigancapitolconfidentialcom 17516 19  roscommon teachers decertified from mea  ',0),(3966,'node',' the war on coal and us  coalwarjpg the war on coal and us  ',0),(4013,'node',' some school districts quit healthier lunch program what s more important only one year later some school districts are dropping out of the national school lunch program that focused on providing healthier lunches to schoolchildren in some districts so many children skipped the lunches that the schools are losing too much money to continue with the program isn t there any way to provide healthy lunches that kids will eat read more  wwwcnsnewscom news article someschooldistrictsquithealthierlunchprogram ',0),(2856,'node',' should the michigan legislature pass legislation to nullify the federal national defense authorization act  yes no undecided  ',0),(3925,'node',' ag schuette on defending detroit pensions michigan s attorney general bill schuette will be arguing on behalf of detroit retirees in their fight to save their pension benefits from detroit s bankruptcy proceeding get the ag s take on the issue  wwwmlivecom news detroit indexssf 201307 attorneygeneralbillschuette1html  schuette defending detroit pensions  ',0),(4187,'node',' feds report 97b loss on gm shares with taxpayers now owning only 7 of gm down from the original 608 share that was purchased to bailout the company the us treasury reports that we have lost 97 billion on the deal whenever the government gets involved in private industry it picks the winners and the losers in this case the taxpayer is the loser read more  wwwdetroitnewscom article 20131029 auto0103310290032 fedsreport97blossgmshares  feds report 97b loss shares  ',0),(4188,'node',' feds report 97b loss on gm shares gmjpg feds report 97b loss on gm shares ',0),(3967,'node',' ccrp monthly meeting august 15 2013 in dewitt just a quick reminder the ccrp will be holding its monthly meeting this thursday august 15 2013 at the dewitt city hall at 700 pm this months meeting will include a brief business segment and then we will hear from pauline holeton on the issue of smartmeters if you are interested in hearing more on your rights and the utilities plans to install or replace your analog meter with a smartmeter at your residence please plan on attending our monthly meetings are open to anyone who would like to attend if you are interested in hearing what is going on in clinton county lansing and washington please feel free to attend sincerely steve willis chairman clinton county republican party h 5176416657 c 5172814458 sgwillis1945 gmailcom  clinton county 2013r  ',0),(3970,'node',' appeals court upholds lower court pension ruling a threejudge panel unanimously agreed with judge draganchuk that changes to state employee compensation including pension benefits are to be made by the state civil service commission not the legislature for the details on the hearing read the rest of the story  http wwwlansingstatejournalcom article 20130814 news04308140023 appealscourtmichiganlawrequiringstateemployeespay4 ',0),(3968,'node',' should the mi legislature raise the state income tax to 7 and use the fuel based portion of the tax exclusively for roads  yes no undecided salex tax increase for roads yes increase sales tax by 1 with that increase being designated 100 to michigan roads would bring in the revenue everyone benefits and it is a fair way to gain the money what is not right is that michigan taxesatax by charging sales tax on the federal excise tax on motor fuel they need to stop doing that taxingatax is wrong state income tax fair and equal the more you make the more you should be willing to contribute for the benifit of all people sales tax we are taxed enough already maybe the governor and the legislature could look for the waste that is already there in the government budget i would be for elimination of the money being given to the corporations to promote public private partnerships let the free enterprise system work that would bring in revenue to the state  ',0),(3972,'node',' common core marathon session ccorejpg common core marathon session ',0),(3973,'node',' governor snyder dedicates michigan trailhead governor snyder has a vision of a 924 mile path through michigan rsquo s upper and lower peninsulas for biking and hiking for the details of the trail as it crosses michigan click on the following story link  http wwwmlivecom news detroit indexssf 201308 governordedicatestrailheadfhtml ',0),(3975,'node',' ccrp summer bbq pictures  we have posed the pictures from the ccrp summer bbq we held on july 25 in bath township to view the pictures click on the following link  http wwwclintoncountygoporg content 2013ccrpsummerbbqbathtownship don t forget about our ccrp monthly meeting tonight in dewitt at the city hall at 700 pm with john and pauline holeton giving a presentation on the issue of smartmeters  clinton county 2013r  ',0),(3978,'node',' landbank overreach  under michigan law land banks aren rsquo t suppose to buy reverted property until after market buyers have had a chance to purchase them at tax auctions however the law allows local governments to purchase delinquent and abandoned properties before the the tax auctions it would appear local governmental units have used he law to bend its original intent for an article on the practice that some governmental entities have gotten into click on the following link  http wwwmichigancapitolconfidentialcom 18990 ',0),(3985,'node',' green energy fees disappearing the fees that the major utility companies have been charging for green energy are disappearing the public service commission has reported that the government mandate to increase green energy sources has brought in 18 billion in energy investment how is this development impacting energy creation in the state read more  wwwdetroitnewscom apps pbcsdll article ',0),(3976,'node',' how long will camp wait to make a decision  while congressman camp contemplates whether he will throw his hat into the ring to run for the us senate gary peters the de facto democratic nominee will have time to get his message out there uncontested let rsquo s hope that we don rsquo t wait to long to get a quality candidate out there showing why we need a republican in the us senate for an article from the wall street journal on whether congressman camp will enter the race click on the following story link  http onlinewsjcom articleemail sb10001424127887324823804579014763340734726lmyqjax mod wsjvaletbottomemail 19  how long will camp wait make decision  ',0),(3977,'node',' how long will camp wait to make a decision  campinjpg how long will camp wait to make a decision  ',0),(3980,'node',' camp will not run for us senate  congressman dave camp has announced he will not run for the senate seat to be vacated by retiring senator carl levin in 2014 currently that only leaves terri lynn land as the only declared candidate on the republican side of the ticket for more on the new regarding congressman camp rsquo s decision not to run click on the following story link  http wwwmlivecom news indexssf 201308 davecamptonotrunforussehtml incartriver 19  camp will not run for senate  ',0),(3981,'node',' camp will not run for us senate  camptoojpg camp will not run for us senate  ',0),(3983,'node',' google says you have no right to privacy  gmailjpg google says you have no right to privacy  ',0),(3982,'node',' google says you have no right to privacy   ldquo if you care about your email correspondents rsquo privacy don rsquo t use gmail rdquo that rsquo s the advice given by consumer watchdog rsquo s privacy project director john m simpson for more on the google rsquo s assertion that you have no right to privacy in your email communications click on the following story link  http wwwthenewamericancom usnews constitution item 16322googleclaimsrighttoriflethroughallgmailmessag 19  google says you have right privacy  ',0),(3971,'node',' common core marathon session a michigan house subcommittee listened to almost six hours in a public hearing regarding common core educational standards for michigan rsquo s schools comments for and against the standards where presented to the committee for consideration one more hearing date is set for august 28 before a final decision is made for details of the committee hearing click on the following story link  http wwwmlivecom education indexssf 201308 marathonhearingoncommoncorhtml for and additional article on common core from the new york times click on the following link  http wwwnytimescom 20130816 education neweducationstandardsfacegrowingoppositionhtml r 0 19  common core marathon session  ',0),(3986,'node',' should the legislature pass a bill allowing a smart meter no fee opt out for customers of electric utility companies  yes 100 1 vote no 0 0 votes undecided 0 0 votes total votes 1  ',0),(3987,'node',' ccrp poll smar tmeter opt out   you can now comment on stories and polls let us know how you feel about the issues new poll overview consumers energy will be installing 18 million smart meters in the next few years in michigan to replace existing analog meters or as new installs the michigan public service commission has ruled that consumers energy can charge customers who do not want to participate in their smart meter program with a onetime fee of about 69 to install a traditional meter for those who want an existing smart meter to be removed for a more traditional meter consumers energy can charge a onetime fee of about 124 additionally for their customers who choose the optout program and not have the smart meter installed they will be required to pay a monthly fee of 972 a month opponents of the smart meters state the world health organization international agency for research on cancer classified the transmission of radiofrequency electromagnetic fields that are used in smart meters as possibly carcinogenic to humans opponents also cited privacy issues and interference with medical implants and believe the smart meters will not save money and are not environmentally friendly they also want to preserve the customers rights to keep and or restore their analog meters and have the fees eliminated they feel the optout fees are unfair and create a hardship for those on fixed incomes consumers energy officials dispute those claims of health and privacy risks saying smart meters are safe secure and give an array of benefits to customers consumers energy says smart meters will allow residents to see exactly how much energy they are using on a realtime basis and adjust usage to cut monthly bills the michigan house has introduced a bill hb 4315 that would eliminate the opt out fees that the michigan public service commission said the electric utilities could charge customers the bill also contains a number of other limitations in terms of individual privacy related issues regarding the data and information that the utility companies would be tracking and storing a similar bill to hb 4315 was introduced in the last legislative session but never made it out of committee and it is likely that the current bill will see the same treatment by the committee with over 110000 in political donations going to the energy technology committee members in the house new poll question should the mi legislature pass a bill that would allow a smart meter no fee opt out for customers of electric utility companies yes no undecided to vote in this poll click on this link http wwwclintoncountygoporg content shouldlegislaturepassbillallowingsmartmeter e2809cnofee e2809doptoutcustomerselectricutilit  to enter your comments click on add new comment after you vote previous poll question should the mi legislature raise the state sales tax to 7 and use the fuel based portion of the tax exclusively for roads yes 33 20 votes no 57 34 votes undecided 10 6 votes total votes 60 three comments were made on this poll comment 1 salex tax increase for roads yes increase sales tax by 1 with that increase being designated 100 to michigan roads would bring in the revenue everyone benefits and it is a fair way to gain the money what is not right is that michigan taxesatax by charging sales tax on the federal excise tax on motor fuel they need to stop doing that taxingatax is wrong comment 2 state income tax fair and equal the more you make the more you should be willing to contribute for the benifit of all people 3 sales tax we are taxed enough already maybe the governor and the legislature could look for the waste that is already there in the government budget i would be for elimination of the money being given to the corporations to promote public private partnerships let the free enterprise system work that would bring in revenue to the state   all emails addresses  ',0),(3989,'node',' al jazeera america goes live tuesday al jazeera america a new cable and satellite channel will go on the air on tuesday in a news conference last week the channel s acting chief executive said they will be airing factbased unbiased and indepth news what can we expect from this latest news channel read more  wwwnytimescom 20130819 business media aljazeeraamericapromisesamoresoberlookatthenewshtm ',0),(3608,'node',' household income tumbles during obama recovery  if we re in a recovery and the economy is improving why is household income going down as recently as february 2013 median annual household income dropped by 11 percent what s up with that read more  wwwhumaneventscom 20130329 householdincometumblesduringtheobamarecovery   household income tumbles during obama recovery  ',0),(3990,'node',' medicaid kabuki dance   the governor and the michigan senate republicans continue their kabuki dance over medicaid expansion in lansing and around the state as we seem to be approaching the final scene in this political play later this month over the last few months we have seen the drama unfold with the passage of hb 4714 in the house after pressure was applied by lobbyists and the governor that was soon followed by more pressure on the senators again by the governor with his obamaesk medical professional staff in their scrubs sullenly lined up behind him lobbyists and the progressive media continued to play their part as it was scripted demanding a vote from the senators and telling them to come back from ldquo vacation and vote rdquo state of michigan department of community health employees were called in to help by lighting up the twittersphere with tweets for people to call their senators and tell them to vote for the expansion the governor came back early from a trip to israel to apply his ldquo relentless positive action rdquo on the nonconformist free thinking senators who hadn rsquo t bent to his will all this was to no avail majority leader richardville invoked the hastert rule not allowing for a floor vote because a majority of the republican caucus was not in favor of passage over the summer the governor and lt governor took their medicaid expansion show on the road to the senate districts where the deviant senators were from the drum beat to come back and vote continued from the governor the democrats and the media but richardville wouldn rsquo t relent finally a meeting was held between the governor and richardville and they all agreed to play nice for a while now that summer has almost come and gone the stage has been set for what may well be the final act of the medicaid expansion drama the final act of the play may well take place on august 27 when the senate reconvenes to address the issue to muddy the waters two alternative private market plans sb 422 and in sb 459 sb 460 have been introduced for possible consideration along with the original plan that was passed by the house earlier this year hb 4714 senate minority leader gretchen whitmer says she is concerned about whether there will even be a vote one rumor has it that senator richardville may allow all three medicaid options to come up for a vote knowing the two alternative plans are doomed to defeat before they ever get serious consideration ultimately will richardville bend to the ldquo nerd rsquo s rdquo will and go against tradition to ignore the hastert rule and allow a vote on the hb 4714 even though the caucus is not in agreement like any good drama the final act always has a surprise i don rsquo t want to give it away but inside politics might be in play imagine that it is suggested there may be a senator that may sell his soul for ldquo 25 pieces of silver rdquo in seeking the senate leadership position in the next term of the senate this senator might consider changing his position and vote for expansion of medicaid in exchange for his assistance in passing the expansion the benefit to him would be to get assistance in becoming the new majority leader in 2015 in the end if medicaid expansion passes in the senate the governor the lobbyists and the special interests will have won and the ldquo people rdquo who believe in our country and what it was founded upon will have lost as we wait to see the final act i hope ldquo the people rdquo of michigan have sent ldquo people of principles rdquo to represent them in lansing and that they will not bend to the pressure of the special interests  let rsquo s pray they will do the ldquo right thing rdquo  ',0),(4146,'node',' ccrp monthly meeting october 17 2013 in dewitt smartmeters   ccrp monthly meeting smartmeters october 17 2013 in dewitt just a quick reminder the ccrp will be holding its monthly meeting on thursday october 17 2013 at the dewitt city hall at 700 pm please find attached the agenda for that meeting agenda for meeting this months meeting will include a brief business segment and then we will hear from dennis mckee smart energy communications director from consumers energy on the issue of smartmeters if you are interested in hearing more on consumers energy s plans to install or replace your analog meter with a smartmeter at your residence please plan on attending a brief video 4 minutes regarding the known issues relating to smartmeters will precede mr mckee s presentation at the end of the presentation there will be a question and answer period smart meter video that will be shown our monthly meetings are open to anyone who would like to attend if you are interested in hearing what is going on in clinton county lansing and washington please feel free to attend sincerely steve willis chairman clinton county republican party http wwwclintoncountygoporg  h 5176416657 c 5172814458 sgwillis1945 gmailcom   clinton county 2013g  ',0),(3934,'node',' obama scoffs at keystone jobs does obama want to create jobs for american workers or not it s hard to tell when he makes derisive remarks about jobs that would be created by building the keystone pipeline after almost five years of socalled recovery you might think the president would be more accepting of a project that could put thousands of constructions workers back to work but it appears he may be moving away from approval of the keystone project what is he thinking read more  wwwwashingtontimescom news 2013 jul 31 obamachangescoursekeystonestance   obama scoffs keystone jobs  ',0),(4136,'node',' how much do farm subsidies cost us  congress is debating the farm bill this week but they are ignoring the fact they could potentially be saving the taxpayers billions of dollars in money that is padding farmers pockets here are some statistics relating to michigan rsquo s direct payments to farmers from 1995 through 2012 michigan ranks 22nd out of 50 states in subsidies received including 302 billion in commodity subsidies 952 million in crop insurance subsidies 536 million in conservation subsidies 359 million in disaster subsidies 59 percent of farms in michigan did not collect subsidy payments according to usda 10 percent collected 71 percent of all subsidies amounting to 279 billion over 18 years for a website where you can view subsidies from all over the country by state county and even down to the zip code level click on this link  http farmewgorg  19  ',0),(4147,'node',' a sick job market in health care if medicare reimbursement rates are being cut and the new affordable care act requires reduction in the growth of medicare spending what s a hospital to do cut job what a surprise read more  wwwnationalreviewcom article 361102 sickjobmarkethealthcarekevindwilliamson ',0),(3993,'node',' regulation nation  regulationsjpg regulation nation  ',0),(3992,'node',' regulation nation  the executive branch keeps reaching farther and farther into all aspects of our lives when faced with opposition to its policies this administration advances its goals through the back door using regulations rather than working within the legislative process once these regulations get on the books will they ever come off what is this costing our nation read more  thehillcom blogs regwatch administration 317485regulationnationobamaexpandstheregulatorysta  regulation nation  ',0),(3994,'node',' how obama neglects the poor president obama mentions the poor less than any president in decades says mark m gray a researcher at georgetown university in a series of speeches obama gave recently he characterizes himself as a champion of the middle class but evidence shows the obama economy doesn t offer much for those on the lower end of the scale arthur brooks president of the american enterprise institute and author of the road to freedom writes this article in the wall street journal examining the policies put forth by the adminstration that are supposed to be helping people move up the economic ladder why is it so difficult for people to move themselves into the middle class read more  onlinewsjcom article sb10001424127887324809004578638393310868974html ',0),(3996,'node',' companies sweating obamacare tax and acting on it healthcarereformjpg companies sweating obamacare tax and acting on it ',0),(3995,'node',' companies sweating obamacare tax and acting on it a new study of mid to largesize companies finds that many are looking at changing their health insurance offerings because the pricier plans will carry an excise tax under obamacare some companies are also looking to the health care exchanges as a possible way to control costs in the future although most say they will not discontinue health care coverage for 2014 and 2015 what else are employers thinking about as they look to the future of health care read the full story  wwwcnbccom id 100975973  companies sweating obamacare tax and acting  ',0),(3999,'node',' ccrp poll raise michigan speed limit   you can now comment on stories and polls let us know how you feel about the issues new poll overview state senator rick jones is working on changing the speed limits across the state the current maximum speed limit allowed by state law is 70 miles an hour while several other states have speed limits as high as 75 or 80 mph michigan state police msp say there is a science behind most of the speed limit signs the msp and the michigan department of transportation use it to determine how fast you could be driving mdot and the msp do speed studies to determine what the average speed is that people are driving when 85 of the drivers or higher are going a certain speed they will consider increasing the speed limit if the road has engineering and line of sight that can accommodate the increased speed senator rick jones says the state should not have a maximum limit of 70 miles an hour and says the state police advised me that many of our highways can probably go to 75 and maybe a few to 80 mdot said if the speed limits were to change it would first require speed studies to be conducted and then replacing the current signs with new speed limit signs richard estimates that could costs millions of dollars to complete senator jones said he plans to finish the bill this fall new poll question should legislation be introduced in michigan that would allow for certain roads to have their speed limits increased yes no undecided to vote in this poll click on this link should legislation be passed in michigan that would allow for certain roads to have their speed limits increased   to enter your comments click on add new comment after you vote previous poll question should the legislature pass a bill allowing a smart meter no fee opt out for customers of electric utility companies yes 74 40 votes no 26 14 votes undecided 0 0 votes total votes 54 no comments were made on this poll   all emails addresses  ',0),(4042,'node',' a fight for the soul of the mi gop  according to a story from livinstondailycom based on a recent survey where state gop delegates were polled regarding governor snyder and lt governor calley it appears that there is a significant part of the republican party base that is unhappy with both the governor and the lt governor to read the full story click on the following link  http wwwlivingstondailycom article 20130906 news01309060016 goppollsayslivingstoncountysnakagirihasshotstatesn 19  fight for the soul the gop  ',0),(4043,'node',' a fight for the soul of the mi gop  snydercalleyjpg a fight for the soul of the mi gop  ',0),(4001,'node',' obama higher ed overreach obamaedjpg obama higher ed overreach ',0),(4000,'node',' obama higher ed overreach our socialist president has found a new cause that he can stick his nose into he wants to make federal aid to universities dependent upon whether the colleges and universities meet the demands of the federal government one of the questions to ask is whether colleges and universities have to conform to these new requirements and will these rankings affect what is taught how it is taught to whom it is taught mdash and we will have arrived at central planning for an article from a economists perspective and his concerns read this story  http blogsdetroitnewscom politics 20130823 obamamorefederalintrusionintohighered  19  obama higher overreach  ',0),(4003,'node',' the death of health insurance insurejpg the death of health insurance ',0),(4002,'node',' the death of health insurance  ldquo if you like your doctor you can keep your doctor rdquo remember that quote  in the very near future as the obamacare ldquo trojan horse rdquo becomes the single payer option another private enterprise will disappear and be replaced with an inefficient ineffective substandard system of state controlled health care that will be fraught with fraud and abuse read more on the eventual destruction of the best health care system in with world that is doomed to extinction  http wwwthenewamericancom usnews healthcare item 16389obamacarewillleadtoinsurancedeathspiralstudys 19  the death health insurance  ',0),(4004,'node','  you lie   ldquo joe wilson day rdquo  take a look back at the last four years at the pathological liar we have in the white house and his litany of lies http spectatororg archives 20130822 joewilsonwassoright ',0),(4006,'node',' mi gop congressmen seek to defund obamacare defundjpg mi gop congressmen seek to defund obamacare ',0),(4008,'node',' ccrp poll congressional vote to defund obamacare   you can now comment on stories and polls let us know how you feel about the issues new poll overview eighty congressional republicans has signed and sent a letter to house speaker john boehner and majority leader eric cantor stating that the affordable care act leads to job losses coverage changes and other negative effects signing the letter from michigan were five of the nine gop representatives including congressmen justin amash dan benishek kerry bentivolio bill huizenga and tim walberg four of michigan rsquo s nine gop representatives did not sign the letter including congressmen dave camp candice miller mike rogers and tim fred upton not a single member of gop leadership signed the letter however nor did any major committee chairmen which could signal that the effort has yet to gain traction rep mark meadows rnc gathered the signatures as conservative lawmakers continue to mount a campaign for republicans to stand their ground on the issue during the fall s debate on spending he also made clear he is looking for more members to join the cause beyond the existing total which is roughly a third of house republicans we want house leadership to know they have a large group of members ready to stand with them to stop the president s destructive and unaffordable health care law he said in a statement despite sending the letter today i will continue to keep a running list of members who choose to lend their names to this crucial effort new poll question should all of the members of michigan s gop congressional delegation in the us house vote to defund obamacare yes no undecided to vote in this poll click on this link http wwwclintoncountygoporg content shouldallmembersmichigan e28099sgopcongressionaldelegationushousevotedefund  to enter your comments click on add new comment after you vote previous poll question should legislation be passed in michigan that would allow for certain roads to have their speed limits increased yes 60 39 votes no 38 25 votes undecided 2 1 vote total votes 65 comment 1 speed traps never let politicians set speed limits a good example was the speed trap in east lansing that i got shut down gretchen whitmer and mark meadows opposed me i won that one when tickets are written for speed zones that are set low for revenue then citizens suffer and are abused their auto insurance goes up this is all about stopping speed traps rick jones comment 2 three reasons not to increase speed limits 1 if msp were to enforce other laws on the highways we would also have a better handle on those who scoff at the laws and create dangers tail gating driving closer than one car length for every 10 miles of speed which is necessary to bring a car safely to a stop in the assured clear distance ahead road rage weaving in and out texting phoning and other laws that are ignored and put the rest of us at risk these dangerous and illegal behaviors exist why would jones propose to reward any of these folks 2 is jones proposing to squander existing tax dollars on changing traffic signs instead of prioritizing it to fix roads and bridges and then change the usage of existing gas tax revenue tied to a proposed sales tax increase 3 why should we accommodate those who break the law and drive faster than the legal posted speed limit what s the next accommodation change the law to suit drug users and dealers illegal immigrants tax cheats welfare cheats wife beaters pedophiles rapists etc changing laws to accommodate those who ignore laws is a poor practice and a slippery slope comment 3 speed limits until the police prove that they will enforce existing speed limits there should be no increase in speed limits speeding is anything over the posted limit and should be enforced that way we all know that a good percentage of drivers will always drive 510 mph above the posted limit so people will be driving 8590 mph without concern of getting a ticket i pull a 8000 pound trailer on the interstates at just above 60 mph partly because that is what is recommended and partly for safety reasons the last thing i need is for some traffic traveling 2025 mph faster than me the difference in speed of traffic is what makes for unsafe roads no to higher speed limits mr jones comment 4 speed limit increase most people already exceed the speed limit so there s no need to make these expensive changes   all emails addresses  ',0),(2360,'node',' ccrp poll payroll extension tax the keystone pipeline  you can now comment on stories and polls let us know how you feel about the issues new poll overview republicans pushed legislation through the house that would keep alive the social security payroll tax cuts for some 160 million americans but would also require construction of a canadatotexas oil pipeline that has brought a veto threat from the president the democraticcontrolled senate says the pipeline portion of the bill is doa the legislation extends the payroll tax relief extends and reforms unemployment insurance and protects social security ndash without jobkilling tax hikes republican house speaker john boehner declared house democrats accused republicans of protecting millionaires and billionaires and pandering to the tea party obama still insists that the legislation be paid for at least in part by asking the wealthiest americans to pay their fair share in higher tax levies new poll question should republicans demand inclusion of the keystone pipeline as part of the social security tax cut extension proposal yes no undecided to vote in this poll click on this link should republicans demand inclusion of the keystone pipeline as part of the social security tax cut extension proposal   to enter your comments click on add new comment after you vote previous poll question what should lowe s do regarding a controversy related to the pulling of ads for the allamerican muslim reality tv show 6 nothing they have already apologized 11 give a more complete apology and reinstate the ads that were pulled 83 they never should have apologized it s their right under the constitution to do what they did 0 undecided there were no comments submitted wake up you friends and neighbors get involved your vote counts elect responsible people in 2012 send this link to your friends and neighbors http wwwclintoncountygoporg   all emails addresses  ',0),(3443,'node',' poll voters pessimistic as obama prepares for second inauguration it looks like president obama has been very successful in deflecting public opinion away from him and onto well just about anyone or anything else despite broad pessimism about the economy jobs and the direction in which the country is heading obama still enjoys a favorable rating from half of the country talk about a teflon presidency it s hard to believe so many people in this country are so gullible for polling details see  thehillcom homenews administration 277923pollvoterspessimisticdisappointedasobamaprep  poll voters pessimistic obama prepares for second inauguration  ',0),(4266,'node',' should the legislature pass a law that would remove a question regarding a felony conviction from the employment application  yes no undecided  ',0),(4313,'node',' ccrp 4th congressional round up invitation information the 4th congressional roundup is just four weeks away it rsquo s a great opportunity to get together with the other republicans from the 4th congressional 15 member counties please find attached to this email an invitation for the 2day event that will feature congressman camp attorney general bill schuette and us senate candidate terri lynn land and many of the other elected members from the 4th district that serve in the michigan senate and house all of the money that is made from this event goes toward the election of republican candidates in the 4th district 4th congressional roound up invitation  have a merry christmas and stay well we look forward to seeing you in january in clare at the roubnd up sincerely steve willis chairman clinton county republican party  all emails addresses  ',0),(3857,'node',' why medicaid expansion should be defeated in michigan the facts  see why the michigan legislature should reject governor snyder rsquo s push to pass obamacare rsquo s medicaid expansion  the following is reprinted with permission from the michigan center for public policy blog by jack mchugh on july 1 regarding medicaid expansion in michigan  obamacare medicaid facts figures background what you don rsquo t know can hurt you posted by jack mchugh on july 1 2013 at 200pm  editor s note much of the following is derived and in some cases directly quoted from previous mackinac center articles studies and blog posts according to the ldquo official rdquo state numbers starting in 2020 the medicaid expansion will impose 300 million in annual costs on michigan taxpayers that money will have to come from either tax hikes or cuts to current government services gov snyder proposes placing half of any shortterm savings in a lockbox to cover these future cost increases  http wwwsenatemichigangov sfa publications issues medicaidexpansion medicaidexpansionproposalpdf  the mackinac center has critiqued the simplistic ldquo arithmetic rdquo approach the official estimates use because their numbers depend on shaky assumptions the shakiest being that the feds won rsquo t renege on delivering the 90 percent funding share they have promised   ldquo president obama has already signaled that increasing states medicaid share is in the administration s playbook he did so by recommending a lower medicaid lsquo blended rate rsquo in his last two annual budget recommendations rdquo    http wwwmackinacorg 18268  congressman paul ryan reinforced this point in a recent interview   ldquo it doesn rsquo t matter if republicans are running congress or democrats are running congress mdash there rsquo s no way we rsquo re going to keep those match rates like that rdquo  http wwwmackinacorg 18561  according to the heritage foundation  medicaid will impose 13 billion in net costs on michigan taxpayers through 2022  http wwwmackinacorg 18416  money for the expansion doesn rsquo t come from some ldquo pool rdquo of funds to be divided between the states but goes right onto the federal government rsquo s credit card if michigan legislators accept the medicaid expansion they will be approving an increase in the national debt of 225 billion through 2022  http wwwmackinacorg 18582  medicaid is a flawed program that serves recipients poorly according to a 2009 survey many specialists in metropolitan detroit refuse to accept medicaid patients including 33 percent of dermatologists 41 percent of family practitioners 50 percent of obstetricsgynecology specialists and 67 percent of orthopedic surgeons http wwwmackinacorg archives 2013 s201303finalpdf  according to the most important study of the program medicaid ldquo generated no significant improvement in measured physical health outcomes rdquo health care policy expert avik roy characterized the findings this way in forbes   ldquo if medicaid were a new medicine applying for approval from the food and drug administration it would be summarily rejected rdquo  http wwwforbescom sites theapothecary 20130502 oregonstudymedicaidhadnosignificanteffectonhealtho   medicaid recipients use hospital emergency rooms at twice the rate of people with no health insurance or private insurance  ldquo the obama administration rsquo s decision to push insurance coverage through a major expansion of medicaid ensures a greater number of emergency room visits hellip a s patients grapple with even more crowded emergency rooms what will be the negative impact on their access to lifesaving care in a real emergency rdquo    http wwwpoliticocom pdf ppm170hcrmedicaidpdf  many of those covered by the expansion won rsquo t be ldquo the uninsured rdquo but will be people who previously had private coverage taking advantage of a taxpayerfunded alternative in some previous expansions as many as 50 percent of the new beneficiaries dropped private coverage ldquo a conservative estimate of the proposed expansion is that medicaid rolls might have to rise by 14 people in order to reduce the uninsured by 1 person mdash a crowdout rate of about 29 percent rdquo    http wwwmackinacorg archives 2013 s201303finalpdf  the obama administration has essentially forbidden substantive state reforms of the medicaid program such as extending an innovative indiana health savings account alternative see avik roy the arkansasobamacare medicaid deal far less than it first appeared expanding medicaid in the context of implementing obamacare makes the prospect of real reforms less likely not more at this time  19 states will not expand medicaid and six are leaning against so why do our legislators think they and this state are so unique and special in this area    http wwwavalerehealthnet news spotlight 20130524medicaidexpansionpdf   michigan provides medical welfare for children up to 200 percent of the federal poverty level any claims that the expansion is ldquo for the children rdquo are just demagoguery   http wwwmichigangov documents michildfullmanual131637pdf  those pushing the expansion claim that obamacare is a ldquo done deal rdquo and we all have to just knuckle under and pay up this is wrong when the law goes into effect in just six months its complexity internal contradictions and perverse incentives are expected to inflict tremendous damage on families employers and the health care system there is a strong probability this could trigger a widespread public revolt making the law highly vulnerable to being opened up next year for major revisions by congress including the democraticcontrolled reid senate ways in which obamacare is vulnerable with evidence for each  http wwwmichigancapitolconfidentialcom 18723  mackinac center senior legislative analyst jack mchugh rsquo s testimony explaining to a house committee what vulnerable means for michigan families and businesses  http wwwmackinacorg 18741  michiganvotesorg descriptions of the medicaid expansion bill house bill 4714 note in particular differences between the bill as introduced by rep matt lori and as passed 76 to 31 in the house  http wwwmichiganvotesorg 2013hb4714 background medicaid expansion and the obamacare ldquo exchange rdquo roughly speaking there are three components to the medicaid expansion population ablebodied childless adults under 100 percent of the federal poverty level fpl people between 100 and 138 percent of fpl and individuals who are already eligible but are not enrolled the ldquo woodwork rdquo population with some exceptions the first group does not get medical welfare benefits now and will continue not getting them if this state does not expand medicaid these individuals do get treatment if they show up at a hospital emergency room they also receive a bill that most aren rsquo t able to pay so the cost of their care is shifted to everyone else the magnitude of this problem is greatly exaggerated by the hospitals mdash various measures show that uncompensated care constitutes less than 3 percent of total health care costs this is not a new problem and it would be shortsighted to solve it now at the cost of further entrenching a vulnerable obamacare sen bruce caswell rhillsdale has introduced a bill to provide coverage to this population without expanding medicaid mirs news reports it would ldquo include a limited hospitalization benefit likely capped between 10000 and 15000 rdquo and it would also pay for preventive care services sen caswell told me this approach builds on existing programs and would probably solve 90 percent of the problem at a cost he claims is not prohibitive importantly michigan would remain ldquo captain of our own ship rdquo not trapped in an expansion roach motel and not subject the whims of federal bureaucrats this below100 percent of fpl population is also the largest source of the shortterm savings this state will realize with the expansion mdash michigan will be able to transfer 200 million in mental health spending from the state budget onto the federal one it is thought that the obamacare individual mandate will drive many of the second group the ldquo woodwork rdquo people into medicaid and without the expansion michigan taxpayers will have to pay a larger share of the cost than with it however according to the snyder administration this group represents less that 10 percent of the total expansion numbers the 100138 percent of fpl population is more interesting a mackinac center study estimates this population will number 177516 people in 2014 and that 124261 of them will actually enroll in medicaid if the expansion is adopted costing michigan state taxpayers 475 million over the next 10 years without the expansion however people in this group could go into the ldquo exchange rdquo and get a real health insurance policy at little or no cost to themselves and at no cost to michigan state taxpayers the bottom line the mackinac center believes that obamacare is vulnerable to serious revision next year and this state should do nothing that reduces the chances of that outcome this big picture is infinitely more important than reforms that essentially amount to marginal changes to a problematic medical welfare program legislators and citizens who oppose the expansion on this basis are not ldquo bitter enders rdquo but are keeping their eye on what matters most 19  why medicaid expansion should defeated michigan the facts  ',0),(4016,'node',' should president obama order surgical military strikes on syria  yes 21 9 votes no 79 34 votes undecided 0 0 votes total votes 43  should president obama order surgical military strikes syria  ',0),(4669,'node',' michigan lawmakers balk at new common corebased tests what is the best test to evaluate how michigan students are doing academically michigan has been transitioning from the meap testing to a group of tests that were developed as companion tests to the national common core standards but concerns over how the tests will be administered and if they ll be ready in time have some legislators asking for a pause until they can determine what path to follow what s the best plan read the full story  wwwlansingstatejournalcom viewart 20140503 news01305030020 ',0),(4019,'node',' mlk would be alarmed on the 50th anniversary of dr martin luther king s i have a dream speech dr ben carson makes some comments regarding the state of the black community in 2013 read the full story  wwwnewsmaxcom newsfront bencarsonkingdream 20130828 id 522664  mlk would alarmed  ',0),(4020,'node',' mlk would be alarmed martinlutherkingjpg mlk would be alarmed ',0),(4010,'node',' new super pac aims to get more republican women elected a new super pac has announced its official registration with the elections commission women lead pac is run by women and its mission is to get more republican women elected to office their goal is to provide support for those women who are willing to step up and run for office will this bring more women into the republican party read more  dailycallercom 20130826 newsuperpacaimstogetmorerepublicanwomenelected  ',0),(4011,'node',' obama bypassing congress on climate climate change advocates have been unable to move any legislation through the congress that addresses their concerns about global warming use of fossil fuels co2 emission and the like but there s more than one way to skin a cat president obama intends to advance his climatechange agenda through imposing new emissions standards by epa regulation rather than going through the legislative process where do opponents go from here get the details  thehillcom blogs regwatch administration 318599regulationnationobamapinsclimatehopesonbypas ',0),(3600,'node',' ccrp poll should dave agema resign  commenting on poll questions you can still vote on poll questions however your commenting options have been changed due to excessive spam commenting on the ccrp website probably from democrats that have noting better to do comments will only be allowed by registered users of the site if you think you are a registered user and no longer know your username and or password email us at ccrpmich gmailcom and we will let you know if you have one and what your login in and password are if you are not a registered user of the ccrp website and you would like to be one to allow you to comment on stories and polls click on the login link in any story or poll and we will assign you that information poll overview michigan s republican national committeeman dave agema is taking serious flack because of a controversial antigay social media posting and has been asked by some members of his party to resign a group of 21 young republican activists released a letter calling for him to resign his post from the rnc after posting a copy of an online article on his facebook page wednesday titled everyone should know these statistics on homosexuals agema defended his action saying the posted article didn t necessarily reflect his own views but was still worth sharing on the same day the us supreme court wrapped up two days of oral arguments about the constitutionality of gay marriage he said he had copied and pasted a piece written by dr frank joseph onto facebook he stated that some publications and even a few liberal republicans have chosen to take the words of someone else and cast them as my own i think it was a piece worth sharing given the debate over gay marriage that is happening in the supreme court i strongly maintain my position in support of marriage as being between a man and a woman and will not back down from my core beliefs in support of strengthening the family republican national committee chairman reince priebus thursday neither defended nor rebuked agema as the gop has been trying to appeal to a wider group of voters priebus has been preaching a message of tolerance for republicans with progay marriage views after ohio republican us sen rob portman announced support for samesex marriage after his yale university son told him he was gay new poll question should dave agema resign his position as michigan s national republican committeeman yes no undecided to vote in this poll click on this link  http wwwclintoncountygoporg content shoulddaveagemaresignhispositionmichigan e28099snationalrepublicancommitteeman  to enter your comments click on add new comment after you vote previous poll question if an amnesty bill is passed should the right to vote be limited for a period of time after it is granted there should be no limit on voting after amnesty 7 voting rights should be denied for 5 years 13 voting rights should be denied for 10 years 17 voting rights should be denied for 15 years 0 voting rights should be denied for 20 years 63 undecided 0 there was 1 comment made on the poll question comment 1 amnesty mass deportation seems unlikely if they are going to be here anyway let s get them signed up as citizens and paying taxes as soon as possible no one that isn t a fully naturalized citizen should have the right to vote i m more concerned with the additional expansion of social welfare and education subsidization for this population any amnesty must be balanced by enhanced restriction of unlawful entry and residence in the us we cannot have an allinfree policy with no controls or individual responsibility   all emails addresses  ',0),(4044,'node',' jeb bush to present hillary with liberty medal  has jeb bush lost his mind the liberty medal are you serious to read the full story on the presentation of the medal click on the following link  http wwwbreitbartcom biggovernment 20130909 jebbushtoawardhillaryclintonlibertymedal ',0),(4028,'node',' gay wedding performed by justice ginsburg supreme court justices are appointed to the supreme court because of their adherence to the rule of law and they are sworn to uphold the constitution part of that responsibility includes making decisions based on that same constitution and not make decisions based on their personal opinion and or bias ginsburg has a history of making derogatory comments regarding our constitution and how she has shown her blatant bias toward same sex marriage how do you think she will vote when the issue of same sex marriage comes up for a vote by the supreme court for an article on justice ginsburg and her decision to perform same sex marriages and how she feels about the issue click on the following story link  http wwwthenewamericancom culture faithandmorals item 16451supremecourtjusticeginsburgperformsgaywedding 19  gay wedding performed justice ginsburg  ',0),(4029,'node',' gay wedding performed by justice ginsburg ginsburgjpg gay wedding performed by justice ginsburg ',0),(4030,'node',' when will we learn  obama drew the line in the sand it appears that assad didn rsquo t care now our emasculated president doesn rsquo t know what to do he knows the un will never pass a resolution the uk has said no and it is questionable whether he will get approval from congress even though mccain graham and boehner cantor have said they are on board in the end we will once again make the mistake of determining that we are the world rsquo s policeman and put more money we don rsquo t have down the rat hole i think sarah palin had it right when she said ldquo let allah take care of it rdquo for an article what the possible outcome might be if obama decides to get involved click on the following story link  http wwwbreitbartcom bigpeace 20130903 rushtowarboehnercantorpelosi 19  when will learn  ',0),(4031,'node',' when will we learn  sandlinejpg when will we learn  ',0),(4021,'node',' married gay couples win us marriage tax benefits nationwide if a gay couple is married legally they will be able to file federal income taxes as a married couple regardless of their current state of residence individual states that do not recognize marriage between samesex couples will have to determine how they will deal with state income taxes some see this as just another example of the monarchy imposing their wishes on everyone read the full story  newsyahoocom treasurygrantswidetaxrecognitionsamesexcouples1820 ',0),(4024,'node',' ccrp poll amending the us constitution at convention  you can now comment on stories and polls let us know how you feel about the issues new poll overview costitutional conservative talk show host mark levin in his new book the liberty amendments he is proposing a group of amendments to the united states constitution to bring our country back to being a republic again he focuses on an article v of the us constitution and the fact that it can be amended by the several states and that the states working alone do have the power to amend the constitution as a second option to the more usual process of going through the us congress article v the congress whenever two thirds of both houses shall deem it necessary shall propose amendments to this constitution or on the application of the legislatures of two thirds of the several states shall call a convention for proposing amendments which in either case shall be valid to all intents and purposes as part of this constitution when ratified by the legislatures of three fourths of the several states or by conventions in three fourths thereof as the one or the other mode of ratification may be proposed by the congress provided that no amendment which may be made prior to the year one thousand eight hundred and eight shall in any manner affect the first and fourth clauses in the ninth section of the first article and that no state without its consent shall be deprived of its equal suffrage in the senate levin feels the constitution has been critically abused over time and that positive steps must be taken to correct this abuses some of levin s suggested amendments that he talks about in his book include 1 have an amendment that sunsets all federal departments and agencies unless congress reauthorizes them every three years by majority vote every bigticket executive branch regulation would be subjected to review by a joint congressional committee this amendment would pull the plug on the unstoppable federal bureaucracy forcing every department to perpetually justify its existence and terminating president obama rsquo s beloved practice of circumventing congress to legislate by decree 2 another liberty amendment would rein in the judicial branch setting term limits for supreme court justices and giving congress the power to override supreme court opinions with a threefifths vote without risk of presidential veto threefifths of the state legislatures could also join forces to knock down a court decision 3 another amendment would seek to clarify language that already exists in the constitution such as the muchabused commerce clause ndash lately interpreted as a warrant for unlimited federal control of all human activity 4 levin also suggests the repeal of the seventeenth amendment which provided for the direct election of united states senators senators were supposed to be instruments of the state legislatures while the house of representatives would be filled by popular vote new poll question should the mi legislature pass legislation that would call for a convention to offer new amendments to the us constitution yes no undecided to vote in this poll click on this link should the mi legislature pass legislation that would call for a convention to offer new amendments to the us constitution   to enter your comments click on add new comment after you vote previous poll question should president obama order surgical military strikes on syria yes 21 9 votes no 79 34 votes undecided 0 0 votes total votes 43 no comments were made on this poll   all emails addresses  ',0),(4023,'node',' should the mi legislature pass legislation that would call for a convention to offer new amendments to the us constitution  yes no undecided  should the legislature pass legislation that would call for convention offer new amendments the constitution  ',0),(3545,'node',' gop seeks to smooth roughest cuts avert shutdown legislation released monday in the house of representatives aims to minimize the effects of the sequenter and fund daytoday federal government operations through september to avoid a government shutdown at the end of this month what s the plan get details  newsyahoocom gopseekssmoothroughestcutsavertshutdown081500656fi  gop seeks smooth roughest cuts avert shutdown  ',0),(4026,'node',' the death of free market health care  aetnajpg the death of free market health care  ',0),(4027,'node',' gender conversion identity therapy banned  governor chris christie has signed a law against conversion therapy directed at counseling teens experiencing homoerotic feelings by putting the law into effect he expressly forbade conversion from the prevailing progressive religion whose chief doctrine is that sexual behavior including the homoerotic behavior of some children is a sacred infallible and therefore unchangeable indicator of what human identity entails for an analysis of the decision and the other important aspects regarding the decision click on the following story link  http wwwamericanthinkercom 201308 mconversiontherapylawthreatenschristianshtml ',0),(4065,'node',' obamacare monitors your sex life  there used to be something called confidentiality that was applied to conversations an individual would have with his or her doctor not anymore the new health care law requires all doctors to maintain electronic records and part of that process will involve questioning all patients about personal aspects of their lives whether or not the information is necessary for the kind of medical care needed and to top it off security measures are being sacrificed to meet deadlines yes folks big brother and anybody who hacks into the system is watching read more  wwwhumaneventscom 20130916 obamacaremonitorsyoursexlife  ',0),(4035,'node',' msu professor penn reassigned  thanks to a group called campus reform a conservative organization that ldquo exposes bias abuse waste and fraud on the nation s college campuses a video was posted on youtube and twitter that shows the blatant liberal bias that exists on college campuses an msu creative writing professor was videotaped by a student in a rant against republicans in his classroom the result of the youtube post and twitter activity of the video saw the website video record nearly 90000 views as of thursday because of all of the negative responses mr penn has been reassigned for now the better result would have been being fired but you know the tenure rules praise goes to campus reform for their actions maybe this will be a wake up call to all college professors that they should keep their opinions to themselves and just teach what they are getting paid to teach for a story on the action the university took in this case click on the following story link  http wwwlansingstatejournalcom article 20130905 news06309050033 msuprofessorreassignedafterattackonrepublicans ',0),(1604,'node',' dhs finishes off forced unionization experiment in 2006 thengovernor jennifer granholm established the michigan home based child care council an agency that was set up to serve as the employer of 40000 home based day care providers in the state only a small percentage of those providers participated in a vote to unionize many providers didn t even know they had been unionized until they were notified by mail after the vote dhs director maura corrigan has pulled the plug on funding for the mhbccc which effectively ends the forced unionization of these homebased day care providers read the full story at  wwwmichigancapitolconfidentialcom 14689 10  ',0),(4037,'node',' ccrp poll political agendas by college professors  you can now comment on stories and polls let us know how you feel about the issues new poll overview professor william s penn a literature professor for michigan state university msu opened his first class for the semester with a tirade against republicans and conservatives that the school now admits was offensive during the eightminute secretly recorded rampage he is even seen even yelling at an individual student who appeared offended by the antirepublican comments penn s attacks were secretly recorded by a student and soon became a national story and source of embarrassment for msu the university ultimately bowed to pressure and had penn removed from the classroom in an email to the student body karen wurst dean of the college of arts letters apologized to students for penn s inappropriate disrespectful and offensive comments and announced that his classes have been reassigned to another professor on aug 29 during your literatures cultures identities course professor william penn made comments he has acknowledged were inappropriate disrespectful and offensive and may have negatively affected the learning environment dean wurst wrote once msu was made aware of the situation the office of the provost immediately began a review as a result penn s duties have been reassigned and he will not be teaching this semester the dean added a new instructor is being assigned to your course the dean s email left some doubt as to just what the school planned to do to penn beyond the current semester because of that vagueness campus reform asked msu to clarify the professor s status msu spokesman jason cody replied that penn has not been suspended his employment status has not changed his teaching duties have been reassigned cody said professor penn will retain his 146510 salary as well as all his benefits he seems merely to have received a semesterlong vacation as all his duties have been assigned to others new poll question at msu what should be the result of what is acceptable in college courses that are not related to political content 1 professors instructors should be free to use any content to teach any class 2 professors instructors should limited to the relevant materials need to teach their class 3 professors instructors should present all material in an unbiased and fair manner and represent all sides of an issue 4 universities should hold all professors instructors accountable for their biased teaching up to and including dismissal 5 undecided to vote in this poll click on this link at msu what should be the result of what is acceptable in college courses that are not related to political content   to enter your comments click on add new comment after you vote previous poll question should the mi legislature pass legislation that would call for a convention to offer new amendments to the us constitution yes 59 no 36 undecided 5 no comments were made on this poll   all emails addresses  ',0),(4063,'node',' congress s exemption from obamacare if obamacare is such a great deal why is the congress going to such great lengths to exempt themselves it s turning into a nasty fight get the details  wwwnationalreviewcom article 358550 congresssexemptionobamacarejohnfund ',0),(4038,'node','  golf writer familiarization tour paid for by mi taxpayers there is no question that the ldquo pure michigan rdquo ads are a fantastic promotional tool to get people both within and outside of michigan to come and visit our state for vacations but the question is whether the state taxpayers should be using our money to offer free golf to the people who are invited to go on the tour of these world class golf courses it seems that this is ldquo free advertising rdquo at our cost when these golf venues should be footing the bill for this promotion for a story on the golf writer familiarization tour click on the following story link  http wwwmichigancapitolconfidentialcom 19114 ',0),(4039,'node',' kerry to assad you have one week or else what  secretary of state john kerry stated that president bashar alassad has one week to hand over his entire stock of chemical weapons to avoid a military attack his comments were followed up by the us state department stressing that kerry was making a rhetorical argument about the oneweek deadline also as part of his remarks he stated that the attacks would be unbelievably small whatever that means maybe he will give the details regarding date time and locations of the unbelievably small bombings later at one of his press conferences for a story on the kerry rsquo s remards click on the following story link  http wwwtheguardiancom world 2013 sep 09 ussyriachemicalweaponsattackjohnkerry 19  ',0),(4040,'node',' kerry to assad you have one week or else what  kerry2jpg kerry to assad you have one week or else what  ',0),(4041,'node',' nsa likes smartphones and your personal information the nsa is able to crack protective measures on iphones blackberry and android devices giving it access to users data on all major smartphones according to a report sunday in german news weekly der spiegel the data included contacts call lists sms traffic notes and location information the documents don t indicate that the nsa is conducting mass surveillance of phone users but rather that these techniques are used to eavesdrop on specific individuals the article printed several slides said to have come from an nsa presentation referencing the film 1984 based on a totalitarian surveillance state the slides show stills from the film with former apple ceo steve jobs holding an iphone and iphone buyers celebrating their purchase the slide was captioned who knew in 1984that this would be big brotherand the zombies would be paying customers for a story on the nsa rsquo s spying on smartphone users click on the following story link  http wwwfoxnewscom politics 20130908 nsacanaccessmostsmartphonedatareportsays  ',0),(3863,'node',' obama s climate fiveyear plan president obama announced his intention to address the issue of climate change in a speech given at georgetown university last week how does he intend to accomplish his goals be sure to see this examination of his proposal  reasoncom archives 20130628 obamasclimatefiveyearplan  obama climate fiveyear plan  ',0),(4048,'node',' how your congressperson will probably vote on military intervention in syria yes votes senator carl levin d yes senator debbie stabenow d yes rep mike rogers r yes rep sander levin d yes no votes rep dan benishek r no rep justin amash r no rep candice miller r no rep kerry bentivolio r no rep tim walberg r no undecided rep dave camp r undecided rep daniel kildee d undecided rep fred upton r leaning no rep john dingell d undecided rep gary peters d undecided no response rep john conyers jr d no response to read the full article with comments on where michigan rsquo s elected officials stand on the issue click on the following link  http wwwmlivecom news indexssf 201309 wherethemichigandelegationhtml 19  how your congressperson will probably vote military intervention syria  ',0),(4049,'node',' how your congressperson will probably vote on military intervention in syria syriajpg how your congressperson will probably vote on military intervention in syria ',0),(4051,'node',' arctic ice alert  icejpg arctic ice alert  ',0),(4050,'node',' arctic ice alert  now that we are nearing the end of 2013 the predictions of an icefree arctic in 2013 seem to be unfounded with around 1000000 more square miles of ice being added to the arctic in the last year those predictions seem to have been more of the hysteria from the ldquo climate change nazis rdquo but i know that they will just say the additional ice clearly shows that it is happening and that now we have gone in to a ldquo global cooling cycle rdquo read the complete article on what is happening with the earths climate by clicking on the following link  http wwwfoxnewscom science 20130909 arcticseaiceup60percentin2013  19  arctic ice alert  ',0),(4052,'node',' house leadership works to get republicans to support obama s military solution  support for obama rsquo s proposed military action in syria in the house are minimal but that hasn rsquo t stopped speaker boehner and majority leader cantor from working to get votes to support the president rsquo s plan read more on what is happening behind closed doors to change the votes by clicking on the following link  http wwwnationalreviewcom article 357937 tallyinghousevotesyriarobertcosta ',0),(4053,'node',' muslim brotherhood to christians pay tax or be beaten  these are the people who the democrats and obama support what a travesty read more on what is happening in egypt and syria by clicking on the following link  http wwwbreitbartcom bigpeace 20130911 muslimbroegyptjizya ',0),(4219,'node',' the great union escape it seems like the mea wants to make this lady an offer she can t refuse  coopersville mdash if she doesn rsquo t pay her union dues a kindergarten teacher says the michigan education association is threatening to turn her over to a collection agency and ruin her credit miriam chanski 24 says she informed the mea in may she was quitting the teachers rsquo union didn rsquo t want their representation and would no longer be paying dues i m surprised she hasn t been threatening physically you don t mess with union thugs if i were miss chanski i would be bracing for a horse s head in her bed in the next few weeks but maybe that is not the mea s way come to think of it that sounds more like a uaw tactic all kidding aside i admire miss chanski s desire to escape paying for services she probably never used perhaps she doesn t need the union s protection perhaps she has never had yelled obsentities about a republican in her classroom maybe she doesn t have a vocal hatred of organized religion maybe she you know effectively teaches kids and keeps it at that but unfortunately miss chanski didn t fill out the right form and so her money will continue to be funneled to democrats ldquo in september the president of our union came into my classroom before school and told me she was aware i had wanted to opt out of the union and asked if i had sent in another form in august rdquo recalled chanski ldquo i told her i was unaware of another form to send in i was unaware of the august dates and she told me at that point if i had not sent in that form i might have missed my chance to opt out of the union rdquo so we will see the party of corruption isn t going to give up its illgotten loot easily so it will take persistence and probably lawyers to make her escape a successful one i wish her the best and hope she doesn t own any horses  ',0),(4055,'node',' how is michigan doing  scorecardjpg how is michigan doing  ',0),(4056,'node',' holding continuing resolution hostage to defund obamacare a vote on a bill to continue government spending after september 30 offered by house majority leader eric cantor scheduled for thursday was abruptly cancelled when it was clear that it would fail some tea party conservatives referred to it as a ldquo trick rdquo on the part of the gop leadership currently around 80 house members have signed a letter demanding that any bill offered defund major parts of obamacare before the law takes effect on october 1 read more on the battle to defund obamacare as part of the continuing resolution to keep the government running by clicking on the following link  http wwwthenewamericancom usnews politics item 16529housegopleadershipthwartedbyteapartyconservat 19  ',0),(4057,'node',' holding continuing resolution hostage to defund obamacare defundgopjpg holding continuing resolution hostage to defund obamacare ',0),(4058,'node',' do you want to double your electric bill  if you lived in germany you could be experiencing that reality today the reason their bills have double is because their new ldquo green energy rdquo law requires that they have 20 renewable energy by 2020 with people unable to pay their bills and having their power turned off the people are having second thoughts as to whether it was a good idea or not just think we could be in the same situation today in michigan if we would have passed the ldquo green energy rdquo ballot proposal at the last election read more on germany rsquo s new ldquo energy crisis rdquo for the consumer by clicking on the following link  http wwwmlivecom politics indexssf 201309 kenbraungermanstylegreenehtml incartriver ',0),(4060,'node',' ccrp poll defunding obamacare as part of a continuing resolution   you can now comment on stories and polls let us know how you feel about the issues new poll overview as we approach another deadline with the potential impact of shutting down the government house speaker boehner and company are scrambling to get enough votes to pass a continuing resolution that would fund government operations past september 30 when the current resolution expires boehner s dilemma is that the house republican conservatives will absolutely refuse to pass anything that funds obamacare going forward as part of that continuing resolution this conservative coalition is willing to have the federal government shut down if they don t get their way the republican establishment in the house wants to make a deal that would include the passage of the continuing resolution that would include a provision to defund or delay obamacare to sweeten the deal for the conservative hold outs they would lock in lower levels of discretionary spending and bump up defense spending mdash a position obama and the democrats now oppose but probably not enough to block such a proposal this provision would allow the senate to remove the obamacare defunding provision the result would be that the president would get a clean continuing resolution to sign if he would agree with the other conditions the house leadership wants according to the republican establishment their members could then tell their constituents and supporters they d voted to get rid of obamacare but the senate stripped that provision out of the resolution new poll question should the us house pass a continuing resolution to fund the government with defunding obamacare as part of it yes no undecided to vote in this poll click on this link should the us house pass a continuing resolution to fund the government with defunding obamacare as part of it   to enter your comments click on add new comment after you vote previous poll question should adoption agencies be able to refuse to place children in homes based on their religious or moral beliefs yes 70 no 22 undecided 7 no comments were made on this poll   all emails addresses  ',0),(4061,'node',' obama says republicans blocking his economic equality agenda there s always somebody or something that just prevents the president from doing all the great things he wants to do for this country almost makes you feel sorry for him doesn t it read more  thehillcom video sundayshows 322311obamasayshehaspowertofighteconomicinequality ',0),(4062,'node',' how detroit went broke the detroit free press did an indepth analysis of detroit s economic history back to the 1950 s in its lengthy but informative study the reporters look at all the factors that contributed to detroit s demise any of it sound familiar for the full story  wwwfreepcom article 20130915 news01130801004 detroitbankruptcyhistory1950debtpensionrevenue ',0),(4066,'node',' ccrp monthly meeting september 19 2013 thursday  just a quick reminder about our monthly meeting on thursday september 19 2013 in st johns in the commissioners room at the clinton county courthouse please find attached the agenda for the meeting ccrp agenda for 9192013 in st johns we look forward to seeing you on thursday in st johns if you have any questions regarding the meeting please feel free to call or email me sincerely steve willis chairman clinton county republican party h 5176416657 c 5172814458 sgwillis1945 gmailcom  clinton county 2013r  ',0),(4059,'node',' should the us house pass a continuing resolution to fund the government with defunding obamacare as part of it  yes no undecided defunding obamacare if the republicrats vote to fund it they own it they have the blood of dead babies delayed care rising costs and the debt increase on their heads a pox on them and i am done with them as a party they are no different than the democrats we gave them the house so they could defund delay and get rid of this monstrosity and if they have no guts to do what is right i for one am done ida s obama care you may not agree with all the republican policies but those who say that the democrats are no better than the republicans are foolish i understand the frustration but obama vs romney or mccain gives you two different countries and outcomes grandholm vs snyder two different states even if republicans get in charge they cannot do all that we want get the most conservative person and policy than can get elected and then keep working all the in fighting is counter productive unless you want to live in a cave and watch the country dissolve  should the house pass continuing resolution fund the government with defunding obamacare part  ',0),(4067,'node',' ccrp fall fest at peacock road tree farm 2 weeks from today  don t miss the opportunity to hear special guest speaker scott hagerstrom michigan director americans for prosperity at the peacock road tree farm 11854 peacock road laingsburg mi 48848 when tuesday october 1 2013 530 pm to 830 pm 2000 per person 5000 as an event sponsor children under 18 admitted free with their parents dress is casual don t miss this opportunity to hear a our guest speaker and to have the kids experience all that there is to do at the farm while the adults hear about how we can help restore responsibility in government please rsvp by september 25 2013 to sheri harte willis at shwillis1959 gmailcom with the number of attendees about scott hagerstrom scott hagerstrom was named state director of americans for prosperitymichigan in june 2008 hagerstrom rsquo s sixteen years of experience includes directing legislative political and grassroots strategy for michigan rsquo s leading free market legislators scott learned the importance of free market policies early on when his family was forced to move from downriver detroit to rural southwest michigan to indiana in pursuit of economic opportunity scott worked his way through high school and college earning his ba in political science from michigan state university and a juris doctorate from thomas m cooley law school hagerstrom and his wife amy are the proud parents of mckenzie dagny david and amelia come and join us for a great time on october 1 in 2013 at the peacock road tree farm please feel free to download print and return the following registration form if you would like to sign up to attend fall fest and you don t want to register online fall fest registration form click here to download  go to to the following web address to register for the event online at the ccrp website 2013fall fest  registrations will be accepted at the door we look forward to seeing you on october 1 2013 at the peacock road tree farm   all emails addresses  ',0),(4069,'node',' ccrp poll bottle deposit on water bottles   you can now comment on stories and polls let us know how you feel about the issues new poll overview state senator rebekah warren will be introducing legislation to expand the michigan beverage containers initiated law of 1976 commonly known as the bottle bill or bottle deposit law the bill if passed would put the question before the voters in michigan as to whether to add a 10 cent deposit to bottled water and other drinks currently 96 of the bottles that are covered by the bottle bill are recycled the expansion would cover water juice and energy drinks michigan s bottle deposit law was put in place in the 1970s to reduce roadside litter clean up the environment and conserve energy and natural resources the beverage containers included in the original law were beer soft drinks and carbonated and mineral waters and in 1988 the law was expanded to include wine coolers and canned cocktails warren stated with the boom in the consumption of bottled water and juice in recent years and the resulting litter and landfill space being taken up by those products the next logical step is to update michigan s beverage container law to further reduce litter and waste according to the natural resources defense council most bottled water comes in recyclable plastic bottles but only about 13 percent of the bottles used get recycled leaving millions of tons of plastic water bottles clogging landfills instead of getting recycled new poll question should the state of michigan s 10cent deposit on bottles be expanded to include water and most other bottled beverages yes no undecided to vote in this poll click on this link http wwwclintoncountygoporg content shouldstatemichigans10cent  to enter your comments click on add new comment after you vote previous poll question should the us house pass a continuing resolution to fund the government with defunding obamacare as part of it yes 76 no 24 undecided 0 two comments were made on this poll comment 1 obama care you may not agree with all the republican policies but those who say that the democrats are no better than the republicans are foolish i understand the frustration but obama vs romney or mccain gives you two different countries and outcomes grandholm vs snyder two different states even if republicans get in charge they cannot do all that we want get the most conservative person and policy than can get elected and then keep working all the in fighting is counter productive unless you want to live in a cave and watch the country dissolve comment 2 defunding obamacare if the republicrats vote to fund it they own it they have the blood of dead babies delayed care rising costs and the debt increase on their heads a pox on them and i am done with them as a party they are no different than the democrats we gave them the house so they could defund delay and get rid of this monstrosity and if they have no guts to do what is right i for one am done ida s   all emails addresses  ',0),(4068,'node',' should the state of michigan s 10cent deposit on bottles be expanded to include water and most other bottled beverages  yes no undecided water bottles etc having deposits makes sense to me might help a bit with the litter  ',0),(4074,'node',' ccrp call your congressman and tell them to vote to defund obamacare  this morning house leaders announced they would hold a vote on the continuing resolution that would fund government operations but defund obamacare as part of it the vote will probably be held this friday in the house please call your congressman and urge them to vote for the continuing resolution that will deny any funding of obamacare as part of it if the house passes the continuing resolution that funds the government but defunds obamacare senate democrats and president obama must make a decision to shut down the government to protect a destructive unpopular law or acknowledge obamacare has failed and cannot be salvaged this may be our last chance to stop this horrible law that the majority of the people in this country are not in favor of dan benishek 1st district r 2022254735 bill huizenga 2nd district r 2022254401 justin amash 3rd district r 2022253831 dave camp 4th district r 2022253561 daniel kildee 5th district d 2022253611 fred upton 6th district r 2022253761 tim walberg 7th district r 2022256276 mike rogers 8th district r 2022254872 sander levin 9th district d 2022254961 candice miller 10th district r 2022252106 kerry bentivolio 11th district r 2022258171 john dingell 12th distric t d 2022254071 john conyers jr 13th district d 2022255126 gary peters 14th district d 2022255802  all emails addresses  ',0),(4070,'node',' 9 takeaways from the cbo s new budget report the cbo has come out with its latest longterm budget projection just in time for the debt ceiling debate when the government s nonpartisan budget office looks into our economic future what does it see is anyone on capitol hill listening read more  reasoncom blog 201309179takeawaysfromthecbosnewbudgetrep for additional information about the report see  wwwbloombergcom news 20130917 cbosaysshorttermdeficitcutwontavertfiscalcrisishtm ',0),(4071,'node',' 9 takeaways from the cbo s new budget report capitolmoneyjpg 9 takeaways from the cbo s new budget report ',0),(4073,'node',' republican alternative to obamacare repealobamacarejpg republican alternative to obamacare ',0),(4162,'node',' political ethics and congresswoman napolitano congresswoman grace napolitano dca has seen her bank account grow by at least 29424500 since 1998 she has been loaning her congressional campaign money at interest rates of up to 18 during that time the scheme managed to funnel campaign contributions directly into her personal bank account when will the voters demand accountability from their elected officials for an article the congresswoman rsquo s money generating scheme read on at  http wwwbreitbartcom biggovernment 20131021 congresswomanfunneled294245incampaigncashtoherself 19  political ethics and congresswoman napolitano  ',0),(4163,'node',' political ethics and congresswoman napolitano donorsjpg political ethics and congresswoman napolitano ',0),(4076,'node',' mich lawmakers do community service or lose welfare a bill has begun moving through the michigan legislature that would require welfare recipients to perform community service to receive benefits another bill has been voted out of committee in the house that would deny benefits to those who refuse to take a drug test republicans say these are common sense measures democrats say they are intended to target lowincome people for political purposes what do you think read the full story  wwwfreepcom article 20130918 news06309180135 foodstampswelfarecommunityservicedrug ',0),(4080,'node',' un report takes the steam out of climate change  regardless of all the evidence to the contrary the un assures us that the issue of climate change is still very serious so serious in fact that we must abandon accepted practices of scientific method because there isn t time to establish whether or not climate change is real where will that kind of thinking lead read more  wwwhumaneventscom 20130920 unreporttakesthesteamoutofclimatechange  ',0),(4081,'node',' media dereliction freedom of the press this constitutional guarantee carries a critically important responsiblity for all members of the media but when the media becomes obsessed with a particular point of view and gives up its objectivity and professionalism the price the country pays can be enormous can we afford the media s derelition of duty read more  wwwamericanthinkercom 201309 mediaderelictionhtml ',0),(4083,'node',' the impossibility of gun control guncontroljpg the impossibility of gun control ',0),(4085,'node',' should michigan pass a law to allow teachers administrators or other school employees to carry a gun in school  yes no undecided sen green s bill while i support the premise of this legislation i hesitate to say that this bill in its current form should be supported i am not fully comfortable transferring the licensing authority to the state police i would need a very good explanation of why this is a good idea to change my mind my initial reaction is that we don t want the state police telling us who can and cannot have a concealed weapon they are too unaccountable to the people senator green s bill having teachers and other school administrators trained to carry guns would make schools safer in my opinion however i could not support this bill because it will transfer responsibility for the gun boards to the michigan state police i would rather have that handled locally with the constitutionally elected sheriff little by little the local jurisdictions are being stripped of their powers and it is being ransferred to larger districts in time the local citizens when they have a concern or problem will have to deal with someone they do not know and who has not been elected by them  should michigan pass law allow teachers administrators other school employees carry gun school  ',0),(4086,'node',' ccrp poll allow concealed pistols in schools   you can now comment on stories and polls let us know how you feel about the issues new poll overview state senator michael green has introduced a bill in the michigan senate to allow a teacher administrator or other school employee to be licensed to carry a concealed pistol in school if the school s chief executive officer or school board authorizes it the bill would also remove taverns child care centers and certain arenas from the concealed pistol permit law s gun free zone provision and eliminate county concealed weapon licensing boards and transfer the responsibility for issuing concealed pistol licenses to the state police as part of this bill if it becomes law new poll question should michigan pass a law to allow teachers administrators or other school employees to carry a gun in school yes no undecided to vote in this poll click on this link should michigan pass a law to allow teachers administrators or other school employees to carry a gun in school   to enter your comments click on add new comment after you vote previous poll question should the state of michigan s 10cent deposit on bottles be expanded to include water and most other bottled beverages yes 57 no 37 undecided 7 one comment was made on this poll comment 1 water bottles etc having deposits makes sense to me might help a bit with the litter   all emails addresses  ',0),(4087,'node',' ccrp fall fest at peacock road tree farm next tuesday  bring the kids come and hear special guest speaker scott hagerstrom michigan director americans for prosperity at the peacock road tree farm 11854 peacock road laingsburg mi 48848 when tuesday october 1 2013 530 pm to 830 pm 2000 per person 5000 as an event sponsor children under 18 admitted free with their parents dress is casual don t miss this opportunity to hear scott talk about what his organization is doing to help restore responsibility in government while the kids have a great time experiencing all of the fun things there are to do at the farm please rsvp to sheri harte willis at shwillis1959 gmailcom or at 5172816212 with the number of attendees come and join us for a great time on october 1 in 2013 at the peacock road tree farm please feel free to download print and return the following registration form if you would like to sign up to attend fall fest and you don t want to register online fall fest registration form click here to download  go to to the following web address to register for the event online at the ccrp website 2013fall fest  registrations will be accepted at the door we look forward to seeing you on october 1 2013 at the peacock road tree farm   all emails addresses  ',0),(4088,'node',' premiums unveiled for health overhaul plans with less than a week to go before the health insurance exchanges are slated to open the department of health and human services has released the costs for the insurance plans that will be available how much the insurance will cost depends on a variety of factors such as where you live and how much you make among other things as you might expect the system won t be simple and straight forward for more information see  wwwwashingtontimescom news 2013 sep 25 premiumsunveiledhealthoverhaulplans  ',0),(4089,'node',' house republicans to tie debt ceiling hike to gop wish list according to the treasury secretary the us has money to fund the government until october 17 house republicans are working on a plan that will tie their votes to increase the debt limit with some other provisions that they to enact what is on the gop wish list get the details  thehillcom blogs onthemoney budget 324491housesettounveildebtceilingbill ',0),(4090,'node',' ecumenical memorial service for 55 million babies if you believe in the rights of the unborn please plan to attend this service to show your support for the right to life saturday sept 28 2013 2pm state capital steps speakers include elder dr levon yuille kamal saleem dr monica miller dr bernadine daniels bishop dl bradley and more free refreshments after the service at trinity evangelical lutheran church 501 w saginaw everyone welcome   all emails addresses  ',0),(4092,'node',' ccrp poll congress the supreme court federal employees obamacare   you can now comment on stories and polls let us know how you feel about the issues new poll overview two recent republican initiatives seek to change the special treatment that public employees will receive to help defer the cost of obamacare the first is an amendment offered by senator david vitter rla that would remove the subsidies congress and its staff will get to pay for their increased costs once they start buying their health insurance on obamacare exchanges as required by an earlier amendment the amendment focuses attention on the key issue that if this law is so good why don t the people who wrote and passed it want it for themselves the second is a constitutional amendment that will be offered by senator rand paul rky would require all federal workers mdash including the president and the justices of the supreme court mdash to buy their health care on obamacare exchanges though a constitutional amendment is a long shot the debate it would provoke would also put the beltway s double standard on obamacare in the spotlight both efforts are tactics borrowed from saul alinsky who advised his fellow community organizers to make their enemies live up to their own book of rules we rsquo d put it another way the more pain our governing class feels from obamacare the more eager they will be to help us get rid of it new poll question should all federal employees congress and supreme court be required to get insurance through obamacare exchanges yes no undecided to vote in this poll click on the following link  should all federal employees congress and supreme court be required to get insurance through obamacare exchanges   to enter your comments click on add new comment after you vote previous poll question should michigan pass a law to allow teachers administrators or other school employees to carry a gun in school yes 79 no 13 undecided 8 two comments were made on this poll comment 1 sen green s bill while i support the premise of this legislation i hesitate to say that this bill in its current form should be supported i am not fully comfortable transferring the licensing authority to the state police i would need a very good explanation of why this is a good idea to change my mind my initial reaction is that we don t want the state police telling us who can and cannot have a concealed weapon they are too unaccountable to the people comment 2 senator green s bill having teachers and other school administrators trained to carry guns would make schools safer in my opinion however i could not support this bill because it will transfer responsibility for the gun boards to the michigan state police i would rather have that handled locally with the constitutionally elected sheriff little by little the local jurisdictions are being stripped of their powers and it is being transferred to larger districts in time the local citizens when they have a concern or problem will have to deal with someone they do not know and who has not been elected by them   all emails addresses  ',0),(3884,'node',' ccrp poll michigan school consolidation  you can now comment on stories and polls let us know how you feel about the issues poll overview michigan state superintendent michael flanagan has recommended creating countywide school systems flanagan has proposed the consolidation of administrative services for the state s school districts into the 57 intermediate school districts the proposal suggests that the state s 57 intermediate school districts be given the responsibility of providing transportation food service accounting and other administrative services to over 500 local school districts in michigan it is projected that such a consolidation could save michigan as much as 300 million new poll question should the legislature pass legislation to create countywide school systems to consolidate services yes no undecided to vote in this poll click on this link should the legislature pass legislation to create countywide school systems to consolidate services   to enter your comments click on add new comment after you vote previous poll question should michigan pass initiative legislation via a petition drive to allow abortion coverage only as a special insurance rider yes 86 no 14 undecided 0 one comment was made on this poll question comment 1 sign the petition i hope that people will sign the petition is it possible to have these available at the ccrp summer bbq bob c you control our country rsquo s future with your vote get involved elect responsible people in 2014  http wwwclintoncountygoporg   all emails addresses  ',0),(3883,'node',' should the legislature pass legislation to create countywide school systems to consolidate services  yes no undecided school consolidation i was board chair of the district for 10 of my 12 years on the board in that time we consolidated almost all of our administrative services we have enjoyed significant savings and improved services we have built a wonderful mouse trap and i shared much of what we have done with a state senate committee i know we can achieve the same savings by the state simply incenting schools to do so by their choice not by mandate i m not totally sold on our isd s and their ability to lead either countywide school systems  i believe that clinton county resa does a good job in providing special education and vocational technical educational services to clinton county residents and their students however to expand ccresa s duties and responsibilities to include providing countywide food services busing and transportation etc is unnecessary and possibly more expensive for taxpayers i m also concerned that ccresa or clinton county intermediate school district board members are not popularly elected by local voters rather they are elected by a special ballot cast only by members of constituent local school boards and then mailed to ccresa the ccresa board should be nonpartisan and they should be democratically elected by registered voters in annual elections let democracy rule here in clinton county under our state and national constitutions   should the legislature pass legislation create countywide school systems consolidate services  ',0),(4333,'node',' ccrp poll extending unemployment benefits  new poll overview 1300000 million longterm unemployed americans will lose their unemployment insurance benefits on saturday december 28 2013 for the first time since 2008 congress failed to extend the benefits in the budget they approved before christmas additionally more than 4 million unemployed could lose benefits next year unless congress passes another extension in the past states have provided unemployed workers with up to 26 weeks of benefits with the federal government providing extra weeks of assistance federal and state governments have been providing 99 weeks of cash payments the average benefit is around 1100 a month extending the benefits for another year would cost the government 25 billion that it will have to borrow the cost of this will actually increase over time as the government pays interest on this debt more than 4 million americans looking for work have been unemployed for more than 27 weeks beyond the timeframe of traditional unemployment insurance new poll question should congress have renewed the additional extended unemployment coverage for the long term unemployed yes no undecided to vote in this poll click on this link should the legislature pass bill to double campaign contributions and allow committees to fund primary candidates   to enter your comments click on add new comment after you vote previous poll question should the legislature pass a bill to allow phone companies to discontinue traditional land line phone services to customers yes 38 no 62 undecided 0 one comment was made on this poll question comment 1 discontined use of landlines and replace them with what cell phones currently there remains several parts of the state where cell phone reception is abhorid i would hate to have to rely on emergency services using a cell phone in these areas i don t see why landline service needs to be replaced as some internet services frontier being one still use the phone lines for there service i can see why aarp is against this bill i am 55 years old am computer savey yet am relunctant to use nor do i own a cell phone what is the service cost difference between landlines and its replacement   all emails addresses  ',0),(4091,'node',' should all federal employees congress and supreme court be required to get insurance through obamacare exchanges  yes no undecided  should all federal employees congress and supreme court required get insurance through obamacare exchanges  ',0),(4110,'node',' bcbs and 156 billion for michigan governor snyder has announced his appointments to a ninemember board that will decide how to spend up to 156 billion to benefit the health and wellness in michigan particularly for seniors and children the money comes from blue cross blue shield of michigan who is required to contribute the money over 18 years to the michigan health endowment fund as part of the agreement that allowed the company to transition to a nonprofit mutual insurer for an article on the board appointees what the money could be used for and attorney general schuette rsquo s concerns read on at  http wwwmlivecom business indexssf 201310 michiganyouthseniorsfocusohtml ',0),(4094,'node',' kerry signs un arms trade treaty despite objections kerrysignstreatyjpg kerry signs un arms trade treaty despite objections ',0),(4095,'node',' house gop considers smaller achievable steps against obamacare with defunding of obamacare off the table republicans in the house are looking for ways to chip away at the program there are many provisions that could be repealed or changed that would have an impact what is the gop focusing on now read more  wwwhumaneventscom 20130926 housegopconsiderssmallerachievablestepsagainstobam  ',0),(4096,'node',' ahead of talks feds find 100m for broke detroit some in detroit believe the federal government should step in and take care of the city s financial woes the obama administration keeps saying that they won t provide a bailout for detroit but they ve managed to find 100 million for more police and firefighters where is this all going get the details  newsyahoocom aheadtalksfeds100mbrokedetroit052219826html ',0),(4099,'node',' keeping sugar prices low cost us 270000000  once again the federal government in their efforts to ldquo protect our best interests rdquo has cost us in the pocket book for the facts on how the usda has wasted our tax dollars again read on  http wwwrollcallcom news sugartoethanolsubsidiesareasweetdealforproducersno ',0),(4098,'node',' obamacare sticker shock is coming  costsjpg obamacare sticker shock is coming  ',0),(4101,'node',' will obamacare help destroy the family  omarriagejpg will obamacare help destroy the family  ',0),(4100,'node',' will obamacare help destroy the family  under obamacare health insurance exchanges being married can cost you a lot getting divorced or just avoiding getting married could save couples who are unmarried 7230 per year if you are a fairly typical 40yearold couple with kids for the facts on how obamacare will be penalizing couples who choose to be married but won rsquo t be able to afford it read on  http wwwcnsnewscom commentary hansbader obamacareprovides7200divorceincentive11000oldercou 19  will obamacare help destroy the family  ',0),(4104,'node',' ccrp poll government shutdown   you can now comment on stories and polls let us know how you feel about the issues new poll overview if democrats and republicans don t reach a spending deal by midnight monday a partial government shutdown will take effect social security medicare medicaid and other entitlement programs that are funded automatically will continue government agencies that rely on yearly congressional appropriations will be hit a lot harder including the pentagon and the national park service federal agencies have prepared plans to continue programs they deem critical to maintaining public safety and protecting property despite the shutdown employees who perform those critical functions will continue to work and get paid about 41 percent of non defense federal employees will be furloughed but the remaining 59 percent will continue working the us postal service won t be affected all national parks and federal wildlife refuges would be closed for the duration of the shutdown the interior department said friday about 14 million activeduty military personnel must remain on the job but won t get paid until a new deal is signed into law delays in processing of passport and visa applications issuing gun permits continuing us bankruptcy court cases and approving mortgage applications new poll question should house republicans hold the line and delay obamacare implementation for 1 year as part of the continuing resolution yes no undecided to vote in this poll click on this link should house republicans hold the line and delay obamacare implementation for 1 year as part of the continuing resolution   to enter your comments click on add new comment after you vote previous poll question should all federal employees congress and supreme court be required to get insurance through obamacare exchanges yes 91 no 9 undecided 0 no comments were made on this poll   all emails addresses  ',0),(5163,'node',' michigan gay marriage ban upheld by appeals court on thursday the 6th us circuit court of appeals upheld michigan s ban on gay marriage overturned earlier this year by a federal judge many believe the nation has moved toward acceptance of gay couples since the ban was imposed so why not put the measure on the ballot and allow the people to speak rather than look for activist judges to overturn a law the measure will eventually end up in the supreme court read more  wwwmlivecom news detroit indexssf 201411 michigangaymarriagebanuphehtml  michigan gay marriage ban upheld appeals court  ',0),(5164,'node',' michigan gay marriage ban upheld by appeals court gaymarriagejpg michigan gay marriage ban upheld by appeals court ',0),(5165,'node',' scotus to hear new obamacare challenge the law states the subsidies are paid to people who enroll for health care through an exchange established by the state but what if they enrolled through the federal exchange the supreme court has agreed to hear the case where will obamacare go from here read more  townhallcom tipsheet mattvespa 20141107 draftn1915745  scotus hear new obamacare challenge  ',0),(5166,'node',' scotus to hear new obamacare challenge ussupremecourtjpg scotus to hear new obamacare challenge ',0),(5167,'node',' wisconsin wind turbines declared health hazard what kind of a health hazard could a wind turbine possibly pose you might be surprised read on  wwwmichigancapitolconfidentialcom 20690 ',0),(4106,'node',' common core going forward pros cons  ccorejpg common core going forward pros cons  ',0),(4105,'node',' common core going forward pros cons  the michigan house has been debating common core standards for michigan schools every since the legislative session began and at times with heated debate last week the house committee presented a resolution to outline what they feel needs to be done going forward for a discussion from both side read on at  http wwwmichigancapitolconfidentialcom 19183 19  common core going forward pros cons  ',0),(3997,'node','  smart guns threaten second amendment  smart guns are weapons that can be turned off and rendered useless by the manufacturer and the federal government proponents say smart guns will prevent unauthorized people from using firearms that belong to someone else but opponents believe they will allow the government to disarm lawabiding citizens what do you think read more  wwwthenewamericancom usnews constitution item 16357improvedrfidtechnologyinsmartgunsthreatenssec ',0),(4108,'node',' is the usa becoming a banana republic  bananarepublicjpg is the usa becoming a banana republic  ',0),(4107,'node',' is the usa becoming a banana republic  president obama declared earlier this month that ldquo this is the united states of america we rsquo re not some banana republic rdquo to a group in missouri he continued with ldquo we don rsquo t run out on our tab rdquo maybe so but we don rsquo t pay it off either we just keep running it higher and higher for an article on president obama rsquo s ldquo fundamental transformation of lsquo our country rsquo rdquo read on at  http wwwnationalreviewcom article 359148 americanbananarepublicmarksteyn 19  the usa becoming banana republic  ',0),(4109,'node',' fools and their money are soon parted detroit gets free money  time to celebrate washington mdash nearly 300 million in aid for detroit mdash from federal and state coffers private businesses and charitable foundations mdash will be announced friday as obama administration officials visit the city to discuss what can be done to help eradicate blight improve transportation encourage new business and make residents safer i think a better way of stating this is that 300 million will be taken from future taxpayers and given to democrats currently in power though i am a fan of blight eradication destroying detroit one decrepit house at a time i think a better way and a much cheaper option would be to get the community involved after all many detroiters have a fondness for burning things and devil s night is coming up so the solution is obvious then the 150 firefighters the article claims will be funded by this 300 million can get some on the job training i am seeing a winwin here in recent weeks and months local leaders mdash from former detroit mayor dennis archer to uaw president bob king mdash had visited the white house to talk about what could be done for detroit with a federal bailout out of the question they would know what to do with the money throw it at unions to eventually be returned to obama and his friends it s called money laundering and detroit leadership has to be very excited at the prospects of hundreds of millions of dollars that can be siphoned away from the people of the city and into the suburbliving bosses perhaps their theory is to give everyone obamaphones and call it good real change for the better is way too hard and you might not reelected if you do it to help out my democrat friends in detroit it would probably be most efficient just to stuff the cash and hand it over instead of going through the long drawn out process of pretending to shuttle it between government agencies and then get it to them just trying to help in the months to come for instance the white house rsquo s chief technology officer is expected to lead a team of experts to detroit to make recommendations on how to improve city systems sperling said ldquo detroit historically had some major problems deploying grants and other resources and so there could be a fair amount sort of stuck in the pipeline rdquo said rick snyder who was in washington on thursday ldquo financial systems accounting systems for the city of detroit they are a disaster rdquo of course they are but so is the leadership how many city councilmembers have been convicted of various felonies and let s not forget that the root cause of detroit s problem is not money thus money will not solve them a collapsed family and social structure is why detroit is in such bad conditions a lot of jobs and with it tax dollars have come to detroit over the past years but the vast majority of those people don t live in detroit because hellip well duh it s detroit and not to nitpick but detroit and disaster are synonyms no need to use them together so let s take this news for what s it s worth nothing like most of obama s promises  ',0),(3895,'node',' common core fireworks  state representative tim kelly was in the middle as the head of a committee meeting on ldquo common core standards rdquo for michigan schools as legislators questioned state superintendent mike flanagan and michigan department of education officials to read more on the committee meeting click on this link  http wwwmlivecom education indexssf 201307 tempersflareatfirstcommonhtml 19  common core fireworks  ',0),(4111,'node',' what happened to 3700000000000  dte energy has joined a lawsuit against the us department of energy that says the federal agency has collected nearly 37 billion for the disposal of used fuel from nuclear power plants but not disposed of the waste the lawsuit asks that the doe stop collecting money to do a job it has neglected to do the federal government has been collecting the disposal money since 1982 according to the lawsuit for an article on why the feds haven rsquo t done anything with the money and what is happening with the spent fuel from the nuculear facilities read on at  http wwwmichigancapitolconfidentialcom 19191 ',0),(1698,'node',' detroit lbj and the great society detroit is an albatross around michigan s neck detroit was once a thriving metropolitan area and one of the largest cities in the country with a robust economy after the riots of 1967 all of that changed due in large part to lbj s great society and the liberal policies of detroit s mayors the following are excerpts from an editorial by thomas sowell at detnewscom on the failure of welfare politics  detroit is perhaps the most striking example of a once thriving city ruined by years of liberal social policies before the ghetto riots of 1967 detroit s black population had the highest rate of home ownership of any black urban population in the country and their unemployment rate was just 34 percent it was not despair that fueled the riot it was the riot which marked the beginning of the decline of detroit to its current state of despair detroit s population today is only half of what it once was and its most productive people have been the ones who fled treating businesses and affluent people as prey rather than assets often pays off politically in the short run mdash and elections are held in the short run killing the goose that lays the golden egg is a viable political strategy as whites were the first to start leaving detroit its thenmayor coleman young saw this only as an exodus of people who were likely to vote against him enhancing his reelection prospects but what was good for mayor young was disastrous for detroit there is a lesson here somewhere but it is very doubtful if either the intelligentsia or the politicians will learn it  for the complete story from detnewcom by guest columnist thomas sowell click on the following story link titled  detroit decline a lesson in welfare politics   134  detroit lbj and the great society  ',0),(1327,'node',' club sponsor 2014  the ccrp will be hosting three fundraising events in 2014 as part of our sponsorship program these events will include   1the 2014 lincoln day dinner on april 24 2014 at hawk hollow in bath township   with keynote speaker attorney general bill schuette and constitutional attorney and teacher krisanne hall  2 the summer bbq july 24 2014 at toot barnard s buck kuisel s home in bath township   3 the fall fest late september early october   past speakers at these events have included congressman dave camp governor rick snyder lt governor brian calley arizona constitutional sheriff richard mack former attorney general mike cox and congressman mike rogers the ccrp club sponsorship program allows sponsors the opportunity to prepay for any combination of the three events by becoming a 300 200 or 150 club sponsor the funds raised are used to support and promote clinton county republican candidates maintain our website get our message out and to address issues of concern to all of us last election cycle our club sponsorship allowed the ccrp to raise thousands of dollars to help accomplish these goals we appreciate the dedication of our loyal party activists and we hope you find our events informational as well as enjoyable as you meet and talk to your fellow republicans from clinton county and the surrounding area club sponsorship levels  300 level sponsor   with a donation of  30000 you will receive 1 admittance for two to the 2014 lincoln day dinner and pre reception meet and greet with our keynote speaker 2 admittance for two to the summer bbq fundraiser 3 admittance for two to the fall fest fundraiser 4 acknowledgment as a club sponsor in all ccrp promotional materials 200 level sponsor   with a donation of  20000 you will receive 1 admittance for two to the 2014 lincoln day dinner and pre reception meet and greet with our keynote speaker 2 admittance for two to the summer bbq fundraiser or admittance for two to the fall fest fundraiser 3 acknowledgment as a club sponsor in all ccrp promotional materials and on the ccrp web site 150 level sponsor   with a donation of  15000 you will receive 1 admittance for two to the 2013 lincoln day dinner and pre reception meet and greet with our keynote speaker 2 acknowledgment as a club sponsor in all ccrp promotional materials and on the ccrp web site club sponsorship payments are due april 4 2014  please complete the registration form below and then click the  submit  button make your checks payable to the clinton county republican party  send your payment to sheri harte willis 4789 drumheller road bath mi 48808 title first name last name address line 1 address line 2 city state zip code email address home phone mobile phone employer business phone sponsor level select 1 only select 300 level sponsor 200 level sponsor 150 level sponsor ldd dinner guest 1 dinner guest 1 meal choice select sliced top sirloin garlic rosemary chicken ldd dinner guest 2 dinner guest 2 meal choice select sliced top sirloin garlic rosemary chicken payment check sent payment would be appreciated upon completion of this form and payment is due on or before april 4 2014 please make checks payable to clinton county republican party send to sheri harte willis clinton county republican party 4789 drumheller road bath mi 48808 silent auction item donation select i am donating the following silent auction item silent auction items are greatly appreciated and help to support our candidates various activities and events if you will be donating silent auction items they need to be made available one week prior to the lincoln day dinner they can be dropped off at 4789 drumheller road bath mi or you can call to make arrangements for pick up at 517 6416657 if you are donating silent auction items please fill in the following information silent auction item description silent auction item value submitted by comments   club sponsor 2013 club sponsor 2013 club sponsor 2014  ',0),(2904,'node',' wind farm in bengal dallas townships  have your driven up us127 to the north through gratiot county if you have you can rsquo t miss the landscape of countless windmills as we move at breakneck speed to implement an energy alternative around the country that is inefficient and cost prohibitive other countries are abandoning the technology because of the cost to the consumers so why do we continue to still move in that direction clinton county is about to have it rsquo s own windmill farm if it is approved the county commissioners have already opened the door for the windmills and the paperwork has been put in place to move ahead with the project there will be a open house on the proposed wind farm on thursday july 12 2012 from 600 pm to 800 pm on a 40turbine fowler farms wind project at fountain hall 4041 south us highway 27 st johns mi 48879 forest hills energy has applied for a permit for 40 turbines in clinton county the open house will provide ample information on the project and an opportunity to answer questions from the community regardless of where you stand on the issue make your voice heard i assume you know where i stand on the issue from the comments i have made i will not be able to attend because i will be at another meeting in clare at that same time for a website outlining some of the issues regarding the proposed wind farm click on the following link  http wwwclintoncountywindwatchorg indexphp fowlerwindindustrialzone  19 i m working with forest hill i m working with forest hill energy on the fowler farms project and would like to respectfully offer a few comments first there is no breakneck speed involved in the rollout of wind power as a source of energy for instance clinton county s planning officials have been working for more than two years to develop an appropriate ordinance to regulate wind turbines the planning commission has worked diligently and developed one of the more stringent ordinances in the state one that protects the health and safety of the community while allowing wind projects to move forward second the fact is that new wind power is costing less for utilities to bring online than new coal plants according to the michigan public service commission power from a new coal plant would cost 133 megawatt the utilities today are purchasing power from wind projects for under 70 megawatt other nations are not abandoning wind power in fact they continue to add to it recognizing that it is part of a responsible mix of power sources for their economies the world wind energy association in its report for 2011 notes that the worldwide wind capacity reached 237016 megawatt out of which 40053 megawatt were added in 2011 more than ever before altogether 96 countries and regions have been identified worldwide to use wind power for electricity generation wind power showed a growth rate of 203 here is a web site with more detailed information  http wwwwwindeaorg home indexphp this project is an important investment in the county putting into the hands of county residents millions of dollars creating construction jobs and adding about 89 million in property taxes over the next 20 years this will allow local schools townships and the county to either invest in projects desired by county residents or to lower property taxes on residents the republican party supports property rights free markets and less regulation forest hill energy supports those same principles the right of property owners to determine what to do with their land to maximize its value the ability of power purchasers to choose the power they wish to buy particularly when one is less expensive and creates less pollution and fair regulation that does not prohibit economic development i hope you would support this wind energy project in clinton county so the county can benefit as are other communities around the state david waymire martin waymire advocacy communications i wonder how loud this will i wonder how loud this will be we only live a couple of miles from there what energy source are they going to replace is this for their farm only what if they put it in and it is really loud what recource do we asd neighbors have  try living with a dozen in try living with a dozen in your back yard dave take this somewhere else the greedy decisions of few will affect many if the wind farms truly if the wind farms truly reflected the property owners rights each turbine would be placed in the backyard of the property owner who supports this from the map most of the turbines are placed in neighbors backyards that just does not seem fair period perhaps the property owners  perhaps the property owners should invest their own money in these costly ventures stop using your neighbors and friends tax dollars cronyism who is really benefitting greed pure and simple really i ve seen these really i ve seen these turbines and they are monsters let alone they are noisy as hell and really how much are these people getting paid to have these wind turbines put on their land i ve been doing alot of reading and yet have i seen how much they are paying these people to have these turbines on their land for the peole that want them use their own money to have one put in their own back yard let aloone what about the wildlife you really think their going to stick around to listen to those noisey things and from what i ve read clinton county is not putting no restrictions on the noise levels great job clinton county screw your people some more   wind farm bengal dallas townships  ',0),(4005,'node',' mi gop congressmen seek to defund obamacare eighty congressional republicans has signed and sent a letter to house speaker john boehner and majority leader eric cantor stating that the affordable care act leads to job losses coverage changes and other negative effects signing the letter from michigan were five of the nine gop representatives including congressmen justin amash dan benishek kerry bentivolio bill huizenga and tim walberg four of michigan rsquo s nine gop representatives did not sign the letter including congressmen dave camp candice miller mike rogers and fred upton  not a single member of gop leadership signed the letter however nor did any major committee chairmen which could signal that the effort has yet to gain traction for an article on michigan rsquo s gop congressmen and the decision to sign or not sign the letter to defund obamacare click on the following story link  http thehillcom blogs onthemoney appropriations 31829980houserepublicansjoinobamacaredefundingfigh 19  gop congressmen seek defund obamacare  ',0),(4112,'node',' is camp working on grand bargain  house republicans are intimating speaker john boehner wants to craft a ldquo grand bargain rdquo on fiscal issues as part of the debtlimit deliberations and he urging his colleagues to stick with him boehner rsquo s chief goal is to achieve conference unity as the debt limit nears and he rsquo s looking at potentially blending a governmentspending deal and debtlimit agreement into a larger budget package as the chair of the house ways and means committee congressman camp will be playing a key role in this process let rsquo s hope they hold the line on fiscal responsibility and protecting the constitution for an article on what the house republicans may be doing to solve the impasse read on at  http nationalreviewcom corner 360234 boehnergopgrandbargainworksrobertcosta  19  ',0),(4113,'node',' is camp working on grand bargain  bargainjpg is camp working on grand bargain  ',0),(4115,'node',' ccrp poll revised michigan term limit law change   new poll overview senate joint resolution n proposing an amendment to the state constitution of 1963 to change the michigan term limit laws has been introduced in the michigan senate currently a state representative is limited to a maximum of three two year terms in the house and a state senator is limited to a maximum two 4 year terms in the senate for a total 12 years of service total in the legislature the proposed changes to the term limit law if passed by the people of the state of michigan at a general election would be changed to allow for a combined total of no more than 12 years this change would not limit the amount of time to a specific chamber of the legislature as the current law does any combination of years in either chamber that would make of the 12 year total would be allowed new poll question should michigan term limit laws be changed to allow for 12 years of combined service in either chamber of the legislature yes no undecided to vote in this poll click on this link http wwwclintoncountygoporg content shouldmichigantermlimitlaws  to enter your comments click on add new comment after you vote previous poll question should house republicans hold the line and delay obamacare implementation for 1 year as part of the continuing resolution yes 86 43 votes no 10 5 votes undecided 4 2 votes one comment was made on this poll hold for a year on obamacare if not now when this is the last chance those 25 traitors in the senate need to be sent off to retirement ida s   all emails addresses  ',0),(4117,'node',' obama dems own the unaffordable healthcare act  oc3jpg obama dems own the unaffordable healthcare act  ',0),(4116,'node',' obama dems own the unaffordable healthcare act   ldquo millions of people are getting letters from their employers or insurance companies warning of the seismic changes obamacare is wreaking on the private insurance market rdquo  for an opinion by nolan finley on obamacare and its demise read on at  http wwwdetroitnewscom apps pbcsdll article aid 2013310030002 19  obama dems own the unaffordable healthcare act  ',0),(4118,'node',' the farm bill states sovereignity representative steve king riowa has offered an amendment to the farm bill that would significantly reduce the sovereignty of states by consolidating power in favor of the federal government for an article on his amendment that would nullify a large number of state and local laws read on at  http wwwthenewamericancom usnews constitution item 16667kingamendmenttothefarmbillgivesfedspowerovers ',0),(4131,'node',' legislation alerts  find your senator at  http wwwsenatemichigangov senatorinfohtml find your state representative at  http wwwhousemigov htvasp  click on the bill number for details mi senate bill 349 guns gun control  allow access to your private medical records and expands state police s authority to deny or take away your guns  mi senate bill 213 guns gun control   seizes control of our local gun boards eliminating balance of powers turning local gun boards over to huge bureaucracy outside our local area state police under a guncontrol advocate this bill also subjects shall issue to state police decide it also gives state government unwarranted access to all of your private medical records  mi senate bill 112 guns gun control   an act to regulate and license the selling purchasing possessing and carrying of certain firearms gas ejecting devices and electromuscular disruption devices to prohibit the buying selling or carrying of certain firearms gas ejecting devices and electromuscular disruption devices without a license or other authorization to provide for the forfeiture of firearms and electro muscular disruption devices under certain circumstances to provide for penalties and remedies to provide immunity from civil liability under certain circumstances to prescribe the powers and duties of certain state and local agencies to prohibit certain conduct against individuals who apply for or receive a license to carry a concealed pistol to make appropriations to prescribe certain conditions for the appropriations and to repeal all acts and parts of acts inconsistent with this act  mi house bill 4315 smartmeters   an act to provide for the regulation and control of public and certain private utilities and other services affected with a public interest within this state to provide for alternative energy suppliers to provide for licensing to include municipally owned utilities and other providers of energy under certain provisions of this act to create a public service commission and to prescribe and define its powers and duties to abolish the michigan public utilities commission and to confer the powers and duties vested by law on the public service commission to provide for the continuance transfer and completion of certain matters and proceedings to abolish automatic adjustment clauses to prohibit certain rate increases without notice and hearing to qualify residential energy conservation programs permitted under state law for certain federal exemption to create a fund to provide for a restructuring of the manner in which energy is provided in this state to encourage the utilization of resource recovery facilities to prohibit certain acts and practices of providers of energy to allow for the securitization of stranded costs to reduce rates to provide for appeals to provide appropriations to declare the effect and purpose of this act to prescribe remedies and penalties and to repeal acts and parts of acts  ',0),(3819,'node',' the unaffordable health care act  obamacare was touted to be the end all and be all it was going to be affordable coverage for everyone but how would we have know none of the ldquo rules rdquo and ldquo regulations rdquo had been formulated yet but as of march 13 there were already over 20000 pages of regulations that had already been written now we hear that the affordable part of the affordable health care act isn rsquo t affordable for an article on what the real costs will be click on the following story link  http wwwfoxnewscom politics 20130614 coveragemaybeunaffordableforlowwageworkersunderoba  19  the unaffordable health care act  ',0),(3940,'node',' snyder to target state employee retiree wages benefits with talks coming up with the public sector unions for the state it would appear governor snyder is taking a serious look at highlighting the disparity between public and private sector wages as part of the negotiations as michigan rsquo s ceo cfo the governor needs to remember as i am sure he is aware being a bean counter himself that you can make numbers mean whatever you want them to as msu economist ballard has stated ldquo half of all state government employees have college degrees compared with about 25 percent of employees in the private sector rdquo making any blanket conclusions on wage disparities needs to be based on comparing job classifications based on the same criteria in both the public and private sectors additionally the governor will continue to be focusing on reforming retiree healthcare and other benefits to reduce the state rsquo s longterm liability costs for an article on what may be ahead for state workers and retirees read the following article  http wwwlansingstatejournalcom article 20130804 news04308040068 datapublicprivatewagegapwidenedmichigan 19  snyder target state employee retiree wages benefits  ',0),(4119,'node','  last call at 400 am  a bill has been introduced in the michigan senate sb 247 that would allow bars and restaurants in certain downtown areas in michigan to serve alcohol until 400 am for an article on the bill and it rsquo s pros and cons read on at  http wwwmlivecom business indexssf 2013104amlastcallforalcoholmichtml ',0),(4120,'node','  23 billion increase in michigan incomes  michigan rsquo s economy continues to get better and the causal effect of that is a increase in personal incomes to see how michigan rsquo s economy is coming back read on at  http wwwmichigancapitolconfidentialcom 19194 ',0),(4121,'node',' right to life garners enough signatures   ldquo right to life of michigan says it has turned in enough signatures to send to the state legislature a bill that would prohibit insurers from including abortion coverage as a standard option in health plans sold here   to see what the next step is in amending the law read on at  http wwwmlivecom politics indexssf 201310 righttolifeofmichiganturnhtml ',0),(4123,'node',' ccrp poll bars serving drinks until 400 am   new poll overview a bill has been introduced in the michigan senate sb 247 that would allow bars and restaurants in certain downtown areas in michigan to serve alcohol until 400 am bars and restaurants in certain downtown areas could serve alcohol until 4 am under the bipartisan michigan senate bill the bill would allow special permits to sell or furnish alcohol beyond the normal 2 am last call the permit would be limited to onpremise liquor license holders located in the central business district of cities with downtown development authorities while some lawmakers and business groups support the notion of boosting business and attracting young people some are concerned about the public health and safety implications the liquor control commission is neutral on the bill but is concerned the bill would require it to issue the permit rather than having the discretion to approve or deny the permit previous attempts to extend alcohol sales past 2 am have been unsuccessful because alcoholrelated issues put fear in people s hearts he said he ll tweak the bill to allow for a local approval process and clarify that it includes townships and villages in addition to cities new poll question should the mi legislature pass a bill that would allow some bars to serve drinks until 400 am yes no undecided to vote in this poll click on this link should the mi legislature pass a bill that would allow some bars to serve drinks until 400 am   to enter your comments click on add new comment after you vote previous poll question should michigan term limit laws be changed to allow for 12 years of combined service in either chamber of the legislature yes 48 no 45 undecided 8 four comments were made on this poll comment 1 term limits i am sorry but i would limit them even more there are plenty of good people to form a citizen legislature if those currently serving are not happy with their terms we voted leave the term limits alone these legislators need to serve us and then go out and live under the regulations and laws and taxes they have imposed on us ida salisbury comment 2 term limits the people have spoken on this bills such as this where our elected officials think that they are smarter then the rest of us peons is why term limits were put into place comment 3 term limits they can get 14 years now 2 2 2 6 4 4 8 14 20 years total would be much better chuck comment 4 12 year combined i have voted no to a combined service because i believe any limits should be even higher   all emails addresses  ',0),(3405,'node',' spending on steroids during the first week of the new year it s clear that the congress has not turned over a new leaf no resolutions to hold the line on spending for this group spend spend spend at any opportunity first there was the fiscal cliff deal that ended up being a tax hike on the rich and a bunch of pork projects that actually spends more than the tax hike brings in for the year and next came the hurricane sandy relief bill actual emergency relief made up a small percentage of the 60 billion the bill entailed and after more than two months since the hurricane speaker boehner was literally crucified for holding up the vote not to mention that fema reports it will not run out of funds for several weeks for further details on who got the handouts in the fiscal cliff deal see  abcnewsgocom blogs politics 201301 fiscalcliffdealalsodolesoutmillionsforhollywoodrai  and for a partial list of the potential winners in the sandy relief bill check out  townhallcom tipsheet katiepavlich 20130102 theporkfilledandexpensivenonreliefsandyreliefbilln  spending steroids  ',0),(4127,'node',' ccrp poll ban on using government and or school resources for politicking and union business  new poll overview rep tim kelly has introduced hb 4201 that would prohibit employees of the state local governments school districts or any government employer from using taxpayer resources including email accounts for political or union activities new poll question should the mi legislature pass a bill that would ban the use of public employer facilities for political or union activities yes no undecided to vote in this poll click on this link should the mi legislature pass a bill that would ban the use of public employer facilities for political or union activities   to enter your comments click on add new comment after you vote previous poll question should the mi legislature pass a bill that would allow some bars to serve drinks until 400 am yes 22 no 78 undecided 0 no comments were made on this poll   all emails addresses  ',0),(4126,'node',' should the mi legislature pass a bill that would ban the use of public employer facilities for political or union activities  yes no undecided  should the legislature pass bill that would ban the use public employer facilities for political union activities  ',0),(4129,'node','  the sky is falling according to the king  skyfallingjpg  the sky is falling according to the king  ',0),(4130,'node',' medicaid s cost drivers  medicaid is now mostly a middleclass entitlement for nursing homes almost twothirds of medicaid spending flows to the elderly and 60 of people in longterm care institutions are on the program medicaid also covers more than 20 americans and pays for 40 births in the united states for a story on ldquo obamacaid rdquo and its cost drivers click on the following story link  http onlinewsjcom article sb10001424052702303442004579121953701256822html keywords obamacaid ',0),(4139,'node',' who do elected officials represent  senator roger kahn r saginaw gratiot counties doesn t believe that it s his job just to represent his party or the people who voted for him kahn helped lead the controversial medicaid expansion through the michigan senate while more than half of his fellow republicans in the senate voted against it for an article on senator kahn and his political reasoning on who he represents read on at  http wwwmlivecom politics indexssf 201310 republicansobamacarerogerkahtml incartriver ',0),(4133,'node',' mi senate bill 213 guns gun control   mi senate bill 213 guns gun control  seizes control of our local gun boards eliminating balance of powers turning local gun boards over to huge bureaucracy outside our local area state police under a guncontrol advocate this bill also subjects shall issue to state police decide it also gives state government unwarranted access to all of your private medical records call or contact your state senator and let them know how you feel about their efforts to limit your second amendment rights   contact your senator at  http wwwsenatemichigangov senatorinfohtml   senate natural resources environment and great lakes committee  chair tom casperson  vice chair senator phil pavlov  http wwwmisenategopcom senators caspersonasp district 38 link to text of the bill click here  20  ',0),(4135,'node',' ccrp senate legislation alert gun control bills   ccrp senate legislation alert gun control bills there are currently three senate bills that have been introduced that would erode our second amendment guns rights senate bills 112 213 and 349 have been referred to committee for consideration for passage and eventual referral to the full senate please make yourself aware of the content of these bill and then call your or email your state senator and let them know how you feel about these bills for more information on the bills and to read a letter of concern from former eaton county sheriff michael raines and his take on the legislation click on the following link  http wwwclintoncountygoporg content legislationalerts  clinton county republican party http wwwclintoncountygoporg   ccrpmich gmailcom    all emails addresses  ',0),(3879,'node',' russian troops deployed in us  reports says that russia and the united states have completed talks in washington dc where the obama regime has requested at least 15000 russian troops trained in disaster relief and ldquo crowd functions rdquo to be prepositioned to respond to fema region iii during an unspecified ldquo upcoming rdquo disaster read the details on the agreement we have made with the russians for their assistance in maintaining order in case of emergency at  http wwweutimesnet 201306 obamarequests15000russiantroopsforupcomingdisaster  19  russian troops deployed  ',0),(3845,'node',' obama s radical climate agenda when your administration is drowning in scandals why not try to change the conversation to something that will shore up the base even though president obama was unable to get a carbon tax proposal through congress that hasn t stopped him from using the epa to clamp down on emissions now at a speech at georgetown university a basion of leftwing thinking the president proposes a new war on carbon or as an aide more clearly explained a war on coal apparently the white house hasn t been keeping up with the latest findings on climate change nevertheless the president describes climate change as the biggest threat to our nation now what how will this new initiative impact energy costs who will pay the price for this desperate attempt to distract the public from the acts of an admistration as corrupt as this one read more  wwwnationalreviewcom article 352025 obamasradicalclimateagendaeditors  obama radical climate agenda  ',0),(4148,'node',' wind power costing billions if wind power was such a great renewable energy source don t you think somebody would have picked it up and cashed in on it by now that s usually what happens when an idea bubbles up and it has merit this is still a free market capitalist society sort of anyway the windmills keep going up but according to a study done at texas tech so does the cost of wind energy get the details  townhallcom tipsheet katiepavlich 20131015 studywindpowercoststaxpayersbillionsofdollarsn1724  wind power costing billions  ',0),(4149,'node',' wind power costing billions windenergyjpg wind power costing billions ',0),(4137,'node',' how much do farm subsidies cost us  subsidiesjpg how much do farm subsidies cost us  ',0),(3964,'node',' gm volt sales still a bust  the car that would transform the auto world has pretty much remained invisible after three years of incentives rebates and tax credits the volt is still an abysmal failure sales wise the latest promotion is to reduce the sticker ldquo base rdquo price by 5000 bringing it down to 34995 what a deal at 34995 plus options and tax with all that you still end up with an upscale golf cart costing around 40000 that you can drive around and show your ldquo green friends rdquo what you are doing for the environment the 2014 models are coming out soon so gm has cut the prices on the 2012 models still in stock by 5000 and the 2013 models still in stock by 4000 if you are gm wouldn rsquo t you begin to wonder about your products viability when you still have two year old cars in inventory read about the volt rsquo s abysmal sales history here  http wwwdetroitnewscom article 20130806 auto0103308060026 gmcutsplugvoltspriceby5000 odyssey mod newswell text frontpage p ',0),(4217,'node',' sen emmons and mcdonald s announce free apple pies for michigan veterans sen emmons and mcdonald s announce free apple pies for michigan veterans lansing mdash sen judy emmons and local mcdonald s officials announced on thursday that they will be partnering to offer free apple pies to michigan veterans at the mcdonald rsquo s in st johns on veterans day our moms our flag and apple pie they all stand for america but no one stands stronger than our veterans said emmons rsheridan on veterans day mcdonald rsquo s and i want to honor all military veterans by offering them a free apple pie at the mcdonald s in st johns our veterans are real american heroes and offering them a free apple pie is a simple way to express our deep appreciation for their service the free apples pies will be given out from 1030 am to 11 pm on veterans day to any veteran with proof of their military service this is the first year we are putting on the event however i plan on making this an annual tradition and expand it to additional mcdonald rsquo s locations next year emmons said this is the latest expression by emmons honoring the sacrifice made by america s veterans in september the michigan senate approved her bill to allow schools to award a high school diploma to veterans who served in the vietnam war instead of completing high school emmons also recently supported legislation to allow returning veterans to get credit for the skills and experience they acquired through military service for purposes of professional licensure as an emergency medical technician firefighter boiler operator and stationary engineer mechanical contractor and residential builder editor rsquo s note ndash audio comments by sen emmons are available on the senator s webpage at wwwsenatorjudyemmonscom  click on audio under the media center tab to see the free pie veterans   day flyer click on this link    clinton county 2013g  ',0),(3843,'node',' scotus resets voting rights act today the supreme court struck down section 4 of the voting rights act citing it as unconsitutional because it relies on 40yearold data liberals are outraged do they really want everyone to believe there has been on progress in race relations in 40 years isn t it time for the federal government to get out of the business of the states read more  wwwhumaneventscom 20130625 scotusresetsthevotingrightsact   scotus resets voting rights act  ',0),(4143,'node',' michigan s ban on racial preferences goes before us supreme court in 2006 michigan voters approved a constitutional amendment that prohibited race and genderbased affirmative action in public employment public education and public contracting the amendment was opposed by both political parties unions corporations most political candidates and others yet it solidly passed with a 58 percent majority opponents challenged the law in 2012 the us 6 th circuit court ruled the law unconstitutional now it is going before the us supreme court read the full story  wwwmichigancapitolconfidentialcom 19222 ',0),(4145,'node',' warning from dr ben carson drbencarsonjpg warning from dr ben carson ',0),(4144,'node',' warning from dr ben carson at the values voters summit in washington dc last week dr ben carson warned that socialized medicine is a ldquo keystone to the establishment of a socialist state rdquo how does he come to that conclusion get the details  mcnsnewscom news article jamesbeattieandmichaelwchapman bencarsonwarnssocializedmedicinekeystone  warning from ben carson  ',0),(4151,'node',' why michigan s delegation voted for against bill to reopen government the congress has kicked the can down the road again in case you were wondering this article gives michigan s congressional members the opportunity to explain why they voted the way they did on the bill read their comments  wwwmlivecom news indexssf 201310 whymichigansdelegationvotedhtml  why michigan delegation voted for against bill reopen government  ',0),(4152,'node',' why michigan s delegation voted for against bill to reopen government capitolmoney2jpg why michigan s delegation voted for against bill to reopen government ',0),(4154,'node',' ccrp poll term limits and legislators becoming lobbyists ballot proposal  you can now comment on stories and polls let us know how you feel about the issues new poll overview state representative andy schor has introduced house joint resolution s that would put the question on the ballot that would change the term limit laws and limit the amount of time a term limited legislator must wait before becoming a lobbyist the details of the proposed constitutional amendment are as follows state representative change the house term limit from being three two year terms to 6 two year terms state senator change the senate term limit from being two four year terms to 3 four year terms lobbyist jobs after term limitation restrict any term limited elected official from becoming a lobbyist for two years after completing their last term of service new poll question should term limits be changed to allow for 12 years in each chamber and to restrict lobbying for 2 years after retirement yes no undecided to vote in this poll click on this link should term limits be changed to allow for 12 years in each chamber and to restrict lobbying for 2 years after retirement   to enter your comments click on add new comment after you vote previous poll question should the republicans hold the line and allow a governmental default if the president and the democrats fail to compromise yes 75 no 22 undecided 3 two comments were made on this poll comment 1 default hold the line or cave a false premise personally i think that the premise is faulty it s the usual language of the left do what they want or the world falls apart how about this hold the line on raising the debt ceiling and cut and pay any debts from existing appropriations even if this means cutting expenses and then hold expenses to what is already available comment 2 14th amendment the government will not default unless the government chooses to ignore the 14th amendment that said the republicans need to hold strong   all emails addresses  ',0),(4161,'node',' state tax shift governor snyder rsquo s administration is lobbying communities to back a statewide ballot issue that would phase out a billiondollar tax burden on businesses and change how municipalities fund their services michigan voters will decide in august 2014 whether to shift part of the revenue from the state rsquo s use tax to communities to make up for the gradual end of the personal property tax a key source of municipal funding for a detailed article on the tax shift plan click on the following link  http wwwdetroitnewscom article 20131021 politics02310210023 govlobbiestaxrevenueshift odyssey mod newswell text frontpage p ',0),(4156,'node',' obamacare website woes continue systemfailurejpg obamacare website woes continue ',0),(4492,'node',' congressman camp and 27 other republicans vote to raise debt ceiling by a vote of 221201 the us house passed a ldquo clean rdquo debt ceiling hike for more than a year it took the votes of ldquo twentyeight republicans rdquo to push it through once again ignoring the ldquo hastert rule rdquo of not passing a bill without a ldquo majority of the majority rdquo in favor of it even with all of his protestations about raising the debt limit speaker boehner voted for it along with majority leader eric cantor majority whip kevin mccarthy chief deputy whip peter roskam and ways and means committee chairman dave camp congressman dave camp was the only one of the 9 michigan republicans elected members of congress who voted for raising the debt limit there wasn rsquo t even an amendment to ask for any concessions as part of the deal just keep spending like drunken sailors it would appear that the republicans don rsquo t want to rock the boat before the november elections so to hell with doing what is fiscally responsible for an article on the debt ceiling vote and what republicans voted for it click on the following story link  http blogsrollcallcom 218 breakingdownthedebtceilingvote   20  congressman camp and 27 other republicans vote raise debt ceiling  ',0),(4157,'node',' stop lying to us america  it s almost impossible to listen to or read about anything going on in the country today without hearing about the polling on the subject there s a poll for everything it seems how accurate are these polls do people answer poll questions honestly are the poll questions biased are we seeing behavior that reflects the opinions the pollsters are reporting what s going on read more  wwwhumaneventscom 20131018 stoplyingtousamerica  ',0),(4159,'node',' ccrp poll part time legislature in michigan  new poll overview state representative tom mcmillin has introduced house joint resolution d in the michigan house if it were passed by the legislature it would allow the voters of michigan to approve a constitutional amendment to make michigan s legislature part time it is highly unlikely that the legislature will ever allow the joint resolution to get to the floor of either chamber for a vote several previous attempts have been made over the last 50 years with no success currently 46 of the 50 states have part time legislatures former state representative dave agema is proposing a petition drive that would require 360000 signatures in 90 days from the voters of michigan to get the question on the ballot for the 2014 general election if the signatures are certified as valid by the state approval of the legislature and the governor would not be required new poll question would you vote for creating a part time legislature if it were on the ballot in 2014 yes no undecided to vote in this poll click on this link would you vote for creating a part time legislature if it were on the ballot in 2014   to enter your comments click on add new comment after you vote previous poll question should term limits be changed to allow for 12 years in each chamber and to restrict lobbying for 2 years after retirement yes 39 no 58 undecided 3 one comment was made on this poll comment 1 2 answers term limit increase no restriction on lobbying yes   all emails addresses  ',0),(4160,'node',' is immigration reform dead for now  the president says his number one priority right now is immigration reform and that he wants action on it this year but the republicans number one priority could well be to block what obama wants for an article on immigration reform passage and its likelyhood of passage click on the following link  http wwwtheatlanticwirecom politics 201310 couldimmigrationreformstillhappen 70705  ',0),(3207,'node',' 2013 ccrp ldd speaker poll the clinton county republican party is looking for input regarding who we should get to be our keynote speaker at the 2013 annual lincoln day dinner next spring as part of that process we have listed several names of people we are considering as possible speakers as part of this webform the lincoln day dinner and reception is our major fundraiser for the year and it is important that we generate enough revenue to help our candidates and to support the county party for the next year with that said we need to make sure we get someone we can afford that will have a significant appeal to the people in the clinton county and midmichigan area the following are the people we are considering for the event we are also asking for you suggestions for potential keynote speakers speaker options nancy bareham bruce harte kevin kirk ron paul marco rubio larry strzalka alan west suggestion 1 enter the name a person you wold like to have as a keynote speaker suggestion 2 enter the name a person you wold like to have as a keynote speaker suggestion 3 enter the name a person you wold like to have as a keynote speaker  ',0),(4164,'node',' why are electric prices so high  the michigan s public service commission regulates electric and gas prices in michigan currently consumers energy or detroit edison provide about 90 percent of michigan energy needs michigan once had one of the most successful electricity competition laws and policies in the country and electricity customers received clear and measurable benefits from this competition while it lasted for an article on why all that has changed over the years read on at  http wwwmichigancapitolconfidentialcom 19246 utmsource mackinac center publications utmcampaign a795209484twam10222013 utmmedium email utmterm 04fe5eae3c7a795209484259524753 ',0),(4166,'node',' republican john kasich a true obama disciple  kasicjmedjpg republican john kasich a true obama disciple  ',0),(4169,'node',' senator jones bill to restrict more bridge card abuse passes in senate  bridgejpg senator jones bill to restrict more bridge card abuse passes in senate  ',0),(4186,'node',' obamacare s medicaid problem despite the abysmal failure of the federal obamacare website the administration is touting success at the state level really who is signing up on the state exchanges are these the folks that the feds need to make obamacare a success read more  reasoncom blog 20131026 obamacaresmedicaidproblem comment ',0),(4036,'node',' at msu what should be the result of what is acceptable in college courses that are not related to political content  professors instructors should be free to use any content to teach any class professors instructors should limited to the relevant materials need to teach their class professors instructors should present all material in an unbiased and fair manner and represent all sides of an issue universities should hold all professors instructors accountable for their biased teaching up to and including dismissal undecided consequences for biased teaching and behavior in any course i have a problem with the question as currently stated universities should hold all professors instructors accountable for their biased teaching and behavior in any college course including a course that is related to political content and or when the bias involves political matters beliefs political parties associations religion ethnicity any demographic characteristic bullying intimidation etc in any course political content is precisely one of the most likely areas in which wacko profs instructors go off with their bias bullying and false information and it may or may not be related to the course the prof who recently went on a rant at msu to bully and intimidate students to his way way of thinking about republicans and conservatives etc and political issues that he falsely claimed about them did so in a creative writing class he not only intimidated conservative students to realize they were not academically free to state their conservative views orally or in writing in this creative writing class but he also spewed false information about republicans which could cause those students to question or change their beliefs similarly the rant false information and hate speech about republicans and conservatives impacts how the liberal students and nonpolitical students think and act about republicans and conservatives including their fellow students biased teaching a teacher should be able to use any resources that they wish to teach a course if it is a poly sci course an instructor should be able to share in my opinion about an event in the government as long as it is not the only thing the students here to be a well rounded and educated person people must hear all the stories and news about both sides of the coin  msu what should the result what acceptable college courses that are not related political content  ',0),(4174,'node',' common core moves forward  governor snyder thanked legislators for affirming the state s adoption of the common core standards with the help of the lobbyists and special interest groups governor snyder won another battle against the conservative elements of his ldquo own party rdquo with the approval of common core in both the house and senate the issue isn rsquo t just about the curriculum but about the whole educational process including educator responsibilities tenure teacher accountability and parental involvement for an article on the state board of education rsquo s step to move common core agenda forward click on the following link  http wwwmlivecom education indexssf 201310 workoncommoncoreresumingihtml incartriver ',0),(4175,'node',' is gay the new normal  it seems that you can rsquo t watch any of the traditional broadcast tv channels without the inclusion of at least one lgbt character in it from the prevalence of the gay invasion on the tv medium you would think that being part of the ldquo lgbt rdquo community was the new normal i hold no malice or feel any ill will toward any of these individuals but i do resent their in my face attitude when it infringes on my constitutional rights to free speech and to practice my religious beliefs as our country continues down its social ldquo evolution rdquo or ldquo deevolution rdquo path i will continue to pray from my country and our future even when it is no longer legal in the eyes of the government for an article on the tv media and the lgbt influence click on the following link  http wwwcnsnewscom commentary lbrentbozelliii tvhasbeleast42percentgay ',0),(4176,'node','  tipping the government subsidy scales americans receiving governmental benefits in 2011 outnumbered yearround fulltime workers according to data released by the census bureau for an article on all of the groups that receive government assistance click on the following link  http wwwcnsnewscom news article terencepjeffrey censusbureaumeanstestedgovtbenefitrecipientsoutnum 19  ',0),(4177,'node','  tipping the government subsidy scales govassistjpg  tipping the government subsidy scales ',0),(3188,'node',' the art of compromise sure elections have consequences but just because your party got trounced it doesn t mean you give up the battle does it congressional republicans should take some time to consider what compromise means and develop a strategy and a game plan for achieving some of their goals in this article from redstate  wwwredstatecom 20121112 theartofcompromise   one blogger suggests the house should come back pass a bill and go home be ready to go to conference but know the senate won t act he might be right   the art compromise  ',0),(4181,'node',' what are the gates foundation s goals  gatesjpg what are the gates foundation s goals  ',0),(4639,'node','  natural rights liberty the constitution  conservatives and progressives purportedly both believe in ldquo liberty rdquo they just have different definitions on what it actually means read more about how these two opposing ideologies that are fight to change our country believe online at  http wwwnationalreviewcom article 375927 understandingourdivisionsgeorgewill 19  ',0),(4640,'node','  natural rights liberty the constitution  dividedjpg  natural rights liberty the constitution  ',0),(4182,'node',' unions are the freeloaders since the right to work law passed many michigan teachers have opted out of membership in the michigan education association mea teachers union many have complained that because those teachers who do not pay union due still receive the same compensation and benefits as the union members those teachers are freeloading on the teachers who remain in the union how are union dues spent is the teachers union really spending a majority of the dues they collect bargaining on behalf of teachers get the details  wwwmichigancapitolconfidentialcom 19288 ',0),(4180,'node',' what are the gates foundation s goals  leaders of black organizations and human rights advocates are asking tough questions regarding the goals of the gate rsquo s foundation for their funding and promoting of a new form of the controversial contraceptive depo provera this new form of the contraceptive drug is specifically aimed at women in africa and other developing countries for an article that raises more questions than answers on the goals of the gates foundation click on the following link  http wwwthenewamericancom usnews healthcare item 16799gatesfoundationpushingdangerouscontraceptives 20  ',0),(4183,'node',' a black box for your car more tax revenue at this point is anyone surprised to hear about another scheme to squeeze more tax revenue from the general public how about having a black box in everyone s car so the government can track every mile you drive and maybe everywhere you drive and then writing up a tax bill for you we need the money to fix the roads and bridges sounds like a great plan doesn t it don t laugh this could be coming to a dealership near you read more  touchlatimescom section 1 article p2p77943192  ',0),(4185,'node',' obama admin knew millions could not keep their health insurance obamaoopsjpg obama admin knew millions could not keep their health insurance ',0),(4184,'node',' obama admin knew millions could not keep their health insurance now that the bill has been passed and we re finding out what s in it some of us are not happy looks like there are going to be thousands of people who will lose their current health insurance coverage despite the fact that the president vowed and declared it would not happen period if you were listening closely however and saw the thousands pages of regulations that resulted from the passage of the bill you might have started to wonder if what they were saying was true and apparently not only were they telling some tall tales they knew it all along just imagine what would have happened if george bush did something like this read on  investigationsnbcnewscom news 2013102821213547obamaadminknewmillionscouldnotkeep  obama admin knew millions could not keep their health insurance  ',0),(4193,'node',' effort in lansing to override voters rebuke of highercost energy mandate last november michigan voters rejected by a 64 percent margin an effort to increase the renewable energy mandate to 25 percent nevertheless wind energy activists are pushing to increase the it anyway is wind energy a viable alternative to fossil fuel have promises of job creation in the renewable energy arena come to pass read more  wwwmichigancapitolconfidentialcom 19310 ',0),(4195,'node',' top hospitals opt out of obamacare hospitalroomjpg top hospitals opt out of obamacare ',0),(4194,'node',' top hospitals opt out of obamacare now that many have learned they can t keep the health insurance they had we re learning that their shiny new and improved health care policies might not be accepted at their local hospitals what else don t we know read this  nationfoxnewscom 20131031 tophospitalsoptoutobamacare  top hospitals opt out obamacare  ',0),(5141,'node',' dems want fcc to regulate political content on the internet freespeechjpg dems want fcc to regulate political content on the internet ',0),(5143,'node',' should film subsidies continue without end  the michigan senate just passed senate bill 1103 that will eliminate the sunset provision of the original bill the removal of the sunset provision means that film subsidies will continue beyond 2017 the bill would also remove language that capped the amount taxpayers would spend on highly paid outofstate workers which is currently set at 540000 the bill now moves on to the house for consideration for an article on film subsidies and what their benefits or detriments to the state are go online at  http wwwmichigancapitolconfidentialcom 20633 ',0),(4196,'node',' michigan government wants to become more involved in the private sector  the state of michigan currently has three autonomous agencies the michigan strategic fund msf the michigan economic development corporation medc and the 21st century jobs trust fund that make decisions using state funds to promote various projects and business ventures with oversight by the msf and administered by the medc governor snyder is proposing to consolidate and expand the program by making changes in a series of house and senate bills hbs 4071 4480 4481 4482 and sbs 269 270 271 272 278 currently before the legislature these bills would address a number of issues regarding the three agencies and would consolidate and continue to leave investment decisions of state monies with these agencies in the past these financial loans grants and other incentives have an abysmal track record according to the michigan auditor general in his audit of the msf and the medc the audit also noted that some of the same problems that were exposed in the current audit were identified three years ago and that the fund had complied with only one of the five recommendations the governor is pushing speaker bolger and majority leader richardville to pass these bills before the end of 2013 and hopefully before thanksgiving the question becomes whether the state of michigan should be involved in the private business sector and making decisions regarding monitary assistance to businesses with state monies governor snyder comes from a business environment and has been successful in his ventures but it rsquo s time to take a serious look at whether these agencies are serving the interests of the taxpayers of michigan what should be under consideration is whether the state should be involved in these practices at all in my opinion we need to divest the state from these types of ventures and focus on issues related to governing not picking winners and losers in which to make investments call or email your state representative and or senator and let them now where you stand on this important issue in clinton county call state representative tom leonard  tomleonard housemigov  phone 517 3731778 state senator judy emmons  http wwwsenatemichigangov imaformasp name comment33 formpath e   phone 517 3733760 state senator rick jones  senrjones senatemichigangov  phone 517 3733447 these comments and opinions are mine and not necessarily the opinion of the clinton county republican party steve willis chairman clinton county republican party  all emails addresses  ',0),(4197,'node',' obama orders government to prepare for impact of global warming let s not confuse the issue with facts despite scientific data that shows the planet is not warming obama issues another executive order that insists it is and we have to spend more money introduce more regulations and take away the authority of the states to prevent the cataclysm that is about to befall us or something along those lines you can t fool mother nature mr president this song and dance is getting old read the full story  wwwwashingtontimescom news 2013 nov 1 obamaordersgovernmentprepglobalwarming  ',0),(4397,'node',' washington watch http wwwwashingtonwatchcom  1  representatives  ',0),(4398,'node',' confirmed the dea struck a deal with mexico s most notorious drug cartel no wonder we re not winning the war on drugs woudn t you think someone would realize this strategy isn t working read more  wwwbusinessinsidercom theusgovernmentandthesinaloacartel20141 ',0),(4200,'node',' another government program failure  clunkersjpg another government program failure  ',0),(4199,'node',' another government program failure   ldquo cash for clunkers rdquo led to a minimal increase in employment of roughly 2050 additional jobyears from june 2009 through may 2010 and the program created 07 jobs for each million dollars of program cost resulting in a cost of 14 million per job year created for an article on the abysmal failure of the ldquo cash for clunkers rdquo program click on the following link  http wwwthenewamericancom economy economics item 16852liberalbrookingsinstitutionadmitscashforclunk 19  another government program failure  ',0),(4202,'node',' the cultural divide on gay rights religious rights  hollandjpg the cultural divide on gay rights religious rights  ',0),(4201,'node',' the cultural divide on gay rights religious rights  adding sexual orientation to a city antidiscrimination law in holland michigan has become an election year issue as both sides seek to defend their positions after the city council voted 54 in 2011 to not add language to make gays a protected class gay rights groups across the state believe a victory in such a conservative community as holland could be a turning point in their movement for an article on the battle in holland on gay rights click on the following link  http wwwdetroitnewscom article 20131102 metro06311020034 gayrightsbitterdividehollandelection odyssey mod newswell text frontpage p 19  the cultural divide gay rights religious rights  ',0),(4204,'node',' ccrp poll amending elliotlarsen civil right act  new poll overview michigan currently does not have language in the elliottlarsen civil rights act that specifically protects individuals from being fired or denied housing for their gender identity twentynine governmental units in michigan including delta township in eaton county have adopted ordinances that would make this type of discrimination a crime the issues related to the ordinances center around gay rights and religious rights with both sides claiming that their rights will we violated if a law is or is not passed gay rights advocates feel that if the law is not passed their rights will not be protected while the religious community feels their right to practice their beliefs and uphold the tenets of their religion as an individual and as an employer would be violated an example of what they believe is that a catholic school should not be forced to hire an openly homosexual man as a teacher or coach new poll question should michigan pass a law that would define lgbt as a protected class in the elliotlarsen civil rights act yes no undecided to vote in this poll click on this link should michigan pass a law that would define lgbt as a protected class in the elliotlarsen civil rights act   to enter your comments click on add new comment after you vote previous poll question should michigan pass a law that would deny promotion from 3rd grade to 4th grade based on meap reading test scores yes 50 no 44 undecided 6 two comments were made on this poll comment 1 3rd grade students if we can get them to read better it will cost us less in the long run the schools will say we must give them more money so we can do a better job of teaching what did they do with the money we already gave them we could just pass them to the next grade and so on until they graduate the 12 grade we would just have a larger bunch of dummies my grandson goat a f in algebra and his father made him take the class over again my grandson said he would still get credit for the algebra class with and f grade al comment 2 consequences for not not passing 3rd grade reading meap or not no we shouldn t hold back 3rd graders who don t pass the 3rd grade reading meap what pray tell are grades and exams for if you think not just keep moving them forward until very quickly they are in deep water and can t swim and will never swim reading is fundamental there should also be consequences for teachers whose students can t read and schools whose teachers can t teach students to read flunk them fire them close them down   all emails addresses  ',0),(4205,'node',' how many different sexes are there  last time i checked there were just two sexes ldquo male rdquo and ldquo female rdquo and it was easy to make that determination by checking the individual rsquo s plumbing now that politicians and governmental entities have become involved they are considering the issue and may want to define additional sex classes to make sure no one is offended or discriminated against the us senate is currently considering ldquo the employment nondiscrimination act rdquo that will mandate that employers in the united states permit men to dress as women at work and women to dress as men as long as they otherwise adhere to ldquo reasonable dress or grooming standards rdquo the us senate appears to be taking a trip down the alice in wonderland rabbit hole in attempting to legislate sexuality and what is acceptable moral legal or logical but who believes that anything that is done in washington is acceptable moral legal or logical for an article on what the senate is considering as part of the the employment nondiscrimination act click on the following link  http wwwcnsnewscom news article terencepjeffrey senatebillbansdiscriminationagainstcrossdressers 19 if the question was how if the question was how many different perversions are there answer probably an infinite number given the depravity of man and his her tendency to justify anything  how many different sexes are there  ',0),(4558,'node',' obama stuns business leaders with new overtime rules timesheetjpg obama stuns business leaders with new overtime rules ',0),(4559,'node',' administration adds major exemption for obamacare individual mandate a new exemption to the individual mandate has dramatically expanded the pool of people who could avoid paying a penalty if they do not sign up for health care the exemption added to the application document late in december allows practically anyone to claim it is a hardship to buy health insurance and exempt them from paying the penalty will this undermine and eventually sink obamacare read more  wwwfoxnewscom politics 20140313 administrationaddsmajornewexemptionforobamacareind  ',0),(4206,'node',' how many different sexes are there  lgbt9jpg how many different sexes are there  ',0),(4207,'node',' obamacare in your favorite tv shows  leave it to the hollywood progressives to interject their political agenda into serial tv programs regarding obamacare the california endowment foundation is spending 500000 to promote obamacare through a grant to tv writers and producers to sneak obamacare promotions into their programs the aim is to produce compelling primetime narratives that encourage americans to enroll especially the young and healthy hispanics and other key demographic groups needed to make the overhaul a success as the truth about obamacare becomes more obvious everyday the socialist hollywood elite are pulling out all the stops to brainwash the low information public that sit before their tvs and watch their favorite shows and confuse fiction with reality for an article on the efforts to brainwash tv viewers about obamacare click on the following link  http wwwbreitbartcom instablog 20131105 hollywoodreceivesgranttopromoteobamacareontvshows ',0),(4210,'node',' republicans throw cuccinelli under the bus  cuclostjpg republicans throw cuccinelli under the bus  ',0),(4212,'node',' is christie already looking ahead to 2016  christiejpg is christie already looking ahead to 2016  ',0),(4214,'node',' ccrp poll christ christie for president   new poll overview with the new jersey gubernatorial race in the rearview mirror chris christie may already be laying out his plans for a run for the republican presidential nomination in 2016 with a blowout win under his belt tuesday night christie has solid proof he can win where many republicans haven rsquo t been able to among female and minority voters christie made a strong showing after he made a concerted effort to reach out to various demographic groups in an attempt to build a strategy he and his advisors believe is applicable for nationwide races he also gained donations from democrats including some affiliated with liberal financier george soros and donors of president obama he had to take more moderate policy positions and political steps to win reelection in a state as democratic as new jersey by embracing medicaid expansion under obamacare calling for a pathway to citizenship slamming fellow republicans and embracing the president democrats gave him what many privately agreed to be a free pass this election cycle new poll question what is your position on chris christies run for president i think he would be the best candidate and appeal to a wide voter base i think he is a rino and he will do whatever he needs to do to get elected no position at this time to vote in this poll click on this link what is your position on chris christies run for president   to enter your comments click on add new comment after you vote previous poll question should michigan pass a law that would define lgbt as a protected class in the elliotlarsen civil rights act yes 7 no 90 undecided 2 no comments was made on this poll question see these stories also at  the epa gun control republicans throw cuccinelli under the bus   all emails addresses  ',0),(4209,'node',' republicans throw cuccinelli under the bus  virginia gubernatorial candidate kenneth cuccinelli may well have won his race governor rsquo s race in virginia if it hadn rsquo t been for rino republicans crossing party lines dirty tricks by the progressive democrats in funding a third party libertarian candidate and blatant lies about cuccinelli if republicans ever expect to win again the need to unite around their candidates even though they may have ideological differences in some areas giving the election to someone of terry mcauliffe rsquo s ilk is unconscionable for details on the abandonment of cuccinelli and his campaign read on at  http wwwbreitbartcom biggovernment 20131105 ericcantorsexchiefofstaffhelpedterrymcauliffebeatk 19  republicans throw cuccinelli under the bus republicans throw cuccinelli under the bus  ',0),(4216,'node',' obamacare going after self insured companies  selfinsjpg obamacare going after self insured companies  ',0),(4215,'node',' obamacare going after self insured companies  obama and the progressive democrats are looking to shut down the businesses that choose to take care of their own insurance plans by paying the costs themselves for their employees medical expenses employers currently still have a this option to escape many of the taxes and mandates of obamacare and the democrats are looking to put an end to those loophole for an article on obama rsquo s plans to tighten the noose around private health care click on the following link  http wwwamericanthinkercom blog 201311 obamaanddemslookingtocloseobamacareescapehatchforb 19  obamacare going after self insured companies  ',0),(4140,'node',' the new vicious cycle of student loan debt did you grow up believing that a college education was the path to the american dream many of us did and many people still believe the kids have to go to college but in a post2008 sluggish economy with many college graduates unable to find employment in their fields or in some cases any field some are questioning the real value of a college degree the cost is high are the results worth the cost what is the reality today s college graduates face read on  wwwhumaneventscom 20131014 thenewviciouscycleofstudentloandebt  ',0),(4218,'node',' sen emmons mcdonald s announce free apple pies for michigan veterans ',0),(4742,'node',' obamacare s reference pricing could cost you big time  another result of obamacare could cost some of us a significant amount of money out of our pocket with something called ldquo reference pricing rdquo a ceiling limit would be set for certain procedures as a result the patient would have to pay out of pocket for anything over that pre determined amount to read more about the new ldquo reference pricing rdquo proposal and how it may impact all of us read online at  http wwwdetroitnewscom article 20140516 politics033051600480 politics costcontrolplanhealthcarecouldcostyou ',0),(803,'node',' westphalia 4th of july parade 4th of july parade come to the westphalia 4th of july parade on sunday july 4 2010 sun 07042010 1200pm 39 location  downtown westphalia ',0),(1339,'node',' 2015 2016 executive committee 2015 2016 executive committee members  effective january 1 2015  delegate ndash elected members  as elected on november 20 2014 the precinct delegates to the fall county convention may caucus and shall select the delegateelected members to the executive committee all delegateelected members must be registered voters who reside in clinton county and members in good standing of the clinton county republican party if a vacancy occurs in the position of delegateelected member of the executive committee the remaining delegateelected members shall fill the vacancy nancy bareham zach larsen larry meyer sheri willis graham filler jenell leonard elaine snyder stephen willis stephen gobbo susan mcneilly ray snyder david wills kevin hayes nominee members the nominee members shall be those persons nominated by the republican party for county offices and state legislative offices in clinton county at the last preceding primary election when a new nomination is made for such an office the new member shall replace the former nominee member as a member of the executive committee if a vacancy occurs in the position of a nominee member of the executive committee the vacancy may only be filled by the person who is the new nominee for the office in question tom leonard mdash state representative 93rd district wayne kangas mdash clinton county sheriff charles sherman mdash prosecuting attorney tina ward mdash clinton county treasurer diane zuker mdash clinton county clerk register phil hanses mdash clinton county drain commissioner kam washburn mdash county commissioner ndash 1st district david pohl mdash county commissioner ndash 2nd district bruce delong mdash county commissioner ndash 3rd district ken mitchell mdash county commissioner ndash 4th district robert showers mdash county commissioner ndash 5th district anne hill mdash county commissioner candidate ndash 6th district adam stacey mdash county commissioner ndash 7th district exofficio members exofficio members of the executive committee shall be members of the republican state committee state party officers republican congressman federal congressional district chairpersons and any atlarge appointees exofficio members shall have a voice but not a vote congressman john moolenaar 4th congressional district mdash executive committee member ex officio senator rick jones 24th senate district mdash executive committee member ex officio officers chair larry meyer vice chair jenell leonard treasurer graham filler secretary susan mcneilly  2013 2014 executive committee  ',0),(3475,'node',' why is the military training in us cities  the us military has been performing military exercises with black helicopters in major us cities including miami and houston the exercises are intended to prepare for ldquo urbanwarfare rdquo scenarios and included lowflying black helicopters firing blanks out from machine guns and heavily armed troops rappelling onto buildings concerns have been expressed concerns about the true purpose of the training exercises in light of troubling anticonstitutional political developments in washington dc federal law prohibits the use of the us armed forces for domestic law enforcement with washington dc expanding its size and scope wildly outside constitutional limitations citizens and analysts have become more concerned the national defense authorization act ndaa that authorizes the arrest and indefinite detention of americans without charge or trial by the military has added to the fears the question we need to ask is if the federal government is looking to take away more of our constitutional rights and to create an infrastructure to allow for the arrest of those who they deem to be a threat to their power for a detailed article on the issue click on the following story link rdquo  http wwwthenewamericancom usnews constitution item 14391militarydrillsandblackhelicoptersinuscitiessp 19  why the military training cities  ',0),(1461,'node',' 2014 club sponsorship event registrations this tab gives you access to  ',0),(1589,'node',' 2014clubsponsorlddregform  thursday april 24 2014 hawk hollow golf club bath mi 48808 reception starts at 530 pm dinner starts at 630 pm dinner guest 1 dinner guest 1 meal choice select sliced top sirloin garlic rosemary chicken dinner guest 2 dinner guest 2 meal choice select sliced top sirloin garlic rosemary chicken silent auction item donation select i am donating the following silent auction item silent auction items are greatly appreciated and help to support our candidates various activities and events if you will be donating silent auction items they need to be made available one week prior to the lincoln day dinner april 4 2014 they can be dropped off at 4789 drumheller road bath mi or you can call to make arrangements for pick up at 517 2816212 if you are donating silent auction items please fill in the following information silent auction item description silent auction item value submitted by 2014 club sponsor  ',0),(4222,'node',' land banks vs private buyers  the michigan senate has introduced senate bill 640 that would specify that land banks can purchase delinquent and abandoned property before free market buyers get a chance at public auction for details on the bill and how it would reverse the current practice and put land banks ahead of private buyers click on the following link  http wwwmichigancapitolconfidentialcom 19328 ',0),(4224,'node',' obamas military transformation  omilitaryjpg obamas military transformation  ',0),(4220,'node',' should the legislature pass a law that changes the freedom of information fees and penalties that are currently being imposed  yes no undecided freedom of information act amendments there is a cost of government as well as providing services for searching for reviewing copying and providing records to requestors public bodies are not libraries and house many confidential records and information about a host of subjects if the public expects a public body to act as a library with research assistance as well as still keeping certain information protected ie social security numbers home addresses and phone numbers medical etc expect for taxpayers to foot the bill for separating the material so some and fewer individuals can request access to records and browse indiscriminately at the cost of the taxpayers as a whole the bill s contents provide no meaningful cost recovery for fishing expeditions at your cost if everyone were to place requests for a sundry of records or information and the foia provisions on timeliness 5day response remain unchanged you also will be looking at increased personnel needs or forego critical and primary service functions while chasing the fish  ',0),(4227,'node',' environmentalism gone bad  ethanoljpg environmentalism gone bad  ',0),(4226,'node',' environmentalism gone bad  environmentalists with the assistance of the federal government and the epa in their quest to save the world have actually harmed the environment more than they have helped it for an article on the consequences of the ethanol mandate for pas click on the following link  http wwwdetroitnewscom article 20131112 nation 311120035 ethanolpushtakestollenvironment odyssey tab topnews text frontpage 19  environmentalism gone bad  ',0),(4230,'node',' amash being opposed by big business  amashjpg amash being opposed by big business  ',0),(4082,'node',' the impossibility of gun control nothing short of complete confiscation of all guns in the country would have stood in the way of the horrific rampage that occurred at the navy yard in washington last week nor would anything less than a ban on sales of all weapons prevented aaron alexis from getting the shotgun he used in the attack what more will it take for this country to come around to a national conversation about the real issue mental illness guns don t kill people some mentally ill people become mass murderers read the full story  wwwnationalreviewcom article 359016 impossibilityguncontrolrichlowry  the impossibility gun control  ',0),(4232,'node',' michigan obamacare enrollments are abysmal 1329  oprobjpg michigan obamacare enrollments are abysmal 1329  ',0),(4233,'node',' michigan tax breaks for student loans  senate bill 408 was reported out of committee this week that would allow graduates of michigan s public and private colleges and universities a tax credit equal to 50 percent of their student loan payments for each tax year if they live and work in the state for details on the proposed legislation and how it would impact state revenues click on the following link  http wwwmlivecom education indexssf 201311 studentloanseligibleformichtml ',0),(4236,'node',' does the government have your picture on file  janusjpg does the government have your picture on file  ',0),(4237,'node',' ccrp poll michigan tax breaks for student loans   new poll overview senate bill 408 was reported out of committee this week that would allow graduates of michigan s public and private colleges and universities a tax credit equal to 50 percent of their student loan payments for each tax year if they live and work in the state the bill introduced by sen glenn anderson dwestland has bipartisan support in the senate with sen rick jones rgrand ledge and sen tory rocca rsterling heights joining democrats including minority leader sen gretchen whitmer deast lansing in cosponsoring the legislation the senate finance committee approved the proposal wednesday sending it to the full senate for a vote the credit would be capped at an amount equal to 20 percent of the average annual tuition for michigan s public universities the credit would last for five years after graduation and would require students to prove residency and employment in the state before it could be claimed a senate fiscal agency analysis of the credit estimates it would reduce state revenues by 294 million for 20132014 and projects the credit could cost up to 152 million by 20172018 as more graduates became eligible new poll question should the legislature pass a law giving college students tax credits equal to 50 of their student loan payments each year yes no undecided to vote in this poll click on this link http wwwclintoncountygoporg content shouldlegislaturepasslawgivingcollegestudentstaxcr  to enter your comments click on add new comment after you vote previous poll question should the legislature pass a law that changes the freedom of information fees and penalties that are currently being imposed yes 66 no 25 undecided 9 one comment was made on this poll question comment 1 freedom of information act amendments there is a cost of government as well as providing services for searching for reviewing copying and providing records to requestors public bodies are not libraries and house many confidential records and information about a host of subjects if the public expects a public body to act as a library with research assistance as well as still keeping certain information protected ie social security numbers home addresses and phone numbers medical etc expect for taxpayers to foot the bill for separating the material so some and fewer individuals can request access to records and browse indiscriminately at the cost of the taxpayers as a whole the bill s contents provide no meaningful cost recovery for fishing expeditions at your cost if everyone were to place requests for a sundry of records or information and the foia provisions on timeliness 5day response remain unchanged you also will be looking at increased personnel needs or forego critical and primary service functions while chasing the fish see these stories also at  michigan obamacare enrollments are abysmal 1329  does the government have your picture on file   all emails addresses  ',0),(4231,'node',' michigan obamacare enrollments are abysmal 1329  obamacare continues to flounder with continuing failures of its website and the president continues to hold the line and not being willing to compromise we hear obamacare rsquo s proponents say we wouldn rsquo t have this problem if it was a single payer system like they wanted as we approach the december 1 deadline on the evaluation of the website the democrats who voted for it are beginning to jump ship and look to do whatever they can to keep their jobs when the 2014 elections roll around for details on the dismal performance of the website and other issues related to the future of obamacare click on the following link  http wwwdetroitnewscom apps pbcsdll article aid 2013311130070 19  michigan obamacare enrollments are abysmal 1329  ',0),(4234,'node',' should the legislature pass a law giving college students tax credits equal to 50 of their student loan payments each year  yes no undecided tax credits for college students i believe student tax credits should be equal to the subsidies that farmers in the state of michigan receive for set asides taking their land off the tax rolls so it will not be developed or getting paid by the state feds to plant or not plant specific crops amongst the many many other programs that john q public do not even know about add to that all of the local governments that refuse to consolidate services to protect their fiefdoms and continue to give themselves raises using appointed compensation commissions while other people are losing their jobs or getting their hours cut there was an advertisement on tv in the early 70 s to get a good job you need a good education promoting people going to college due to our agricultural industrial job base in this state at that time and really to this date statistics studies show that michigan falls in the lower end of the educated workforce scale give the students the tax credit or give them a job then go after the real people that are fleecing the taxpayers of this state student loan tax credits at the federal state city county level there are too many taxes tax credits ak a loopholes and other policies that marry citizens to government programs let s develop comprehensive policies that facilitate enable citizens to pay their own way in every arena get more of us off of one public dole or the other so that we become more selfsupporting and selfgoverning the mentality that propels government to be rescue ranger to many citizens so that we don t shoulder our own responsibilities for ourselves our extended families our neighbors it is the government entity that creates governmental dependence in its citizenry fred nose credit for college loans i am not in favor of tax credits to get students to stay in michigan what our legislature needs to do is get out of the way of the free enterprise system so that its easier for businesses to make a dollar government rules and regulations hamper business growth if the businesses grow they will hire more employees and not hold back on salaries in addition i believe giving this tax break will encourage more student loans the students are getting fleeced as loans get easier to attain the colleges raise tuition debt increases beyond what would ever have been viewed as reasonable even a few years ago there has been no increase in outcome of higher education but the main reason i would oppose this move to give tax credits is that its just one more thing that causes taxpayer dollars to be given to others who the gov t have decided need it or deserve it that is not government s role  ',0),(4238,'node',' the unraveling of obamacare  jonah goldberg comments on the unraveling of the affordable care act and looks for a word to describe the snake oil salesman that insists that it is good for all of us and says trust me for an interpretation of the obamacare failure and obama rsquo s narcissism read on at  http wwwnationalreviewcom article 363907 obamacareschadenfreudaramajonahgoldberg ',0),(4239,'node',' msu professor will be teaching spring semester 2014  professor william penn will be back in the classroom teaching indoctrinating badgering at msu again spring term 2014 i guess the administration at msu didn rsquo t see a big problem with his teaching methods and comments like i am a college professor if i found out you are a closet racist i am coming after you for an article on what has transpired in regard to professor penn and his suspension and what msu is doing to address the issue read on at  http wwwmichigancapitolconfidentialcom 19374 ',0),(4240,'node',' mi energy mandate may be in trouble  the 7th us court of appeals wrote that michigan s instate renewable energy mandate violates the commerce clause and is therefore unconstitutional judge posner s statement does not have the weight of law because the issue wasn t directly before him the final verdict is yet to come on the mandate but pending court cases in other states may end up nullifying the mandate in the future for an opinion on the final outcome regarding the mandate read on at  http wwwmichigancapitolconfidentialcom 19373 ',0),(4242,'node',' the epa and a ban on wood burning  stove1jpg the epa and a ban on wood burning  ',0),(4244,'node',' ccrp poll wood burning ban   new poll overview a lawsuit has been filed in us district court for the district of columbia by the attorneys general for connecticut maryland massachusetts new york oregon rhode island and vermont that is directed against currently unregulated indoor and outdoor wood boilers the suits are seeking to have the environmental protection agency epa forced to impose stringent new regulations on residential woodburning heaters which they claim can increase particle pollution to levels that cause significant health concerns new poll question are you in favor of the epa banning or developing more stringent regulations on wood burning stoves yes no undecided to vote in this poll click on this link http wwwclintoncountygoporg content areyoufavorepabanningordevelopingmorestringentregu  to enter your comments click on add new comment after you vote previous poll question should the legislature pass a law giving college students tax credits equal to 50 of their student loan payments each year yes 45 no 48 undecided 6 two comments were made on this poll comment 1 tax credits for college students i believe student tax credits should be equal to the subsidies that farmers in the state of michigan receive for set asides taking their land off the tax rolls so it will not be developed or getting paid by the state feds to plant or not plant specific crops amongst the many many other programs that john q public do not even know about add to that all of the local governments that refuse to consolidate services to protect their fiefdoms and continue to give themselves raises using appointed compensation commissions while other people are losing their jobs or getting their hours cut there was an advertisement on tv in the early 70 s to get a good job you need a good education promoting people going to college due to our agricultural industrial job base in this state at that time and really to this date statistics studies show that michigan falls in the lower end of the educated workforce scale give the students the tax credit or give them a job then go after the real people that are fleecing the taxpayers of this state comment 2 credit for college loans i am not in favor of tax credits to get students to stay in michigan what our legislature needs to do is get out of the way of the free enterprise system so that its easier for businesses to make a dollar government rules and regulations hamper business growth if the businesses grow they will hire more employees and not hold back on salaries in addition i believe giving this tax break will encourage more student loans the students are getting fleeced as loans get easier to attain the colleges raise tuition debt increases beyond what would ever have been viewed as reasonable even a few years ago there has been no increase in outcome of higher education but the main reason i would oppose this move to give tax credits is that its just one more thing that causes taxpayer dollars to be given to others who the gov t have decided need it or deserve it that is not government s role   all emails addresses  ',0),(4899,'node',' clinton county wind farm suit goes to appeals court will three clinton county townships have any luck with the michigan court of appeals in reversing a lower court decision to dismiss their case against a wind farm company to read more about the ongoing suit go online at  http wwwlansingstatejournalcom article 20140714 news01307140038 clintoncountywindfarmimpassemovescourtappeals 19  clinton county wind farm suit goes appeals court  ',0),(4253,'node',' ccrp november 21 2013 ccrp monthly meeting the clinton county republican party ccrp will be holding their monthly meeting on thursday november 21 2013 at 700 pm at the clinton county courthouse in st johns in the commissioners room the november meeting the executive committee will be considerating a smart meter resolution for passage and lt governor candidate wes nakagiri will be speaking on his reasons for challenging brian calley at the 2014 republican state convention in august of 2014 according to our bylaws any candidate for office will be given an opportunity to speak at our county meetings if they ask article ix ndash resolutions section 3 ndash policy it shall be the policy to allow announced candidates for public office or a member of their immediate family to speak at meetings or party sponsored events such speaking time may be limited by the chairperson to a reasonable time please find attached a pdf file with the agenda for the meeting agenda for november 21 2013 meeting any clinton county residents interested in finding out more about the ccrp are invited to attend any questions regarding the ccrp should be directed to steve willis chairman clinton county republican party at 5172814458 or at ccrpmich gmailcom  sincerely steve willis chairman clinton county republican party h 5176416657 c 5172814458 sgwillis1945 gmailcom    clinton county 2013r  ',0),(4246,'node',' the lawlessness of the fix  obamahubrisjpg the lawlessness of the fix  ',0),(4245,'node',' the lawlessness of the fix  could it have been anything less than incredible hubris that led the president to promise a lie over and over again it is astounding the lengths to which this president will go to advance his agenda now that the truth about his health care law is coming to light president obama makes it his right to cherry pick the provisions of the law he chooses to uphold he even met with key insurers to tell them they didn t have to follow the law either so let s apply the bush test what did senator obama say when george bush circumvented the warrant requirement to eavesdrop on suspected foreign terrorists after 911 was there any support on the left to overhaul the existing law in the face of a very real threat to the security of the country none whatsoever now president obama directs the insurance companies to circumvent his law to give political cover to the democrats up for reelection in 2014 and to shift the blame for the mess we call obamacare to the insurers what a guy read more  mnationalreviewcom article 364117 lawlessnessfixandrewcmccarthy comments  the lawlessness the fix  ',0),(4916,'node',' the ccrp summer bbq thursday july 24 2014 last chance  an evening with the 4th congressional candidates come to meet and greet the three candidates seeking to replace congressman dave camp as our congressman as part of the bbq we will be holding a silent auction including 1 a patriotic lap quilt commissioner patricia relyea 2 a pink computer chair dawn bill sherman 3 a decorative windmill bob craig not government subsidized 4 tree guards bruce harte 5 5000 demmer gift card gail charlie wadell 6 1200 demmer gift card bruce janice harte 7 1200 demmer gift card bruce janice harte 8 internet verizion jet pack the cellular connection we will also be having a book donation table where books can be donated or 500 can be donated for a book of your choice to take home don t miss this great opportunity to meet our next congressman if you will be attending please rsvp by calling or texting to 5172816212 or emailing ccrpmich gmailcom with the number who will be attending for details on the event download this flyer  ccrp summer bbq flyer late registrations will accepted at the door 2000 per adult kids free make checks payable to the clinton county republican party   all emails addresses  ',0),(4247,'node',' goodbye blue a postobama democratic doctrine some interesting reading who are these guys anyway  wwwthedailybeastcom articles 20131115 goodbyeblueapostobamademocraticdoctrinehtml ',0),(4248,'node',' epa scales back ethanol mandate to avert blendwall  the blendwall is the point at which the maximum amount of ethanol can safely be blended into the fuel supply refiners welcome the pull back by the epa that avoids reaching this maximum level but what prevents it from mandating a level that breaches this maximum in the future get the details  dailycallercom 20131115 epascalesbackethanolmandate  ',0),(4165,'node',' republican john kasich a true obama disciple  ohio governor and previous us congressman john kasich has taken a page from president obama rsquo s ldquo alinsky playbook rdquo by overruling the ohio legislature to sign the state of ohio up for medicaid expansion for an article on john kasich rsquo s decision to disregard the will of the people of ohio read on at  http onlinewsjcom news articleemail sb10001424052702303448104579151631504257034lmyqjax tesla y 19  republican john kasich true obama disciple  ',0),(4014,'node',' medicaid expansion passes the senate  after several months of a constant barrage by governor snyder and the special interests the michigan senate has managed to ldquo buy in rdquo to obamacare the sad truth is there will be winners and losers and michigan and its taxpaying citizens will be the losers because the governor chose to pad the pockets of the lobbyists and the special interests by hitching our future to another entitlement program that we will ultimately be paying for when the federal dollars stop coming in with a last minute switch of his vote from a no to a yes senator casperson sealed the deal for the governor we can only guess why he chose to change his vote to a yes as always i am sure last minute back room politics was part of the final negotiations to get his vote the bottom line is that there will be a battle to determine what the republican party stands for and who should sit in the seats in the house and senate based on their votes on ldquo many rdquo issues that have come before the house and senate in the last 4 years for an analysis on the final vote for passage and for comments from the senators and why the voted the way they did click on the following story link  http wwwmichigancapitolconfidentialcom 19070 19 my response to this is not my response to this is not even true and i i don t know where to start if you don t think that the lobbyists didn t come out ahead and the governor didn t play a part in that happening in this whole debacle you don t have any understanding of politics and all the back door dealing that takes place why have essentially all of the republican organizations and elected officials been against medicaid expansion and the effects it will have on michigan and the people who will go on medicaid because of it it s because obamacare and anything associated with it is unsustainable michigan in the end will pay the price by having to carry the burden of the costs for the program after the federal dollars stop coming in additionally how do we know that the federal government will continue to subsidize the program after initial 100 funding ceases we don t know that they will and the president has already stated himself that the program is unsustainable the impact on michigan will be devastating economically as far as the governor is concerned i seriously question his republican credentials he is not a conservative in many ways and has shown that in many of the positions he has taken on issues and legislation that go against what the majority of the republican base believe i think if the truth be known he was considering what party banner to run under in 2010 before he chose the republican party i would guess that he ran as a republican because he knew that in the primary he could win because there were 4 conservatives that had name recognition in the party and and then him a relative unknown on the ballot the conservatives split the vote among the real republican voters and snyder got the vote of the democrats independents and liberals that crossed over to disrupt the republican primary i ask don t you think it s odd that senator emmons and represenative leonard were both against it and the majority of republicans in both the house and senate caucuses were against passage of the medicaid expansion and the only way to get it passed was to pick off republicans who could be bought or influenced if you are so naive to think these types of things don t happen you live in a fantasy world politics is a tough business and all to often principles are compromised a direct quote i heard lt governor calley make was that sometimes you have to compromise your principles to get things done that should tell you how deals are made we will never know what happened and what kind of deals were made but i promise you deals were made as they always are and in this case it wasn t in the best interest of michigan s residents i worked for the legislature for over 30 years i know what happens behind closed doors do you i research the issues take my positions and make my comments based upon facts do you the bottom line is that our state and country need to elect constitutional conservatives to office that will be men and women of principle and i will say and do all i can to accomplish that goal steve willis this is not even true and i this is not even true and i would like to know where you get your information stephen willis the governor has not padded the lobbyists pockets we know you like to think that and get everyone to believe you but it s not true cause is illegal and the governor is not that kind of man my personal belief is different than the way the vote went but i can see both sides the governor is trying to keep the interest of the people in mind as this passing is the cheapest way and will help our michigan businesses we all do what we think is the best for the groups we are in charge of abs he truly feels this will be the best for us we don t know for sure every detail so we really can t make judgements until we have read and understood the bill and why so many wanted iti suggest maybe you all the governor why he wanted it before treating him apart you really don t know the whole story hope your will go ask him and heat the whole reasoning  medicaid expansion passes the senate  ',0),(4299,'node',' ccrp alert pending abortion insurance vote in legislature  the abortion insurance initiative petition vote will be up for consideration and a possible vote this week in the legislature approval by the senate is expected but there is no guarantee the vote in the house could be more problematic hopefully the legislature will have the courage to address the issue and vote to pass it if they do it will become law because the governor can t veto it like he did in the last legislative session the legislature could decide to not do anything and then it would be on the ballot for all michigan voters to decide next year let rsquo s help our elected leader decide the issue please call or email your state senator and representative and tell them to vote for approval of the initiative petition in clinton county call or email representative tom leonard tomleonard housemigov phone 517 3731778 senator judy emmons 517 3733760 http wwwsenatemichigangov imaformasp name comment33 formpath e webforms rep senator rick jones 517 3733447 senrjones senatemichigangov background on the initiative petition the state board of canvassers has unanimously certified an initiative petition that would make people purchase an abortion rider on insurance policies rather than offer it as a standard option to all policy holders the legislature has strong antiabortion majorities in both chambers and if they choose to take it up it has a good chance of passing and immediately becoming law but democrats and abortion rights supporters are trying to stop its passage michigan right to life which spearheaded the petition drive argues no one should be forced to subsidize abortion mdash either through federally subsidized health exchange insurance plans or through the premiums they pay on private insurance if the petition becomes law michigan would join eight other states that have instituted policies prohibiting public and private insurance plans from including abortion coverage in health care policies another 15 states prohibit the coverage in insurance purchased through the health exchanges set up through the affordable care act the initiative would require all private and public health insurance plans to offer a separate rider for an abortion people would then have to buy that rider before knowing whether they would need an abortion and wouldn rsquo t be able to buy the rider after getting pregnant by any means including rape or incest the number of abortions in michigan hit a high of 49098 in 1987 but has steadily decreased since hitting a low of 22357 in 2009 last year 23230 abortions were performed in the state the legislature has 40 session days to deal with the petition initiative the 40 day time period began on december 3 but the legislature will take a break when they adjourn in middecember for threeweeks a majority of the members in both chambers signed the petition and backed legislation last year that did the same thing that bill was vetoed by gov rick snyder who called it an inappropriate intrusion into private health insurance   all emails addresses  ',0),(4054,'node',' how is michigan doing  michigan rsquo s recovery from the granholm years has been a mixed bag read more on michigan rsquo s recovery and where we stand in comparison to the other states by clicking on the following link  http wwwmlivecom politics indexssf 201309 newmichiganscorecardfiveyehtml incartriver 19  how michigan doing  ',0),(4308,'node','  insurance rider for abortions passes   ldquo the republicancontrolled legislature on wednesday approved a voterinitiated law that would prohibit basic health insurance plans from covering abortions and avoid a veto by gov rick snyder rdquo read more about the bills passage and the possible efforts by pro choice advocates to overturn it in the future at  http wwwdetroitnewscom apps pbcsdll article aid 2013312110101 20  ',0),(3756,'node',' new federal regulations give pentagon sweeping domestic police power this expressly violates the fourth amendment rsquo s guarantee of the ldquo right of the people to be secure in their persons houses papers and effects against unreasonable searches and seizures rdquo   under section 32 cfr part 182 mdash defense support of civilian law enforcement agencies mdash critical and constitutionally suspect changes were made that permit units of the us armed forces to ldquo engage temporarily in activities that are necessary to quell largescale unexpected civil disturbances rdquo  but we are willing to forgo those constitutional rights for protection rights for an article on how our rights are being violated by new regulations click on the following story link  http wwwthenewamericancom usnews crime item 15426newfederalregulationsgivepentagonsweepingdome 19  new federal regulations give pentagon sweeping domestic police power  ',0),(4577,'node',' votes from heaven luckily for the democrats the illegal immigrant voters are balancing out the just plain illegal voters that they are losing by revealing that their voters are dead take poor pia farrenkopf for instance whose dead mummified body was recently found in her pontiac home it is estimated that she died in 2008 so explain this  voting records in oakland county show farrenkopf who has not been positively identified by the medical examiner rsquo s office is shown as voting in the november 2010 gubernatorial election so whoever is the heirapparent on the socialist ticket against the republican next election will be one vote short of their expected count better keep those laws requiring valid id from being enforced disclaimer i have no idea how ms farrenkopf voted but let s go with the assumption that the democrats area cheating it s a safe assumption  ',0),(4578,'node',' the oversight of us intelligence that failed theyejpg the oversight of us intelligence that failed ',0),(4579,'node',' will the supreme court uphold the freedom of religion  does our constitution guarantee the freedom of religion or does it merely allow a more limited freedom to worship the difference is profound worship is an event  religion is a way of life   according to the constitution freedom of religion is a protected right obamacare is attempting to deny individuals and their associated businesses the right to practice and adhere to those beliefs the supreme court will make that final decision in the near future for an article on what is at stake for those who wish to live according to their beliefs click on the following story link  http wwwwashingtonpostcom opinions religiouslibertyisamericasfirstfreedom 20140321498c0048b12811e3a49e76adc9210f19storyhtml 20  will the supreme court uphold the freedom religion  ',0),(4580,'node',' will the supreme court uphold the freedom of religion  rellibtyjpg will the supreme court uphold the freedom of religion  ',0),(1975,'node',' you lie  obamacare does cover illegal aliens president obama told the nation that obamacare would not cover illegal aliens saying ldquo the reforms i m proposing would not apply to those who are here illegally rdquo rep joe wilson shouted from the house floor ldquo you lie rdquo the indignation of pelosi biden and obama was obvious and the democrats wanted to ldquo ride wilson out of town on a rail rdquo he was vilified and an immediate apology was demanded well guess what obamacare is being used to cover undocumented individuals better known to us as ldquo illegal aliens rdquo another lie has been confirmed from the ldquo liarinchief rdquo for an article from wwwexaminercom confirming the extension of the benefit to illegals click on the following story link  http wwwexaminercom immigrationreforminnational joewilsonwasri 19  you lie  ',0),(4093,'node',' kerry signs un arms trade treaty despite objections on wednesday secretary of state john kerry signed the united nations small arms trade treaty on behalf of the president of the united states kerry claims the treaty will not interfere with american rights protected by the second amendment but some believe the treaty s provisions interfere with congressional authority and the us constitution what do you think get the details  wwwhumaneventscom 20130925 kerrysignsunarmstradetreatydespiteobjections   kerry signs arms trade treaty despite objections  ',0),(4250,'node',' head start and other federal failures several head start programs were suspended when the federal government shut down on october 1 the wailing and gnashing of teeth was heard across the country how could those nasty republicans deprive these lowincome children of a chance for a better life but is that what head start is doing the federal goverment is spending billions on this program but do the results justify the cost has anyone ever considered writing a followup program evaluation process into these laws read more  reasoncom archives 20131118 headstartandotherfederalfailures  head start and other federal failures  ',0),(4251,'node',' head start and other federal failures headstartjpg head start and other federal failures ',0),(4252,'node',' snyder raising minimum wage not the only way to help workers democratic gubernatorial candidate mark shauer has proposed an increase in michigan s minimum wage by 185 over three years what does governor synder have to say about that get the details  wwwmlivecom news detroit indexssf 201311 govricksnydersofficeraisinhtml incart2box ',0),(3599,'node',' should dave agema resign his position as michigan s national republican committeeman  yes no undecided  ',0),(4255,'node',' ccrp poll regulating and distributing medical marijuana  new poll overview the michigan senate lead by a republican majority is considering a plan to create a new system for regulating and distributing medical marijuana the legislation seeks to reclassify medical marijuana license facilities to grow the drug and distribute it through authorized pharmacies the system which would require federal approval before it could be implemented and would treat marijuana as a schedule ii drug similar to oxycontin or percocet senate bill 660 would not replace or change michigan s voterapproved medical marijuana law but it would create an independent pharmaceuticalgrade cannabis registry patients and caregivers certified to use or grow plants under current law could continue to do so but those who want to be part of the pharmaceutical registry would have to surrender their old cards and would not be authorized to grow or distribute the drug under the newlyproposed system the michigan department of community health would be tasked with licensing registering and inspecting pharmaceuticalgrade marijuana manufacturing facilities dch could charge a reasonable fee for performing those functions and would be required to create an online database listing licensed facilities anyone wishing to manufacture distribute prescribe or dispense marijuana would have to obtain a license from the michigan board of pharmacy as already required for other controlled substances new poll question should the legislature pass a law that would regulate the distribution of medical marijuana yes no undecided to vote in this poll click on this link should the legislature pass a law that would regulate the distribution of medical marijuana   to enter your comments click on add new comment after you vote previous poll question are you in favor of the epa banning or developing more stringent regulations on wood burning stoves yes 10 no 89 undecided 2 two comments were made on this poll question comment 1 wood burning ban no or i should say hell no comment 2 epa regulating wood burners what next gov t already tells us what kind of bulbs to use what car gas consumption per mile must be amount of water showers and flush toilets can consume maximum temperature of water our clothes washers will be capable of having available at the point it enters the washer on and on and on united states gov t is treating citizens like children who do not know how to make decisions for themselves with common core training our children it will probably come to a time when citizens do not even notice that we are becoming more socialist all the time   all emails addresses  ',0),(4254,'node',' should the legislature pass a law that would regulate the distribution of medical marijuana  yes no undecided  should the legislature pass law that would regulate the distribution medical marijuana  ',0),(4256,'node',' manmade global warming discussions heating up in michigan the michigan department of education is considering setting a science standard that would teach school children that global warming is real and man made wouldn t you expect an educational institution to teach children that there are many sides to an issue and they should examine all the evidence before coming to a conclusion get the whole story  wwwmichigancapitolconfidentialcom 19381 ',0),(4257,'node',' court oks firing teacher for keeping religious materials in classroom the ohio supreme court ruled in favor of firing a teacher for insubordination because he refused to remove religious materials from his classroom no evidence was presented that indicated whether or not he tried to teach his religous beliefs and based on students test scores he was a very effective teacher is this just another example of christianity coming under attack who filed this complaint in the first place read more  wwwbreitbartcom biggovernment 20131119 courtokaysfiringteacherforkeepingreligiousmaterial ',0),(4258,'node',' obamacare it still 40 percent unfinished as we rapidly approach the november 30 deadline on tuesday we learned that the healthcaregov website is only 6070 complete but no need for concern the parts that aren t finished are the back office functions such as accounting and payment to insurance companies the front end stuff that allows users to select a health plan should be up and running even though it crashed during kathleen sebelius s visit to website navigators in florida and security well we think it s ok don t you wonder how the administration is going to spin this one read more  thehillcom blogs regwatch healthcare 190760federalinsurancemarketonly60percentdone ',0),(4260,'node',' budget talks inch toward progress murrayryanjpg budget talks inch toward progress ',0),(2472,'node',' should a proposed casino in lansing be built  yes 31 11 votes no 61 22 votes undecided 8 3 votes total votes 36 casino competition many nonprofit organizations in clinton county benefit from texas hold em events at trippers a lansing casino wouild dry up this source of income for our nonprofits casinos my daughter works for the casino in mount pleasant the casino does not give students any breaks it is a mandatory 32 hours and they do not work with class schedule changes knowing she is a student they schedule her third shift hours and then she has a full day of classes then the next night is second shift forcing her to work and go to school arround the clock for 36 hours at least once per week there are no benefits for 32 hours and because jobs are limited and because she is building a resume she stays how many times do we have to pay for america what is happening is just plain greed spendable income needs to be spent on other types of entertainment casinos put other businesses at risk please don t let this be rammed down our throats we have more than our share of casinos in michigan  ',0),(1315,'node',' a message from the chair to come  ',0),(3488,'node',' ccrp resolutions the following is a list of the resolutions that have been submitted for approval and passed or defeated and and id passed subsequently submitted to the appropraite people stating positions taken by the ccrp regarding issues of concern to all of us  federal resolutions state resolutions county resolutions to read a resolution click on the resolution name below  ccrp resolution 20131 passed on january 17 2013 debt ceiling resolution sent to congressman camp senator levin senator stabenow    ccrp resolution 20132 passed february 7 2013 gas tax resolution sent to representative tom leonard senator judy emmons senator rick jones    ccrp resolution 20136 passed february 25 2013 ndaa retention resolution sent to senator judy emmons senate veterans military committee    ccrp resolution 20137 passed may 16 2013 a resolution urging senator emmons representative leonard senator jones and governor snyder to support all efforts to ldquo defeat national standards for michigan schools rdquo    ccrp resolution 20138 passed on september 19 2013 repeal of health care tax sent to congressman camp senator levin senator stabenow    ccrp resolution 20139 passed on september 19 2013 defund obamacare as part of continuing resolution sent to congressman camp senator levin and senator stabenow    ccrp resolution 201310 passed on september 19 2013 take no military action against syria sent to congressman camp senator levin and senator stabenow    ccrp resolution 201311 passed november 21 2013 a resolution urging the house energy and technology committee to hold hearings and a vote and to report out of committee house bill 4315 for consideration by the whole house of representatives sent to the chairman and members of the house energy technology committee the michigan republican party county committees and to the michigan congressional committees     read the resolutions the ccrp has sent our elected leaders washington and lansing regarding issues concern all  ',0),(4263,'node',' news media protest white house press access limits in a free society wouldn t you expect the press to have access to the president and white house events and public duties so wouldn t you expect the most transparent administration ever to invite journalists to record the events of the obama administration as a matter of course that doesn t seem to be the case how is the press reacting to the limits the white house imposes on them what do they plan to do about it read more  wwwdetroitnewscom apps pbcsdll article  news media protest white house press access limits  ',0),(4264,'node',' news media protest white house press access limits whpressroomjpg news media protest white house press access limits ',0),(4265,'node',' bcbsm of mi will not reinstate cancelled plans under obamacare rather than comply with the president s directive to reinstate for one year cancelled insurance plans that do not meet the basic requirements of obamacare blue cross and blue shield of michigan has decided not to reinstate those plans they say that they have been working to eliminate the noncompliant plans and will continue to transition consumers to the new plans this decision affects about 140000 michigan residents get the details  wwwmlivecom business indexssf 201311 bluecrossmichiganobamacarehtml ',0),(4262,'node',' administration drops lawsuit against louisiana s voucher program jindaljpg administration drops lawsuit against louisiana s voucher program ',0),(4261,'node',' administration drops lawsuit against louisiana s voucher program in a surprise move the justice department has quietly dropped a lawsuit against louisiana s school voucher program the program which gives students the chance to escape failing schools was based on ancient desegregation rules yet in practice almost 90 of the beneficiaries are minority students governor bobby jindal isn t convinced that the fight is over though will the justice department continue to dog louisiana over this very popular program how and why read more  wwwhumaneventscom 20131120 administrationdropslawsuitagainstlouisianaschoolvo   administration drops lawsuit against louisiana voucher program  ',0),(4270,'node',' supreme court to review contraceptive coverage mandate supremecourtjpg supreme court to review contraceptive coverage mandate ',0),(4269,'node',' supreme court to review contraceptive coverage mandate the us supreme court has agreed to review the mandate in obamacare that requires employers to provide insurance coverage for contraceptives some businesses object to the mandate on religious grounds this will be the first time the court has addressed the issues of religous freedom and equality for female workers under the law read more  wwwwashingtonpostcom politics supremecourttoreviewcontraceptivecoveragemandate 20131126 e9627f5a56bc11e38304caf30787c0a9storyhtml  supreme court review contraceptive coverage mandate  ',0),(4638,'node',' maryland spends 90000000 for failed obamacare website  maryland has abandoned its obamacare websiteafter spending 9000000000 taxpayer money of the 90 million 55 million was sopend for the creation of the website itself read more about how maryland wasted 90 million dollars to create their failed obamacare website online at  http dailycallercom 20140418 marylandobamacareexchangespent90millionontechnolog  ',0),(4267,'node',' ccrp poll felons reporting past record for employment upon application   new poll overview house bill 4366 would prohibit an employer from asking for information about a felony conviction on an application for employment however the prohibition would not apply to 1 a background check or any written electronic or oral inquiry that takes place after the submission of the initial application for employment or 2 an inquiry that is necessary to enable an employer to comply with a requirement of state or federal law a person alleging a violation of this new act could bring a civil action for appropriate injunctive relief or damages or both in the circuit court for the county where the alleged violation occurred or where the person against whom the complaint is filed lives or has a principal place of business in addition to damages for injury or loss caused by each violation the court could award to the complainant all or a portion of the costs of litigation including reasonable attorney fees and witness fees new poll question should the legislature pass a law that would remove a question regarding a felony conviction from the employment application yes no undecided to vote in this poll click on this link http wwwclintoncountygoporg content shouldlegislaturepasslawwouldremovequestionregardi  to enter your comments click on add new comment after you vote previous poll question should the legislature pass a law that would regulate the distribution of medical marijuana yes 55 no 40 undecided 5 no comments were made on this poll question   all emails addresses  ',0),(4276,'node',' medicaid growth could aggravate doctor shortage so far about a third of the states michigan included have accepted the expansion of medicaid under the provisions of obamacare the federal government has promised to pay 100 of the additional medicaid costs for the next three years then lower the reimbursement rate to 90 but what good will an expanions of medicaid do if there are no doctors to take on these new patients will there be enough doctors willing to accept the low reimbursement rates and red tape associated with medicaid read more  wwwnytimescom 20131129 us lackofdoctorsmayworsenasmillionsjoinmedicaidrollsh ',0),(4272,'node',' white house delays online enrollment for small businesses obamacarewebsitejpg white house delays online enrollment for small businesses ',0),(4275,'node',' iran white house lying about details of nuke deal only a few days after an agreement was announced between iran the united states and other world leaders iran is claiming that the white house is misleading the american public about the terms of the deal what seems to be the problem get the details  freebeaconcom iranwhitehouselyingaboutdetailsofnukedeal  ',0),(4274,'node',' irs pushes to rein in taxexempt political groups the irs and the justice department are considering creating regulations that will prohibit certain taxexempt groups from candidaterelated political activity do you suppose these regulations will apply to both liberal and conservative groups read the full story  newsyahoocom irspushesreintaxexemptpoliticalgroups203634659elec ',0),(4277,'node',' tax assessor entry into your home bill introduced state representative bob genetski rsaugatuck introduced house bill 5172 which demands that assessors   shall not enter any structure dwelling unit or other improvement hellip without written permission of the owner  the bill also prohibits assessors from increasing assessed value if denied entry for an article on the details of the bill read on at  http wwwmichigancapitolconfidentialcom 19395 ',0),(4279,'node',' potential crimes by obamacare operatives enrollamericajpg potential crimes by obamacare operatives ',0),(4249,'node',' tax code driving americans out of the country the federal government is receiving record amounts of tax dollars this year yet the congress hasn t produced a budget in five years and basic needs of the country such as a well maintained highway system are going unmet our federal deficit has reach 17 trillion and although the budget deficit this year is lower than it has been in recent years the democrats insist the government still needs more revenue the tax code is muddled complicated and unweildy yet the congress isn t motivated to streamline the rules how do citizens react read more  wwwcnbccom id 101202754 ',0),(4281,'node',' is an obamacare bailout next  bailoutjpg is an obamacare bailout next  ',0),(4282,'node',' what are muslims grooming gangs   ldquo muslims groups around the world are crying islamophobia and playing the victim card as horrific islamicmotivated crimes such as grooming and rapegangs rage on with impunity throughout the western world especially in europe rape or grooming gangs which are almost entirely muslim are committing a crime that is religiously mandated in islamic doctrine rdquo  to read about this alarming practice that is common place in europe and has come to the united states click on the following link  http wwwamericanthinkercom 201312 groominggangsandshariahtml ',0),(4284,'node',' obama s fundamental transformation continues  wagejpg obama s fundamental transformation continues  ',0),(4285,'node',' snyder declares himself as the most proimmigration governor in the country   ldquo i rsquo m probably the most proimmigration governor in the country and i rsquo m proud of that rdquo   governor rick snyder to read about governor snyder rsquo s position on immigration and why he feels he is the most proimmigration governor in the country click on the following link  http wwwmlivecom business westmichigan indexssf 201312 govricksnyderpledgessupporhtml incartmrpt2 ',0),(4287,'node',' the senkaku islands and why they could be an international issue  senkakuislandsjpg the senkaku islands and why they could be an international issue  ',0),(4289,'node',' ccrp poll raising campaign donation limits   new poll overview the michigan senate passed senate bill 661 promoted as a campaign reform bill on a 2018 vote in november that would double campaign contribution limits and codify existing nondisclosure rules for electionseason issue ads additionally the bill also would lift a longstanding prohibition against primary spending by political party caucuses that would allow committees run by current lawmakers to back state house or senate candidates of their choosing including themselves or their colleagues tea party activists say that the proposed change would protect establishment candidates from grassroots challengers some are referring to the bill as the incumbent protection act party caucus committees typically rank among the biggest spenders in michigan house and senate generalelection races the house republican campaign committee was the state s largest political action committee in the 2012 election cycle spending 29 million in various races according to the michigan campaign finance network the house democratic fund was second at 23 million in previous primary elections caucuses were barred from spending money in primary elections when they were formed nearly two decades ago supporters of the bill have questioned why that was the case senate majority leader spokesperson amber mccann stated that senator richardville feels that those members currently eligible for reelection are his colleagues and he thinks they work hard to represent their constituents and they should continue to have the opportunity to again appear on the ballot noting that richardville s pledge applied to all senate republicans including those who might align with the tea party democratic caucuses also would be allowed to spend in primary elections under the bill but all 12 senate democrats voted against the measure and spokesman bob mccann said the caucus is opposed to the proposal in its entirety stating that the only people in michigan arguing for more money in campaigns primaries or otherwise are the republicans and their special interest funders six senate republicans also voted against the bill which is now in the house committee on elections and ethics house speaker jase bolger is generally interested in lifting the ban on caucus spending in primaries according to spokesperson ari adler but he is willing to listen to arguments against doing so government watchdog groups have criticized the bill because it would double existing contribution limits and protect the anonymity of donors that help fund electioneering ads masquerading as issue advocacy supporters say the limits have not been updated since 1977 and argue that legitimate issue ads are a form of free speech that should not be impinged upon tea party leaders offered mixed opinions on the issue of ad disclosures and contribution limits and they seem to be relatively unified in its opposition to caucus spending in primaries todd courser who narrowly lost his 2012 bid to become michigan gop chairman said the bill is offensive to tea party activists and other conservative candidates who may choose to run on the republican ticket activists are always concerned when it looks like the establishment or party elite are moving to give themselves greater tools or power to influence the process said courser who has been encouraged to run for lieutenant governor or the state house but has not yet made any decisions primaries allow the base to discipline the party leadership and now you have a situation where leadership is going to give itself the ability to take an active role in funding primary campaigns wes nakagiri a tea party leader who already announced his own plans to challenge lt gov brian calley at next year s party convention suggested the bill could also have a chilling effect on lawmakers who may be less inclined to oppose bills backed by their party new poll question should the legislature pass bill to double campaign contributions and allow committees to fund primary candidates yes no undecided to vote in this poll click on this link should the legislature pass bill to double campaign contributions and allow committees to fund primary candidates   to enter your comments click on add new comment after you vote previous poll question should the legislature pass a law that would remove a question regarding a felony conviction from the employment application yes 14 no 81 undecided 5 no comments were made on this poll question   all emails addresses  ',0),(4290,'node',' doubling the gas tax  on wednesday rep earl blumenauer dore along with organized labor representatives and business and transportation leaders proposed the raising of the federal gas tax from 184centspergallon to 334 cents over the next three years for an article the proposed gas tax read on at  http wwwmcclatchydccom 20131204210512 oregonsblumenauerproposesnearlyhtml ',0),(4283,'node',' obama s fundamental transformation continues   ldquo the president plans to deliver an address wednesday to argue his case that income inequality and wage stagnation are threatening upward mobility and retirement security the speech comes amid growing national and international attention to economic disparities mdash from the writings of pope francis to the protests of fastfood workers in the us rdquo  to read about obama rsquo s new push to complete the socialization of america click on the following link  http wwwdetroitnewscom article 20131204 politics03312040063 obamaspeechfocusincomedisparities odyssey mod newswell text frontpage p 20  obama fundamental transformation continues  ',0),(4908,'node',' camp s pension smoothing another bad idea band aid fix  right and leftleaning groups are divided on the fate of federal highway spending but one thing they can agree on is they don t like the way house republicans bill set to be voted on will be paid for to read more on the questionable value of ldquo pension smoothing rdquo congress is seeking to pass online at  http wwwbusinessinsidercom highwaytrustfundpensionsmoothingbilloffset20147 ',0),(3247,'node',' watertown township watertown township watertown township hall is located at 12803 s wacousta rd grand ledge mi 488379240 ph 517 6266593 fax 517 6266405 office hours monfri 9 am to 5 pm there are currently 7 republican elected officials supervisor john maahs r 5900 w herbison rd dewitt 5176695698 clerk melissa freeman r 12803 s wacousta rd grand ledge 517 6266593 treasurer janice l thelen r 12803 s wacousta rd grand ledge 517 6266593 trustee maridean delong r 14780 francis rd lansing 517 6267036 trustee kenneth b mitchell r 15725 grove road lansing 5173216352 trustee ronald v overton r 9657 looking glass brook dr grand ledge 517 6266447 trustee george weitzel r 9320 looking glass brook grand ledge 5176262305 the next election for all township elected positions is november 2016 clinton county commissioners watertown township has one republican elected county commissioner district no 4 jack enderle r 5285 w howe road dewitt 48820 ph 517 6699355 term exps 12312014 township meetings  the watertown township board meetings are the 3rd monday of every month starting at 700 pm and held at the township hall ',0),(4983,'node',' sos john kerry says climate changes is our most pressing issue  i think secretary of state john kerry is channeling global warming alarmist al gore with his latest statement that ldquo climate change rdquo is ldquo the biggest challenge of all that we face right now rdquo with the middle east on fire with a terrorist group beheading and killing christian women and children russia potentially poised to invade the ukraine israel under attack by the hamas iran on the brink of acquiring a nuclear weapon and our southern border so porous that anyone can come in without any repercussion even terrorists seeking to destroy our country john kerry is beating the ldquo climate change rdquo drum obama and his minions are nothing more than a collection of progressive incompetents who are destroying our country for an article on kerry rsquo s comments go online at  http wwwcnsnewscom news article patrickgoodenough kerryclimatechangebiggestchallengeallwefacerightno 19  ',0),(4984,'node',' sos john kerry says climate changes is our most pressing issue  kerryccjpg sos john kerry says climate changes is our most pressing issue  ',0),(4857,'node',' obamacare enrollment inconsistencies  after hearing about the remarkable success of obamacare enrollment and that over 8 million people signed up for heatlh care coverage it now appears there might be some problems with some of those enrollments depending on who you ask and what they re counting there are somewhere between 12 and 26 million enrollments that hhs can t verify as eligible for coverage or eligible for a subsidy do you think president obama will hold a news conference to give us the real numbers when someone figures out how many enrollees actually qualify for the coverage the following links are just a couple of stories about what we ve learned lately  healthyahoonet news s hsn 26millioninconsistenciesinfederalinsuranceapplicat wwwbreitbartcom biggovernment 20140701 hhsreport1295571obamacareenrolleesmayormaynotbeleg  obamacare enrollment inconsistencies  ',0),(4973,'node',' mshda director resigns following release of expense reports not wanting to be a distraction from the work of the authority scott woolsey director of the michigan state housing development authority stepped down friday afternoon after reports of lavish spending during his tenure read the full story  wwwmlivecom lansingnews indexssf 201408 michiganhousingdirectortorhtml incartriver my family has worked in this my family has worked in this republican party for generations at the grass roots level right on up to the white house and as elected public servants ya wonder why we are called republicrats this republican party is nothing more than two sides of the same tax and spend coin when are people held accountable and responsible for their corruption and abuse of the public treasure especially those that are appointed to top leadership positions  ',0),(4980,'node',' should the legislature pass hjr gg to change the election of state board of education candidates  yes 74 20 votes no 19 5 votes undecided 7 2 votes total votes 27  ',0),(4981,'node',' ccrp poll elect state board of education members by region  new poll overview house joint resolution gg would amend article viii section 3 of the michigan constitution of 1963 to require that beginning january 1 2015 the state board of education consist of eight members who would be nominated by party conventions and elected from singlemember districts for terms of eight years as prescribed by law now the eight members of the state board of education are nominated by party conventions and elected atlarge for terms of eight years under the resolution this provision would be in effect until december 31 2014 the resolution would require voter approval at the next general election a general election is held in november of an evennumbered year this joint resolution is on second reading in the michigan house this would change the current process that elects members from a statewide vote to selecting members regionally thus allowing those geographical regions to have someone who represents their specific interests new poll question should the legislature pass hjr gg to change the election of state board of education candidates yes no undecided to vote in this poll click on this link http clintoncountygoporg content shouldlegislaturepasshjrggchangeelectionstateboard  to enter your comments click on add new comment after you vote previous poll question should the legislature approve the renovation of the farnum building or purchase of a new senate office building yes renovate the current office building 30 yes sell the farnum building and acquire an new facility 4 no the building is fine the way it is 63 undecided 2 two comments were made on this poll comment 1 why on earth should the senators need new offices they are only in session approximately 90 days a year probably some contractor contractors stand to make a fortune from the taxpayers i bet some of the senators spend more time than that at their cottages do they get them updated with the people s money it may be time they started behaving like the rest of the citizens they are supposed to represent comment 2 new building i oppose a new senate building just like i opposed the new state police headquarters that granholm built senator rick jones   all emails addresses  ',0),(4964,'node',' politician or public servant  tomorrow is primary election day it is predicted that this election turnout could be one of the smallest in recent memory ndash even less than 15 of the registered voters what a sad commentary on the state of our nation all we have heard for the last several weeks are political ads most of these ads have been laced with halftruths about the opposing candidates why do candidates have to tear the other person down to make them look more appealing it rsquo s the same old game where the voter looks at the 30 second ad or listens to the sound bites and picks the lesser of the evils to vote for if you are going to vote on august 5 in the primary take a couple of minutes and find out who the candidates really are know where they stand on the issues don t vote on personality or who has the most or best endorsements vote on principles vote for the candidate who will be a public servant not a politician in michigan s congressional races the primary election in several cases will determine who the next congressman will be ndash so 15 of the registered voters will be deciding who will be the winner in november essentially nullifying the votes in the general election this person could be our congressman for the next decade ndash make the right choice in the 4th congressional district take a look at the three candidates before you vote peter konethcy  https wwwpeterkonetchycom  paul mitchell  http wwwpaulmitchellforcongresscom  john moolenaar  http wwwjohnmoolenaarforcongresscom  let s all help to restore responsible government at all levels remember to vote tomorrow august 5   all emails addresses  ',0),(4852,'node',' hobby lobby decision draws support criticism from across michigan on monday the us supreme court ruled that some forprofit corporations can opt out of the new health care requirement that provides contraception for women in the case of hobby lobby the corporation is only asking to be exempted from providing four birth control methods plan b and ella and two kinds of iuds those methods work after conception they will still provide and pay for methods that prevent conception for a discussion of the court s decision and its potential impact see  newsyahoocom justicescantemployerscovercontraception141923713fi for some reactions from people in midmichigan see  wwwmlivecom lansingnews indexssf 201406 hobbylobbydecisiondrawssuphtml incartriver  hobby lobby decision draws support criticism from across michigan  ',0),(4909,'node',' obama s foreign policy accomplishments and his image in the world   19  obama foreign policy accomplishments and his image the world  ',0),(4910,'node',' obama s foriegn policy accomplishments and his image in the world  pojpg obama s foreign policy accomplishments and his image in the world  ',0),(4911,'node',' the gayification of america  the lgbt community is very effective in spreading their message that being ldquo sexually different rdquo is the ldquo new normal rdquo they have managed to push their agenda with the help of the mainstream media and have lobbied heavily in state legislatures and in dc to get ldquo their rights rdquo you would think they were a significant portion of our population but as a recent survey by the centers for disease control and prevention has revealed that their numbers only amount to less than 3 it s time for the majority of the citizens of our country to stand up for their rights and stop the attacks on businesses and individuals whose religious beliefs do not condone lifestyles that conflict with tenets our their religion to read more on the statistics from latest centers for disease control and prevention survey go online at  http wwwbreitbartcom biggovernment 20140715 studynationspercentageofgayslessthansupposed ',0),(4292,'node',' is it time to talk about the ioption  impobjpg is it time to talk about the ioption  ',0),(4291,'node',' is it time to talk about the ioption   no one wants to talk about the other option to stop president obama rsquo s onslaught constitutional of the constitution but it might be time to consider it as an option article ii of the united states constitution section 4 states that the president vice president and all civil officers of the united states shall be removed from office on impeachment for and conviction of treason bribery or other high crimes and misdemeanors the house of representatives has the sole power of impeaching while the united states senate has the sole power to try all impeachments the removal of impeached officials is automatic upon conviction in the senate to read about the reasons it should be considered the process and the possibilities of it taking place click on the following link  http mnationalreviewcom article 365566 iwordjonathanstrong 19  time talk about the ioption  ',0),(3498,'node',' ccrp resolution 20132 gas tax     ccrp resolution 20132 passed february 7 2013 gas tax resolution sent representative tom leonard senator judy emmons senator rick jones  ',0),(3530,'node',' ccrp ndaa resolution 20136  ccrp resolution 20136 passed february 25 2013 ndaa retention resolution sent senator judy emmons senate veterans military committee  ',0),(3752,'node',' ccrp resolution 20127 common core standards   ccrp resolution 20137 passed may 16 2013 resolution urging senator emmons representative leonard senator jones and governor snyder support all efforts ldquo defeat national standards for michigan schools rdquo  ',0),(4294,'node',' ccrp poll outdoor smoking at restaurants bill   new poll overview a bill recently introduced in the michigan house if passed by the legislature and signed by the governor house bill 5159 would give restaurants and bars the option of allowing smoking on patios and other outdoor portions of their businesses under bipartisan legislation recently introduced in the state legislature new poll question should the legislature pass a law allowing restaurants to permit customers to smoke in outdoor areas yes no undecided to vote in this poll click on this link http wwwclintoncountygoporg content shouldlegislaturepasslawallowingrestaurantspermitc  to enter your comments click on add new comment after you vote previous poll question should the legislature pass bill to double campaign contributions and allow committees to fund primary candidates yes 53 no 42 undecided 5 no comments were made on this poll question   all emails addresses  ',0),(4295,'node',' smoking at restaurants in outdoor areas  a bill house bill 5159 has been introduced in the michigan house that would allow restaurants to allow smoking in outdoor open areas for an article on the proposed legislation read on at  http wwwmichigancapitolconfidentialcom 19423 ',0),(4296,'node',' eliminating telephone land lines  by a vote of 31 to 4 senate bill 636 has passed the michigan senate and has moved to the house for consideration the controversial legislation would allow phone companies to discontinue traditional landline service beginning in 2017 for an article on the proposed legislation and the potential impact on current land line users read on at  http wwwmlivecom business indexssf 201312 landlinephonebillpassesmichtml ',0),(4297,'node',' snyder approves internet lottery without legislative approval  the michigan lottery is moving forward with plans to offer online ticket sales despite opposition from some state lawmakers and the attorney general two vendors heve already been chosen to implement the new ilottery system which could include online mobile and tablet applications for sales of instant and draw games the additional services should be available by the fourth quarter of 2014 for an article on governor snyder rsquo s decision to move ahead with and ldquo ilottery rdquo without legislative approval and opposition from his own party read on at  http wwwmlivecom business indexssf 201311 michiganlotteryonlinetickethtml 20  ',0),(4298,'node',' snyder approves internet lottery without legislative approval  ilotteryjpg snyder approves internet lottery without legislative approval  ',0),(4300,'node',' pending abortion insurance vote in legislature  the state board of canvassers has unanimously certified an initiative petition that would make people purchase an ldquo abortion rider rdquo on insurance policies rather than offer it as a standard option to all policy holders for an article on the abortion rider and its likelihood of passage read on at  http wwwfreepcom article 20131202 news06312020045 abortioninsurancemichiganproposal 20  ',0),(1769,'node',' the cost of overregulation  as a result of the doddfrank financial regulation law enacted last year publicly traded companies would be required to report the source of the metals they use in their products to the securities and exchange commission the new regulation requires firms to report whether their minerals came from the congo or nine neighboring countries in africa the national association of manufacturers estimates the cost of the regulations on the manufacturing sector will be from 9 billion to 16 billion it rsquo s no wonder the manufacturing companies in the united states move their businesses offshore it is the only way they can be competitive in a world market for the complete story from the editorial page at detnewscom click on the following story link  http wwwdetnewscom article 20110510 opinion011051003141008 editori 19  the cost overregulation  ',0),(4301,'node',' pending abortion insurance vote in legislature  abortionjpg pending abortion insurance vote in legislature  ',0),(4974,'node',' medicaid enrollments top 7m under ocare with obamacare s medicaid expansion approved by 26 states the program has reached a new high in enrollments get the details  thehillcom policy healthcare 214686hhsmedicaidenrollmentstop7millionsinceocarel  medicaid enrollments top under ocare  ',0),(4335,'node',' here comes the obamacare tax avalanche obamasectetjpg here comes the obamacare tax avalanche ',0),(4336,'node',' jobless aid expires for 13 million because congress allowed extended jobless benefits to expire 13 million unemployed will lose their benefits on december 28 democrats are pushing for a threemonth extension while gop lawmakers think the focus should be on creating more jobs what do you think get the details  thehillcom blogs onthemoney economy 194061joblessaidexpiresfor13mpeople ',0),(4326,'node',' fact and fiction about righttowork a reality check at the oneyear anniversary there were a lot of dire predictions about what righttowork legislation would do to michigan s workers and its economy now one year later we can look at what has actually happened to determine which if any of the devastating predictions have come to pass get the full story  wwwmichigancapitolconfidentialcom 19429  fact and fiction about righttowork reality check the oneyear anniversary  ',0),(3943,'node',' should republicans in the us house remove the money for obamacare as part of their funding for the federal government  yes no undecided leave money out of aca funding absolutely should defund obamacare any way possible gop has to stand firm against this horrible program any way possible fear of offending voters has caused the gop to become a party that stands for nothing conservatives will applaud their standing firm on something now for some conservative candidates for the midterm elections  ',0),(4751,'node',' a deal to fix the roads  the governor and the legislature are working on a ldquo grand deal rdquo to fix michigan rsquo s roads what could well be a seldom seen bipartisan deal work its way though the legislature to appropriate money for road and bridge repair the question becomes are the voters willing to pony up the money making michigan the state with the highest gas tax in to country to fix the problem to read more on the legislatures move to find a solution to our broken roads go online at  http wwwdetroitnewscom article 20140520 politics023052001020 politics housesenateleadersmovebooststateroadrepairfunding1 ',0),(3358,'node',' 2012 summer bbq in bath township  2012 summer bbq bath township 2012 summer bbq bath township 2012 summer bbq bath township 2012 summer bbq bath township 2012 summer bbq bath township 2012 summer bbq bath township 2012 summer bbq bath township 2012 summer bbq bath township 2012 summer bbq bath township 2012 summer bbq bath township 2012 summer bbq bath township 2012 summer bbq bath township 2012 summer bbq bath township 2012 summer bbq bath township 2012 summer bbq bath township 2012 summer bbq bath township 2012 summer bbq bath township 2012 summer bbq bath township 2012 summer bbq bath township 2012 summer bbq bath township 2012 summer bbq bath township 2012 summer bbq bath township 2012 summer bbq bath township 2012 summer bbq bath township 2012 summer bbq bath township 2012 summer bbq bath township 2012 summer bbq bath township 2012 summer bbq bath township 2012 summer bbq bath township 2012 summer bbq bath township 2012 summer bbq bath township 2012 summer bbq bath township 2012 summer bbq bath township 2012 summer bbq bath township 2012 summer bbq bath township 2012 summer bbq bath township 2012 summer bbq bath township 2012 summer bbq bath township 2012 summer bbq bath township 2012 summer bbq bath township 2012 summer bbq bath township 2012 summer bbq bath township 2012 summer bbq bath township 2012 summer bbq bath township 2012 summer bbq bath township  ',0),(847,'node',' tea partiers don t want to have an actual political party in michigan an effort is underway to make the tea party an official political party in michigan but members of the tea party group say they are not behind the movement read more at  blogmlivecom capitolchronicles 201005 teapartiersdontwanttohavehtml ',0),(4305,'node',' sebelius medicare seniors and their future  sebeliusjpg sebelius medicare seniors and their future  ',0),(4304,'node',' sebelius medicare seniors and their future  imagine that health and human services secretary kathleen sebelius dictating directly to doctors which services they could and could not provide to their senior patients including what individual tests they could conduct which treatments they could offer and medicines they could prescribe if you think that is absurd then you need to read what congress will be considering as early as this week in washington dc on at  http onlinewsjcom news articleemail sb10001424052702303293604579251951156481492lmyqjax 19  sebelius medicare seniors and their future  ',0),(4307,'node',' another day in fantasyland  thedealjpg another day in fantasyland  ',0),(4309,'node','  insurance rider for abortions passes  prolifejpg  insurance rider for abortions passes  ',0),(4310,'node',' discrimination or intimidation  when will the bullying stop from the lgbt community toward people who believe that their lifestyle goes against the religious tenets of business owners it has gotten to the point of absurdity you have made your point go to a lgbt baker for your service i am sure they would appreciate the business read more about the bakery that lost its law suit to a gay couple in colorado because they refused to make their wedding cake because of their beliefs on homosexuality at  http wwwthenewamericancom culture faithandmorals item 17122coloradobakerorderedtomakecakesforsamesexcoup ',0),(4243,'node',' are you in favor of the epa banning or developing more stringent regulations on wood burning stoves  yes no undecided epa regulating wood burners what next gov t already tells us what kind of bulbs to use what car gas consumption per mile must be amount of water showers and flush toilets can consume maximum temperature of water our clothes washers will be capable of having available at the point it enters the washer on and on and on united states gov t is treating citizens like children who do not know how to make decisions for themselves with common core training our children it will probably come to a time when citizens do not even notice that we are becoming more socialist all the time wood burning ban no or i should say hell no  ',0),(4315,'node',' michigan teachers locked in michigan righttowork law went into effect last spring but the teachers union began fighting the loss of membership even before the law took effect many contract were renegotiated in advance of the law and optout windows were extremely small and those weren t the only obstacles thrown in the way clearly the michigan education association isn t going to give up with a fight fair or not read more  wwwnationalreviewcom article 366117 michiganteacherslockedjilliankaymelchior ',0),(4363,'node',' obama improves gun sales in 2013  president obama rsquo s push to tighten gun control laws has had a ldquo significant rdquo effect on gun sales there was a 8 increase in sales over 2012 to read more about how our ldquo tough rdquo talking president has impacted gun sales click on the following link  http wwwwashingtontimescom news 2014 jan 6 gunsales2013breakallrecordsdueobamasgunco  ',0),(4319,'node',' establishment gop biting its feeding hand  commongroundjpg establishment gop biting its feeding hand  ',0),(4318,'node',' establishment gop biting its feeding hand  with the disastrous rollout of the obamacare website republicans appear to be reaping the benefits of the president s failed policy yet the infighting going on between the tea party and the socalled gop establishment may end up destroying whatever chances the republicans have of gaining seats in the midterms can these factions find common ground get a tea party perspective  wwwhumaneventscom 20131217 establishmentgopbitingitsfeedinghand   establishment gop biting its feeding hand  ',0),(4321,'node',' inequality does not matter economicinequalitypng inequality does not matter ',0),(3490,'node',' cbo outlook apocalypse soon the congressional budget office cbo put out its latest budget projections on wednesday good news the budget deficit will dip below 1 trillion over the next few years bad news about 7 million workers will lose their employerbased health insurance due to obamacare get the details  wwwhumaneventscom 20130205 cboapocalypsesoon   cbo outlook apocalypse soon  ',0),(4322,'node',' budget deal expected to pass senate with bipartisan support the budget deal that passed the house last week is expected to pass in the senate with bipartisan support an attempt by sen jeff sessions to amend the bill to save 6 billion in cuts to military retirement benefits over 10 years failed the bill is expected to come up for final passage late on wednesday get the details  thehillcom blogs flooraction senate 193486senatestandsreadytopassbudgetdealwithbiparti ',0),(4241,'node',' the epa and a ban on wood burning  a lawsuit has been filed in us district court for the district of columbia by the attorneys general for connecticut maryland massachusetts new york oregon rhode island and vermont that is directed against currently unregulated ldquo indoor and outdoor wood boilers rdquo the suits are seeking to have the environmental protection agency epa to force the federal agency to impose stringent new regulations on residential woodburning heaters which they claim ldquo can increase particle pollution to levels that cause significant health concerns rdquo for an article on a move to further limit the way we choose to lead our lives read on at  http wwwcnsnewscom news article barbarahollingsworth sevenstatessueepacrackdownresidentialwoodburning 19  the epa and ban wood burning  ',0),(4323,'node',' white house broadens obamacare exemptions the obama administration has come up with another workaround for those who lost their health insurance plans because they didn t meet minimum requirements of obamacare now those individuals will be able to claim a hardship exemption and purchase a catastrophe plan without any penalty is there anybody left to be exempted from this law get the details  wwwpoliticocom story 201312 whitehouseobamacareaffordablecareactcanceledplans1 ',0),(4325,'node',' the obamacare generation obamasupportersjpg the obamacare generation ',0),(4324,'node',' the obamacare generation young people the 1824 age group were a significant voting block that helped put obama in office and now five years later the impact of the president s policies on the future of that group is coming to light what s in the cards for this generation s future read more  wwwnationalreviewcom article 366668 obamacaregenerationvictordavishanson  the obamacare generation  ',0),(4317,'node',' state board of education member interjects herself into negotiations between union charter school operator is it within the scope of duties for a state board of education member to get involved with a local dispute between a charter school and a union does this create a conflict of interest some think so read the full story  wwwmichigancapitolconfidentialcom 19461 ',0),(4327,'node',' fact and fiction about righttowork a reality check at the oneyear anniversary righttoworkjpg fact and fiction about righttowork a reality check at the oneyear anniversary ',0),(4328,'node',' votespotter a new way to monitor michigan s legislature coming soon the mackinac center is creating a convenient way for michigan residents to be notified about votes coming up in the legislature and the opportunity to voice their opinions to their legislators can t wait get the details  http wwwmichigancapitolconfidentialcom 19472 ',0),(1395,'node',' 2011 ccrp email registration form welcome to the clinton county republican party website it is our goal to keep you informed as to what is happening at the county state and national levels that impacts you every day we update our website with information about legislation that has passed or is under consideration in lansing and washington county events ccrp news and other important information we also periodically generate an enewsletter to notify everyone of special events and important notices that would be of immediate interest to the residents of clinton county in order to keep you informed we will need your email address that you will provide to us as part of this webform once we receive your email address we will add you to the ccrp enewsletter recipient list that will allow you to receive our enewsletters if at any time you no longer wish to receive the enewsletter you can unsubscribe by selecting that option from our home page we hope you will enjoy coming to our website often for current information and news thanks again the clinton county republican party first name last name email address phone comments  ',0),(4329,'node',' hiding the hacking at healthcaregov federal law requires a corporation to report a security breach to customers as we ve seen over the past several days with the breach that occurred at target stores over the thanksgiving weekend so wouldn t you expect the same requirements for healthcaregov maybe not read the full story  mnationalreviewcom article 366964 hidinghackinghealthcaregovjohnfund ',0),(3998,'node',' should legislation be passed in michigan that would allow for certain roads to have their speed limits increased  yes no undecided three reasons not to increase speed limits 1 if msp were to enforce other laws on the highways we would also have a better handle on those who scoff at the laws and create dangers tail gating driving closer than one car length for every 10 miles of speed which is necessary to bring a car safely to a stop in the assured clear distance ahead road rage weaving in and out texting phoning and other laws that are ignored and put the rest of us at risk these dangerous and illegal behaviors exist why would jones propose to reward any of these folks 2 is jones proposing to squander existing tax dollars on changing traffic signs instead of prioritizing it to fix roads and bridges and then change the usage of existing gas tax revenue tied to a proposed sales tax increase 3 why should we accommodate those who break the law and drive faster than the legal posted speed limit what s the next accommodation change the law to suit drug users and dealers illegal immigrants tax cheats welfare cheats wife beaters pedophiles rapists etc changing laws to accommodate those who ignore laws is a poor practice and a slippery slope speed traps never let politicians set speed limits a good example was the speed trap in east lansing that i got shut down gretchen whitmer and mark meadows opposed me i won that one when tickets are written for speed zones that are set low for revenue then citizens suffer and are abused their auto insurance goes up this is all about stopping speed traps rick jones speed limit increase most people already exceed the speed limit so there s no need to make these expensive changes  speed limits until the police prove that they will enforce existing speed limits there should be no increase in speed limits speeding is anything over the posted limit and should be enforced that way we all know that a good percentage of drivers will always drive 510 mph above the posted limit so people will be driving 8590 mph without concern of getting a ticket i pull a 8000 pound trailer on the interstates at just above 60 mph partly because that is what is recommended and partly for safety reasons the last thing i need is for some traffic traveling 2025 mph faster than me the difference in speed of traffic is what makes for unsafe roads no to higher speed limits mr jones  should legislation passed michigan that would allow for certain roads have their speed limits increased  ',0),(2610,'node',' ccrp poll requiring voter s to show a picture id to vote  you can now comment on stories and polls let us know how you feel about the issues poll overview the naacp will go before a united nations panel in switzerland this week to argue that new voting laws approved by some us states violate civil and human rights by suppressing the votes of minorities and others a delegation from the civil rights organization will present its case in geneva on wednesday before the united nations human rights council a body that normally addresses troubles in places such as libya syria and the ivory coast the geneva appearance is part of an naacp strategy rooted in the 1940s and 1950s when the group looked to the united nations and the international community for support in its domestic battle for civil rights for blacks since last year 15 states have passed new voting laws currently 38 states including some of those 15 are weighing legislation to require people to show governmentapproved photo identification or provide proof of citizenship before casting their ballots proponents of the picture id say they are needed to protect the integrity of the vote to prevent illegal immigrants from casting ballots and to clamp down on voter fraud states that have adopted the picture id requirement account for 171 electoral votes in 2012 or 63 percent of the 270 electoral votes needed to win the presidency it is estimated that 21 million americans don t possess governmentissued photo identification the naacp estimates that about 25 percent of africanamericans nationwide don rsquo t possess the proper documentation to meet id requirements new poll question should presentation of a picture id be required when you vote yes no undecided to vote in this poll click on this link http wwwclintoncountygoporg content shouldpresentationpictureid  to enter your comments click on add new comment after you vote previous poll question results in you opinion what is the primary causal factor for higher gas prices 15 wall street speculative traders 22 trouble in the mid east 59 the failure of the president and the democrats to allow access to our resources 4 the high cost of creating multiple gas blends due to environmental regulations 0 undecided no comments were made on this poll   all emails addresses  ',0),(4391,'node',' harry reid works to kill the unemployment insurance bill to hear the democrats tell it republicans are heartless and uncaring because they want the congress to pay for another emergency extension to unemployment benefits now after getting six republican senators to vote to bring the bill before the senate sen harry reid won t allow republicans to offer amendments to pay for the benefits he does this a lot and if the bill fails he can blame those nasty stingy republicans for taking food off the tables of the unemployed what s going on here read more  wwwhumaneventscom 20140110 harryreidworkstokilltheunemploymentinsurancebill  ',0),(4338,'node',' vending machines may be hazardous to your health  some time in 2014 the federal government will require that vending machines operators post the calorie count of the items in the machines costing them 258 million initially and then 24 million annually after that for an article on the new vending machine rules and how it will affect the business owners click on the following link  http wwwexaminercom article vendingmachinesmusthavecaloriecountspostedforeachi ',0),(4342,'node',' gop pac formed to defeat tea party candidates  an antitea party gop pac called the ldquo republican main street partnership rdquo has the stated goal of making sure moderate republicans are reelected in 2014 and to defeat conservative ldquo tea party rdquo minded candidates in the august 2014 primaries whether they are incumbents or not members from michigan rsquo s congressional delegation to this group who are seeking to defeat tea party candidates in 2014 are congressman dave camp and congressman fred upton for an article on the groups goals and what other liberal organizations are helping them achieve their goals and who the congressional members of this special republican group are click on the following link  http drrichswiercom 20131231 antiteapartygoppacfundedbylaborunions  to see all of the members of congress that are part of this group click on the following link  http wwwrepublicanmainstreetorg members  19  ',0),(4340,'node',' the dodgeball governor  govsjpg the dodgeball governor  ',0),(4339,'node',' the dodgeball governor  progress michigan has come out with a new video portraying governor snyder as being non committal on ldquo hot button rdquo issues liberals and conservatives alike are continually frustrated by the governors evasive responses on these issues that are of concern to party faithful on both sides of the aisle for an article on governor snyder rsquo s continual unresponsiveness in addressing anything political click on the following link  http wwwmlivecom politics indexssf 201312 timskubickprogressmichigan1html incartriver 19  the dodgeball governor  ',0),(4341,'node',' the mortgage loophole and who benefits the most  mortgage interest deductions on our income taxes is a ldquo sacred cow rdquo to homeowners and politicians steer as far away as the can from the issue to protect their livelihood the truth is that it may be time to reconsider whether it needs to be reconsidered for removal for an eye opening article on the mortgage interest deduction and who it benefits click on the following link  http wwwmlivecom politics indexssf 201312 mortgagewelfareistheworsthtml incartriverr ',0),(1021,'realname',' dsmith ',0),(3324,'node',' what options should the house republicans take to avoid the fiscal cliff  demand budget cuts and hold the tax threshold at 1000000 and risk going over the fiscal cliff agree to the presidents demand for additional revenue undecided fiscal cliff why not go over it it would force mandatory cuts no one would be responsible for and then we can get our house in order is there a possibility of a recession maybe but as most economists point out a recession actually begins about six months before we recognize we are in one and is usually over six months before we know it if the fiscal cliff will cause a recession it won t be before aug 2013 plenty of time to shore things up chop chop  ',0),(3325,'node',' ccrp poll the fiscal cliff  you can now comment on stories and polls let us know how you feel about the issues new poll overview president barack obama and house speaker john boehner have been unable to come to an agreement to avert the fiscal cliff the negotiations had focused on a 2 trillion package of new revenue spending cuts and entitlement changes the two sides have shaped into a broad deficit reduction plan boehner has proposed a plan b which would extend bushera tax cuts on income of up to 1 million he described it as a fallback option to prevent a sweeping tax hike while negotiations continue on a broader plan on wednesday president obama threatened to veto plan b saying it would bring only minimal changes in projected budget deficits without a deal taxpayers will face automatic tax increases and deep spending cuts failure to reach agreement could spark another recession boehner issued his own statement wednesday saying the president had yet to make a proposal offering a balance between increased revenue and spending cuts while the plan represents a concession from boehner s original vow to oppose any taxrate increase it sets a higher threshold than the 400000 sought by obama obama on monday raised the threshold for the higher tax rates to 400000 boehner and republicans initially opposed any rise in tax rates but agreed to raising revenue by eliminating some deductions and loopholes the offer of a plan with higher rates for millionaires represented a further concession but obama and democrats say it would not suffice obama s latest offer has generated protests from the liberal base of the democratic party because it includes cuts in entitlement programs such as social security medicare and medicaid new poll question what options should the house republicans take to avoid the fiscal cliff demand budget cuts and hold the tax threshold at 1000000 and risk going over the fiscal cliff agree to the presidents demand for additional revenue undecided to vote in this poll click on this link http wwwclintoncountygoporg content whatoptionsshouldhouserepublicanstakeavoidfiscalcl  to enter your comments click on add new comment after you vote previous poll question are you in favor of the new emergency manager law that the legislature passed this week 91 yes the state needs ways to intervene when local jurisdictions refuse to resolve their fiscal problems 9 no the people spoke in november and they don rsquo t want state intervention 0 undecided there were no comments submitted   all emails addresses  ',0),(4343,'node',' gop pac formed to defeat tea party candidates  rmspjpg gop pac formed to defeat tea party candidates  ',0),(4345,'node',' smart meter futures could it be true  smetersjpg smart meter futures could it be true  ',0),(4344,'node',' smart meter futures could it be true  i distinctly remember the representative from consumers energy at one of our monthly meetings making the statement that smart meters were wonderful and would be a benefit to us if our power went out he also assured us that they would be polling our energy usage only ldquo once a day rdquo i should have known he was speaking out of both sides of his mouth when he said he had previously worked for a congressman the truth be known there are bigger plans for us and our electric energy usage what we can and can rsquo t do within our own homes and how much it will cost us soon to come down the pike for an article on the ldquo smart grid rdquo and ldquo smart meters rdquo and what our government has in store for us click on the following link  http wwwcnsnewscom news article susanjones smartgridtechnologynowspreadingacrossuswillraiseen 19  smart meter futures could true  ',0),(4347,'node',' justice sonia sotomayor delays birth control mandate  religiousreffdomjpg justice sonia sotomayor delays birth control mandate  ',0),(4346,'node',' justice sonia sotomayor delays birth control mandate  hours before obamacare was to take effect supreme court justice sonia sotomayor blocked implementation of part of president barack obama rsquo s health care law that would have forced some religionaffiliated organizations to provide health insurance for employees that includes birth control for an article on justice sonia sotomayor rsquo s decision to delay the implementation of obamacare regarding the birth control mandate click on the following link  http wwwdetroitnewscom article 20131231 politics033123100991022 politics justicedelayshealthlawsbirthcontrolmandate 18  justice sonia sotomayor delays birth control mandate  ',0),(4348,'node',' mi republicans going green and we are not talking about msu  some of michigan rsquo s republican leaders have formed a conservative renewable group aimed at promoting renewable energy in michigan the newly formed michigan conservative energy forum will be pushing to reduce dependence on coal and increase renewable energy and energy efficiency for an article this groups push to become part of the progressive environmental movement click on the following link  http wwwmlivecom business indexssf 201312 michiganconservativeslaunchhtml incartriver ',0),(4349,'node',' the rose bowl gay pride parade  happy new year  this years rose bowl parade is being coopted by the lgbt community as they are having their debut with two guys getting hitched while they traverse the parade route let rsquo s get beyond the lgbt hype and on with reality of life and just enjoy the event and get off the political agenda of a fringe element of our society for an article on the rose bowl parade and the gay float controversy click on the following link  http communitieswashingtontimescom neighborhood redalert 2013 dec 31 roseparadeorgayprideparade  ',0),(4351,'node',' ccrp poll infant safe sleep act  new poll overview the michigan house has introduced hb 4692 that would create the infant safe sleep act that would require the following of new parents and hospitals the distribution of understandable information and educational and instructional materials regarding infant safe sleep practices to new parents a parent to sign an acknowledgment form stating they had received read and understood all of the materials place certain responsibilities regarding the distribution of materials and filing of signed parental acknowledgement forms with hospitals or health professionals extend immunity from criminal and civil liability to hospitals or health professionals who comply with the bill define terms including infant death due to unsafe sleep in 2011 michigan had approximately 114200 births and there were 144 infants who died because their parents or caregivers did not know or did not practice infant safe sleep practices some believe that increased education about the dangers of unsafe sleep practices for infants directed at parents shortly after birth may go a long way in stopping these preventable deaths there would be additional costs in providing these services to the state of michigan department of community health public hospitals and health agencies related to the required providing of materials to new parents and the retention of signed parent acknowledgment statements new poll question should michigan pass a new law regarding infant safe sleep practices for hospitals and new parents yes no undecided to vote in this poll click on the following link http wwwclintoncountygoporg content shouldmichiganpassnewlawregarding e2809cinfantsafesleep e2809dpracticeshospitalsandnewparen  to enter your comments click on add new comment after you vote previous poll question should congress have renewed the additional extended unemployment coverage for the long term unemployed yes 11 no 89 undecided 0 there were no comments submitted on this poll   all emails addresses  ',0),(4352,'node',' laptop searches upheld and ruled legal  a federal court has dismissed a lawsuit challenging the government rsquo s right to be able to search laptops cellphones and other devices at us border checkpoints for an article on the governments invasion of our rights and the constitutional guarantee against unreasonable search and seizure click on the following link  http thehillcom blogs hilliconvalley technology 194200courtupholdsborderlaptopsearches ',0),(4353,'node',' osha going after small family farms  an excerpt from wwwonlinewsjcom on how family owned farms are being targeted by osha   since the 1970s annual federal appropriations bills have explicitly prohibited the federal workplace overseer from descending on small family farms specifically osha does not have jurisdiction over farming operations with 10 or fewer employees    but osha officials have found a novel way to circumvent this statutory restraint the regulators have simply claimed the authority to rewrite the definition of farming a remarkable 2011 memo from osha s enforcement chief to regional administrators at first acknowledges that the law prevents the agency from regulating small farms engaged in growing and harvesting crops and any related activities but then the memo proceeds to instruct employees on how to recategorize small farms as commercial grain handlers so osha inspectors have recently begun to descend on family farms claiming the authority to regulate their grain storage bins  read about how osha is violating the law by going after family farms http onlinewsjcom news articles sb10001424052702303799404579284611071783686 ',0),(4354,'node',' a good idea in the d  can we get this type of protection from washington detroit mdash the city is hiring an armored car company to handle the daily collection of busfare revenue after officials discovered a disorganized cashcounting operation within the department of transportation the detroit news has learned oddly enough there seems to be some chaos when it comes to counting cash in detroit who knew ldquo there literally is a room where employees sit around a table and just count money it wasn rsquo t well organized rdquo said gary brown the city rsquo s chief restructuring officer ldquo there was money on the floor and in bags and the money rsquo s been there a couple weeks rdquo the city unions didn t seem too concerned for one the employees who will be taken out of the cash counting racket will be moved to another position perhaps they can work on the kwame kilpatrick for mayor campaign which will start in about 20 years earlier if kwame behaves himself in prison i have to admit that i m mildly surprised that the union wasn t more vocal about this after all a private company is taking over a job that public sector employees are doing now even if those employees are just being reassigned not fired but now and then detroit surprises me mainly when i m walking through greektown and someone jumps out at me but sometimes in good ways too so perhaps congress can hire a private company to safeguard taxpayer money to keep it away from the political class i m much prefer brinks safeguarding my money than mr obama s cronies  ',0),(4356,'node',' political corruption at its worst  corruptjpg political corruption at its worst  ',0),(2928,'node',' tea party favorite gary glenn withdraws us senate candidate gary glenn withdraw from the race and put his support behind fellow gop candidate clark durant even though his name will still appear on the aug 7 ballot he has asked his supporters from more than 40 tea party groups to support durant for the complete story from wwwdetroitnewscom click on the following story link  http wwwdetroitnewscom article 20120719 politics02207190490 ixzz218htpp1r 19  tea party favorite gary glenn withdraws  ',0),(4358,'node',' state s rights and obamacare  missourijpg state s rights and obamacare  ',0),(4360,'node',' ccrp poll pension tax and homestead property tax credit  new poll overview michigan senate bill 280 is currently on the senate calendar but has failed to be discharged from committee for consideration the bill would repeal michigan s new pension tax and reinstate the homestead property credits for middleclass families five republicans voted in 2011 against the bill backed by gov rick snyder that rewrote state tax code eliminating the oftcriticized michigan business tax and cutting personal income tax exemptions on pensions while limiting homestead property credits the current bill was introduced and sponsored by senators rick jones tory rocca joseph hune david hildenbrand and jack brandenburg and currently is in the finance committee where it has languished since march 20 2013 michigan democrats have introduced similar legislation to repeal the pension tax including a bill sponsored by state sen bert johnson of detroit that was sent to the finance committee in february new poll question should the michigan legislature pass a bill to repeal the pension tax on seniors and the homestead property tax credit yes no undecided to vote in this poll click on the following link http wwwclintoncountygoporg content shouldmichiganlegislaturepassbillrepealpensiontaxs  to enter your comments click on add new comment after you vote previous poll question should michigan pass a new law regarding infant safe sleep practices for hospitals and new parents yes 13 no 85 undecided 2 there were four comments submitted on this poll comment 1 safe sleep the ideas behind this law are great however they need to be spread through family church community and educational organizations this is an example of the expansion of the literal nanny state it also is an eroding of the responsibility and privilege of family and is not part of any giant legal arena if this were followed the next would an open door to every detail of life ormand hook mecosta county comment 2 infant sleep act this is another good reason we need a parttime legislature please get out of our lives and leave us alone ida s comment 3 infant safe sleep law it seems to me that all such a law woulld accomplish is for some grieving parent to be arrested and charged because he she had a baby that died while sleeping in an unauthorized position it does not take a village as hillary clinton said it does to raise a child when will the bureaucrats stop with the idea that they have power over every aspect of our lives comment 4 infant safe sleep law this is ridiculous proposing such a law why not educate people in grammar school or high school on how to read and how to learn we have the whole internet at people s disposal plus parenting classes options if they want to know this   all emails addresses  ',0),(4357,'node',' state s rights and obamacare  in 2010 the voters of missouri passed the initiative referendum ldquo health care freedom act rdquo by an over 70 of the voters now missouri state senator john lamping has will be introducting senate bill 546 a revision of the health care freedom act the legislation will negate any ldquo law or rule rdquo that would ldquo compel directly or indirectly any person employer or health care provider to participate in any health care system rdquo to see the steps that missouri is taking to nuliffy obamacare click on the following link  http wwwthenewamericancom usnews constitution item 17318missouristatesenatorproposesantiobamacarebill 19  ',0),(4362,'node',' utah samesex marriage put on hold  ssmjpg utah samesex marriage put on hold  ',0),(4361,'node',' utah samesex marriage put on hold  the us supreme court has put samesex marriages on hold in utah while a federal appeals court considers the issue the court issued a brief order blocking any new samesex unions in the state the order grants an emergency appeal by the state following the dec 20 ruling by us district judge robert shelby that the state s ban on samesex marriage violates gay and lesbian couples constitutional rights to read more on the decision and the background of the issue in heavily mormon populated utah click on the following link  http abcnewsgocom health wirestory supremecourtputsutahsexmarriagehold21432884 19  utah samesex marriage put hold  ',0),(2764,'node',' ccrp poll protect our jobs ballot proposal  you can now comment on stories and polls let us know how you feel about the issues new poll overview a coalition of pro union organizations is promoting the protect our jobs ballot proposal which seeks to amend the michigan constitution on this falls november ballot to 1 create a new right to collective bargaining 2 retroactively repeal dozens of costsaving reform measures that already have been enacted 3 ban righttowork legislation before such bills have even been introduced in the legislature making righttowork laws unconstitutional this proposal is spearheaded by government employee unions and is opposed by the michigan chamber of commerce new poll question should voters approve the protect our jobs ballot proposal in the november election yes no undecided to vote in this poll click on this link http wwwclintoncountygoporg content shouldvotersapprove e2809c  to enter your comments click on add new comment after you vote previous poll question should teachers who retire after 10 years receive paid health care benefits or other compensation if they retire early yes 14 no 67 undecided 19 one comment was made on this poll question comment 1 i can t believe that any reasonable person would think that we should have this tremendous liablity for our schools and children after someone works only ten years and wants to retire before they are 60 or better yet 62 years old check out what is happening in greece   all emails addresses  ',0),(4906,'node',' snyder with 86 lead over schauer a statewide survey of likely voters commissioned by vanguard public affairs found snyder leading schauer by 86 percentage points 433 percent to 347 percent denno research surveyed 600 likely voters through telephone interviews that reached a 20 percent sample of residents on cellphones with the poll having a margin of error of plusorminus 4 percentage points read more on the latest poll online at  http wwwdetroitnewscom article 20140715 politics023071500810 politics snyderleadsschauerby86percentagepointsstatewidepol ',0),(4077,'node',' ccrp resolution 201308 health tax repeal   ccrp resolution 20138 passed september 19 2013 repeal health care tax sent congressman camp senator levin senator stabenow  ',0),(4365,'node',' rand paul s son issued medicaid card  kentucky senator rand paul said he tried to sign up his son through the kentucky healthcare exchange as it turned out the ldquo simple task rdquo of using obamacare exchanges became a maze of government red tape with results that were unexpected to read more about rand pauls obamacare experience in enrolling his son click on the following link  http wwwbreitbartcom biggovernment 20140106 kentuckyhealthcareexchangebotchesrandpaulenrollmen sw  ',0),(2433,'node',' censoring the internet two bills have been introduced in congress with the intention of protecting intellectual property rights of artists moviemakers and musicians from online piracy the protect ip act pipa introduced in the senate is supposed to stop the copying of movies music books etc online a similar bill was introduced in the house the stop online piracy act sopa the senate has a procedural vote scheduled for pipa on its 2012 agenda although preventing internet piracy sounds like a worthwhile effort opponents say it is actually internet censorship what unintended consequences lurk behind these bills what will this mean to the ideal of an open internet see this article from abc news for more details  abcnewsgocom technology internetcensorshipsopapipabillscongresswebsitesdar story for an indepth discussion of internet censorship read how internet censorship works at  computerhowstuffworkscom internetcensorshiphtm ',0),(4369,'node',' michigan budget surplus what to do with it  1000000000jpg michigan budget surplus what to do with it  ',0),(5097,'node',' ccrp poll speed cameras for traffic violations   new poll overview the michigan senate has recently had senate bill 1063 and senate bill 1064 introduced that would allow the use of automated speed cameras to catch speed limit violations within 2500 feet of a school or college based on photographic evidence collected by vendors the bills would allow camera installations on any road including trunklines by any local unit of government and require an annual calibration the bills also would allow the mailing of citations to vehicle owners create a distribution for fine revenue and assign no points for convictions both bills have been referred to the senate transportation committee for consideration new poll question should the michigan legislature pass a bill to allow the use of speed cameras near schools and colleges yes no undecided to vote in this poll click on this link http clintoncountygoporg content shouldmichiganlegislaturepassbillallowusespeedcame  to enter your comments click on add new comment after you vote previous poll question do you agree with president obama s decision to implement an advanced climate change warming system yes 9 no 83 undecided 9 two comments were made on this poll comment 1 global warming hoax there is no man made global warming there has been no global warming for 19 years it is a hoax invented by our govt to make us pay more in taxes if people knew god is in charge this nonsense would go away today people wake up you are being bamboozled if you believe the people telling us this fabricated so called science ida s comment 2 scientific evidence global warming is a hoax i worked with this environmental scientist professor originally from michigan technological university his scientific academic scholarship on global warming climate change or what ever political and social engineers call it next is irrefutable he is the go to guy on capitol hill on this escalating hoax everybody here in clinton county must understand his decades of science and scholarship which has been presented to congress alas politics has suppressed this from the general public study the bio diversity map specifically michigan  http newswithviewscom coffman mike10htm http wwwprolibertycom observer 20091223htm   all emails addresses  ',0),(4524,'node',' sustainability such a nice word or is it  there have been rumors of a ldquo new world order rdquo for years about a one world government where the un will call all the shots most people say it rsquo s ldquo crazy talk rdquo is it really most people as they go about their daily lives haven rsquo t heard about ldquo agenda 21 rdquo and ldquo sustainability rdquo little do they know that the tentacles of these united nations initiatives have slowly crept into our states counties and cities under the guise of being good practices as we quietly try to live our lives our nation is being transformed without us knowing it for an article on how we are moving toward a new world order that will strip us of our constitutional rights and change how we live in a drastic way click on the following story link  http wwwthenewamericancom worldnews item 17704unplottingtodramaticallyalteryourviewsandbeha   ',0),(4374,'node',' let s really fix the farm bill  michigan rsquo s senator stabenow is working hard to get her farm bill passed before the end of this month she just needs a little cooperation compromise and tweaking and then she feels they can pass it the truth this  100000000000000  pig needs a serious overhaul this is who the bill really benefits   food stamp recipients are up 70 percent since 2008 47800000 people   eighty percent of the bill rsquo s spending is spent on food stamps  the other 20 percent of the bill contains subsidies and price supports that transfer money to wealthy farmers while raising grocery and tax bills  the average farm household earns 53 percent more than the average us household  of 175 billion paid to farmers annually 80 percent of that goes to the wealthiest 15 to 20 percent of farmers  americans pay twice the amount that world consumers pay for sugar due to agricultural price supports  taxpayers pay 11 billion in loans to sugar producers annually  the bottom line is that congress needs to get serious about the farm bill and start from scratch welfare and subsidies need to be addressed realistically for an article on stabenow rsquo s perspective on the farm bill click on the following link  http thehillcom blogs onthemoney agriculture 195023stabenowurgesdairycompromiseforfarmbill 19  ',0),(4372,'node',' ccrp poll michigan budget surplus  new poll overview the state of michigan will probably end up with over a 1000000000 surplus as we begin 2014 there have been many suggestion as to where that money should be targeted including the following 1 road repairs that the governor says we need 13 billion 2 roll back the state income tax to 110 of a point per year until 39 3 additional school aid funding 4 restore the earned income tax credit 5 adding to the state rainy day fund 6 130 million to get matching funds for medicaid 7 terminal repair at west michigan regional airport in holland 8 100000 to the state beach grooming fund 9 300000 for precollege engineering program in detroit 10 other new poll question what should the projected michigan 1billion dollar plus budget surplus be used for 1 road repairs that the governor says we need 13 billion 2 roll back the state income tax to 110 of a point per year until 39 3 additional school aid funding 4 restore the earned income tax credit 5 adding to the state rainy day fund 6 130 million to get matching funds for medicaid 7 terminal repair at west michigan regional airport in holland 8 100000 to the state beach grooming fund 9 300000 for precollege engineering program in detroit 10 other to vote in this poll click on the following link http wwwclintoncountygoporg content whatshouldprojectedmichigan1billiondollarplusbudge  to enter your comments click on add new comment after you vote previous poll question should the michigan legislature pass a bill to repeal the pension tax on seniors and the homestead property tax credit yes 65 no 27 undecided 8 comment 1 senior tax the so called pension tax was also available on other types of retirement funds the michigan tax system allowed an annuity to be treated as pension tax this was a tax increase for all retired people the homestead exemption was cut on the middle class it need to be restored and the pension tax stopped comment 2 pension tax was on all the last comment is not correct ask any money manager your 401k could be annuitized and then was treated just like a pension in michigan law the pension tax was a tax increase on all seniors even john nixon stated we could change the michigan business tax and balance the budget without placing more taxes on the seniors this bill is very republican it was a mistake by the governor and will cost republican seats comment 3 not smart and not republican the pension tax is actually an exemption for public sector pensions that you guessed it the rest of us do not receive now that the public sector has a large gap in its favor in benefits including pensions it is inconceivable that we would allow the muchhigher pension income for the public sector to the incometaxfree while making small business persons and other pay taxes on theirs please take note legislators comment 4 tax rate lower the rate if you are lowering the tax keeping it simple keeps it equitable   all emails addresses  ',0),(1564,'node',' obama s stash   an arcane budgetary category called ldquo unobligated funds rdquo includes money that congress has appropriated for agencies and programs in every corner of the federal government when that money goes unspent it just sits there mdash like an ancient wooden chest on a caribbean island just waiting to be pried open   the federal government literally sits on billions of unspent dollars that are just waiting to be spent some of these funds have sat there for years maybe we could use some of this money to pay down the debt for an article on the subject from national review online by deroy murdock click on the following story link titled   the federal government rsquo s unspent billions   obama stash  ',0),(4375,'node',' let s really fix the farm bill  farmbilljpg let s really fix the farm bill  ',0),(4376,'node','  224863 grant for condom testing you can t make this stuff up the federal government has given a grant of 224863 to test customfitted condoms and validate a selfreporting penis measurement system for commercial use and we wonder why the federal government is going bankrupt this kind of corporate welfare has to stop for an article on who is receiving these funds and the rationale behind the decision click on the following link  http wwwcnsnewscom news article ericscheiner fedsfundvalidationpenismeasuringtoolcustomfitcondo ',0),(4378,'node',' ccrp poll show social security card to qualify for additional child tax credit   new poll overview senator kelly ayotte came up with a proposal to restore pensions and unemployment insurance by cracking down on a tax credit program in which illegal immigrants have fraudulently collected billions of dollars in improper payments senator ayotte the money saved in fraudulent payments to illegal immigrants could pay for pensions and unemployment insurance democrats putting an end to the fraudulent collection of tax credits by illegal immigrants would hurt the most vulnerable senator ayotte s was in the form of an amendment to the democratic bill to extend unemployment insurance ayotte broke with most of her republican colleagues by voting to go forward with the bill she did so specifically for the purpose of proposing her amendment but majority leader harry reid would not allow it to be considered the ayotte amendment would have required anyone collecting benefits from a program known as the additional child tax credit actc to supply a social security number in order to collect the money in 2011 the treasury reported that individuals who were not authorized to work in the us received 42 billion by claiming the actc the actc is the refundable portion of the child tax credit ctc which can reduce an individual s taxes owed by as much as 1000 for each qualifying child the audit found that the payment of federal funds through this tax benefit appears to provide an additional incentive for aliens to enter reside and work in the united states without authorization which contradicts federal law and policy to remove such incentives the audit was based upon an analysis of tax returns filed by persons with individual taxpayer identification numbers itins which are issued to individuals who are required to have a taxpayer identification number for tax purposes but are not eligible to obtain a social security number because they are not authorized to work in the united states hellip in a 2012 report from wthr indianapolis one whistleblower characterized the issue as a huge fraud that allows undocumented workers to claim the tax credit for children who do not even live in the country the whistleblower mdash a tax consultant mdash stated we ve seen sometimes 10 or 12 dependents most times nieces and nephews on these tax forms hellip the more you put on there the more you get back in fact one of the workers interviewed in the investigation admitted that his address was used to file tax returns by four other undocumented workers who in total claimed 20 children resulting in tax refunds totaling nearly 30000 congress joint committee on taxation ayotte said estimates that this change will save approximately 20 billion over ten years ayotte s amendment would not have ended the tax credit program it simply would have required those receiving the refundable credit to have a social security number it seemed a modest and reasonable measure especially since it would help solve the difficult problems of veterans pensions and unemployment insurance new poll question should congress pass a law to show a social security card to get an additional child tax credit yes no undecided to vote in this poll click on the following link http wwwclintoncountygoporg content shouldcongresspasslawshowsocialsecuritycardget e2809cadditionalchildtaxcredit e2809d  to enter your comments click on add new comment after you vote previous poll question what should the projected michigan 1billion dollar plus budget surplus be used for 41 road repairs that the governor says we need 13 billion 27 roll back the state income tax to 110 of a point per year until 39 17 other 7 additional school aid funding 2 restore the earned income tax credit 2 adding to the state rainy day fund 2 130 million to get matching funds for medicaid 0 terminal repair at west michigan regional airport in holland 0 100000 to the state beach grooming fund 0 300000 for precollege engineering program in detroit there were 4 comments made on this poll comment 1 possible surplus if the surplus materializes we need to put it in several spots of course put some in the rainyday fund but also fund those areas that we have cut and are in need we cut on the basis of not having it to spend with a promise that once things turn around we can adequately fund emergency services etc so let s keep our word and do it there must be some benefit felt or people will begrudge it and we will lose credibility and elections use some common sense comment 2 surplus i am in complete agreement with the previous posting the money should be refunded to the hard working citzens of michigan who basically paid more than the government needed liken the governmental budget to a personal budget when the times are tough the people who pay the bills have to cut back when the times are good the people who pay the bills have a splurge or a windfall the people who pay the bills let s be clear are not the legislators who allocate money it is the citizens of michigan who earned this money they suffer from cutbacks they ough to be the direct people who profit from this windfall comment 3 what to do with a billion tax surplus refund it what do you do when you pay someone too much you get a refund and you shouldn t have to ask for it you don t suggest other ways for them to spend what they weren t entitled to receive keep billion dollar excess and the possible answers only include various spending schemes and other where was the option of refund the excess taxes to the people who paid more in taxes than was need my vote for other is intended to mean refund it republicans refund excess taxes democrats just keep it and spend it on something not budgeted well actually democrats don t have excess taxes comment 4 budget surplus this poll survey does not provide sufficient information nor would an average voter be in position to gather enough data in order to make a wellinformed decision the best that it does is reflect how extensive and complex state government has become a responder would at least need criteria for prioritizing the possibilities herein listed and we do not know what the most pressing needs are in order to prioritize those needs i would expect the appropriate house and senate committees and their staffs along with the relevant department heads to spend a whole lot of time researching and reviewing all of the data necessary to draw the necessary conclusions to form such a spending plan fred nose   all emails addresses  ',0),(4380,'node',' a logical solution ignored taxfraudjpg a logical solution ignored ',0),(5135,'node',' ccrp poll wind turbines and right to farm   new poll overview house bill 5886 would let wind turbines avoid zoning and building permits wind turbines could be erected without regard to some local laws under recently introduced under house bill 5886 if passed it would amend michigan rsquo s right to farm act to include wind production if enacted it would allow wind turbines to be constructed on agricultural land with no zoning or building permits of any kind enacted in 1981 the right to farm act was meant to protect farmers from nuisance lawsuits under the act farmers who follow the generally accepted agricultural and management practices gaamp are protected from lawsuits over noise dust odors and so on that result from normal farm operations house bill 5886 would add wind energy production in with farming activities such as harvesting and storage of farm products the measure was introduced on oct 2 by rep jeff irwin dann arbor and rep jon switalski dwarren and assigned to the house energy and technology committee new poll question should the michigan legislature pass a bill to allow wind turbines on farms without zoning and building permits yes no undecided to vote in this poll click on this link http wwwclintoncountygopcom content shouldmichiganlegislaturepassbillallowwindturbines  to enter your comments click on add new comment after you vote previous poll question should the michigan house adopt the hastert rule regarding votes on legislation by the republican caucus yes 51 no 49 undecided 0 four comments were made on this poll comment 1 accountable responsible without close examination of how the masses of bills move through the legislative process and scrutinizing those bills we end up with language as one example the pontiac silver dome funding which was quietly snuck through in an ag budget years ago no more poker and back room deals with public funds enough is enough we are suppose to be different then the liberal dems and republicans who are always wanting to redistribute citizens wealth the entire political process has shifted to the left by today s standards even john kennedy could not be elected in this spoiled brat culture because he would be considered to conservative wake up michigan to many youngsters in office who have no clue no life experience but have lots of pr comment 2 the hastert rule we have a governor that isn t a conservative and picks off weak republicans who he can make a deal with for who knows what future promise for not being a politician it hasn t taken him long to learn how to play the game until the republican party has a true closed primary to pick their candidates for their statewide offices we will continue to see moderate progressive rinos representing the party people will call it bipartisan when the governor gets the votes he needs with both republicans and democrats voting for the same legislation the problem is that its all the democrats that he has voting for his progressive agenda and the republicans he has bribed i applaud the three new potential republican true conservatives that are pressing the issue of the hastert rule and making it part of the caucus rules for the passage of legislation only when conservative republicans unite and demand that republicans actually act like republicans will we be able to stop snyder s progressive agenda i pose the question wouldn rsquo t it be better to vote for mark schauer for governor than rick snyder because schauer won t be able to pick off the benedict arnolds s that are willing to sell their votes for their personal gain because of the pressure they would get from their own caucus it rsquo s time for republicans to stand together and actually vote for the ideals they profess to believe in united we stand decided we fall yes for the hastert rule comment 3 hastert rule ny politicians do not want a strong party as a strong and concientous party can exact a certain amouint of discipline including some defference to party principles and platforms governing contrary to campaign promoses and party principles muddies the message and turns off voters comment 4 hastert rule i think that the hastert rule would be a good idea i d be more impressed with the three nonincumbents if they would be working with existing legislators about this and not just talking this up on fb now that would show not only that they know what should happen but what it takes to make something happen   all emails addresses  ',0),(5000,'node',' ccrp poll a romney run for president in 2016   new poll overview comments coming from influential republicans and conservative pundits indicate that there may be a significant number people pushing for former massachusetts governor mitt romney to run for president a third time congressman jason chaffetz rut recently told msnbc i think he s proven right on a lot of stuff i happen to be in the camp that thinks he rsquo s actually going to run and i think he will be the next president of the united states additionallly ann coulter and matt drudge among others are all on board the romney 2016 bandwagon former vice presidental running mate congressman paul ryan said he would ldquo love to see mitt romney run for president again new poll question do you think mitt romney should be the republican candidate for president again in 2016 yes no undecided to vote in this poll click on this link http wwwclintoncountygopcom content doyouthinkmittromneyshouldberepublicancandidatepre  to enter your comments click on add new comment after you vote previous poll question should the legislature pass hjr gg to change the election of state board of education candidates yes 74 no 19 undecided 7 no comments were made on this poll   all emails addresses  ',0),(3460,'node',' 20132014 precinct delegates ',0),(4097,'node',' obamacare sticker shock is coming   ldquo if you like your insurance you can keep it rdquo   ldquo there are no such things as lsquo death panels rsquo rdquo  just a couple of the lies the president has been spreading about his socialist healthcare program for the facts on expected cost increases over current insurance plans and the possibility you may not even be able to keep your existing plan read on  http wwwcbsnewscom 830150514416257604782 studyinsurancecoststosoarunderobamacare  19  ',0),(4383,'node',' ccrp poll a new term limit proposal  new poll overview senate majority leader randy richardville is floating a proposal that would allow legislators to server longer terms than those currently allowed by statute even though richardville would not benefit from the proposed law change as he currently envisions it he would still like to give the voters an opportunity to return a term limited legislator to office by before an actual election in 1992 the voters made their voices heard when the passed the current term limit law since then lawmakers and special interest groups have tried in vain to change the most restrictive law in the country and to allow more than six years in the house and eight years in the senate richardville s approach adds an additional level of participation on the part of the voters that currently does not exist the plan would allow local lawmakers to gather a required number of registered voter signatures just prior to ending their career if they received a defined number of signatures they could run for office beyond the current term limit restrictions as long as they followed that process each election cycle to make this change to the term limit law lawmakers would have to vote to place this change on a statewide ballot and then a majority of registered voters would have to approve it the new law if passed by the voters would only impact new lawmakers the current term limit law would would remain in effect and unless a standing legislator chose to use the extension option they would no longer be able to serve in the legislature proponents for changing the current term limit law say that after a few years legislators are just beginning to learn the ins and outs of being a legislator and they have more to offer the longer they serve new poll question should voters amend the term limit law to allow voters the option of having them run beyond the legislators defined term limits yes no undecided to vote in this poll click on this link http clintoncountygoporg content shouldvotersamendtermlimitlawallowvotersoptionhavi  to enter your comments click on add new comment after you vote previous poll question should congress pass a law to show a social security card to get an additional child tax credit yes 91 no 9 undecided 0 one comment was made on this poll question comment 1 additional child tax credit i m not clear on something does this mean that the worker taxpayer needs to show a social security card in order to claim the tax credit or does it mean that a social security number for each child also needs to be listed i m in favor of the requirement that both need to be recorded to claim the tax credit   all emails addresses  ',0),(4385,'node',' arizona anti abortion law overturned in arizona  azabortionjpg arizona anti abortion law overturned in arizona  ',0),(4384,'node',' arizona anti abortion law overturned in arizona  the us supreme court refused to revive an arizona law that had been ruled unconstitutional by the 9th us circuit court of appeals the law would have generally banned abortions once a woman rsquo s pregnancy reached the 20week point the decision to not hear the appeal could put michigan rsquo s recently enacted 20 week abortion law that was approved by citizen initiated petitions and passed by the legislature in jeopardy the question becomes do ldquo state rights rdquo as defined in the constitution have relevance any more or are we just slaves to the federal bureaucracy if the will of the people is no longer honored by the government why do we even have a constitution  read more about the decision and what the future might be for michigan rsquo s law online at  http wwwbloombergcom news 20140113 abortionfoesrebuffedascourtwontrevive20weekbanhtml 19  arizona anti abortion law overturned arizona  ',0),(4386,'node',' the progressive global warming scam  obama with his global warming cabal continue to double down on the energy producers by making decisions that will negatively impact every home and the economy how can anyone believe that obama rsquo s promise to ldquo fundamentally transform america rdquo isn rsquo t turning us into a third world socialist country read more global warming fact or fiction and make your own decision on what to believe online at  http wwwthenewamericancom tech environment item 17377globalwarmingalarmistslookingridiculousdouble 19  ',0),(4387,'node',' the progressive global warming scam  globalwarmingjpg the progressive global warming scam  ',0),(4388,'node',' michigan budget surplus where did it come from  the governor and legislators on both sides of the aisle are lobbying for their own special interests to spend the almost 1 billion dollar surplus that was left over after paying last years bills read more about how the state ended up with this surplus and what the process will be moving forward to disburse it online at  http wwwmlivecom politics indexssf 201401 wheredidmichigans971mbudgehtml incartriver ',0),(4393,'node',' congress pressures white house to release iran nuke deal text what possible reason could the white house have for refusing to release the text of the deal made with the iranians about their nuclear program the congress isn t happy about it yet the white house refuses to disclose the full text of the agreement why read more  freebeaconcom congresspressureswhitehousetoreleaseirannukedealte  ',0),(4394,'node',' sen thune has a plan to help the longterm unemployed sen john thune r sd has a plan to provide incentives to employers to give the longterm unemployed a job rather than just extend unemployment benefits for three months he says his proposal is aimed at targeting the root causes of unemployment and would be more effective than extending benefits what does he have in mind get the details  thehillcom blogs flooraction senate 194650gopsenatorproposesuiamendmentwithnewobamacar ',0),(4390,'node',' supreme court to weigh constitutionality of obama power grab supremecourtjpg supreme court to weigh constitutionality of obama power grab ',0),(4389,'node',' supreme court to weigh constitutionality of obama power grab early in 2012 president obama made several appointments to the national labor relations board based on his constitutional right to make recess appointments the constitutional requires however that these appointments be made only if the senate is in recess was the senate actually in recess when the appointments were made the supreme court will decide get the full story  townhallcom tipsheet sarahjeanseman 20140113 supremecourtweighsconstitutionalityofobamasrecessa  supreme court weigh constitutionality obama power grab  ',0),(4531,'node',' mrs o thinks we are stupid according to mrs o it s not the price of the groceries but the nutrition labels on food packages that make grocery shopping such a difficult task for america rsquo s moms and dads so she rsquo s pushing for new and improved nutrition labels for an article on more interference from the nanny state rsquo s first lady click on the following story link  http wwwcnsnewscom news article susanjones michelleobamaamericasmomsareconfusedandbewilderedd ',0),(4495,'node',' eric holder barring exfelons from voting is unfair counterproductive on tuesday attorney general eric holder called on states to give voting rights back to felons who have paid their debt to society the laws vary from state to state with some states banning exfelons from voting for life while others restore voting rights for certain felons but not others some states allow felons to vote by absentee ballot while in prison holder claims these policies were enacted during a deeply troubled period in america s past what to you think get the details  wwwcsmonitorcom usa usaupdate 20140211 ericholderbarringexfelonsfromvotingisunfaircounter ',0),(3437,'node',' debt ceiling resolutions ccrp 20131   we can not tax our selves we can not tax our selves into prosperity we must stop monitizing our debt great resolution philip nancy bareham  ccrp passes debt ceiling resolutions click here read ccrp resolution 20131 passed january 17 2013 debt ceiling resolution sent congressman camp senator levin senator stabenow  ',0),(4392,'node',' millenials are tiring of liberal failures president obama came into office on a wave of enthusiasm from young voters but now after five years of policies that aren t providing jobs and a new health care system that is counting on them to float the medical expenses of an aging population young people might be taking another look at the liberal agenda they thought they wanted what gives read more  wwwnationalreviewcom article 368236 millennialsaretiringliberalfailureschrisbeachaliso ',0),(4382,'node',' should voters amend the term limit law to allow voters the option of having them run beyond the legislators defined term limits  yes no undecided this is not a good idea term limits have been good for michigan since they passed in 1992 we have had two good governors engler snyder one bad one you guess and a series of rdominated legislatures only during the granholm days did we fall back and man did we ever former legislators are not repeat not starving in the streets or unable to find jobs most are doing more useful things now than before and we are getting good candidates for higher office term limit change while i might like a constitutional conservative having the option to get his or her term extended past practice has proven that for 90 percent of the legislature more time spent in lansing means more time to forget why the citizens of their district elected them are they so undereducated that it takes them 6 or 8 years to learn the job private business would not tolerate just a long breakin time anything that prolongs their stay just gives them more time to get cozy with the lobbyists i don t mean to indict all politicians but as they say if the shoe fits wear it  term limits i do not believe we should change term limits we the people voted put them in place for a reason to be able to get rid of the free loaders of our tax money without term limits it was very hard to get these people out and term limits has worked well there are always good new people in mich to run for office ida s  ',0),(3548,'node',' ccrp alert last chance to stop obamacare healthcare exchange in michigan revised  in the previous email i had conflicting statements in the message regarding how the senators should vote we should ask them to vote no the michigan senate will be considering hb 4111 that has passed the michigan house to defeat the bill in the senate we need need at least 20 out of 26 of our republican senators to vote no on the bill watch the following video and then call or write your conservative  rdquo  state senator senator emmons senator jones in clinton county and ask them to protect your individual right to choose and vote to vote no on hb 4111 when it comes before the senate  http redalexandriavacom 20120702 statesshouldflatlyrejectobamacareexchangesvideo  please call or email you senator and urge them to vote no on the passage of the bill senator joe hune livingston shiawassee counties 5173732420  senjhune senatemichigangov senator gretchen whitmer ingham county 5173731734  http whitmersenatedemscom contactme senator rick jones allegan barry eaton counties 5173733447  senrjones senatemichigangov senator roger kahn gratiot saginaw counties 5173731760  senrkahn senatemichigangov  senator judy emmons clinton ionia montcalm counties 5173733760  http wwwsenatemichigangov imaformasp name comment33 formpath e webforms rep a vote in the senate might could come as early as today tuesday march 5th if we do nothing we only have ourselves to blame sincerely steve willis chairman clinton county republican party ccrpmich gmailcom 5172814458  all emails addresses  ',0),(2053,'node',' white house coersion  a fourstar general walk into a highly secured room in dc to give a classified briefing to lawmakers and staff and didn t follow the script he was given by the white house gen william shelton stated the white house had tried to pressure him into changing his testimony to be more favorable to a company tied to a large democratic donor this is just another instance of the cronycapitalism that takes place every day under this administration could this be ldquo  subornation of perjury the criminal offense of procuring another to commit perjury which is the crime of lying in a material matter while under oath rdquo  for an article on the newest controversy from wwwthedailybeastcom on the latest scandal click on the following story link  http wwwthedailybeastcom articles 20110915 lightsquareddidwhite 19  white house coersion  ',0),(4400,'node',' blown away us suspends wind power subsidies for now windenergyjpg blown away us suspends wind power subsidies for now ',0),(4399,'node',' blown away us suspends wind power subsidies for now federal subsidies for wind energy projects along with other renewable energy benefits expired at the end of 2013 the congress refused to renew the subsidies that have been in place since 1992 with the proliferation of wind farms and many states making their own renewable energy targets wind energy has gained some traction has the flow of federal dollars to wind energy project actually ended will wind be a viable alternative to other sources of electricity read the full story  wwwbreitbartcom biggovernment 20140115 blownawayussuspendswindpowersubsidiesfornow  blown away suspends wind power subsidies for now  ',0),(4158,'node',' would you vote for creating a part time legislature if it were on the ballot in 2014  yes no undecided  would you vote for creating part time legislature were the ballot 2014  ',0),(4190,'node',' should michigan pass a law that would deny promotion from 3rd grade to 4th grade based on meap reading test scores  yes no undecided consequences for not not passing 3rd grade reading meap or not  no we shouldn t hold back 3rd graders who don t pass the 3rd grade reading meap what pray tell are grades and exams for if you think not just keep moving them forward until very quickly they are in deep water and can t swim and will never swim reading is fundamental there should also be consequences for teachers whose students can t read and schools whose teachers can t teach students to read flunk them fire them close them down 3rd grade students  if we can get them to read better it will cost us less in the long run the schools will say we must give them more money so we can do a better job of teaching what did they do with the money we already gave them we could just pass them to the next grade and so on until they graduate the 12 grade we would just have a larger bunch of dummies my grandson goat a f in algebra and his father made him take the class over again my grandson said he would still get credit for the algebra class with and f grade al  ',0),(4208,'node',' the epa gun control  the environmental protection agency epa will be taing action in closing the last lead smelting facility in the united states that will will affect the right to keep and bear arms as well by substantially impacting the production of ammunition the epa said the company ldquo made a business decision rdquo to shut down the smelter instead of installing pollution control technologies needed to reduce sulfur dioxide and lead emissions as required by the clean air act for details on the plant closure and how it will impact the ammunition supply read on at  http wwwthenewamericancom usnews constitution item 16881epaclosureoflastleadsmeltingplanttoimpactammu  the epa gun control  ',0),(4213,'node',' what is your position on chris christies run for president  i think he would be the best candidate and appeal to a wide voter base i think he is a rino and he will do whatever he needs to do to get elected no position at this time chris christie although he is prolife and stands up to the unions i m a little wary of any candidate that the mainstream media is pushing so hard chris christie chris christie is democrat lite if christie managed to get elected unlikely against hillary he would not govern as a true reagan conservative what we would end up with is the same progressive agenda but at a slower pace i would prefer a constitutionally conservative candidate for the republican nominee  what your position chris christies run for president  ',0),(4401,'node',' obama says nsa s mass collection of us phone data will end we have learned over the past few months that big brother is indeed watching the revelations that the national security agency nsa was collecting telephone call information for practically everyone in the us along with others around the world has brought the issue of our right to privacy to the forefront now president obama has directed intelligence officials to obtain approval for searches of telephone data does this ensure privacy will it impact our ability to find terrorists where do we draw the line read more  onlinewsjcom news articles sb10001424052702304603704579326333792513314 there are still many unanswered questions  blogswsjcom washwire 20140117 obamasplanleavesunansweredquestions   obama says nsa mass collection phone data will end  ',0),(4402,'node',' obama says nsa s mass collection of us phone data will end cellphonejpg obama says nsa s mass collection of us phone data will end ',0),(4404,'node',' education expert dr sandra stotsky common core rather shady  wikipedia defines he common core state standards initiative as an education initiative in the united states that details what k12 students should know in english language arts and mathematics at the end of each grade that sounds pretty reasonable doesn t it but things aren t always what they appear to be so says dr sandra stotsky a member of the common core validation committee what is her take on the common core get the details  wwwbreitbartcom biggovernment 20140114 expertdrsandrastotskyoncommoncoreweareaverynaivepe   ',0),(4411,'node',' clinton county republicans announce 2014 scholarship opportunities for a fourth year the clinton county republican party ccrp announced today the opportunity for area collegebound student rsquo s to win one of three scholarships the scholarship opportunities are open to all senior high school and home school students who live within clinton county and who will be attending college or a trade school in the ensuing year in order to qualify for consideration to win the scholarships students will be required to write and submit an essay on a question regarding the united states constitution winners will be selected based primarily on their essays but consideration will also be given to the student s gpas extracurricular activities and letters of recommendation scholarship awards will be presented to the top three winners 100000 for 1st place 75000 for 2nd place and 50000 for 3rd place to help them pay for college costs the ccrp designed the scholarships to help deserving students and to give back to the community in a meaningful way the purpose of these scholarships is to help students pay for the high cost of going to college and to let our young people know that it is essential that they participate in the political process regardless of their political beliefs said steve willis chairman of the ccrp these days whenever someone hears the word politics it is in a negative sense said willis hopefully these scholarships which are open to anyone who lives in clinton county will show young people that politics can be a positive force in the community said willis the deadline for submitting the essay and supporting materials is april 5 2014 a selection committee will judge and score each essay as well as the students supporting accomplishments in order to determine the winners for more information contact mike wagner at michaelwagner bakeredu or go to http wwwclintoncountygoporg content 2014ccrpscholarships  to download an application application materials will also be available in the guidance counselors offices of the fifteen schools servicing clinton county students as well as the homeschoolers website  clinton county 2013g  ',0),(4314,'node',' windmills and health issues go to court   ldquo on april 1 area residents filed a lawsuit claiming noise vibrations and flickering lights generated by the 56 turbine facility are adversely impacting their health dizziness sleeplessness and headaches are among the symptoms noted in the lawsuit rdquo read more about the suit filed in mason county by residents who say their health has been negatively impacted by the windmills and the corners consumers energy cut to get the windmills online at  http wwwmichigancapitolconfidentialcom 19446 ',0),(4407,'node',' ccrp poll 350 million to bail out detroit   new poll overview governor snyder in his state of the state message intimated that he was looking to help detroit by giving them 350000000 over 20 years to help them emerge from bankruptcy the deal would also include detroit matching 330plus million in commitments to date from national and local foundations to shore up detroit rsquo s pension plans and prevent the sale of valuable cityowned art other foundations are expected to soon announce their participation in the effort to help address two of the bigger issues facing the insolvent city senate majority leader randy richardville who last year introduced a bill to prohibit the sale of the detroit institute of arts collection to help with detroit s financial crisis said he had seen no plan or request and other lawmakers said snyder spoke more of a concept and not much specifics but richardville was cautiously optimistic that a solution would be put forth soon and said legislators understand the city s importance to michigan for gop senators to agree to help pensioners and the art museum he said they would want assurances that this is a longterm solution and not a bandaid there s interest in seeing dia pieces in other museums around the state and outside oversight of what critics says are mismanaged city pension funds yet there are questions among lawmakers over how meaningful 350 million or so in state funding would be considering detroit s 18 billion or more in debt includes underfunded obligations of 35 billion for pensions and 57 billion for retiree health coverage one potential advantage for snyder federal mediators and others trying to broker a deal is that southeast michigan is home to many of the state s legislators who have a particular interest in seeing the city and surrounding region turn a page residents in michigan s three biggest counties pay property taxes to fund the detroit art museum and city retirees at risk of pension cuts live in many legislators districts not just those representing detroit new poll question should the legislature approve the 350 million dollar bailout for detroit the governor mention in his state of the state message yes no undecided to vote in this poll click on this link http wwwclintoncountygopcom content shouldlegislaturepass350milliondollarbailoutdetroi  to enter your comments click on add new comment after you vote previous poll question are you in favor of the federal government leaving the power to regulate marijuana to the individual states yes 72 no 26 undecided 3 one comment was made on this poll question comment 1 everything to hell with the federal government and their foolishness   all emails addresses  ',0),(4406,'node',' should the legislature pass a 350 million dollar bailout for detroit the governor mentioned in his state of the state message  yes no undecided  350m detroit bailout there is little doubt that the state will be finding ways to help detroit whether they will all be in plain sight remains to be seen i think there are some things that we will probably have to do however the time is not now this week i learned from a creditable source that the dia assets have been valued in excess of 4b thats a b for billion the reports of 500m in assets are only the ones they have appraised to date i think they would still have a nice collection if it was sold down to 500m in total detroit let them solve their own problems it s not the responsibility of the rest of michigan they can sell their art collectionsthey obviously do not deserve to own them 350 million bailout for detroit absolutely no bailout furthermore the art should not be a protected asset until the culture changes in that town even 100 bailout will not save them the give me mentality is most of what has caused this situation to develop large cities in the united states who are facing possible bankruptcy have had democrats in control for years its not moral to take from the productive population and give to the unproductive  ',0),(4409,'node',' devos calls out gop culture of intolerance dave agema a repulican committeeman from michigan has made some controversial remarks lately disparaging gays and muslims that have some in the gop up in arms at a time when republicans see an opening to increase their majority on capitol hill divisiveness within the party isn t going to help betsy devos has taken a stand against the remarks and is calling on agema to step down agema says he has no intention of doing so what do you think he should do for a story on agema s behavior see  wwwfreepcom article 20140119 news06301190063 daveagemagopsuncomfortablycandidcommitteemanfrommi for mrs devos s comments read  wwwdetroitnewscom article 20140119 opinion01301190003 there is no doubt that the democrats are watching the infighting with glee  ',0),(4410,'node',' how harry reid is destroying the senate according to article from powerline for additional articles go to http wwwpowerlineblogcom posted on wwwpowerlineblogcom january 17 2014 by john hinderaker we often hear that washington is broken that congress is gridlocked and so on while such complaints are usually imprecise and sometimes misguided the sense that congress is not functioning as intended is correct yesterday senator jeff sessions delivered an important speech in which he decried the decline of the senate under the leadership of harry reid the extent to which the senate rsquo s traditions have been undermined to the detriment of all americans is not generally appreciated but the issue is a vital one senator sessions said the senate is where the great issues of our time are supposed to be examined reviewed and discussed before the whole nation yet in the last few years we have witnessed the dramatic erosion of senators rsquo rights and the dismantling of the open legislative process we fund the government through massive omnibus bills that no one has had the time to read or analyze senators are stripped of their right to offer amendments bills are rushed through under threat of panic crisis or shutdown secret deals rule the day and millions of americans are essentially robbed of their ability to participate in the legislative process under the tenure of majority leader reid the senate is rapidly losing its historic role as a great deliberative body if this continues america will have lost something very precious one of the tactics by which majority leader reid has suppressed senators rsquo rights and blocked open debate has been a technique called ldquo filling the tree rdquo what this means basically is that when a bill comes to the floor the leader will use his right of first recognition to fill all of the available amendment slots on a bill and block any other senator from offering amendments one man stands in the way of his 99 colleagues but not alone really his power exists only as long as his majority concurs and supports his actions this prevents the body from working its will it prevents legislation from being improved and it prevents senators from being held accountable by their votes on the great issues of the day that is of course why it rsquo s done our majority leader has used this tactic mdash filling the tree mdash 80 times to put this in perspective the six previous majority leaders filled the tree 49 times mdash combined senator reid has filled the tree on 30 more occasions than all of the six previous majority leaders did cumulatively over their tenures in so doing the leader denies the citizens of each state their equal representation in the senate majority leader reid in his effort to protect his conference from casting difficult votes mdash in order to shield his majority from accountability mdash has essentially closed the amendment process he has shut down one of the most important functions that senators exercise to represent the interests of their constituents recently this tactic manifested itself in a dramatic way to the surprise and shock of many the december spending agreement contained a provision that cut the lifetime pension payments of current and future military retirees mdash including wounded warriors mdash by as much as 120000 i and other senators had many ideas for how to fix this problem but we were blocked from offering them by the majority leader i tried to offer an amendment to replace the cuts by closing a fraud loophole used by illegal immigrants and cited by the department of the treasury to claim billions in free tax credits but reid mdash and all his conference members save one mdash stood together to block my amendment so i would ask my colleagues are you comfortable with this do you like having to beg and plead for the right to offer an amendment do you believe the senate should operate according to the power of just one man the omnibus bill though it restores pensions for our heroic wounded warriors leaves more than 90 of the cuts in place shouldn rsquo t we be allowed to offer amendments to provide a fair fix for all of our nation rsquo s veterans but blocking amendments is only one of the many abuses that have occurred the erosion of the senate has also been front and center in the budgeting process we are now in our fifth year without adopting a congressional budget resolution instead taxpayer dollars are spent through a series of backroom deals and lastminute negotiations then we face a massive omnibus that is rushed to passage without amendment or meaningful review the american people have no real ability to know what rsquo s in it or hold us their elected representatives accountable this of course is the reason it is done this way now the house and senate are considering another catchall omnibus spending bill mdash one that will spend more than a trillion dollars mdash with thousands of items of government spending crammed into a single legislative proposal this bill will be sped through under threat of a government shutdown with very little debate and no ability to amend it is another ldquo pass it to find out what rsquo s in it rdquo moment my staff and i have had less than 48 hours to digest this behemoth but already we rsquo ve found provisions that would not survive if considered under regular order how is the process supposed to work each year congress is supposed to adopt a budget resolution then based on spending levels contained in the budget resolution individual committees report out authorization bills based on the expertise and experience of the members serving on those committees then the 12 subcommittees of the appropriations committee produce appropriations bill for their area of the budget mdash such as defense or homeland security or agriculture mdash which are individually considered debated and amended on the senator floor this gives each member mdash and their constituents mdash a chance to review and analyze each part of the budget and offer suggestions for saving money improving efficiency and better serving taxpayers but under the tenure of majority leader reid the budgeting process has been totally mismanaged we have ceased consideration of appropriations bills altogether relying more and more on autopilot resolutions and catchall behemoth spending packages in fiscal year 2006 for example every single appropriations bill was debated amended and passed in the senate in 2013 none were in my first year as a senator we passed every appropriation bill as we should mdash we marked up a bill in committee debated and amended the bill on the floor went to conference with the house to settle our disagreements and then sent a bill to the president for his signature over time however that rsquo s happened less and less frequently to the point where nowadays we don rsquo t debate appropriation bills at all a more ominous development however is how the breakdown of the appropriations process in the senate is now infecting the house of representatives and spreading like the plague in the first year of their majority the republicanled house marked up six appropriation bills and sent them to the senate the senate didn rsquo t consider a single one last year the house passed eight appropriation bills and sent them to the senate again the senate didn rsquo t act this year the futility of the house efforts began to show as the house passed only four bills but why should they why should the house expose their members to politically tough votes when they know the senate won rsquo t all of us both parties have a responsibility to stop and reverse these trends it rsquo s in the national interest it rsquo s the right thing to do all of us have a responsibility to return to regular order all of us owe our constituents an open deliberative process where the great issues of the day are debated in full and open public view each senator must stand and be counted mdash not hide under the table the democratic process is messy sometimes contentious and often difficult but it is precisely this legislative tug of war this back and forth which forges national consensus while secret deals may keep the trains running on time they often keep them running in the wrong direction secret deals rushed through without public involvement only deepen our divisions delay progress increase distrust and make it harder to achieve the kinds of real reforms the american people have been thirsting for having to cast many votes on tough issues clarifies those issues and the differences i believe that process openly conducted can lay the groundwork for progress it will clarify facts and then lead to the finding of common ground only through an open legislative process can we create the kind of dialogue the kind of debate and ultimately the kind of change necessary to put this country back on the right track 19  ',0),(4408,'node',' student stateman ccrp to sponsor student statesmanship attendees for 2014 summer session clinton county republican party to sponsor student statesmanship attendees for 2014 summer sessions for a second year the clinton county republican party ccrp will be sponsoring several clinton county high school students to attend the student statesmanship institutes this summer in lansing the student statesmanship institute ssi was established by the foundation for traditional values ftv in the mid1990s after receiving requests from parents teachers and pastors who attended ldquo the greatest story never told rdquo seminars ssi has grown to include three separate weeklong summer experiences featuring eight leadership tracks and serving more than 300 students each year a traveling twoday onsite program for christian public and homeschool students and an effective oneyear practicum for ssi alumni called the ambassador league the ssi summer program can be a lifetransforming week featuring authentic leadership simulations in the legislative media judicial campaign and business fields under the direction of christian professionals from each field during this realworld experience young people learn valuable life skills such as teamwork critical thinking strategic planning and effective communications while being engaged in highlevel leadership roles they are also inspired to apply biblical and moral principles in their own life and the world around them the ccrp believes ssi affords a perfect opportunity for our young people to immerse themselves in a biblicalbased environment while integrating the various career tracks and their corresponding principles offered as part of the program students entering their first year of high school through those entering their first year of college are accepted to the program alumni up to age 19 are accepted as long as they are eligible to participate in one of the advanced tracks we believe the lessons and skills acquired during the student statesmanship institute will be invaluable to the attendees throughout their lives the ccrp has allocated 150000 this year to sponsor the attendees we feel it is important that the attendees be invested in the process by paying for a portion of the total cost for attendance the cost for a oneweek session is 37900 if paid by march 14 2014 after that the cost will be 39900 each ccrpsponsored attendee will be asked to pay the 5000 minimum deposit upon registration the ccrp will make up the additional 32900 if registration is not completed before the early deadline of march 14 2014 the attendee will have to cover the additional cost of 2000 the ccrp student statesmanship committee will select eligible participants residing in clinton county for the 32900 sponsorship selected participants will be notified by march 1 2014 so that they can complete the registration process and submit the 5000 registration fee to ssi prior to the early deadline of march 14 2014 registration with ssi is available online for an additional 500 online registration fee the sixpage registration form can also be mailed to ssi after printing a copy from the website at ssionlineorg or requesting a copy by calling ssi at 5173216233 student statesmanship institutes are available during the weeks of june 813 june 2227 and july 611 2014 students are housed at great lakes christian college lansing michigan and transported to relevant venues such as the house chambers in the capitol building all expenses are included for detailed information including an impressive list of former speakers visit the student statesmanship institute at http ssionlineorg   if you are a high school student residing in clinton county and you have an interest in being a sponsored attendee or if you know of any high school student residing in clinton county who would be interested in attending ssi with a clinton county republican party sponsorship please contact janet dennings chair of the selection committee at 9898625852 or jdennings denningsaicom   http wwwclintoncountygopcom content 2014studentstatesman 19  ',0),(4413,'node',' sliding toward single payer  singlepayerjpg sliding toward single payer  ',0),(4412,'node',' sliding toward single payer  many believe the disastrous rollout of obamacare is the result of incompetence at the highest levels but some have believed all along that it is intentional and just part of the plan to get to the democrats dream a singlepayer health care system how would one thing lead to another read more  wwwamericanthinkercom blog 201401 mslidingtowardsinglepayerhtml  sliding toward single payer  ',0),(4405,'node',' 2014studentstatesman  ccrp to sponsor student statesmanship attendees for 2014 summer session clinton county republican party to sponsor student statesmanship attendees for 2014 summer sessions for a second year the clinton county republican party ccrp will be sponsoring several clinton county high school students to attend the student statesmanship institutes this summer in lansing the student statesmanship institute ssi was established by the foundation for traditional values ftv in the mid1990s after receiving requests from parents teachers and pastors who attended ldquo the greatest story never told rdquo seminars ssi has grown to include three separate weeklong summer experiences featuring eight leadership tracks and serving more than 300 students each year a traveling twoday onsite program for christian public and homeschool students and an effective oneyear practicum for ssi alumni called the ambassador league the ssi summer program can be a lifetransforming week featuring authentic leadership simulations in the legislative media judicial campaign and business fields under the direction of christian professionals from each field during this realworld experience young people learn valuable life skills such as teamwork critical thinking strategic planning and effective communications while being engaged in highlevel leadership roles they are also inspired to apply biblical and moral principles in their own life and the world around them the ccrp believes ssi affords a perfect opportunity for our young people to immerse themselves in a biblicalbased environment while integrating the various career tracks and their corresponding principles offered as part of the program students entering their first year of high school through those entering their first year of college are accepted to the program alumni up to age 19 are accepted as long as they are eligible to participate in one of the advanced tracks we believe the lessons and skills acquired during the student statesmanship institute will be invaluable to the attendees throughout their lives the ccrp has allocated 150000 this year to sponsor the attendees we feel it is important that the attendees be invested in the process by paying for a portion of the total cost for attendance the cost for a oneweek session is 37900 if paid by march 14 2014 after that the cost will be 39900 each ccrpsponsored attendee will be asked to pay the 5000 minimum deposit upon registration the ccrp will make up the additional 32900 if registration is not completed before the early deadline of march 14 2014 the attendee will have to cover the additional cost of 2000 the ccrp student statesmanship committee will select eligible participants residing in clinton county for the 32900 sponsorship selected participants will be notified by march 1 2014 so that they can complete the registration process and submit the 5000 registration fee to ssi prior to the early deadline of march 14 2014 registration with ssi is available online for an additional 500 online registration fee the sixpage registration form can also be mailed to ssi after printing a copy from the website at ssionlineorg or requesting a copy by calling ssi at 5173216233 student statesmanship institutes are available during the weeks of june 813 june 2227 and july 611 2014 students are housed at great lakes christian college lansing michigan and transported to relevant venues such as the house chambers in the capitol building all expenses are included for detailed information including an impressive list of former speakers visit the student statesmanship institute at http ssionlineorg   if you are a high school student residing in clinton county and you have an interest in being a sponsored attendee or if you know of any high school student residing in clinton county who would be interested in attending ssi with a clinton county republican party sponsorship please contact janet dennings chair of the selection committee at 9898625852 or jdennings denningsaicom   http wwwclintoncountygopcom content 2014studentstatesman first name last name home address city state zip code school attending please enter your school name if home schooled enter home schooled parents names sponsorship i would like to be considered for attendance to the student statesmanship institute i would like additional information please select one of options listed above upon completion click on the submit button below  2014studentstatesman  ',0),(2551,'node',' upcoming events     font definitions fontface fontfamily ｍｓ 明朝 msofontcharset 78 msogenericfontfamily auto msofontpitch variable msofontsignature 1 134676480 16 0 131072 0 fontface fontfamily ｍｓ 明朝 msofontcharset 78 msogenericfontfamily auto msofontpitch variable msofontsignature 1 134676480 16 0 131072 0 fontface fontfamily cambria panose12 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4 msofontcharset 0 msogenericfontfamily auto msofontpitch variable msofontsignature 536870145 1073743103 0 0 415 0 fontface fontfamily arial black panose12 11 10 4 2 1 2 2 2 4 msofontcharset 0 msogenericfontfamily auto msofontpitch variable msofontsignature 647 0 0 0 159 0 style definitions pmsonormal limsonormal divmsonormal msostyleunhide no msostyleqformat yes msostyleparent margin 0in marginbottom 0001pt msopagination widoworphan fontsize 120pt fontfamily cambria msofareastfontfamily ｍｓ 明朝 msobidifontfamily times new roman pcommitteereport licommitteereport divcommitteereport msostylename committee report msostyleunhide no msostyleqformat yes margin 0in marginbottom 0001pt msopagination widoworphan fontsize 240pt msobidifontsize 120pt fontfamily arial black msofareastfontfamily ｍｓ 明朝 msobidifontfamily times new roman color c0504d msochpdefault msostyletype exportonly msodefaultprops yes fontsize 100pt msoansifontsize 100pt msobidifontsize 100pt fontfamily cambria msoasciifontfamily cambria msofareastfontfamily ｍｓ 明朝 msohansifontfamily cambria page wordsection1 size 85in 110in margin 10in 125in 10in 125in msoheadermargin 5in msofootermargin 5in msopapersource 0 divwordsection1 page wordsection1   upcoming events upcoming events upcoming events upcoming events upcoming events upcoming events upcoming events upcoming events upcoming events upcoming events upcoming events upcoming events  ',0),(2653,'node',' 8914 walk for terri lynn land in the mint parade    walk with terri s truck in the st johns mint festival on saturday august 9  lineup time starts at 900 am parade starts at 1000 am lineup location oak view elementary school 1400 s clinton ave st johns and look for terri rsquo s truck anyone with questions can contact me 6165668353 or carly terrilynnlandcom volunteers will be getting terri lynn land tshirts please consider joining us and let s continue spreading the message about terri lynn land to undecided voters   summer bbq bath township july 26 2012 summer bbq bath township july 26 2012 summer bbq bath township july 26 2012 summer bbq bath township july 26 2012 summer bbq bath township july 26 2012 summer bbq bath township july 26 2012 summer bbq bath township july 26 2012 summer bbq bath township july 26 2012  ',0),(2826,'node',' summerbbq           an evening with the 4th congressional candidates              peter konetchy   paul mitchell   state senator john moolenaar                     when thursday july 24 2014                      530 pm to 830 pm    where buck kuisel toot barnard s home   5236 drumheller road   bath  mi 48808            2000 per person 300 200 club sponsors ldquo free rdquo                   5000 per event sponsor admittance for 2           all proceeds will benefit the clinton county republican party              kids admitted free with parents                dress is casual   don rsquo t miss this opportunity to hear the candidates and to ask questions you might have regarding where they stand on the issues as we approach the august 5 primary election as part of the bbq question cards will be handed out when you register upon arrival that we will review and ask the candidates to respond to as part of the evening rsquo s activities as we move into the final days defore the august 5 primary i am sure each of these candidates will be looking for volunteers to help with their campaign outreach if anyone would like to help their candidatre of choice this would be the perfect opportunity to make your decision on who you will be supporting and to volunteer to help additionally this year rsquo s 3 scholarship winners will be in attendance along with their parents they will be reading their winning essays as part of the evening s activities  we look forward to seeing you on july 24 please feel free to download print and return the following registration form if you would like to sign up to attend summer bbq if you don t want to register online summer bbq registration form click here to download  please complete the registration form below and then click the  submit  button make your checks payable to the clinton county republican party  send your payment to sheri harte willis 4789 drumheller road bath mi 48808  registrations will be accepted at the door  title first name last name address line 1 address line 2 city state zip code email address phone club sponsor level 300 200 150 non club sponsor 300 level and 200 level club sponsors are admitted free to the summer bbq includes admission for 2 payment options event sponsor check for 5000 sent includes admission for 2 event sponsor will pay at the door includes admission for 2 300 or 200 club sponsor free admissions for 2 single attendee check for 2000 sent single attendee will pay at the door couple attendees check for 4000 sent couple attendees will pay at the door 2000 per person 300 200 club sponsors free 5000 per event sponsor payment would be appreciated upon completion of this form and payment is due on or before july 19 2014 please make checks payable to clinton county republican party send to sheri harte willis 4789 drumheller road bath mi 48808 paid for with regulated funds by the clinton county republican party po box 92 st johns michigan total attending adults kids comments submitted by   2012summerbbq 2012summerbbq 2012summerbbq http wwwclintoncountygoporg content 2012summerbbq 2012summerbbq 2013fall fest 2013fall fest 2013fall fest  ',0),(4416,'node',' union donations to republicans  the old saying ldquo the enemy of my enemy is my friend rdquo might be an apt description of the state of affairs in today rsquo s republican politics certain republican political action committees unhappy with the influence and popularity of tea party conservative legislators and candidates in their own party are apparently accepting donations from unions to help fund the defeat of their more conservative party members in the upcoming 2014 elections http wwwnationaljournalcom hotlineoncall guesswhosfundingther ',0),(4414,'node',' clinton county republican party to sponsor student statesmanship attendees for 2014 for a second year the clinton county republican party ccrp will be sponsoring several clinton county high school students to attend the student statesmanship institutes this summer in lansing the student statesmanship institute ssi was established by the foundation for traditional values ftv in the mid1990s after receiving requests from parents teachers and pastors who attended the greatest story never told seminars ssi has grown to include three separate weeklong summer experiences featuring eight leadership tracks and serving more than 300 students each year a traveling twoday onsite program for christian public and homeschool students and an effective oneyear practicum for ssi alumni called the ambassador league the ssi summer program can be a lifetransforming week featuring authentic leadership simulations in the legislative media judicial campaign and business fields under the direction of christian professionals from each field during this realworld experience young people learn valuable life skills such as teamwork critical thinking strategic planning and effective communications while being engaged in highlevel leadership roles they are also inspired to apply biblical and moral principles in their own life and the world around them the ccrp believes ssi affords a perfect opportunity for our young people to immerse themselves in a biblicalbased environment while integrating the various career tracks and their corresponding principles offered as part of the program students entering their first year of high school through those entering their first year of college are accepted to the program alumni up to age 19 are accepted as long as they are eligible to participate in one of the advanced tracks we believe the lessons and skills acquired during the student statesmanship institute will be invaluable to the attendees throughout their lives the ccrp has allocated 150000 this year to sponsor the attendees we feel it is important that the attendees be invested in the process by paying for a portion of the total cost for attendance the cost for a oneweek session is 37900 if paid by march 14 2014 after that the cost will be 39900 each ccrpsponsored attendee will be asked to pay the 5000 minimum deposit upon registration the ccrp will make up the additional 32900 if registration is not completed before the early deadline of march 14 2014 the attendee will have to cover the additional cost of 2000 the ccrp student statesmanship committee will select eligible participants residing in clinton county for the 32900 sponsorship selected participants will be notified by march 1 2014 so that they can complete the registration process and submit the 5000 registration fee to ssi prior to the early deadline of march 14 2014 registration with ssi is available online for an additional 500 online registration fee the sixpage registration form can also be mailed to ssi after printing a copy from the website at ssionlineorg or requesting a copy by calling ssi at 5173216233 student statesmanship institutes are available during the weeks of june 813 june 2227 and july 611 2014 students are housed at great lakes christian college lansing michigan and transported to relevant venues such as the house chambers in the capitol building all expenses are included for detailed information including an impressive list of former speakers visit the student statesmanship institute at http ssionlineorg   if you are a high school student residing in clinton county and you have an interest in being a sponsored attendee or if you know of any high school student residing in clinton county who would be interested in attending ssi with a clinton county republican party sponsorship please contact janet dennings chair of the selection committee at 9898625852 or jdennings denningsaicom   2014studentstatesman  clinton county 2013g  ',0),(4418,'node',' ccrp poll should dave agema resign   new poll overview dave agema has never been known to be one to not tell you where he stands on an issue and now some of those remarks have caused high ranking gop officials at both the national and state levels to ask for his firing or resignation rnc chairman reince priebus in a statement to the free press said people should be treated with grace and respect and these comments don rsquo t reflect that in some cases the remarks are patently wrong lack merit and are devoid of any meaningful value he added governor rick snyder in his state of the state message never mentioned dave agema by name but talked about showing more civility to people with different backgrounds and views comments that many considered a rebuke betsy devos the ultimate establishment republican is calling out the gop s national leadership for failing to stand up to intolerance and insensitivity within the party devos in lodging her complaints this week joins a growing number of traditional republicans dismayed that the party is being jerked to the extreme by a smallbutnoisy element obsessed with divisive issues devos says she left messages with agema this week to encourage him to do the right thing he should resign his position as national committeeman when he didn t respond she called reince priebus chairman of the national party asking him to either figure out a way to dump agema or marginalize him to make it clear the party does not support his positions he has a right to express his ideas and opinions but he also has a responsibility to the party devos says he has damaged his position and his party he reflects badly on republicans and on michigan she describes herself as disillusioned and disgusted that republicans like agema have been allowed to help guide the party leaders have a responsibility to create an inclusive welcoming party not to exclude she says what rsquo s going on is cause for concern about our future prospects as a party and our ability to bring people around to our point of view and longterm agenda we are driving people away who might otherwise support what we stand for that devos is voicing her distress is significant the devos family not only has been among the most generous and reliable gop funders both at the state and national levels but its members have also sat at the party s leadership table for decades the party s national headquarters includes an amway communications center named for the company her fatherinlaw cofounded although no overt threat was made to withdraw financial support the risk to the gop is certainly implicit the expectation of leaders in a party is to stand up in situations like this she says failing to do so will have consequences devos is convinced a majority of republicans feel as she does about the pull to the extremes on issues such as gay rights but that tiny faction is gaining disproportionate influence there is a fear untested and unfounded that standing up to a small minority in the party will have a tremendous backlash she says instead i believe they are going to continue to drive more and more people away from our party and our viewpoints there is no mechanism in michigan party rules to remove agema unless he fails to support the republican presidential nominee still devos believes pressure can be applied and says state party leaders have been distressingly quiet about agema the stand betsy devos is taking will surprise some she is a classic conservative and fairly or not has sometimes been linked to the religious right but she recognizes that intolerance and exclusion are bad for republicans and bad for america if more of the people who write the checks that keep the gop in business stand beside her the republican party will have to change course or dwindle away additionally muslim groups have complained that agema has promoted religious intolerance and a group for gay republicans are asking for his resignation as michigan s national committeeman agema has indicated he has no intention of quitting when the rnc meets wednesday he is expected to be one of the mostwatched participants new poll question should michigan s republican national committeeman resign from that position yes no undecided to vote in this poll click on this link http wwwclintoncountygopcom content shouldmichigan e28099srepublicannationalcommitteemanresignpositio  to enter your comments click on add new comment after you vote previous poll question should the legislature pass a 350 million dollar bailout for detroit the governor mentioned in his state of the state message yes 11 no 89 undecided 0 three comments was made on this poll question comment 1 350 million bailout for detroit absolutely no bailout furthermore the art should not be a protected asset until the culture changes in that town even 100 bailout will not save them the give me mentality is most of what has caused this situation to develop large cities in the united states who are facing possible bankruptcy have had democrats in control for years its not moral to take from the productive population and give to the unproductive comment 2 detroit let them solve their own problems it s not the responsibility of the rest of michigan they can sell their art collectionsthey obviously do not deserve to own them comment 3 anonymous wrote 1 day 20 hours ago 350m detroit bailout there is little doubt that the state will be finding ways to help detroit whether they will all be in plain sight remains to be seen i think there are some things that we will probably have to do however the time is not now this week i learned from a creditable source that the dia assets have been valued in excess of 4b thats a b for billion the reports of 500m in assets are only the ones they have appraised to date i think they would still have a nice collection if it was sold down to 500m in total   all emails addresses  ',0),(4420,'node',' report obama can advance climate agenda without congress climatechange2jpg report obama can advance climate agenda without congress ',0),(4419,'node',' report obama can advance climate agenda without congress the founding fathers set up a system of representative government the theory being that elected representatives would act on behalf of the peoplewho elected them across all levels of government what happens to that idea of representative government when the president chooses to act unilaterally to advance his agenda because he can t get approval from the people s representatives we may find out if the obama administration decides to use its executive authority to advance his climate change agenda endrunning around the congress read more  thehillcom blogs e2wire e2wire 196056cleanenergyexpertsobamacanadvanceclimateagen  report obama can advance climate agenda without congress  ',0),(4421,'node',' target to drop health plan for parttimers as obamacare steps in target employees working less than 30 hours a week will not be offered company health insurance coverage as of april 1 the company claims those employees might prefer policies offered on the health care exchanges and offering them company coverage might disqualify them from receiving federal subsidies obamacare strikes again read the full story  wwwnewsmaxcom newsfront targetdropshealthparttimers 20140121 id 548269 ',0),(2063,'node',' the politics of fear  president obama in his daily stump speech continued his fearmongering tactics by stating that if he didn rsquo t get more money in taxes he would have to take it from seniors by raising medicare costs by reducing benefits to the poor and that he would veto any legislation that didn rsquo t meet his criteria president obama has gone into full campaign mode pandering to his base to get relected with tactics that sal alinsky would be proud of by finding an issue whether its true or not and beating your opposition with it for an article on the issue from wwwnytimescom click on the following story link  http wwwnytimescom 20110920 us politics obamavowsvetoifdeficit 18  the politics fear  ',0),(3903,'node',' will obama bailout detroit  president obama is closely monitoring detroit rsquo s financial situation and urged the city and creditors to find a solution  ldquo the president and members of the president rsquo s senior team continue to closely monitor the situation in detroit while leaders on the ground in michigan and the city rsquo s creditors understand that they must find a solution to detroit rsquo s serious financial challenge we remain committed to continuing our strong partnership with detroit as it works to recover and revitalize and maintain its status as one of america s great cities rdquo white house spokesman keith maley said to read more on detroit rsquo s bankruptcy and what is being considered for assistance click on this link  http wwwdetroitnewscom article 20130718 metro01307180119 presidentobamakeepingcloseeyedetroitbankruptcy 19  will obama bailout detroit  ',0),(4895,'node',' should the governor take a stand and demand that these illegals not be allowed to come to michigan  yes no undecided illegal immigrants in my mind it comes down to the fact that our own children are being burdened with the debt loss of jobs and will become a minority at the voting booth in the future when will our generation finally say enough is enough we should be ashamed to look in the mirror because of the world we are leaving the next generation i would ask the president why he does not care about our children illegals i doubt that bill schuette tom leonard and rick jones would allow this to happen protect the borders  the first obligation of national security is to protect the borders do not let them in no means no job posting for unattached illegal boys young men for grand rapids area youth home coming to a community near you why do we let them in the country just say no  http wwwjobsnet jobs bethanychristianservices enus job unitedsta ',0),(4483,'node',' 2014silentauctiondonation silent auction items are greatly appreciated and help to support our candidates various activities and events throughout the year if you would like to donate a silent auction for this years lincoln day dinner please complete this webform and submit it all silent auction items need to be made available one week prior to the lincoln day dinner they can be dropped off at 4789 drumheller road bath mi or you can call to make arrangements for pick up at 517 6416657 title first name last name address line 1 address line 2 city state zip code email aaddress home phone mobile phone employer silent auction item donation silent auction item description silent auction item value submitted by comments  ',0),(1613,'node',' lddadsubmissionwebform  thursday april 24 2014 hawk hollow golf club bath mi 48808 reception starts at 530 pm dinner starts at 630 pm please remit payment to clinton county republican party sheri harte willis 4789 drumheller road bath mi 48808 the following are the ad sizes and rates that are available business card ad 375 x 2 3000 14 page ad 375 x 5 5000 12 page ad 775 x 5 8000 full page ad 775 x 1025 15000 inside back cover 775 x 1025 20000 inside front cover 775 x 1025 20000 back cover 775 x 1025 25000 please select the ad option that you would like to appear in the program from the options below business name contact address city state zip code business phone email address ad choice business card ad 375 x 2 3000 14 page ad 375 x 5 5000 12 page ad 775 x 5 8000 full page ad 775 x 1025 15000 inside back cover 775 x 1025 20000 inside front cover 775 x 1025 20000 back cover 775 x 1025 25000 please select one of the ad options listed above and please remit payment to clinton county republican party sheri harte willis 4789 drumheller road bath mi 18808 ad creation will be done by the ccrp at no additional cost ad submissions are due no later than april 4 2014 and payments are due on or before friday april 4 2014 if you have any questions regarding the 2014 lincoln day dinner please feel free to call sheri harte willis at 5172816212 or email her at  shwillis1959 gmailcom  payment options i have enclosed a check payable to the clinton county republican party for the amount of the ad cost listed above submitted by date submitted month jan feb mar apr may jun jul aug sep oct nov dec day 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 year 2013  lddadsubmissionwebform  ',0),(4572,'node',' snyderholes campaign seeks to hold governor accountable for michigan pothole problem the michigan democratic party is starting the snyderholes campaign intended to hold governor snyder accountable for the potholes in the roads what do you think of that read more  wwwmlivecom news grandrapids indexssf 201403 snyderholescampaigntoholdghtml ',0),(4744,'node',' the 2014 election looking into the crystal ball ocare2014jpg the 2014 election looking into the crystal ball ',0),(4574,'node',' obamacare architect this law will end employerbased insurance obamacarejpg obamacare architect this law will end employerbased insurance ',0),(4423,'node',' good money after bad  detroitreinventjpg good money after bad  ',0),(4422,'node',' good money after bad  governor sndyer is trying to broker a deal with various other groups to ldquo reinvent detroit rdquo you have to give the governor credit for his ldquo positive relentless action rdquo approach but the question is can the city be rehabilitated after 40 years of progressive policies by democrat mayors the city needs be responsible for its own future and i don rsquo t think they know how to do that the bigger question should the taxpayers of michigan bail them out read more from the wwwonlinewsjcom on the issues and pitfalls facing any efforts to address detroit massive infrastructure issues online at  http onlinewsjcom news articleemail sb10001424052702303465004579325222553286380lmyqjax 19  good money after bad  ',0),(4424,'node',' is the polar ice gone yet  according the mr gore the polar ice caps would be gone in 2013  the ldquo global warming climate change rdquo oracle must be perplexed by the fact that the polar ice has reached the highest level that has ever been attained before in recorded history according the mr gore the polar ice caps would be gone by 2013 but just to be safe nasa noaa are calling it a ldquo pause rdquo in anticipation that ldquo gorebal warming rdquo will soon come back with a vengeance for an article the nasa and noaa report on the ice levels click on the following link  http wwwthenewamericancom tech environment item 17470nasadataglobalwarmingstillonpauseseaicehitrec 19  the polar ice gone yet  ',0),(4425,'node',' is the polar ice gone yet  globalwarmingjpg is the polar ice gone yet  ',0),(4427,'node',' federal panel says nsa data collection illegal  4thjpg federal panel says nsa data collection illegal  ',0),(4426,'node',' federal panel says nsa data collection illegal  an independent federal privacy watchdog has concluded that the national security agency rsquo s program to collect bulk phone call records has provided only ldquo minimal rdquo benefits in counterterrorism efforts and is illegal and should be shut down as usual obama will continue to ignore any challenges to what he terms are essential to all of his causes as controversy continues related to numerous scandals linked to the president we can only hope that a special commission or prosecutor will called to look into these various allegations for an article on the federal panels findings related to the illegal data collection click on the following link  http wwwnytimescom 20140123 us politics watchdogreportsaysnsaprogramisillegalandshouldendh r 2 18  federal panel says nsa data collection illegal  ',0),(4581,'node',' women s rights vs religious rights who wins who loses  the supreme court will be weighing what the options may be to let women get birth control without the government forcing their employers to cover the cost read more about the questions the justices were asking and the concerns they had regarding personal rights and the rights of religious business owners online at  http wwwwashingtontimescom news 2014 mar 25 femalesupremecourtjusticesworryaboutcorporat  ',0),(4582,'node',' vote early vote often  melowese richardson voted six times for president obama rsquo s in 2012 federal states that it is a ldquo felony rdquo to vote more than once for president and in fact the statute could subject richardson with twentyfive years in federal prison for her six votes for obama to date eric holder rsquo s department of justice has done noting to address the violation of federal election laws read more about about the department of justice rsquo s flagrant disregard for the rule of law and their failure to enforce the law and how they selectively choose the laws they want to enforce online at  http wwwbreitbartcom biggovernment 20140322 nojusticedepartmentchargesagainstohiowomanwhovoted ',0),(4429,'node',' obamacare just keeps on giving  if it was the presidents plan to destroy the us economy obamacare could well be the vehicle to do it last week moody rsquo s downgraded all health insurers because of the implementation of obamacare for an article on the negative impact on health insurers and the econony click on the following link  http wwwthenewamericancom usnews healthcare item 17480moodyscitesobamacareuncertaintyforitsdowngrad ',0),(1614,'node',' 2014lddeventsponsorwebform lincoln day dinner sponsorship options we offer several lincoln day dinner sponsorship options for 2014 including   100000 event sponsor  this sponsorship option includes eight tickets to the reception and dinner signage at the reception and dinner your materials placed in attendee packet and full page ad in the program  75000 dinner sponsor  this sponsorship option includes four tickets to the reception and dinner signage at the thursday dinner your materials placed in attendee packet and full page ad in the program  50000 reception sponsor  this sponsorship option includes two tickets to the reception and dinner signage at the reception materials placed in attendee packet and full page ad in the program  50000 table sponsor  this sponsorship option includes eight tickets to the dinner signage at the dinner and acknowledgment in the program any questions should be directed to sheri harte willis at 5172816212 or email her at shwillis1959 gmailcom  please select the sponsorship option of your choice and provide us with the necessary information to complete your registration below business name contact address city state zip code business phone email address sponsorship choice event sponsor 100000 dinner sponsor 75000 reception sponsor 50000 table sponsor 50000 please select one of the sponsorship options listed above and please remit payment to clinton county republican party c o sheri harte willis 4789 drumheller road bath mi 48808 payment options i have enclosed a check payable to the clinton county republican party for the amount of the sponsorship option selected above submitted by date submitted month jan feb mar apr may jun jul aug sep oct nov dec day 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 year 2012  ',0),(4436,'node',' it s not always sunny in the west i was wondering recently how the government could best waste my money there are lots of ways the war on poverty the lost costliest most ineffective war in history that is a good waste of money perhaps funding cowboy poetry  who doesn t love a good poem hellip with cowboys but for my money a great way is pointless investing is green energy like the booming solar energy construction in the southwest oh  wait a minute  five years after the obama administration rsquo s renewable energy initiative touched off a building boom of largescale solar power plants across the desert southwest the pace of development has slowed to a crawl with a number of companies going out of business and major projects canceled for lack of financing of the 365 federal solar applications since 2009 just 20 plants are on track to be built only three largescale solar facilities have gone online two in california and one in nevada the first auction of public land for solar developers an event once highly anticipated by federal planners failed to draw a single bid last fall yes not a single bid for land for the 21st century equivalent of the homestead act  because in obama s america why give to people who could improve the land and their lives when you could make a vapid political statement to appeal to environmental fascists and useful idiots while rewarding big donors it s the perfect democrat policy if somehow they could work racial division amnesty into the picture it would be ideal but the big investors of green energy aren t stupid they see that the profits in this industry are illusionary propped up only by tax dollars ldquo nobody rsquo s going to break ground on any big new solar projects right now mdash utilities want to see how farms coming online this year fit into the grid and developers are waiting for more certainty about state policies and federal tax credits rdquo i like the honesty the developers aren t going to break ground unless they have guaranteed funds from the moneys forcibly removed from the pockets of millions of taxpayers this is big business these days i would invest my own money your typical green energy developer would say but if i can not use my own money and take donations from politicians trying to curry favor with clueless leftwing voters i think i ll do that instead i have no doubt that eventually government will get its way and force the development of solar panel farms despite what common sense dictates but this is a good example of how little the demand for this apparent energy of the future actually is  ',0),(4435,'node','  snyder s bridge over troubled water  the international bridge to windsor project has been put on hold the project was originally pushed through by the governor without legislative approval with the use of an ldquo interlocal agreement rdquo authorized under the michigan constitution bridge construction now has been stopped because someone forgot to figure out who wold pay for cost of the ldquo bridge plaza rdquo canada who is ldquo giving rdquo michigan the new bridge for ldquo free rdquo and you know the old adage on that won rsquo t pay for the plaza and the federal government hasn rsquo t allocated any money for it either that leaves a 250000000 shortfall for someone to pick up the legislature could do that but they wouldn rsquo t vote for it in the first place when it was a bill so now begins the ldquo positive relentless lobbying rdquo to see if the governor can get somebody to pony up the money any bets on the outcome for an article on article on the bridge impasse click on the following link  http wwwmlivecom politics indexssf 201401 timskubickdetroitwindsorbr1htm ',0),(4723,'node',' measure would ban enforcement of woodstove emission regulations the environmental protection agency has proposed rules that would tighten emission standards on new woodstoves and other woodfired heaters state senator tom casperson rescanaba has introduced legislation to counteract the proposed federal standard find out what the legislation will do  wwwmichigancapitolconfidentialcom 20080 ',0),(4437,'node',' windmill 2nd thoughts in mason county mason county has determined that the lake winds industrial wind plant a 56turbine facility south of ludington is not in compliance with the county rsquo s noise ordinance and now consumers energy has run to the courts in an effort to halt the enforcement of the county ordinance read more about the controversy and what the ramifications of the court decision might be online at  http wwwmichigancapitolconfidentialcom 19620 ',0),(4441,'node',' a 3 immigration mistake  president obama is constantly beating the immigration drum to push through what he feels all of the illegal undocumented people in our country are ldquo entitled to rdquo which is a path to citizenship or complete amnesty the gop establishment big business conservatives the grassroots and various elements of the republican party are beginning to think immigration reform needs to happen to win the next election in 2014 the truth is they have probably bought into the progressive mantra that the republican party will die if they don rsquo t do something to try to get the latino vote in 2014 and beyond however what they don rsquo t recognize is that only 3 of the american people see immigration reform as a critical issue read more about the immigration reform issue and what the republicans will probably do to address the issue online at  http wwwbreitbartcom bigjournalism 20140127 scarboroughpassingimmigrationreormonethingcouldder 20senate 19  3 immigration mistake  ',0),(4442,'node',' a 3 immigration mistake  imreform1jpg a 3 immigration mistake  ',0),(4443,'node',' financial ratings company questions state bailout of detroit pensions governor snyder s proposal to aid detroit retiree pensions with state funding is troubling according to fitch ratings fitch ratings one of the country s top agencies criticized governor snyder rsquo s us versus them tone and said prioritizing pensions over bondholders may establish a troubling precedent in michigan and beyond read more about comments from fitch ratings about the governor rsquo s plan to bailout the detroit pension system online at  http wwwmlivecom politics indexssf 201401 fitchratingsmichigangovrichtml incartriver ',0),(4446,'node',' do you have an extra 25300  as a taxpayer in michigan 23500 is the amount each of us would have to come up with to pay off michigan rsquo s liability of 9770000000000 the governor and the legislature have taken steps to address this disparity between debt and assets but much more needs to be done to fix the root causes of how we got to this point for an article on michigan rsquo s liabilities and where we stand in relation to other states click on the following link  http wwwmichigancapitolconfidentialcom 19645 ',0),(4454,'node',' obama wants to release drug law offenders from prision according to deputy attorney general james cole president obama has the ability to take executive action to commute the sentences of lowlevel drug offenders and that s just what he plans to do the department of justice will be looking to find low level drug offenders who are currently in prison and recommend them to the president for clemency consideration even though commutation of sentence is an ldquo extraordinary remedy that is rarely used that s about to change according to a justice department official for an article on what the justice department and the president plan on doing to reduce the prison population click on the following link  http wwwcnsnewscom news article susanjones obamawilltakeexecutiveactionreduceprisonpopulation ',0),(4448,'node',' mi gop says get rid of the right wing extremists tea party conservatives  agemajpg mi gop says get rid of the right wing extremists tea party conservatives  ',0),(4450,'node',' congressional republicans consider suing obama on overreach of executive orders barsigjpg congressional republicans consider suing obama on overreach of executive orders ',0),(4449,'node',' congressional republicans consider suing obama on overreach of executive orders us house republicans feel that many of president obama rsquo s executive orders unconstitutionally bypasses the legislative branch as a result they are threatening to sue the president if they continue for an article on whether the gop will pursue the overreach of the president on his executive orders click on the following link  http washingtonexaminercom housegopsignalsitcouldsueobamaforexecutiveoverreac article 2543007 20  congressional republicans consider suing obama overreach executive orders  ',0),(4451,'node',' constitution constitution we don t need to stinking constitution  because he can  washington mdash president barack obama will sign an executive order setting the minimum wage for workers under new federal contracts at 1010 an hour the white house said tuesday the president will announce the increase during his state of the union address so what is the end game here this will clearly hurt the private sector companies that supply lowskill workers by raising their cost of doing business with the government and raising minimum wage reduces employment overall that is common knowledge is obama trying to force those companies to be less competitive in the hopes of a government union to take over those jobs could be and here we have tea party favorite representative king weighing in on the issue of welfare cheats favorite obama assaulting the separation of powers rep steve king riowa a sixterm conservative and tea party favorite said that obama rsquo s proposal is unconstitutional ldquo we have a minimum wage congress has set it for the president to simply declare i rsquo m going to change this law that has passed is unconstitutional rdquo king said tuesday on cnn seriously representative king is there anyone left that thinks the constitutional scholar obama actually cares what it says i ll bet the people on cnn had a good laugh at that because i doubt they can about the constitutionality of what obama does either what i would love to see is a leader that cared more about the american economy and the problems it faces as a whole than they did about small groups of people whose votes they are trying buy more of my money earned in michigan is now going to janitors in washington as yakoff smirnoff would say what a country  ',0),(4452,'node',' should the voters of michigan be the ones to set michigan s minimum wage instead of the legislature  yes no undecided  ',0),(4453,'node',' ccrp poll raising the minimum wage in michigan by initiative petition   new poll overview a new ballot question committee known as the raise michigan coalition consisting of community social justice and labor organizations has filed with the state to put an initiated law on the ballot in 2014 to raise the minimum wage in michigan the group would need to gather valid signatures equal to 8 percent of voters from the most recent gubernatorial election which comes to over 258000 signers in michigan the minimum wage currently stands at 740 and the raise michigan coalition wants the minimum wage to be raised to 1000 per hour charles owens michigan director of the national federation of independent business says raising the wage will convince many employers to forgo hiring entrylevel workers and instead hire those with more established job skills a spokesman for the small business association of michigan added that raising the minimum wage for federal contract employees will make it harder for smaller firms to compete for federal contracts new poll question should the voters of michigan be the ones to set michigan rsquo s minimum wage instead of the legislature yes no undecided to vote in this poll click on this link http wwwclintoncountygopcom content shouldvotersmichiganbeonessetmichigan e28099sminimumwageinsteadlegislature  to enter your comments click on add new comment after you vote previous poll question should the legislature pass a law to allow for online voter registration and noreason absentee voting yes 15 no 85 undecided 0 four comments were made on this poll question comment 1 online registration no reason sure let s devalue voting more by allowing proxy voting or maybe letting your dog do it for you or better yet let s allow dogs to vote no wonder there are growing groups of people who do not appreciate the right to vote and how precious it really is comment 2 anonymous wrote 3 days 46 min ago no reason absentee voting in a society of completely honorable people this would be a wonderful convenience and should be adopted however we are not so far removed from dishonest operation of the election process that we should ignore history how easy would it be for political bosses to collect the absentee ballots fill them out and then have the voter send them in johnson stole the primary for senator in texas with graveyard votes chicago stole the election for kennedy let s not make it easier for the thugs comment 3 anonymous wrote 3 days 5 hours ago online voting absolutely not if the democrats believe that there are people who cannot get out to vote i would prefer to see moneyspent to shuttle people to the polls comment 4 anonymous wrote 3 days 5 hours ago online registration no reason absentee voting it is no surprise that byrum would come out in favor of these changes to the election law now that she is being considered as schauers running mate democrats need all the votes they can get from people who don t have a clue of who they are voting for they just want to continue to be on the government dole it is disgraceful that most voters don t know who they are voting for once you get beyond the top of the ticket which is a travesty now we want to make voter fraud easier the next show to drop will be online voting when we get to that point the game is truly over the democrats are all about fairness but what about accountability they don t want anyone to have to show a picture id and want same day registration and voting as the protections against voter fraud are chipped away year after year we can rest assured that elections will be dominated by those who know best how to manipulate the the process and the democrats are the professionals in that area the sad things is that michigan s secretary of state ruth johnson is in agreement with byrum as democrats say vote early and vote often   all emails addresses  ',0),(4456,'node',' the militarization federalization of local police forces  polpicjpg the militarization federalization of local police forces  ',0),(4455,'node',' the militarization federalization of local police forces  police departments and sheriff rsquo s offices around the country every day look less like peace officers and more like warfighters using threats of terrorism as a pretext police are buying or receiving in free grants tools developed for the armed forces and using them to carry out police raids or even to serve a simple warrant is there something we don rsquo t know that the federal government knows and they aren rsquo t tell us about as to why all of these law enforcement agencies in the states need this level if armament for an article on how the federal government and the department of homeland security are transforming our police agencies click on the following link  http wwwthenewamericancom usnews item 17515localpoliceadoptmilitarytechnologyandtactics 20  the militarization federalization local police forces  ',0),(4458,'node',' politics oil the keystone pipeline and the epa ketstonejpg politics oil the keystone pipeline and the epa ',0),(4457,'node',' politics oil the keystone pipeline and the epa the state department has ldquo raised no major environmental objections rdquo to the construction of the keystone pipeline however the report doesn rsquo t actually recommend its construction with the 2014 elections coming up three current democrat us senators might see a benefit with the pipelines approval when the votes are cast thus helping to retain control of the senate moving forward the ldquo green energy nazis rdquo and their shill the epa will be pleading their case to save the country from their unproven climate change delusion in the mean time we can all sit back and watch as the various interests determine what is more important our country or will it be just politics as usual for an article on the keystone pipeline and its chances of approval click on the following story link  http wwwbreitbartcom biggovernment 20140131 keystonexloilpipelineclearssignificanthurdle 20  politics oil the keystone pipeline and the epa  ',0),(4460,'node',' let s talk about something other than detroit  comebackjpg let s talk about something other than detroit  ',0),(4459,'node',' let s talk about something other than detroit  it seems that all your hear about michigan is the demise of detroit and how bad it is to live here the truth is that under republican leadership michigan has had a phenomenal comeback since the dark days of jennifer granholm for an article on article from the onlinewsjcom on what is happening in the rest of michigan outside of detroit click on the following story link  http onlinewsjcom news articles sb10001424052702304632204579336753361171522 mg reno64wsj url http 3a 2f 2fonlinewsjcom 2farticle 2fsb10001424052702304632204579336753361171522html 20  ',0),(4464,'node',' forced unionization to go to supremes  forcedunionsjpg forced unionization to go to supremes  ',0),(4463,'node',' forced unionization to go to supremes  in 2009 pam harris had a union organizer come to her house and asked her to join his union because she was accepting state medicaid funds to help care for her disabled son the reason he was asking her to join the union was because she was now considered a state ldquo employee rdquo and was required to join his union she said no thanks and began organizing some other moms helping with their disabled children to force illinois governor pat quinn to rescind an executive order by him mandating her joining when he refused she went to court last week the supreme court heard oral arguments on her lawsuit and will be deciding if she has the right to not be in the union later this summer for an article on the pending suit and how it could impact forced unionization and dues paying requirments click on the following story link  http wwwthenewamericancom usnews constitution item 17530supremecourthearsforcedunionismcasebroughtbyi 20  forced unionization supremes  ',0),(4462,'node',' ccrp poll coke super bowl ad good or bad  poll overview depending on your political leanings you will probably love or hate the america the beautiful super bowl coke ad that they ran during the game if you haven t seen the ad here is the link to view it  http wwwyoutubecom watch v 443vy3i0gjs time magazine viewed it this way cocacola s it s beautiful super bowl ad brings out some ugly americans anothe website heading racists explode at coke for super bowl ad singing america the beautiful in foreign languages just a few twitter comments coke you messed up america the beautiful is english sung no more coke for this family cokesucks unpatriotic the propaganda during this sb48 is unacceptable boycottcoke open your mind and see it dear coke this is america and we speak american boycottcoke so was cocacola saying america is beautiful because new immigrants don t learn to speak english so a commercial for the super bowl cost 28 million cocacola just lost that and more after america the beautiful boycottcoke hey cocacola this is america we speak english quit slapping real americans in the face with your offensive commercials boycottcoke time went on to say coca cola s entry into the super bowl ad campaign had a message that was as it were coke classic it celebrated the many kinds colors lifestyles and origins of americans who are nonetheless one over a scene of these many americans it played a patriotic song not the national anthem but the more accessible singable america the beautiful it showed us a panoply of american faces young old brown white straight gay it included what are said to be the first gay parents depicted in a super bowl ad in cowboy hats and hijabs playing eating and exploring allamerican vistas several people are quoting president teddy roosevelt s comments every immigrant who comes here should be required within five years to learn english or leave the country in the first place we should insist that if the immigrant who comes here in good faith becomes an american and assimilates himself to us he shall be treated on an exact equality with everyone else for it is an outrage to discriminate against any such man because of creed or birthplace or origin but this is predicated upon the man rsquo s becoming in very fact an american and nothing but an american if he tries to keep segregated with men of his own origin and separated from the rest of america then he isn rsquo t doing his part as an american there can be no divided allegiance here any man who says he is an american but something else also isn t an american at all we have room for but one flag the american flag and this excludes the red flag which symbolizes all wars against liberty and civilization just as much as it excludes any foreign flag of a nation to which we are hostile we have room for but one language here and that is the english language for we intend to see that the crucible turns our people out as americans and american nationality and not as dwellers in a polyglot boarding house and we have room for but one sole loyalty and that is a loyalty to the american people new poll question how do you feel about the coke ad that aired during the super bowl i thought it was exceptional and expressed multiculturalism i thought it was disrespectful to what our country stands for historically i thought there is much ado about nothing undecided to vote in this poll click on this link  how do you feel about the coke ad that aired during the super bowl   to enter your comments click on add new comment after you vote previous poll question should the voters of michigan be the ones to set michigan s minimum wage instead of the legislature yes 20 no 74 undecided 6 there were no comments made on the poll   all emails addresses  ',0),(4461,'node',' how do you feel about the coke ad that aired during the super bowl  i thought it was exceptional and expressed multiculturalism i thought it was disrespectful to what our country stands for historically i thought there is much ado about nothing undecided  how you feel about the coke that aired during the super bowl  ',0),(4465,'node',' education funding facts in michigan  democrats are constantly crying about how the mean republicans are short changing michigan rsquo s children they talk about reduced funding and how hard up the teachers are the truth is that funding for education has consistently exceeded the rate of inflation when other areas of government have suffered with michigan rsquo s schools doing so poorly it rsquo s time to look at our whole educational system and make some real changes that are in the best interest of our children for an article on the funding levels over the years click on the following story link  http wwwmlivecom politics indexssf 201402 kenbraunarerepublicansembehtml incartriver ',0),(4467,'node',' just use any restroom you want to  bathroomjpg just use any restroom you want to  ',0),(4466,'node',' just use any restroom you want to  as hillary clinton would say ldquo what difference does it make rdquo a maine court ruling has cleared the way for a fifth grade boy who thinks he is a girl to us the girls restroom at his school the school originally accommodated him her by allowing him her to use a ldquo staff rdquo nonstudent restroom however that wasn rsquo t acceptable the court ruled that ldquo he rdquo should be allowed to use the ldquo she rdquo facilities just ignore the fact that the girls might not be willing to share with the newly approved bathroom mate i periodically have to just poke myself once in a while to make sure i am not dreaming up all of these cultural aberrations for an article on ldquo what bathroom should i use rdquo or ldquo what sex am i rdquo click on the following story link  http newsyahoocom mainecourtrulesfavortransgenderpupil165405315html 20  just use any restroom you want  ',0),(4469,'node',' would you buy and drive a partially built car  ocwebpicjpg would you buy and drive a partially built car  ',0),(4468,'node',' would you buy and drive a partially built car  the obamacare website is unable to fix entry mistakes or handle appeals for incorrect or denied coverage and subsidies because the government has yet to build the systems necessary to handle them roughly 22000 americans have filled out sevenpage paper appeals forms and mailed them to the federal government for putting them in the wrong plans billing them incorrectly or denying them coverage altogether those individuals may be waiting a long time however since the government has yet to even build an appeals and error corrections system for handling obamacare mistakes for an article on just another one of obamacare rsquo s problems click on the following story link  http wwwwashingtonpostcom national healthscience healthcaregovcanthandleappealsofenrollmenterrors 20140202 bbf5280c89e211e3916ee01534b1e132storyhtml 20  would you buy and drive partially built car  ',0),(4470,'node',' men women marriage wage disparity  the democrats continually vilify republicans for their war on women the poor gays latinos et al it makes good press and it always gets the low information voters out to the pools to vote for the progressives and their entitlement programs for an article on wage disparity and how marriage impacts the family click on the following story link  http wwwnationalreviewcom article 370240 inequalitymarriageculturecollapsemonacharen ',0),(4471,'node',' what do you feel is the resolution to the transgender bathroom facility situation  require the use of the bathroom that corresponds to your birth sex 100 1 vote schools should make all bathrooms unisex 0 0 votes schools should allow transgendered students to use the bathroom opposite of their birth sex 0 0 votes schools should create a common bathroom for all transgendered individuals 0 0 votes schools should create separate transgendered bathrooms for each sex 0 0 votes undecided 0 0 votes total votes 1  ',0),(4472,'node',' ccrp poll transgender bathrooms  the supreme court in maine has ruled that school officials violated state antidiscrimination law when they would not allow a transgendered fifthgrader to use the girls bathroom the court concluded that the school district s actions violated the maine human rights act which bans discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity overturning a lower court s ruling that the district acted within its discretion in the maine case nicole maines was using the girls bathroom in her elementary school until the grandfather of a fifthgrade boy complained to administrators the orono school district determined that she should use a staff bathroom but her parents said that amounted to discrimination this will be just one of many cases that will probably end up in the us supreme court for final resolution regarding where transgendered individuals can go to the bathroom poll overview new poll question what do you feel is the resolution to the transgender bathroom facility situation require the use of the bathroom that corresponds to your birth sex schools should make all bathrooms unisex schools should allow transgendered students to use the bathroom opposite of their birth sex schools should create a common bathroom for all transgendered individuals schools should create separate transgendered bathrooms for each sex undecided to vote in this poll click on this link  http wwwclintoncountygoporg content whatdoyoufeelresolutiontransgenderbathroomfacility  to enter your comments click on add new comment after you vote previous poll question how do you feel about the coke ad that aired during the super bowl i thought it was disrespectful to what our country stands for historically 54 i thought it was exceptional and expressed multiculturalism 21 i thought there is much ado about nothing 21 undecided 4 there were no comments made on the poll   all emails addresses  ',0),(4474,'node',' 2500000 jobs to be lost as a result of obamacare ocarejobloss1jpg 2500000 jobs to be lost as a result of obamacare ',0),(4473,'node',' 2500000 jobs to be lost as a result of obamacare the congressional budget office cbo has estimated that 25 million workers will disappear from the workforce in the next decade as a direct result of obamacare the nonpartisan agency found the reform law rsquo s negative effects on employment would be ldquo substantially larger rdquo than what it had previously anticipated for an analysis of the cbo report and how they came up with these job loss figures click on the following story link  http thehillcom blogs onthemoney budget 197365cboocareslowinggrowth 20  2500000 jobs lost result obamacare  ',0),(4475,'node',' michigan to get climate subhub to mitigate climate change  by executive order obama will now ldquo mitigate climate change rdquo whatever that means with his ability to stop the ldquo seas from rising rdquo i am sure he will soon stop ldquo climate change rdquo with his ldquo hubs rdquo details regarding his new plan that will result as part of an ldquo executive order rdquo will be released today 2514 i can rsquo t wait to see how he will perform another miracle for an article on the new ldquo climate hubs rdquo click on the following story link  http thehillcom blogs e2wire e2wire 197487obamalaunchesclimatehubstohelpfarmerscommuni ',0),(4476,'node',' michigan right to farm law change  proposed changes to michigan s farming rules could leave small and hobby farmers at the mercy of local zoning boards this new proposal would change the definition of a livestock operation and would forbid such operations in residential areas for an article the proposed ldquo right to farm rdquo law changes click on the following story link  http wwwmlivecom news kalamazoo indexssf 201402 righttofarmproposaltochanhtml incartriverdefault ',0),(4477,'node','  254 million in road funding proposed by governor for 2015 budget governor rick snyder will propose 254 million in new onetime transportation spending for next year renewing his call for a longterm funding increase but stopping short of promoting a specific solution for an the details on the governors proposed road funding for 2015 click on the following story link  http wwwmlivecom politics indexssf 201402 michiganbudgetroads2015html incartriver ',0),(4479,'node',' obama federal agencies continue to target conservative groups the founder of a nonprofit group focusing on election integrity said that she and her family businesses were targeted by the irs because of her political views appearing before a congressional panel she gave instances of harassment and badgering by various federal governmental agencies including the irs the fbi the batf bureau of alcohol tobacco and firearms osha and the epaaffiliated tceq texas commission on environment quality on democrat congressman on the panel said there was no clear evidence of harassment for the federal government to investigate an individual group or business with this many separate federal agencies it sure looks suspicious to me for an article on the targeting of his non profit group and her family click on the following story link  http wwwbreitbartcom biggovernment 20140206 truethevotefounderonirsiwastargetedbecauseofmypoli ',0),(4514,'node',' who says the government doesn t listen to its citizens  an insightful article from john w whitehead of the rutherford institute  so if we already knew that the government was spying on us what rsquo s the big deal and more to the point as i often hear many americans ask if you rsquo re not doing anything wrong why should you care the big deal is simply this once you allow the government to start breaking the law no matter how seemingly justifiable the reason you relinquish the contract between you and the government which establishes that the government works for and obeys you the citizen mdash the employer mdash the master and once the government starts operating outside the law answerable to no one but itself there rsquo s no way to rein it back in short of revolution  read the rest https wwwrutherfordorg publicationsresources johnwhiteheadscommen 19  who says the government doesn listen its citizens  ',0),(4545,'node',' ccrp poll a part time michigan legislature part time michigan legislature poll overview there are currently 46 states that already have parttime legislatures the only 4 states that have a full time legislature are pennsylvania california new york and michigan the state of texas only meets every other year before the 1963 constitution michigan had a parttime legislature prior to 1963 there was one staffer for every four legislators under the new initiative petition proposal the legislature would only meet in one 60day regular session per year lawmaker would be cut from 71000 to 35000 per year currently legislative salaries are 71000 per year salary but when you add in the benefits it is over 100000 the proposal would also limit the total number of staff to 250 for the 148 legislators the drive needs to collect 322609 signatures by july 7 however due to possible invalid signatures the goal is to collect well over 400000 new poll question should michigan voters pass an initiative petition to make the michigan legislature parttime yes no undecided to vote in this poll click on this link  http wwwclintoncountygoporg content shouldmichiganvoterspassinitiativepetitionmakemich give us your opinion by clicking on add new comment after you vote previous poll question should michigan pass a bill to levy an internet sales tax on purchases from out of state businesses 36 yes tax all internet sales 40 no michigan should not levy a tax on out 20 no michigan should repeal the law that says the tax should be paid voluntarily on your tax return for out of state purchases 4 undecided three comments were made on this poll question comment 1 taxes internet and out of state businesses it would have been helpful to have an additional answer possible that grouped both of the no answers state should not tax out of state businesses and state should repeal requirement that purchases made out of state should be voluntarily reported and paid on income tax otherwise how do you reconcile the two separate answers for no that people are answering did they just mean one of those answers or did they mean both comment 2 sales tax if we can t do simple filing through a federal clearing house let it stand as it is a small retailer in michigan doesn t need to file 50 plus city returns in some states returns and be subject to audit by everyone it s difficult enough to figure out sales tax what foods what drugs in one jurisdiction comment 3 sales tax on internet sales yes if the internet stores have to collect sales tax maybe they will put a store in michigan bass pro stores did that i am sure they are selling many more here now chuck   all emails addresses  ',0),(4481,'node',' irs to issue special rules regarding political activity of conservative groups irstjpg irs to issue special rules regarding political activity of conservative groups ',0),(4482,'node',' proper etiquette obama is in town today to sign the food stamp and farm bill because you need to fly hundreds of miles to sign a piece of paper further putting our country into debt hey he spends millions on vacations why not waste a little in michigan too if you line the processional route maybe he will throw out newlyminted pennies out the window no guarantees though so i want to go over proper etiquette for his majesty s visit you must avert your gaze in his presence looking directly at him is a show of racism for not having proper deference you must bow until he passes you bowing shows your great appreciation for his existence only racists don t bow to him you cannot disagree with his policies clearly disagreeing with obama is not only horribly offensive to his sensibilities it is also racist you must be patient for all the havoc that a royal visit entails impatience with a presidential visit must be tolerated and a visit by the one is a great show of magnanimity coming to a state with a republican governor and besides only racists are impatient with obama you should dislike republicans during the 2minute hate not hating republicans means you disagree with obama and we know what kind of person that is you must smile and cheer while not looking directly at obama not smiling and cheering implies you do not approve of obama disapproval of obama is clearly racist i hope we will also follow these rules because not following the rules while obama is president is racism  ',0),(4485,'node',' holder to expand samesex marriage privileges samesexmarriagejpg holder to expand samesex marriage privileges ',0),(4484,'node',' holder to expand samesex marriage privileges regardless of your state s legal position on samesex marriage attorney general eric holder is preparing to issue policies that will eliminate the distinction between samesex and oppositesex couples in federal courts these changes will apply everywhere in the country even in states that do not recognize samesex marriages what privileges will be extended nationwide for samesex couples read more  wwwbreitbartcom biggovernment 20140208 holdertoexpandfederalsamesexmarriageprivileges  holder expand samesex marriage privileges  ',0),(4486,'node',' iran says warships headed close to us borders iran says they have deployed several of their warships into the atlantic ocean heading for us maritime borders why are they doing this read more  abcnewsgocom international wirestory iransendingwarshipscloseusborders22424767 ',0),(4487,'node',' what s for dinner the farm bill has a big impact although almost 85 of the nearly 1 trillion farm bill goes to pay for food stamps the remaining 15 is doled out throughout the agricultural industry in a variety of ways no matter how you cut it the government s intervention is having an impact on the food on your table who s begin subsidized who isn t read more  wwwcnbccom id 101400975 ',0),(4489,'node',' ccrp poll showing of photo id to get food stamp benefits congressman matt salmon rariz has introduced the snap verify act in wahsington which is aimed at reducing the amount of fraud that he said is leading to hundreds of millions of dollars in wasted food aid each year he says that the supplemental nutrition assistance program snap also known as the food stamp program is aimed at helping people in need and that congress must ensure those benefits are not being diverted his proposed legislation would require anyone who utilizes federal food stamps to show a photo id when they use their electronic benefit cards ebcs to buy groceries his bill would simply require the use of a photo id of the authorized user of snap electronic benefit card at the point of the transaction a recent government accountability office report found that 22 billion in food stamp benefits were improperly handed out in 2009 he said current law requires efforts to ensure food stamps are only given to eligible people but said there is no requirement that recipients show their id when buying food salmon said this loophole allows unauthorized people to use ebcs to buy food and said the illegal selling of these cards contributes to 750 million in losses each year the bill was introduced just days after congress approved a farm bill that authorizes about 80 billion in spending on snap each year for the next five years currently none of the congressional members serving in washington from michigan have asked to be named as cosponsors of the bill poll overview new poll question should congress pass a bill requiring food stamp recipients to show a photo id when purchasing groceries yes no undecided to vote in this poll click on this link  should congress pass a bill requiring food stamp recipients to show a photo id when purchasing groceries  give us your opinion by clicking on add new comment after you vote previous poll question what do you feel is the resolution to the transgender bathroom facility situation 62 require the use of the bathroom that corresponds to your birth sex 13 schools should create a common bathroom for all transgendered individuals 10 schools should make all bathrooms unisex 10 undecided 3 schools should allow transgendered students to use the bathroom opposite of their birth sex 3 schools should create separate transgendered bathrooms for each sex there were no comments made on the poll   all emails addresses  ',0),(4571,'node',' o care premiums to skyrocket if we couldn t believe president obama when he said we could keep our health care plan and our doctor why should we believe obamacare will save us money on insurance premiums the health care industry already knows premiums will be going up with all the changes made by the provisions of the law by executive order and the low percentage of young healthy enrollees insurers know they will have to raise premiums to stay afloat how will this play out get the details  thehillcom blogs healthwatch healthreformimplementation 201136obamacarepremiumsareabouttoskyrocket ',0),(4491,'node',' house gop will offer clean debt ceiling increase boehnerjpg house gop will offer clean debt ceiling increase ',0),(4493,'node',' congressman camp and 27 other republicans vote to raise debt ceiling debtceilingjpg congressman camp and 27 other republicans vote to raise debt ceiling ',0),(4155,'node',' obamacare website woes continue during the first week of the obamacare website rollout the administration claimed the problems were caused by so many people trying to access the sitet but after an 88 dropoff in hits during the second week the performance isn t much better usa today is reporting that the site was built on 10yearold technology sounds like the problems are more than just bug fixes or glitches design flaws can t be fixed with a few lines of code how will this lousy userunfriendly introduction to obamacare impact its success many are wondering if we should keep working to dismantle the legislation or just let the system collapse under its own weight read more  townhallcom tipsheet guybenson 20131018 obamacaretrainwrecklatestn1726571  obamacare website woes continue  ',0),(4496,'node',' lt governor calley to appear in dewitt i have been asked to annouce by the mid michgan teenage republicans that lt governor brian calley will be appearing at the heritage baptist church in dewitt at 1380 e round lake rd dewitt mi 48820 on february 15 at 700 pm if you would like to attend to hear the lt governor speak please rsvp to nic roberts at nroberts450 gmailcom or call 5178861398  all emails addresses  ',0),(4575,'node',' judge finds michigan gay marriage ban unconstitutional on friday us district judge bernard friedman ruled that michigan s ban on gay marriage is unconstitutional the will of the people no longer holds any weight in the federal court system for information on the ruling read  wwwmlivecom news detroit indexssf 201403 judgefindsmichigangaymarrihtml  for reaction on both sides see  wwwmlivecom lansingnews indexssf 201403 michigangaymarriagebanstruhtml  judge finds michigan gay marriage ban unconstitutional  ',0),(4576,'node',' judge finds michigan gay marriage ban unconstitutional gaymarriagejpg judge finds michigan gay marriage ban unconstitutional ',0),(4072,'node',' republican alternative to obamacare at a press conference today the american health care reform act will be unveiled to the public this legislation repeals obamacare and replaces it with an alternative plan for health care proposed by the republican study committee key provisions of the bill are explained here  dailycallercom 20130918 republicanstudycommitteetoreleaseobamacarealternat   republican alternative obamacare  ',0),(2459,'node',' dems propose reasonable profits board to regulate oil company profit democrats claim that they re worried about high gas prices so they want to set up a board to come up with a reasonable profit for the oil companies and tax the surplus what a great idea the government thinks it has the authority to siphon off the profit of a private company and do what they want with the money anybody out there believe this would have any impact on the cost of gas at the pump just another great redistribution of the wealth idea if you re up to it read the full story at  thehillcom blogs flooraction house 205085demsproposereasonableprofitsboardtoregulateo not to worry kids america is not to worry kids america is about to pony up an additional 95 bioliln to the imf along with the 10 bioliln they had already promised looks like we get to bail out greece too i guess since the presses are already running hot and heavy they figured we could bail out the rest of the world too i wonder can you train the future slaves of america while still in the womb another 105 billion not even going to americans can somebody make it stop   dems propose reasonable profits board regulate oil company profit  ',0),(4637,'node',' is that atlas shrugging  a russian jet flew past a us warship in the black seat a dozen times passing less than a mile from the ship as you would expect  the us gave a stern response  this provocative and unprofessional russian action is inconsistent with international protocols and previous agreements on the professional interaction between our militaries said army col steve warren a pentagon spokesman that s right that was unprofessional you tell him colonel that will show those russians who have recently basically seized parts of the ukraine and are clearly starting to rebuild the soviet union that the us means business what those meanies need is a milquetoast response and pay no attention to that russian frigate that has been following the us warship it s is probably just drafting trying to save fuel being environmentally friendly this incident was ok because the jet appeared to be unarmed but if those bully russians arm their jet next time we will go from a lukewarm response to a firmly worded response and if they do it a third time we may even put sanctions on russian officials who don t even have assets outside of russia long live obama and his brave minions as an aside poor colonel warren having to be a military spokesman for this administration must suck this is probably not what he wanted to do when he grew up  ',0),(4178,'node',' should a constitutional amendment be passed preventing congress from exempting themselves from mandates  yes no undecided should congress be exempt from mandates  the constitution says equal protection of the laws equal not exempt from the laws not special laws it says equal this is the hallmark of the united states and it applies to everyone congress president vice president supreme court cabinet members everyone absolutely  absolutely  amendment i thought we already had that amendment ida s rand paul bill to deny special exemptions for congress i think his bill is great our president is not a monarch reality is that the bill will not get passed money and power matter most to the people in washingtonwith a few exceptions  should constitutional amendment passed preventing congress from exempting themselves from mandates  ',0),(4278,'node',' potential crimes by obamacare operatives according to project veritaa ldquo enroll america rdquo personnel may have been using data illegally obtained by obamacare ldquo navigators rdquo for prodemocrat political purposes for an article on the potential violations and what the ramifications could be read on at  http wwwthenewamericancom usnews healthcare item 17044stingexposespotentialcrimesbyobamacareoperati 19  potential crimes obamacare operatives  ',0),(4498,'node',' good reason to question obamacare enrollment tally healthinsuranceappjpg good reason to question obamacare enrollment tally ',0),(4497,'node',' good reason to question obamacare enrollment tally administration officials claim 33 million people have selected plans through the health care exchanges even though that sounds like a big number it still falls short of anticipated enrollments by february 1 yet actual enrollment doesn t happen until the first month s insurance premium is paid and insurance industry observers are painting a different picture how many of those enrollees have actually paid for a policy what are the real numbers for enrollment when will we know what s really going on read more  wwwcnbccom id 101418663  good reason question obamacare enrollment tally  ',0),(4499,'node',' michigan brewers winemakers could access tax credits under farm to glass proposal legislation has been introduced in the michigan house to provide tax credits to michigan brewers and winemakers that use a certain percentage of michigangrown ingredients in their products how would this work who would benefit what would it cost the state s taxpayers get the details  wwwmlivecom business indexssf 201402 michiganbrewerswinemakerscohtml ',0),(4501,'node',' loss at volkswagen plant upends union s plan for us south vwplangtjpg loss at volkswagen plant upends union s plan for us south ',0),(4922,'node',' obama s pen strikes again the president has issued another decree from on high by executive order that strikes another blow to ldquo religious liberty rdquo swayed by the lgbt community to force the hiring of gay lesbian and transgendered individuals if a faith based organization receives federal funds to read more on obama rsquo s latest stroke of his pen to fundamentally transform our country go online at  http wwwdetroitnewscom article 20140721 politics033072100540 politics obamagivesprotectiongaytransgenderworkers ',0),(4211,'node',' is christie already looking ahead to 2016  with the new jersey gubernatorial race in the rearview mirror chris christie may already be laying out his plans for a run for the republican presidential nomination in 2016 his voter demographic showed an increase in his share of the female vote by 11 percent from 2009 the black vote by 12 percent and the hispanic vote by 13 percent there is no questions he is a dynamic personality and can get a cross section of the voter base the big question will we be getting another progressive rino like mccain romney if that is the case the real conservatives of the gop may opt for that 3rd party option for details on reelection and his potential nomination for president read on at  http thehillcom blogs ballotbox presidentialraces 189381christiespresidentialpathjustbeginning 19 the dems who supported the dems who supported christie in new jersey will surely support the dem candidate in a national election the only way the republicans have any chance of getting their candidate in the white house is if all conservatives close ranks and vote for the republican candidate if conservatives stay away from the polls because the republican candidate isn t conservative enough there is no chance republicans will ever win the white house  christie already looking ahead 2016  ',0),(4502,'node',' feds allow banks to do business with marijuana shops currently federal law bans the sale and distribution of marijuana this has caused a problem for what are now legitimate businesses that sell and distribute marijuana in states that have legalized the practice because banks are prohibited from engaging in business with these marijuana shops the shops have been forced to operate on a cashonly basis on friday the obama administration unilaterally issued guidelines for how the banks can work with businesses that sell and distribute marijuana in states where the practice is now legal can the administration on its own legally allow banks to do this will banks be willing to go along with this directive without changes to the federal law by the congress get the details  wwwfoxnewscom politics 20140214 dojallowsbankstodolimitedbusinesswithlegalmarijuan  ',0),(4440,'node',' 2014lddadopts lincoln day program advertisting options are you interested in running an ad in our event program  download print an advertising request form click on the following link  2014 ldd advertising submission form download print return  for additional information on advertising in the program book click on the following link  http clintoncountygoporg content lddadsubmissionwebform 19  ',0),(4439,'node',' 2014lddsponsoropts lincoln day dinner event sponsor options are you interested in becoming an event sponsor  download print an event sponsor form click the following to downlaod  2014 ldd event sponsor form download print return  for more information on event sponsorships click on the follwoing link  http wwwclintoncountygopcom content 2014lddeventsponsorwebform 19  ',0),(4503,'node',' ccrp 2014 lincoln day dinner with attorney general bill schuette constitutional attorney krisanne hall   the clinton county republican party will be holding our annual lincoln day dinner on april 24 2014 at the hawk hollow golf club in bath township our keynote speaker will be michigan attorney general bill schuette in addition constitutional attorney and teacher lecturer krisanne hall will also be speaking on the 10th amendment as part of the event for details on the event choose one of the options below for additional information and or online registration click on the following link  http wwwclintoncountygoporg content 2014lddregistration or to download and print a flyer and registration form click on the following link  sites default files lddformtfpdf please send a check payable to the clinton county republican party to sheri harte willis 4789 drumheller road bath mi 48808 payments are due on or before april 4 2014 if you have any questions regarding the 2014 lincoln day dinner please feel free to call sheri harte willis at 5172816212 or email her at  shwillis1959 gmailcom   all emails addresses  ',0),(4229,'node',' amash being opposed by big business  west michigan business leaders are plotting to take down rep justin amash as part of a broader effort to punish some ldquo tea party rdquo type lawmakers over the government shutdown prominent michigan donors have requested financial backing for amash rsquo s primary challenger including seven individuals including michigan businessmen mark bissell jc huizenga and mike jandernoa they argue amash and others have effectively crippled the republican majority in the us house for an article on the efforts by some in the business community to defeat amash in the republican primary next november click on the following link  http thehillcom blogs ballotbox gopprimaries 189768donorsplotagainstgoprebel 19  amash being opposed big business  ',0),(4507,'node',' another obamacare failure in oregon  oregonjpg another obamacare failure in oregon  ',0),(4504,'node',' obama s antiscience california drought crusade looks like the drought in california is indeed man made but it s not due to global warming or excessive emissions into the environment government created the problem and now conveniently they offer up a solution that supports their narrative what good is science if you can t use it to advance your own ends read more  wwwhumaneventscom 20140217 obamasantisciencecaliforniadroughtcrusade  ',0),(4505,'node',' fcc to investigate how broadcasters select news stories the fcc is launching an initiative to determine whether or not the government needs to step in to ensure that broadcasters are being responsive to underserved populations what does that mean what could possibly be the reason for this have you ever heard the term staterun media read the article  wwwthenewamericancom usnews constitution item 17651fcctoinvestigatehowbroadcastersselectnewsstor ',0),(4102,'node',' should house republicans hold the line and delay obamacare implementation for 1 year as part of the continuing resolution  yes 86 43 votes no 10 5 votes undecided 4 2 votes total votes 50 hold for a year on obamacare if not now when this is the last chance those 25 traitors in the senate need to be sent off to retirement ida s  should house republicans hold the line and delay obamacare implementation for 1 year part the continuing resolution  ',0),(4506,'node',' another obamacare failure in oregon  the federal government has given 305 million in federal grants and spent at least 160 million on the the oregon obamacare ldquo cover oregon rdquo website and as of yet not a single person has enrolled months after the start of the open enrollment period the site is still unable to enroll anyone the federal government accounting office gao will probably be initiating a probe into the failure of the exchange for an article on the oregon obamacare exchange failure click on the following story link  http dailycallercom 20140217 oregonobamacareexchangekeepsdelayingfivemonthlatew   20  another obamacare failure oregon  ',0),(4508,'node',' agema big money free speech  if you know dave agema you know he isn rsquo t afraid to tell you where he stands on what his core values are he believes in ldquo god family and country rdquo in that order he has made in clear in no uncertain terms that he believes that homosexuality is a sin and that the muslims beliefs include the destruction of infidels which means christians i may not always agree with his methods but i do agree with his core values and that the tactics of the michigan gop power brokers is why people are so disenchanted with inside power politics the august convention will be a true indicator of where the michigan republican party is headed and if they can survive by uniting rather than dividing the voter blocks they need to win for an article on the battle in the michigan republican party and the desire of the deep pocket donors to remove national committeeman dave agema click on the following story link  http wwwmlivecom lansingnews indexssf 201402 itsthedevilswaydaveagemahtml incartriver  steve willis chairman clinton county republican party  ',0),(4510,'node',' ccrp poll same sex benefits appeal poll overview attorneys for governor snyder say a state ban on health insurance for domestic partners of some public employees does not target anyone while acknowledging the law seeks to enshrine workplace benefits as a right afforded only to heterosexual couples and their families attorney general bill schuette s office laid out its defense of the public employee domestic partner restriction act in a federal court filing asking us district court judge david lawson to dismiss the lawsuit filed by five samesex couples representing snyder in the lawsuit schuette rsquo s office wrote that michigan s 2004 gay marriage ban is the basis for upholding the law prohibiting cities counties school districts and community colleges from extending health insurance and other fringe benefits to the unmarried gay or straight partners of their workers by limiting benefits that are traditionally associated with marriage the act seeks to protect the unique status of marriage in law assistant attorney general margaret nelson wrote in a court filing it ensures that such benefits only extend to spouses dependents and family if extended beyond its confines marriage loses its central place in june lawson issued a temporary injunction halting enforcement of the law saying it violates the equal protection clause of the us constitution the state is now seeking a final ruling snyder has defended the ban as a step taken to rein in spending on public employee benefits friday rsquo s court filing said the law was designed to further michigan s marriage amendment union of one man and one woman and to ensure fiscal responsibility in government by limiting health insurance to the spouses of employees and to either their dependents or their family members the law does not apply to the constitutionally autonomous michigan civil service commission or public universities new poll question do you feel a federal judge should be able to nullify the same sex benefit law passed in michigan yes no undecided to vote in this poll click on this link  do you feel a federal judge should be able to nullify the same sex benefit law passed in michigan  give us your opinion by clicking on add new comment after you vote previous poll question should congress pass a bill requiring food stamp recipients to show a photo id when purchasing groceries yes 91 no 9 undecided 0 there were three comments made on the poll comment 1 require photo id one on the other comments stated we don t need excessive laws and regulations that limit our liberty and i totally agree with that sentiment the problem is that he she misses the point when he she ignores the fact that the misuse and abuse of food stamp benefits is a wasteful use of fiscal resources passing a law that stops fraud and abuse is a good law and would be a responsible move on the part of congress comment 2 photo id my problem with all of these new laws is that every time you pass a new law you take a freedom away somewhere down the road and the end result is a stronger stronger and more overpowering centralized government america did not become the the greatest nation in history by legislating everything under the sun to the contrary it is the lack of regulation and the taxation that tends to accompany regulation that truly promotes freedom and or life liberty and the pursuit of happiness we do not need any more new laws comment 3 id to purchase food stamps and voting this is a no brainer the naacp just had a protest rally about id s required for voting and they required all in attendance to produce a valid picture id the government can pay to have the picture taken when applicant applies and provide this on the food stamp card many require photo id with your credit card this is no different during check out this then provides another photo id for voting reduction in fraud would pay for the whole thing well worth it don t know how anyone who is sane can argue against it   all emails addresses  ',0),(4509,'node',' do you feel a federal judge should be able to nullify the same sex benefit law passed in michigan  yes no undecided  you feel federal judge should able nullify the same sex benefit law passed michigan  ',0),(4512,'node',' the coming crash of american diplomacy in the middle east obamamiddleeastjpg the coming crash of american diplomacy in the middle east ',0),