Should Shelby build a new elementary school and or remodel others; there were 3 options presented at a recent forum put on by the schools to get public input. The three options ranged in cost from 18 million to 22 ½ million dollars. Plus they were talking of adding another nearly 2 million to their plans for a couple of extra things.
The main reason given for the need to do this was overcrowding. Well a couple of our Oceana Tea Party members took that argument apart at the meeting.
Bill and Jeanette Marossey brought this issue to the attention of our Oceana Tea Party at our last meeting Nov. 2nd. They went to that forum along with Tom Allison our Co-Chair. The Oceana Herald Journal ran an article about the meeting. In which they quoted Bill as saying- “Every single person I talked to has the same belief that when you closed down Benona and Ferry elementary schools, you created an overcrowded situation, and now you say we need a massive expenditure to correct the problem you created in the first place,” This the article said that Bill read from a prepared statement Bill and Jeanette had with them.
There was a lot more to the “Prepared Statement” Bill read from. They sent it to me and I felt it worth copying for all to see with their permission.
-----Their Statement-----
I. The citizens that are contributing to the school system are paying
11 mills, 6 to the state and 5 mills locally; we still have 13 years
left on an outstanding loan and now you want to pile on a few
More mills and jack that back up to 20 years.
II. Did the thought ever cross your mind about paying the first loan off
Before starting a new one? Every person I talked to has the same
Belief that when you closed the Benona & Ferry Elementary Schools
You created an overcrowded condition and now you say we need
a massive expenditure to correct the problem you created in the
first place.
III. Oceana County has over 80 Bank Foreclosures this year alone & (the
Nation’s foreclosures up 7% in one month), and that’s not counting
land contracts & government loans…all up in smoke.
The U.S. is bankrupt
The State is shutting down (License Bureau’s Closing)
(Mich. Can’t match funds for
Unemployment Insurance)
Police posts are closing
The Road Commission has had financial problems for yrs
Food prices, hospitalization & everything else is going up
(pay more get less)
401 K’s plunged $4,000 overnight
Social Security & Medicare are in trouble
Post Offices are closing
Land values are down (86,000 Homeless in Michigan)
And even the Shelby Dollar Store went out of business!
The guy from Hart was on the news last night, he left
Michigan by wagon train for New Mexico.
NOW THAT’S BADOh, and did I mention the Whole World is in a financial crisis,
First Greece now Italy.
SO WHY ARE WE EVEN HAVING THIS DISCUSSION ? ?“Disconnected from Reality”
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
This is citizen involvement at it best. My thanks goes to them for standing up for what they believe. Also kudos for the other members who helped research their information.
The Marossey’s did their share and are still following through on this issue. Will we get behind them? They will give us an update at our next Oceana Tea Party meeting Dec. 7th at 7pm at the Heritage Hall within the Hart Historic District on the corner of Lincoln and Union 3 blocks East of downtown Hart.
Jack Hoogendyk will be our guest speaker and will be talking about Freedom to Work in Michigan. We will also be talking about a concerted effort of Michigan Tea Parties to unite behind a Conservative Senate Candidate for the 2012 election. Bill and Jeanette will update us about this school issue.
Our policy is to help citizens get involved in government at all levels. Come to one of our meetings and see for yourself what they are all about. Check us out on
Facebook...Oceana Tea Party.
Way to go Bill and Jeanette and thanks to those who helped them to do this. This is not a done deal yet and if it gets to the ballot we can do plenty to stop this. Signs, lit and door to door, you know the drill.
Regards, Live Dangerously Be A Conservative
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Sunday, November 13, 2011
Dumping Debbie
I received an email awhile ago asking if I as a leader of a Tea Party group could find another from our group to attend a state wide meeting of other Tea Party leaders. (2 from each group). I asked Tom our Co-Chair to come with me and he said he’d like to come. The meeting was yesterday in DeWitt near Lansing.
The purpose of the meeting was to see if there was enough interest within the Tea Parties in Mi. to unite for a specific purpose. That specific purpose was to defeat Debbie Stabenow. In my terms “Dump Debbie”.
You know I was Going to go.
This effort was to be patterned after what happened with the Tea Parties in Indiana which had banded together for one purpose and that was to de-throne Sen. Luger. It worked. The temporary group they formed was called “Hoosiers for a Conservative Senate”.
The email I mentioned earlier was from Cindy Gamrat who moved to Plainwell Mi. from Indiana where she was a part of that effort. Cindy organized a Tea Party in Plainwell and has set up a group called Michigan for a Conservative Senate. Her goal was to do what they did in Indiana here in Mi. She was bringing some of the leaders from Indiana to help and join with us.
I remember two of the greatest players in basketball; one from Indiana (Larry Bird) and the other from Michigan (Magic Johnson). ---- Can you imagine if they were on the same team ???
Tom and I went and were pleasantly surprised to see well over 100 people there 2 from each Tea Party Group from all over the state, from the East side, West side, South and North. One lady from the UP drove 9 hours to represent her Tea Party. The room was filled with a bunch of Alphas.
Cindy had risen to the occasion with a nice line up of speakers. After her brief outline she introduced two consecutive leaders of the Indiana effort who drove up here from Indiana to cheer us on. They did. It was really interesting/exciting to hear the inside scoop on how they battled the entrenched organization of a fixture in the Senate. They Won. We heard of a lot of little dirty tricks that were played on them and how they combatted them.
With that, the crowd was starting to warm up to the idea. Next a speaker from Freedom Works talked. It had been made clear by all the previous speakers that Freedom Works was there only to help, after we organized. They were not there to tell us what to do or how to do it, only that they were willing to help when it came to crunch time once we got going. They would/could be our allies, not our partners. The help they could provide would be financial and political as far as getting signs made, setting up the infrastructure for boots on the ground efforts (door knocking, lit drops etc), a phone bank system and later advertisements. He said what Freedom Works needed to see from us was unity behind a candidate that had a chance of winning.
The main thrust of the meeting was to see if we as individuals and individual Tea Party groups could unite under one candidate picked by us. We would do that by having our own State convention. This is already in the works and we are thinking of sometime in Jan. The problem of course is that there are 5 Republican candidates and some of us or most of us have already pretty much decided who we would like as a nominee to run against Stabenow and we are anything except united. As it now currently stands, come election we would split the Conservative vote, just as Indiana did previously before they united. We would lose and Debbie Stabenow would win.
The Speakers from Indiana told us they had the same situation in the election previous to the Luger election. There were 5 Republican Candidates and one of those was the Republican Party favorite and pretty middle of the road and the other 4 were Conservative. The result was the Conservatives split their vote and the Republican Party favorite won. The votes of the other Conservative Candidates together however would have easily beaten the Republican Party favorite. The Speakers from Indiana said they learned their lesson. They decided next time around they would, despite their personal preferences unite behind one Conservative Candidate. They did and they won. They were luckier the next time as they only had one candidate who was a Conservative and he was a great Candidate; so it was easier, but they were ready to swallow some pride if need be. They had already tasted a mouthful of humble pie from the last election and were ready to unite.
Our job was to decide if we could swallow our pride and do the same thing.
The meeting was of two parts, the first open to the press and the second a closed door working session. The security was tight. The first part was with all the speakers explaining what Michigan for a Conservative Senate (MI4CS) wanted to accomplish and the outline of how they did it in Indiana.
The second part was to figure out how to set the whole thing up in Michigan in a way that would work here and get it running. The Basic format was to split up according to the 14 Congressional Districts. Each district picked a liaison. Each district was to suggest a plan. The idea of having a Convention of those present in Jan seemed to be a done deal. The “leaders” of each Tea Party needed to go back to their groups and figure out which of the Senate candidates they were in favor of. Before that there was talk of setting up a debate with all the candidates to help us vet the candidates.
Remember it will be up to each Tea Party group to decide what candidate they want, then the 2 reps from each group will vote at the convention. I was told the vote will not be by district. Whoever wins at the convention will be the candidate behind which we will all then get behind. That will be the hard part. At the meeting Cindy asked whether we would be willing to do that even if it wasn’t our favorite candidate and I believe all 100+ raised their hands in support. I’m hopeful but it will probably be a struggle.
The problem will be in the time difference between our MI4Conservative Senate Convention in Jan. and the Republican Primary in Aug. I doubt many of the Senate candidates will drop out after our convention in Jan. and it will be hard for their backers to change allegiance. But at this meeting everyone there seemed to think they could.
They were united in their desire to “Dump Debbie”
Speaking of that, I brought a box of “Dump Debbie” buttons and probably gave away at least 500 of them. Tom and I made some friends there and I’m sure we will make use of those contacts in the future.
Our next Oceana Tea Party meeting is Dec. 7 same times same place. If you want to join us or want to get on our mailing list give me a call. 231-728-3455. Not only will we be talking all about this state wide Tea Party movement to Dump Debbie, but the second half will have former State Rep. and former US Senate Candidate Jack Hoogendyk telling us all about Michigan "Freedom to Work"!
Bring a Friend.
Regards, Live Dangerously Be A Conservative
The purpose of the meeting was to see if there was enough interest within the Tea Parties in Mi. to unite for a specific purpose. That specific purpose was to defeat Debbie Stabenow. In my terms “Dump Debbie”.
You know I was Going to go.
This effort was to be patterned after what happened with the Tea Parties in Indiana which had banded together for one purpose and that was to de-throne Sen. Luger. It worked. The temporary group they formed was called “Hoosiers for a Conservative Senate”.
The email I mentioned earlier was from Cindy Gamrat who moved to Plainwell Mi. from Indiana where she was a part of that effort. Cindy organized a Tea Party in Plainwell and has set up a group called Michigan for a Conservative Senate. Her goal was to do what they did in Indiana here in Mi. She was bringing some of the leaders from Indiana to help and join with us.
I remember two of the greatest players in basketball; one from Indiana (Larry Bird) and the other from Michigan (Magic Johnson). ---- Can you imagine if they were on the same team ???
Tom and I went and were pleasantly surprised to see well over 100 people there 2 from each Tea Party Group from all over the state, from the East side, West side, South and North. One lady from the UP drove 9 hours to represent her Tea Party. The room was filled with a bunch of Alphas.
Cindy had risen to the occasion with a nice line up of speakers. After her brief outline she introduced two consecutive leaders of the Indiana effort who drove up here from Indiana to cheer us on. They did. It was really interesting/exciting to hear the inside scoop on how they battled the entrenched organization of a fixture in the Senate. They Won. We heard of a lot of little dirty tricks that were played on them and how they combatted them.
With that, the crowd was starting to warm up to the idea. Next a speaker from Freedom Works talked. It had been made clear by all the previous speakers that Freedom Works was there only to help, after we organized. They were not there to tell us what to do or how to do it, only that they were willing to help when it came to crunch time once we got going. They would/could be our allies, not our partners. The help they could provide would be financial and political as far as getting signs made, setting up the infrastructure for boots on the ground efforts (door knocking, lit drops etc), a phone bank system and later advertisements. He said what Freedom Works needed to see from us was unity behind a candidate that had a chance of winning.
The main thrust of the meeting was to see if we as individuals and individual Tea Party groups could unite under one candidate picked by us. We would do that by having our own State convention. This is already in the works and we are thinking of sometime in Jan. The problem of course is that there are 5 Republican candidates and some of us or most of us have already pretty much decided who we would like as a nominee to run against Stabenow and we are anything except united. As it now currently stands, come election we would split the Conservative vote, just as Indiana did previously before they united. We would lose and Debbie Stabenow would win.
The Speakers from Indiana told us they had the same situation in the election previous to the Luger election. There were 5 Republican Candidates and one of those was the Republican Party favorite and pretty middle of the road and the other 4 were Conservative. The result was the Conservatives split their vote and the Republican Party favorite won. The votes of the other Conservative Candidates together however would have easily beaten the Republican Party favorite. The Speakers from Indiana said they learned their lesson. They decided next time around they would, despite their personal preferences unite behind one Conservative Candidate. They did and they won. They were luckier the next time as they only had one candidate who was a Conservative and he was a great Candidate; so it was easier, but they were ready to swallow some pride if need be. They had already tasted a mouthful of humble pie from the last election and were ready to unite.
Our job was to decide if we could swallow our pride and do the same thing.
The meeting was of two parts, the first open to the press and the second a closed door working session. The security was tight. The first part was with all the speakers explaining what Michigan for a Conservative Senate (MI4CS) wanted to accomplish and the outline of how they did it in Indiana.
The second part was to figure out how to set the whole thing up in Michigan in a way that would work here and get it running. The Basic format was to split up according to the 14 Congressional Districts. Each district picked a liaison. Each district was to suggest a plan. The idea of having a Convention of those present in Jan seemed to be a done deal. The “leaders” of each Tea Party needed to go back to their groups and figure out which of the Senate candidates they were in favor of. Before that there was talk of setting up a debate with all the candidates to help us vet the candidates.
Remember it will be up to each Tea Party group to decide what candidate they want, then the 2 reps from each group will vote at the convention. I was told the vote will not be by district. Whoever wins at the convention will be the candidate behind which we will all then get behind. That will be the hard part. At the meeting Cindy asked whether we would be willing to do that even if it wasn’t our favorite candidate and I believe all 100+ raised their hands in support. I’m hopeful but it will probably be a struggle.
The problem will be in the time difference between our MI4Conservative Senate Convention in Jan. and the Republican Primary in Aug. I doubt many of the Senate candidates will drop out after our convention in Jan. and it will be hard for their backers to change allegiance. But at this meeting everyone there seemed to think they could.
They were united in their desire to “Dump Debbie”
Speaking of that, I brought a box of “Dump Debbie” buttons and probably gave away at least 500 of them. Tom and I made some friends there and I’m sure we will make use of those contacts in the future.
Our next Oceana Tea Party meeting is Dec. 7 same times same place. If you want to join us or want to get on our mailing list give me a call. 231-728-3455. Not only will we be talking all about this state wide Tea Party movement to Dump Debbie, but the second half will have former State Rep. and former US Senate Candidate Jack Hoogendyk telling us all about Michigan "Freedom to Work"!
Bring a Friend.
Regards, Live Dangerously Be A Conservative
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Time to Get Busy
I voted in my new precinct (Newfield Township) Tues the Nov 8th. I later called the Newfield Clerk and he said I believe, there were 144 votes cast in that election. Wow 144 votes out of well over 2,000 voters. The only things on the ballot were two ballot issues. They were school millage issues and they both passed. I voted against them.
The next day I talked with our County Clerk Becky Griffin and she told me that the Newfield precinct was the only one that had an election in the whole county. That is because the school millage was for the Hesperia schools which are mainly in Newaygo County.
On a sadder note, Paul Scott, state Rep for the 51st from Grand Blanc in Genesee County lost a recall election the unions had put on. He lost by 322 votes which is a really small amount, but seemingly enough because he didn’t call for a recall. I felt bad as I had gone twice to his area to knock on doors for him along with State Rep. Jon Bumstead. Tom Allison from Mears came the second time. We all had skin in the game.
All however is not in vain perhaps. The Republicans seemed to have hardened their stance due to the loss and the idea of forcing a recall. The MEA alone spent $142,000.00 on the election. They were really well organized. The main reason the MEA recall happened was that Paul Scott was head of the election committee. He was the face of the union reform legislation. The unions targeted him for recall due to that. However as Mike Bishop former Majority Chair in the Senate tweeted, the election may have had the opposite effect upon the Education Committee. He tweeted the following.
-----tweet-----
"The MEA spent $150k dollars only to get their nemesis, Representative Tom McMillin, appointed as the chairman of the education committee."
---------------
Tom McMillin is rated the most conservative legislator in the state and supports the privatization of the public schools. So although the message was sent by the voters, it seems that the course for the MEA in the house and the education committee in particular may be rockier than it was before. The MEA’s narrow victory may have been tactical defeat.
In Ohio, Ohioans seemed to have rebuked Gov. Kasich’s efforts at public union reform by voting in favor of proposal two which upturned the legislation passed and signed into law. The good news was that proposition three also passed which was a rebuke against President Obama’s health care. The prop. said that no Ohioan could be forced to buy the Insurance. A friend of mine pointed out to me that Kasich made his mistake on the Union legislation by not doing what they did in Wisconsin which was to exempt Police, Fire and Emergency Providers in their reforms. By not exempt them Kasich gave the opposition too much ammunition to use against the legislation in a public vote.
No matter how I spin it however I didn’t want to see Prop 2 pass in Ohio and Paul Scott recalled. As a member of the Oceana Tea Party and a Tea Partier from the beginning I have seen a slowing down of the momentum of the Tea Party and had predicted a type of backlash. The media sure played it that way and it seems to have started. What this tells me is that I have to along with other conservatives and redouble our efforts. I wrote a longer piece on this in my Live Dangerously blog.
-----link-----
http://tinyurl.com/6q7dptm
---------------
Locally we held our Nov. Tea Party meeting. Our main event was showing the movie “Sick and Sicker” a documentary on ObamaCare and how it plays out in Canada, and we even served Popcorn. Before that however we conducted some business and I kept pushing the group to become Precinct Delegates. Also I told the members that our next Speaker for Dec. would be former State Rep. Jack Hoogendyk who would be telling us all about “Right to Work” in mi. This should be an interesting meeting. Jack ran last against US Senator Carl Levin. He is now based out of Lansing and has his finger on the pulse of what is going on.
Next, locally we celebrated Tues. morning the 52nd consecutive meeting of the Cozy Conservative Corner. It was our 1st year birthday. We had one of our best crowds, Tea Partiers, Republicans, independents. Conservatives all, you know those clingy flyover people with their bibles and guns. We had a snarky good time.
Later that day for lunch the Republicans of Oceana County had their meeting. I was happy to see the Wentzloffs attend as they are filing to run as Precinct Delegates next year. They are from the Tea Party.
All of my efforts have been to bring together various quote “divisions” within the Conservative movement and get more people out to vote in the next election to Dump Debbie and Obfuscate Obama and his agenda. Also at the meeting our Chair Juanita Pierman wasn’t there so John Hendrixon our co-chair was in charge. We talked a lot about the annual bus trip in which we fill a nice Charter bus with school kids to visit the state Capital and get a tour of the place with Sen. Goeff Hansen and probably our Rep. Jon Bumstead. We talked of getting Mason county involved and adding an extra bus so we could take over a hundred kids. Total cost will be over $2,000. Be prepared, the begging will soon start. LOL. Please think about donating something. Dig deep people as this is a good cause.
The next day Juanita and Tom Allison and I went to the Mason County Republican Party Meeting to promote that idea. Juanita made a nice presentation and answered all questions. They seemed more than willing. This is a great way to plant the seed of civic involvement and responsibility in our youth.
On a different note Juanita contacted the person running the Oceana County GOP website and he was supposed to call me but hasn’t yet. I will call him today. Our Oceana GOP site hasn’t been updated since the last election in 2010. I’m dying to get my hands on it and start filling it up with current stuff and all kinds of other things.
It will depend on the format as to what I can do and not to mention my abilities, but we have a big election coming in less than a year now and the need is huge. We all know the Presidential, Senatorial and Congressional races. But we also have our State Rep along with five Township officials from each of our 18(?) Townships -- that is a lot of candidates. I would like to list all of them and give links to anything they may want the public to know along with their pic etc. I would want this to be a one stop website for anyone to get the lowdown for issues and candidates running on the Republican ticket, no matter where in Oceana they live. I hope --- but we’ll see.
This could be another way to push Precinct Delegates which is a pet cause of mine. But mainly we need to get up current info about our Oceana Republican Party, when we meet and what we are doing. I want to get pictures up and make it as interesting as possible to all who view it. If we want to grow then this is a good platform to do it with.
Currently you can find the GOP and Tea Party on Face book under Oceana GOP and Oceana Tea Party.
So much for my schemes. LOL I’ve been working hard on my house outside and now I have a load of lumber to build a shed roof over my burn wood racks next to the house and large enough to cover my tractor and little utility vehicle.
Guess what. As I pulled up next to the pile of lumber with my bags of redi-mix, it started raining and today it is snowing.
It snowed this morning and is still coming down on and off as I’m writing this. It’s 3pm. Nothing is sticking thankfully. Hopefully there will still be a few clear enough days to cement in my posts and build my little tractor/wood port.
So long for now.
Regards, Live Dangerously Be A Conservative
The next day I talked with our County Clerk Becky Griffin and she told me that the Newfield precinct was the only one that had an election in the whole county. That is because the school millage was for the Hesperia schools which are mainly in Newaygo County.
On a sadder note, Paul Scott, state Rep for the 51st from Grand Blanc in Genesee County lost a recall election the unions had put on. He lost by 322 votes which is a really small amount, but seemingly enough because he didn’t call for a recall. I felt bad as I had gone twice to his area to knock on doors for him along with State Rep. Jon Bumstead. Tom Allison from Mears came the second time. We all had skin in the game.
All however is not in vain perhaps. The Republicans seemed to have hardened their stance due to the loss and the idea of forcing a recall. The MEA alone spent $142,000.00 on the election. They were really well organized. The main reason the MEA recall happened was that Paul Scott was head of the election committee. He was the face of the union reform legislation. The unions targeted him for recall due to that. However as Mike Bishop former Majority Chair in the Senate tweeted, the election may have had the opposite effect upon the Education Committee. He tweeted the following.
-----tweet-----
"The MEA spent $150k dollars only to get their nemesis, Representative Tom McMillin, appointed as the chairman of the education committee."
---------------
Tom McMillin is rated the most conservative legislator in the state and supports the privatization of the public schools. So although the message was sent by the voters, it seems that the course for the MEA in the house and the education committee in particular may be rockier than it was before. The MEA’s narrow victory may have been tactical defeat.
In Ohio, Ohioans seemed to have rebuked Gov. Kasich’s efforts at public union reform by voting in favor of proposal two which upturned the legislation passed and signed into law. The good news was that proposition three also passed which was a rebuke against President Obama’s health care. The prop. said that no Ohioan could be forced to buy the Insurance. A friend of mine pointed out to me that Kasich made his mistake on the Union legislation by not doing what they did in Wisconsin which was to exempt Police, Fire and Emergency Providers in their reforms. By not exempt them Kasich gave the opposition too much ammunition to use against the legislation in a public vote.
No matter how I spin it however I didn’t want to see Prop 2 pass in Ohio and Paul Scott recalled. As a member of the Oceana Tea Party and a Tea Partier from the beginning I have seen a slowing down of the momentum of the Tea Party and had predicted a type of backlash. The media sure played it that way and it seems to have started. What this tells me is that I have to along with other conservatives and redouble our efforts. I wrote a longer piece on this in my Live Dangerously blog.
-----link-----
http://tinyurl.com/6q7dptm
---------------
Locally we held our Nov. Tea Party meeting. Our main event was showing the movie “Sick and Sicker” a documentary on ObamaCare and how it plays out in Canada, and we even served Popcorn. Before that however we conducted some business and I kept pushing the group to become Precinct Delegates. Also I told the members that our next Speaker for Dec. would be former State Rep. Jack Hoogendyk who would be telling us all about “Right to Work” in mi. This should be an interesting meeting. Jack ran last against US Senator Carl Levin. He is now based out of Lansing and has his finger on the pulse of what is going on.
Next, locally we celebrated Tues. morning the 52nd consecutive meeting of the Cozy Conservative Corner. It was our 1st year birthday. We had one of our best crowds, Tea Partiers, Republicans, independents. Conservatives all, you know those clingy flyover people with their bibles and guns. We had a snarky good time.
Later that day for lunch the Republicans of Oceana County had their meeting. I was happy to see the Wentzloffs attend as they are filing to run as Precinct Delegates next year. They are from the Tea Party.
All of my efforts have been to bring together various quote “divisions” within the Conservative movement and get more people out to vote in the next election to Dump Debbie and Obfuscate Obama and his agenda. Also at the meeting our Chair Juanita Pierman wasn’t there so John Hendrixon our co-chair was in charge. We talked a lot about the annual bus trip in which we fill a nice Charter bus with school kids to visit the state Capital and get a tour of the place with Sen. Goeff Hansen and probably our Rep. Jon Bumstead. We talked of getting Mason county involved and adding an extra bus so we could take over a hundred kids. Total cost will be over $2,000. Be prepared, the begging will soon start. LOL. Please think about donating something. Dig deep people as this is a good cause.
The next day Juanita and Tom Allison and I went to the Mason County Republican Party Meeting to promote that idea. Juanita made a nice presentation and answered all questions. They seemed more than willing. This is a great way to plant the seed of civic involvement and responsibility in our youth.
On a different note Juanita contacted the person running the Oceana County GOP website and he was supposed to call me but hasn’t yet. I will call him today. Our Oceana GOP site hasn’t been updated since the last election in 2010. I’m dying to get my hands on it and start filling it up with current stuff and all kinds of other things.
It will depend on the format as to what I can do and not to mention my abilities, but we have a big election coming in less than a year now and the need is huge. We all know the Presidential, Senatorial and Congressional races. But we also have our State Rep along with five Township officials from each of our 18(?) Townships -- that is a lot of candidates. I would like to list all of them and give links to anything they may want the public to know along with their pic etc. I would want this to be a one stop website for anyone to get the lowdown for issues and candidates running on the Republican ticket, no matter where in Oceana they live. I hope --- but we’ll see.
This could be another way to push Precinct Delegates which is a pet cause of mine. But mainly we need to get up current info about our Oceana Republican Party, when we meet and what we are doing. I want to get pictures up and make it as interesting as possible to all who view it. If we want to grow then this is a good platform to do it with.
Currently you can find the GOP and Tea Party on Face book under Oceana GOP and Oceana Tea Party.
So much for my schemes. LOL I’ve been working hard on my house outside and now I have a load of lumber to build a shed roof over my burn wood racks next to the house and large enough to cover my tractor and little utility vehicle.
Guess what. As I pulled up next to the pile of lumber with my bags of redi-mix, it started raining and today it is snowing.
It snowed this morning and is still coming down on and off as I’m writing this. It’s 3pm. Nothing is sticking thankfully. Hopefully there will still be a few clear enough days to cement in my posts and build my little tractor/wood port.
So long for now.
Regards, Live Dangerously Be A Conservative
Monday, October 3, 2011
Everybody Needs a Vehicle
Everyone Needs a Vehicle.
The area of expertise a person really knows about is the immediate area around him or her. All the rest is, as they say based on 2nd hand knowledge and hearsay. As I try to figure out people and things outside my sphere of influence I start to get bogged down. Simply stated I begin to look more at what is written than at the person.
Only when I am able to actually talk with or interact with people can I become better able to judge them.
That brings me to the importance of Bottom Up Politics. While I have opinions on the big moral issues of the time and the “big” people of the time, those opinions are based upon hearsay. Bottom Up Politics has been my vehicle that I needed to get out into my neighborhood and interact with real people. Get to know them. The concept of BUP (Bottom Up Politics) is that only by getting to know your local candidates and politicians and then electing those with which you have firsthand knowledge; will we be able to change the course of government. Politics after all is personal.
If you think that by getting to know your county commissioner or Township Clerk you will have no effect upon the “big” issues you are mistaken. I have been looking at local politics for only a few years now and already the effect has been visible to me. It is at this level that politicians are the most accessible and amenable to the people they represent.
It is at this level too that the seeds of freedom can be best planted and nurtured in our elected representatives by individuals like you and me. While we can lobby and try to change a politicians mind to do what we think best, it is hard and at best only fleeting.
It is at this level and through this winnowing process where future leaders work their way up the ranks to positions of ever increasing power. When we reach out to these future leaders at the lowest levels we will have the most impact.
Recently I went to a Candidate Forum in DeWitt Mi. where all the Republican Candidates for the US Senate seat for Mi. were assembled.
-----link to Senate Forum-----
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2456333089842.139245.1297542419&l=cca6b2f2aa&type=1
------------------------------
It was here that I heard Pete Hoekstra say that he liked Herman Cain's economic policy called 9-9-9 and that it was a good step towards a Fair Tax. As I watched and listened it dawned upon me however that all the candidates were Republican of course and that they all pretty much were saying the same thing. The only difference was that those new to politics were tearing apart those who were in politics. Those with experience in politics were saying that was a plus and those without experience they felt were not up to the task. The opposite was said by those without experience.
A case can be made for both sides of the experience issue. Is lack of experience a good thing? Look at President Obama and his lack of experience. Is it a necessity to have experience? Look at Debbie Stabenow. Again it comes down to the honesty and integrity of the person and to know that, we have to get to know the person.
For those running for high office it becomes hard if not impossible to do that. Getting to know the President or Governor is a lot harder than getting to know your County Commissioner or Township Treasurer. Therefore getting back to the BUP idea of seeding the “farm team” of local politicians with honest people as the only way we can hope to influence the future leaders as they make their way up the ladder.
This I realize is also making a case for the importance of experience. However that experience need not come only from the political field; it can come from the business community or anyplace else where the person is tested by “fire” and judged by their peers and the best rise from the bottom up.
I’ve recently moved to a new county and am trying to get to know the people that are my new neighbors. So far I mainly have been getting familiar with those local politicians that will talk with me. I’ve been going to township and county meetings and picking up on the issues and the people championing them that are important to my new area. Those big ideas like green energy and fiscal responsibility are found locally in issues like zoning regs. for wind turbines or the cost of building a new animal shelter vs. remodeling the current one. I can believe that a township official or county commissioner who backs strict zoning regs against Wind Turbines and votes to remodel the animal shelter is the person I would feel comfortable voting for as our next State Rep. Part of that comfortable feeling would also come from seeing that person in action first hand and hopefully talking with them.
In my search for vehicles to get about my new community, I have made contact with the County Party and have set up a County Tea Party. These efforts have made it easier to be in touch with the local leaders. I have found that these local politicians have a good pulse on the public they serve. They know a lot of people in general and the “movers and shakers” in the community.
Locally already I have seen State Reps move to State Senate, and State Reps fighting the good conservative fight. I saw that they had been always fighting that fight through previous government work or in the private sector. The two I’m thinking of each rose in different channels but came through by keeping fiscally conservative.
Their peers had put them where they are. It is up to you and me to keep letting them know that we support them and those efforts, and it is also up to us to help them in whatever way we can to “keep it personal”. The more interaction with them the better chance we will judge them fairly. Here I’m talking about not only financially but the everyday political stuff, the real hands on stuff of politics. Simply walking in a parade with a candidate, or helping one day with a literature drop before elections, or going to or better yet helping them put on one of their events or fundraisers.
Any of these things are important to the candidate and gives you the inside look at the person and how they work. This always helps me to decide whether they are honest and their actions match up with their words.
For example recently I and a few others helped out the County Republican Chair putting on the annual Bratt Fry.
-----link Bratt Fry-----
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2464880623525.139502.1297542419&l=939e2d143e&type=1
------------------------
PS the wood pile is mine, 2 cord done 3 to go and the trukeys are my constant visitors. Both have nothing to do with this post. LOL
It was mainly grunt stuff, putting up banners, and stuff like that. Simply though by volunteering this turned into a great vehicle through which to meet the leaders of the community. I was able to talk with a Circuit Judge, former long time Republican County Leader, plus State Senator and State Rep and our US Congressman, plus other friends from the Tea Party and Republican Party. It was here that I was able to ask Congressman Huizenga what he thought about Pete Hoekstra supporting Herman Caines 9-9-9 policy. As the Congressman said he liked the idea too, you could almost see the wheels turning about how that might sound. How Herman Cain might not be his cup of tea, or how that might fit in with supporting Mitt Romney. He then added that he personally liked the flat tax better. I give this one example to show how interconnected events get as you delve into politics and your community and important it can be to learn to better judge the issues and people around you.
These methods are all vehicles which I use to learn my community. The highest octane gas that fuels these vehicles I have found is to simply ask yourself, “What Can I Do Today” and then ask someone “How Can I Help”. Be sure to ask it humbly and simply as you’re capable, but be prepared for the change in direction within your life. That can become a life changer, a lifelong journey.
Money too is a vehicle. It is simple quick and easy. Everybody from Political Parties to Candidates to the individual Citizens use it. That’s why it’s easier for you to simply give money to someone or something and easier for the organization or candidate to ask for money. What with the digital age and credit cards/paypal etc nobody has to touch anyone or anything.
Which vehicle however do you think is better for our Country? Which vehicle would you rather have driving the economy, Citizen Involvement or Money? People or money?
It’s time to pick a vehicle now while we still have a free choice.
Regards, Live Dangerously Be A Conservative
The area of expertise a person really knows about is the immediate area around him or her. All the rest is, as they say based on 2nd hand knowledge and hearsay. As I try to figure out people and things outside my sphere of influence I start to get bogged down. Simply stated I begin to look more at what is written than at the person.
Only when I am able to actually talk with or interact with people can I become better able to judge them.
That brings me to the importance of Bottom Up Politics. While I have opinions on the big moral issues of the time and the “big” people of the time, those opinions are based upon hearsay. Bottom Up Politics has been my vehicle that I needed to get out into my neighborhood and interact with real people. Get to know them. The concept of BUP (Bottom Up Politics) is that only by getting to know your local candidates and politicians and then electing those with which you have firsthand knowledge; will we be able to change the course of government. Politics after all is personal.
If you think that by getting to know your county commissioner or Township Clerk you will have no effect upon the “big” issues you are mistaken. I have been looking at local politics for only a few years now and already the effect has been visible to me. It is at this level that politicians are the most accessible and amenable to the people they represent.
It is at this level too that the seeds of freedom can be best planted and nurtured in our elected representatives by individuals like you and me. While we can lobby and try to change a politicians mind to do what we think best, it is hard and at best only fleeting.
It is at this level and through this winnowing process where future leaders work their way up the ranks to positions of ever increasing power. When we reach out to these future leaders at the lowest levels we will have the most impact.
Recently I went to a Candidate Forum in DeWitt Mi. where all the Republican Candidates for the US Senate seat for Mi. were assembled.
-----link to Senate Forum-----
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2456333089842.139245.1297542419&l=cca6b2f2aa&type=1
------------------------------
It was here that I heard Pete Hoekstra say that he liked Herman Cain's economic policy called 9-9-9 and that it was a good step towards a Fair Tax. As I watched and listened it dawned upon me however that all the candidates were Republican of course and that they all pretty much were saying the same thing. The only difference was that those new to politics were tearing apart those who were in politics. Those with experience in politics were saying that was a plus and those without experience they felt were not up to the task. The opposite was said by those without experience.
A case can be made for both sides of the experience issue. Is lack of experience a good thing? Look at President Obama and his lack of experience. Is it a necessity to have experience? Look at Debbie Stabenow. Again it comes down to the honesty and integrity of the person and to know that, we have to get to know the person.
For those running for high office it becomes hard if not impossible to do that. Getting to know the President or Governor is a lot harder than getting to know your County Commissioner or Township Treasurer. Therefore getting back to the BUP idea of seeding the “farm team” of local politicians with honest people as the only way we can hope to influence the future leaders as they make their way up the ladder.
This I realize is also making a case for the importance of experience. However that experience need not come only from the political field; it can come from the business community or anyplace else where the person is tested by “fire” and judged by their peers and the best rise from the bottom up.
I’ve recently moved to a new county and am trying to get to know the people that are my new neighbors. So far I mainly have been getting familiar with those local politicians that will talk with me. I’ve been going to township and county meetings and picking up on the issues and the people championing them that are important to my new area. Those big ideas like green energy and fiscal responsibility are found locally in issues like zoning regs. for wind turbines or the cost of building a new animal shelter vs. remodeling the current one. I can believe that a township official or county commissioner who backs strict zoning regs against Wind Turbines and votes to remodel the animal shelter is the person I would feel comfortable voting for as our next State Rep. Part of that comfortable feeling would also come from seeing that person in action first hand and hopefully talking with them.
In my search for vehicles to get about my new community, I have made contact with the County Party and have set up a County Tea Party. These efforts have made it easier to be in touch with the local leaders. I have found that these local politicians have a good pulse on the public they serve. They know a lot of people in general and the “movers and shakers” in the community.
Locally already I have seen State Reps move to State Senate, and State Reps fighting the good conservative fight. I saw that they had been always fighting that fight through previous government work or in the private sector. The two I’m thinking of each rose in different channels but came through by keeping fiscally conservative.
Their peers had put them where they are. It is up to you and me to keep letting them know that we support them and those efforts, and it is also up to us to help them in whatever way we can to “keep it personal”. The more interaction with them the better chance we will judge them fairly. Here I’m talking about not only financially but the everyday political stuff, the real hands on stuff of politics. Simply walking in a parade with a candidate, or helping one day with a literature drop before elections, or going to or better yet helping them put on one of their events or fundraisers.
Any of these things are important to the candidate and gives you the inside look at the person and how they work. This always helps me to decide whether they are honest and their actions match up with their words.
For example recently I and a few others helped out the County Republican Chair putting on the annual Bratt Fry.
-----link Bratt Fry-----
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2464880623525.139502.1297542419&l=939e2d143e&type=1
------------------------
PS the wood pile is mine, 2 cord done 3 to go and the trukeys are my constant visitors. Both have nothing to do with this post. LOL
It was mainly grunt stuff, putting up banners, and stuff like that. Simply though by volunteering this turned into a great vehicle through which to meet the leaders of the community. I was able to talk with a Circuit Judge, former long time Republican County Leader, plus State Senator and State Rep and our US Congressman, plus other friends from the Tea Party and Republican Party. It was here that I was able to ask Congressman Huizenga what he thought about Pete Hoekstra supporting Herman Caines 9-9-9 policy. As the Congressman said he liked the idea too, you could almost see the wheels turning about how that might sound. How Herman Cain might not be his cup of tea, or how that might fit in with supporting Mitt Romney. He then added that he personally liked the flat tax better. I give this one example to show how interconnected events get as you delve into politics and your community and important it can be to learn to better judge the issues and people around you.
These methods are all vehicles which I use to learn my community. The highest octane gas that fuels these vehicles I have found is to simply ask yourself, “What Can I Do Today” and then ask someone “How Can I Help”. Be sure to ask it humbly and simply as you’re capable, but be prepared for the change in direction within your life. That can become a life changer, a lifelong journey.
Money too is a vehicle. It is simple quick and easy. Everybody from Political Parties to Candidates to the individual Citizens use it. That’s why it’s easier for you to simply give money to someone or something and easier for the organization or candidate to ask for money. What with the digital age and credit cards/paypal etc nobody has to touch anyone or anything.
Which vehicle however do you think is better for our Country? Which vehicle would you rather have driving the economy, Citizen Involvement or Money? People or money?
It’s time to pick a vehicle now while we still have a free choice.
Regards, Live Dangerously Be A Conservative
Monday, September 26, 2011
How Does Bottom Up Politics Work ???
How does Bottom Up Politics work?
As I’ve preached over the years about Bottom Up Politics the one stumbling block in most people’s mind takes the form of a question. What can one person do to change the country? A corollary to that is what good will come from entering into local politics, what change can I make?
The cornerstone of Bottom Up Politics is that only change that comes from the bottom and works it’s way to the top is the only change that can last. The reason is that through the process of “filtering up” through the smaller branches, the change will have gone through a repeated process of refinement.
Here is a link to an article in Capital Confidential by Ken Braun.
-----Link-----
http://www.michigancapitolconfidential.com/15768
---------------
This article shows how one Township has dealt with the overwhelming unfunded debt problem it had, namely with pensions. The Township did what it thought it had to do in order to try to start to get its financial house in order.
This type change at the smallest level of government in Mi. can have a profound change. That change however will be tweaked refined and studied as other Townships wrestle with the same problem. There are 1242 Townships in Mi. When all those Townships create their versions of the same thing, as they feed off the others and make changes as they see fit; an even better and stronger solution to the problem will emerge. From this experimentation the upper levels will draw their own conclusions. As the article above shows the State of Michigan has already taken some of those ideas and introduced legislation that reflects the changes made at a local level.
This is what I call the “Free Enterprise of Ideas” and just as in Free Enterprise, the more input from the Bottom Up, the better and stronger the product or idea will be.
So, next time people tell you not to bother to get involved at a local level because the problems are too big and complicated take the above example to heart. Take to heart also the idea that America is the one shining example in the world where the Federal Government was limited enough to allow for the flourishing of that same “Free Enterprise of Ideas”.
Remember that on Election Day. Remember, your vote matters.
Before Election Day remember too your ideas matter, talk to your friends, talk them and yourself into going to the polls on Election Day.
Get involved; remind the world and the bureaucrats in Washington that in America one person still matters. That Individual Freedom is the cornerstone of Political and Financial Freedom. It is what our country was founded upon.
To end, here is a quote from Barry Goldwater. “Never forget there was only one freedom on which this nation was founded; that was freedom from government.”
Regards, Live Dangerously Be A Conservative
As I’ve preached over the years about Bottom Up Politics the one stumbling block in most people’s mind takes the form of a question. What can one person do to change the country? A corollary to that is what good will come from entering into local politics, what change can I make?
The cornerstone of Bottom Up Politics is that only change that comes from the bottom and works it’s way to the top is the only change that can last. The reason is that through the process of “filtering up” through the smaller branches, the change will have gone through a repeated process of refinement.
Here is a link to an article in Capital Confidential by Ken Braun.
-----Link-----
http://www.michigancapitolconfidential.com/15768
---------------
This article shows how one Township has dealt with the overwhelming unfunded debt problem it had, namely with pensions. The Township did what it thought it had to do in order to try to start to get its financial house in order.
This type change at the smallest level of government in Mi. can have a profound change. That change however will be tweaked refined and studied as other Townships wrestle with the same problem. There are 1242 Townships in Mi. When all those Townships create their versions of the same thing, as they feed off the others and make changes as they see fit; an even better and stronger solution to the problem will emerge. From this experimentation the upper levels will draw their own conclusions. As the article above shows the State of Michigan has already taken some of those ideas and introduced legislation that reflects the changes made at a local level.
This is what I call the “Free Enterprise of Ideas” and just as in Free Enterprise, the more input from the Bottom Up, the better and stronger the product or idea will be.
So, next time people tell you not to bother to get involved at a local level because the problems are too big and complicated take the above example to heart. Take to heart also the idea that America is the one shining example in the world where the Federal Government was limited enough to allow for the flourishing of that same “Free Enterprise of Ideas”.
Remember that on Election Day. Remember, your vote matters.
Before Election Day remember too your ideas matter, talk to your friends, talk them and yourself into going to the polls on Election Day.
Get involved; remind the world and the bureaucrats in Washington that in America one person still matters. That Individual Freedom is the cornerstone of Political and Financial Freedom. It is what our country was founded upon.
To end, here is a quote from Barry Goldwater. “Never forget there was only one freedom on which this nation was founded; that was freedom from government.”
Regards, Live Dangerously Be A Conservative
Saturday, September 24, 2011
A Nation of Free People - or a Nation of Regulations?
Speaker Boehner and his friends have always been fighting against regulation as the #1 job and business killer, not to mention a good source of pork.
http://cfif.org/v/freedom_line_blog/11301/boehner-rides-the-reins/
This gives some background about a bill that may well become critical later this year.
Phil Kerpen of Americans for Prosperity wrote the article “Regulation Nation” in the Weekly Standard here is a link to it.
-----link-----
http://www.weeklystandard.com/articles/regulation-nation_593656.html?page=2
--------------
If you believe as I do that over regulation by the Federal Government is at the root of most of our problems in our economy and lately our personal life then you too will understand the importance of this article.
I think it appropriate here to note the back story of this bill now before Congress. Of special note the crucial role Speaker John Boehner and his fellow conservative House members played in getting this up and going in the House. Note also the role of Sen. Jim DeMint in being the tip of the spear in the Senate for this legislation. With the support of Rand Paul the Tea Party is well represented. This was and is a positive step in restoring accountability to those who make law.
The individual back story of Mr. Rogers working his anger into something positive is inspiring for would be activists like myself. I will be putting on my thinking cap on to try and figure out what to do to help pass this one. Already springing to mind is a rally featuring burning the 163,000 pages of new regulations in the Code of Federal Regulations. Maybe a bonfire with a pig roast thrown in. Talk about feasting on Cutting Pork in the Federal Government.
I believe this is a God send for the Tea Party to flex its muscle and unite behind and push it as far as we can. Now is the time before the election to help move this bill and draw a line in the sand over. This would solidify and help define our opposition to the Obama administration’s current policies. All the things Mr. Obama said he was for such as Transparency, Accountability, balancing the budget and especially creating jobs-these are all tied up in this bill.
Well the Pig roast might be a bit much, but a fire or a brush chipper would be great along with a press release about the legislation and Tea Party support. Along with getting signatures to send to Debbie Stabenow to do what’s right.
To argue otherwise would be to say that the voice of the people told through their elected officials is no longer in charge of the government and that bureaucracy is.
It’s downright Anti-Freedom, Anti-Constitutional and Anti-American.
How do you like Them apples?
Regards, Live Dangerously Be A Conservative
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