Don't leave home without it

Well, it seems like sometimes Fulton Sheen remembers his check book and sometimes he doesn't. Fulton's campaign finance statement shows him to be a generous guy when it comes to his friends. Who are Fulton's friends? Some of his friends are the so-called Citizens for Traditional Values for whom Fulton Sheen coughed up $100 as an event sponsor and another $200 as a reception sponsor. Fulton's friends also include Allegan County Right to Life for whom Representative Sheen ponied up another $120 as a table sponsor for the southern group's dinner and $140 for the northern end's festivities (two groups? what did they have a civil war?). Fulton also contributed $256 in order to sponsor two tables at the Michigan Prayer Breakfast. Allegan County's state rep. also coughed up $100 for an ad in the county GOP's Lincoln Day Dinner program and another $30 to a county GOP picnic, plus $10 for tickets to a meeting and $20 for a reception for his county Republican Party. Sheen also bought himself a $150 stay at the Grand Hotel on scenic Mackinac Island for the state GOP conference dinner- but I guess he was just doing his part to stimulate the tourism industry!

So, why didn't Fulton think he needed to pay his way when it came to supporting a worthy cause like Habitat for Humanity? Why did he need to be badgered into pledging to send a "check in the mail" for a meager $50 (half of what he paid to advertise in his county party's Lincoln Day program)? In case you wondered, tickets to the Allegan Habitat dinner that Fulton didn't have the money to buy were a whopping $8! No wonder he couldn't afford it, he guy only makes $79,650 a year (plus benefits and travel)! We're still waiting to hear if he sent his check for $50...

Freeloading Fulton- Will he keep his promise?

Sometimes a good explanation of why people dislike politicians gets dropped right in your lap. Such was the case Friday night for one of my sources who went to a fund-raising dinner for Habitat for Humanity. 88th District State Rep. Fulton Sheen of Plainwell, the Republican recently touted as gallantly shepherding the Single Business Tax bill through the House, made an appearance at the dinner, not to eat or support Habitat, but to shake hands and kiss babies in the early stages of an election year. Sheen was as adept in the practice as Brian Calley, his near-clone who is seeking to win this fall in the neighboring 87th District. Christine Blanco, coordinator of the dinner, confronted Sheen after he worked the room for about an hour, telling him it's very bad manners to show up at a charity dinner only to promote your own chances of being re-elected to an $80,000-a-year job with the very best in free health care benefits. She asked him to at least have the courtesy to buy a dinner or make a donation like everyone else. Mr. Sheen informed her he didn't have his check book with him, which meant he arrived at the dinner without any intention of breaking bread with Habitat supporters or making any donations.

"I left my check book at home?" Isn't that the excuse you'd give some panhandler on the street and not the organizer of a charity dinner you decided to show up at in order to schmooze for votes? Of course, when you are used to lobbyists buying you a free lunch (or taking the free lunch at taxpayer expense) maybe you get used to not carrying around money like us working slobs do.

Now if you or I were to appear at a busy restaurant, not to eat or pay for a dinner, but to chat with the patrons to promote ourselves, we would get the boot a lot sooner than an hour and hear more than a few choice words from the owner or manager. That's pretty much what Sheen did in his solid portrayal of a slick, slimy, selfish, self-absorbed state rep interested not in helping a worthy charity, but instead in his re-election effort. Christine Blanco finally extracted a promise from Sheen to send Habitat a check for $50. Stay tuned as to whether or or not he wrote that check...

Brian Reynolds, one of the candidates for State Representative in the adjoining 87th District, has promised if he wins he will give back $10,000 of that $80,000 salary to Habitat, an announcement greeted by his detractors as grandstanding (we must assume that means their candidate will probably be taking the entire the $80 grand and putting it in their bank accounts- or using it to pay back their campaign finance committee's loans). It ain't grandstanding if Mr. Reynolds actually keeps his promise. We're still waiting to see if Sheen will keep his...

Tomorrow is "Joe Day"

In honor of Joe Day we will share with you a little tidbit from Battle Creek's Joe Schwarz- one of the last true Republicans who doesn't put party allegiance ahead of principles. I don't entirely agree with him but at least he stands by his beliefs and doesn't put party before country like so many of his colleagues. Schwarz recently spoke to some Marshall high school students and had this to say:

"(Convicted Republican Congressman) Duke Cunningham is in jail, he belongs in jail. He betrayed his family, he betrayed his country and worst of all, he betrayed himself...I have no sympathy for him whatsoever."

"I am going to support John McCain (for president.) ... Though he is putting people into place, he will wait until after the 2006 election before he will say whether he will run. I believe if he runs, he will serve just one term. If you don't have that hanging over your head, you make stronger decisions."

On Iraq: "They think we're losing control in some part of the country so the numbers need to go back up. The historians will decide whether we were correct in going in. I think maybe the Harry S. Truman doctrine of containment may be a better way. But don't think when we're out, our problems will be over."

"I will not vote to overturn Roe v. Wade. I believe it is a woman's choice. It should not be made by some gray haired, middle aged man like myself. If you can carry the baby to term, it will be taken care of. The decision is yours to make. I'm not crazy about abortion but I will never vote to overturn Roe v. Wade."

"I supported Michigan's DOMA because it's the state that marries you so a state statute is appropriate but I don't support a state constitutional or a federal amendment that bans gay marriage. You do not make social policy in the Constitution."

Thanks to the little bird who supplied me with these great quotes- you know who you are!

Is this why he quit?

Earlier we commented on rumors that Mark Doster decided against continuing his bid for the 87th state house seat. And now in this week's Hastings Banner (March 23, 2006) we read this:

Mark Doster, administrator of the Southwest Barry Sewer and Water Authority, is up for a big increase in salary in only his second year on the job.
The Sewer and Water Board was given a proposal Monday afternoon to increase Doster’s salary by 22 percent, up to $30,500 from his current $25,000 a year, a pay raise of $5,500.
In addition, Doster will receive an additional $4,066,52 in fringe benefits in the proposal, making his total package worth 38 percent more than the position now pays. Doster will pay 30 percent toward his total benefit package or $1,742.80 of the $5,809.32 total cost. He will also receive $300 a year for dental.
Doster was hired in January 2005 for the 20-hour-a week position.

Over $30,000 for a 20-hour-a week job might have factored in the decision to drop out- along with not having had a chance in hell of winning. Actually a guy who manages an almost 40% raise for a part time job seems like the perfect candidate to join the bozos in Lansing (that's sarcasm in case you didn't catch it, folks).

87th District race- update

Rumors abound that Mark Doster is no longer running for Gary Newell's open seat. If true, it's not much of a surprise and it probably won't have much effect on the race.

As always, we rely on readers like you to help supply us with up-to-date info so please drop us a line if you have any hot tips, and thanks for reading. Also, the site's stat counter shows an amazing amount of traffic for a blog that mostly deals with small town politics. Be sure to spread the word and tell your friends and neighbors and we'll keep trying to entertain and inform.

Pitchforks and torches?

It's conventional wisdom that people don't show up for meetings unless they are mad. The Barry County Chamber of Commerce sponsors a monthly meeting between constituents and their state and national reps (or their low level staff flunkies, anyway). From all accounts the meetings tend to attract a small handful of people usually concerned with some particular problem they need somebody to listen to. That's why I found this little gem tucked at the end of the story on the city council meeting in the latest issue (March 16, 2006) issue of The Hastings Banner pretty interesting:

Heard a report from (Hastings Mayor Bob) May about the monthly Legislative Coffee program that took place that morning at the County Seat restaurant. “It was the largest turnout we’ve had in many months, and hopefully there will be a larger crowd next time when it is held at the MiddleVilla Inn,” said the mayor.

I take this as yet another sign that the natives are getting restless and are showing up to give their elected leaders an earful. With problems mounting everyday the state and national government still spends their time grandstanding on hot button issues and doing the bidding of special interests. The coming election is sure to spell doom for many incumbents who may be surprised to find themselves swamped by a tidal wave of voter disgust. While gerrymandering will surely dampen the number of seats that are ripe for a handover, there still exists a good chance that voters will make it known they want to "throw the bums out." Whether certain politicians are saavy enough to ride that wave or get buried by it remains to be seen.

The governor's race is a good example: Granholm could turn the tables on DeVos and make him look like the politicial players he's pretending he's not while she runs against a legislature that is beholden to the ideas of the Mackinac Center which benefits from the wealth of politically-involved billionaires like Dick Devos and their fat cat friends at the expense of the average taxpayer and working stiff who just might be waking up to the fact that over a decade of tax cuts, tax cuts, and more tax cuts have left us in a serious budget hole and with crumbling schools and roads while the rich laugh their way to the bank- or to their broker to invest in another company sending our jobs to India and China. On the other hand, Granholm will surely lose if she allows DeVos to pretend to be the outsider (contrary to reality- since his wife was state party chair for the GOP and Tricky Dick was one of the leading figures in the failed fight to get you to give your tax dollars to private Christian madrasas at the expense of public schools in order to provide more of that magical elixir of "competition" that will supposedly solve all of our woes) and if she lets Dick DeVos pin the pain and problems of average voters onto her while continuing to delude them into thinking that all our economic woes can be solved with more and more tax cuts. It will at least be an interesting chess match to watch unfold in the coming months... stay tuned!

Gunboats on the Great Lakes?

According to the CBC the U.S. will be installing machine guns on Coast Guard vessels on the waters of the Great Lakes. Those pesky jet skiers may want to stear clear...

Here's a taste of the article...

"For the first time since 1817, U.S. Coast Guard vessels on the Great Lakes are being outfitted with weapons – machine-guns capable of firing 600 bullets a minute.

Until now, coast guard officers have been armed with handguns and rifles, but the vessels themselves haven't been equipped with weapons.

The War of 1812 saw violent battles on Lake Erie and Lake Huron between U.S. troops and British forces, which were largely composed of militias from Britain's colonies in what is now Canada. After the war, the United States and Britain – and later Canada – agreed to demilitarize the Great Lakes waters.

The Rush-Bagot Treaty of 1817 allowed each country to station four vessels, each equipped with an 18-pound cannon, to safeguard the Great Lakes.

The antiquated treaty has recently been reinterpreted because of U.S. concerns about customs violations, human smuggling and international terrorism."

At what point do we realize, like the proverbial chicken in the boiling pot, that we are experiencing a creeping fascism that is slowly replacing our democratic republic with a totalitarian police state? Oh wait, they said it's to fight terrorism? I guess that means if I don't support this then I'm siding with the freedom haters. In that case, maybe we need to get serious and have some mini nuclear subs patrolling the waters off South Haven and Saugatuck. When does it end...?