Benzie County Record Patriot Letters to the Editor

In the Jan 31, 2024 edition of the Benzie County Record Patriot, the Editor chose to print a personally defaming letter to the editor.  

This commentary focused on a single citizen (a neighbor) within our community; a U.S. Marine Corps Combat Veteran who served multiple tours of duty in the Vietnam War, a true Patriot.

Rebuttals to the January 31st letter were sent to the Record Patriot and the Editor chose to not publish any content in opposition to the original published letter.  In fact, no Letters to the Editor were printed in the following two editions.  

It is unacceptable that our local newspaper is fully biased.  We must become a force for advocacy!!

Please consider writing, again and again, to the Record Patriot sharing your voice and concerns.  We deserver to be heard.

Send your letter to:  
Michelle Fedder  Managing Editor    
P: 231-398-3106
michelle.fedder@pioneergroup.com

Sondra Halliday
Precinct Delegate, Crystal Lake Township

Rather than turn over $3.2 million to NMC using a 2 mill levy, we propose using a 1 mill tax, keep it in the county and disburse the funds to NMC as the discounted tuition rates are applied. This cuts the taxpayer's obligation in half, keeps the money within the county and would allow us to create a Michigan Class account that currently returns 5%. Of course you know NMC will be investing these funds and disburse as needed in their general fund.

The first year, we may expect minimal student participation as most prospective students are not aware of the program. Over a 2 to 3 year period, the number of participating students would increase, but our year 1 funds are still invested. Each year we add to the balance and potentially reduce or increase the tax levy once we understand the cadence of the program....there are better ways of funding in-district tuition than merely taxing property owners and handing over a bag of loot to a college.

A best course of action (if we had to do something) to relieve tuition costs would be to fund at 1.0 mil, but keep the funding in Benzie County. Benzie would maintain the fund and benefit from the investment income. The fund would be available to several qualifying educational institutions, not just NMC. Qualifying schools may be Baker College in Cadillac, technical schools, etc.

The proposal for in-district funding for Benzie students would be a huge windfall for NMC, with very limited short term benefit for students.

We could have a variable funding mechanism based on usage, provide the needed tuition discount and (for once) provide an efficient government program if we think a little outside the box.

Brian Halliday
Precinct Delegate, Crystal Lake Township

Benzie is in 1st House District, the largest in Michigan, consisting of 222 delegates.

From Manistee Tea Party Newsletter
March 18th and March 25th

Mondays Legislative Updates

2nd Amendment

The NRA-ILA is offering an Online Webinar, focusing on state legislative updates regarding your Second Amendment rights, and featuring briefings by various NRA-ILA State Directors. Two sessions are scheduled to cover regional updates and the latest trends:The East & Central Region session will be held on March 18th, at 7:00 p.m. ET:   and the Mountain & Pacific Region session will be held on March 25th, at 5:30 p.m. PT:  Be sure to RSVP at the above links to get the webinar link.

March 21st, Thurs.
MATP meeting
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE:  FROM THE TERMINATOR TO TESLAS  
Our own Dr. Brian “Beam” Maue will present a picture-filled, multiple stories overview of Intelligence and Artificial Intelligence.  He will use unclassified examples from his prior Pentagon projects as well as A.I. technology that we encounter every day.  He will conclude with an interactive demonstration of an Artificial Intelligence “brain” that you can access for free.  This will allow you to learn about almost anything that has ever been published on the internet.  WARNING: since this Microsoft brain (there is also a Google brain) draws upon information from the internet, it may not always be able to distinguish fact from fiction…and that is part of the reason to come and join us for this exploration!The meeting will be March 21st at 6:30 pm in the Banquet Room at Bungalow Inn in Manistee.   Social hour and optional dinner begins at 5:30.  The meeting is free and open to the public.

- Action Alert -  Gun Restrictions -Michigan --  
HB 4127 would make it illegal for an individual to possess a firearm within 100 feet of a polling place, which includes ballot drop boxes, early voting sites, a city or township clerk's office, or within 100 feet of any entrance to these sites.  

HB 4128 would make it illegal to possess a firearm in an absent voter counting place or within 100 feet of where ballots are being processed.

Law-abiding gun owners should not face criminal penalties for simply crossing arbitrary lines with no intent to disrupt or interfere with the voting process.  Furthermore, many of these locations, like ballot drop boxes, are not well known and can be placed in areas otherwise open to concealed carry of a handgun like a grocery store entrance.  Passing within 100 feet of some of these areas unknowingly and unintentionally could be easy to do and prohibit you from accessing areas where it would otherwise be legal to carry.These bills have passed the Michigan House and were rushed through the Michigan Senate and have gone to Gov. Whitmer to sign.  Let her know what you think of these bills.  Unfortunately, she's probably already decided to sign them, but she needs to hear from all of us, anyway.  

Gov. Whitmer - phone 517-373-3400 or 517-335-7858

Right to Work - Michigan

Last year, a Democratic majority in the state legislature voted to repeal Michigan's,decade-old right-to-work law.  The repeal went into effect on February 13th.  The first state in 60 years to repeal a Right-to-Work law.  Only private sector workers are affected by the repeal.  They still retain their right not to join a union but they may have to pay a portion of union dues - known as an "agency fee".  Public sector workers cannot be mandated to join or financially support a union, thanks to a 2018 decision at the United States Supreme Court. This decision protected the First Amendment rights of public sector workers across the country.  Since public sector unions are inherently political entities, the high court ruled, requiring workers to pay union dues, agency fees, or anything else would violate their First Amendment rights.The Mackinac Center has resources available for workers looking for more information about their rights. Workers at private companies who want to learn more about their rights can visit here to get information on how to opt out of union membership and only pay agency fees.

 For public sector employees working for a school or for a government agency, www.MichiganUnionOptOut.com provides information on how to leave the union.

Possible Ballot Initiatives for the MI Nov. 5th Ballot
We've heard of three initiatives hoping to make it onto the Nov 2024 ballot.

1.  Minimum Wage
A ballot proposal seeking to raise Michigan’s hourly minimum wage to $15 over several years has been certified to appear on the ballot in 2024.  The group had submitted more than 610,000 petition signatures but had missed the deadline for the 2022 election.The initiative was designed to increase the minimum wage in Michigan incrementally. Under this measure, the minimum wage would increase to the following rates by the following dates:  $11.00 per hour by January 1, 2023;  $12.00 per hour by January 1, 2024;  $13.00 per hour by January 1, 2025;  $14.00 per hour by January 1, 2026; and  $15.00 per hour by January 1, 2027.  Under this measure, starting in 2027, the state treasurer would calculate an adjusted minimum wage rate every October. The minimum wage increase would be based on the rate of inflation for urban wage-earners (a process called 'indexing').  View Here.

2.  Local control of clean energy projects - Citizens for Local Choice
Last year Governor Whitmer signed a bundle of renewable energy laws the Citizens For Choice says takes away the community's voice.   "It's odd that the township can decide where a gas, coal or nuclear power plant goes inside their jurisdiction but not a wind or solar project," said Citizens For Choice leader Kevon Martis. "It doesn't seem, we're trying to reverse that."   "It's we the people that are supposed to be in charge of decision making -- not just the government," said Shiawassee County resident Matthew Shepard.

Learn more here

 And here.


3.  AxMITax - eliminate all property taxes

The originators of this ballot proposal are gathering signatures prior to getting the wording certified.  They are trying to collect 600,000 signatures, that's more than the required amount but would allow for some bad ones.  They want the petitions back by June 15th.  Here is a YouTube video with more information.

Their website  

Read the petition here  

U.S. Senate Race in Michigan

Now that the Presidential Primary is over, eyes will be turning to other races and the Primary for them in August.  With Debbie Stabenow retiring, there is an open seat for the U.S. Senate in Michigan and there are many vying for the seat.  As of February 14th the field consisted of 3 Democrats and 11 Republicans with one still contemplating whether to run or not.

In the Democrat corner we have:

Nasser Beydoun

Hill Harper

Elissa Slotkin

In the Republican corner we have:

Michael Hoover

Peter Meijer
 
Sherry O'Donnell  

Sandy Pensler
 
Mike Rogers  

Sharon Savage  

Bensson Samuel  

Nikki Snyder  

Alexandria Taylor

Glenn Wilson  

J.D. Wilson

Michigan Regulations
Natural Resources,and Environmental Protection

The Democrat controlled Legislature, on a totally partisan vote, passed and Gov. Whitmer signed,  House Bill 4826, 4824, & 4825 - a repeal of the Environmental Rules Review Committee (ERRC) which had been established under the Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act.  ERRC reviewed the rule-making of the Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE).   Proponents of the bill said it would be faster and more efficient if the rule making were not overseen by the ERRC and would better allow the State to protect public health and the environment.   Of course, there is another side to it - many feel the agencies need more oversight, not less, that is why the ERRC was formed to begin with.  “The whole purpose of (the bills creating the committee) was to force the department to listen to the voices of the public, science, and those being regulated by the department,” Sen. Ed McBroom, R-Waucedah Township, said in a statement. “The committee was created by (Casperson) in response to innumerable instances of the department promulgating rules that then created frustration and confusion across the board — treating spilled raw milk and dirt from sugar beets as ‘industrial waste.’ Rules were forced upon citizens and businesses — even after they attempted to show the department how ineffective, non-scientific, or impossible the goals were.”   "Repealing this committee may speed up the process, but more rules faster doesn’t make it better for the people.”     So public comment periods are ever more important.  See more here.


Michigan's Tax Rate

In 2015 a law passed that caused the Michigan income tax rate to go from 4.25% to 4.05% in 2023.  That new, lower, rate was supposed to be 'permanent' according to those who wrote and passed the law. However, AG Nessel gave the opinion that the lower rate was for one year only and that the criteria would have to be met every year to keep that rate in effect.  And, of course, Gov. Whitmer and the Democrat Legislature made sure that the criteria was not met again. So a complaint was filed by two lawmakers, two Michigan based business associations and six Michigan residents and taxpayers.  The case is currently on appeal and will eventually end up at the Michigan Supreme Court.   

30 X 30 Movement
A Conservation must or a Land Grab?

Have you heard of the 30 X 30 Movement?  Well 30 by 30 (or 30x30) is a worldwide 'conservation' initiative for governments to designate 30% of Earth's land and ocean area as protected areas by 2030.  Yep, 'protection' of 30% of the world's terrestrial, inland water, and coastal and marine areas by the year 2030.  About 190 countries have signed on to the United Nations agreement which also includes a bunch of other measures that they think will mitigate biodiversity loss.  As of 2022, the US had 42,826 protected areas covering about 13 percent of the land area of the United States.In 2021 Biden issued an executive order with that 30x30 goal.  [Executive Order 14008, “Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad” (86 Fed. Reg. 7,619), signed January 27, 2021.]  

Groups such as the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and the Nature Conservancy hailed the initiative as a must do to save the planet.

However, there is a downside that isn't getting much attention.  This proposal wants to have 30% of the land mass of the world untouched so that people can't do anything with it.  Some figures say that 50% of the west is already owned by the government.  87% of Nevada is owned by the government.  But no state is immune.  And there are moves underway to get even more land under the control of the government for their 30x30 plan and it's not all by purchasing the land from the landowner. (beware those government programs that 'help' a landowner)  Margaret Byfield with American Stewards of Liberty explains it better than I could (be sure to listen to the 1hr10min audio or watch the video as well as reading the bullet points).  

Remember - Whoever controls the land and resources controls the people.  Is it going to be the government or We the People?

Petition Language approved to repeal Whitmer update -support for energy siting changes. 

Act No. 233 of Public Acts of 2023 forces local government to go through the state when it comes to zoning authority of utility- solar & wind power. 

The Citizens for Local Choice group is leading the efforts to collect 550,000 signatures. Please visit their site www.micitizenschoice.org

Let’s keep the power in our local government!