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“We maintain the peace through our strength; weakness only invites aggression.” - Ronald Reagan
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CALENDAR OF EVENTS MAY 2024
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May 7th Deadline for filing for Precinct Delegate 4pm May 9th Dr Frank Election Integrity Forum Action Center 6:30 pm May 13th Representative Betsy Coffia in TC then virtual at 4pm May 14th Manistee Lincoln Dinner @ Little River Casino & Resort May 14th County Commissioners Meeting May 15th Lincoln Dinner in Leelanau May 20th Round Table at 5:30pm; then Executive Committee May 21st Check My Vote Training with Jen Brogley 5:30pm May 28th County Commissioners Meeting
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Welcome to our May Newsletter. Our BCRP Action Center continues to define itself through the tireless efforts of our Action Center Team. Sondra and the gang are getting the shelves stocked with Campaign merchandise while our lighted outdoor marquee sign is being finalized. Candidate, Precinct Delegate and Checkmyvote training sessions have also begun.
A big “thank you” to all our current and new BCRP individuals that have decided to run again or for the first time. The BCRP is looking forward to getting all our Republicans elected this fall. We are excited to be able to employ all the tools we now have at our disposal. These include targeted texting, phone banking, walk lists and scheduled Meet and Greets.
We have established our Precinct Delegate allocation for the next two years. If you are currently a Precinct Delegate, please consider running again. Your filing deadline is May 7th. We preserved our current Precinct Delegate count in all our 13 Precincts and even added a couple more in our smaller Townships. We have been holding weekly Precinct Delegate informational meetings at our Action Center. We had a fantastic event at our Action Center this past Friday evening. We added four more delegates applications to our County Party! The BCRP work in conjunction with Michigan Fair Elections and Checkmyvote.org. is now hitting its stride! We will continue to work with our Township Clerks as we assist their efforts to clean up our Qualified Voter Lists. We are excited to begin training anyone and everyone interested in helping our clerks clean up our Benzie Qualified Voter Rolls. Jennifer Brogley, our Benzie County CMV Data Lead, will be holding bi-weekly CMV Training sessions on every other Tuesday evening after May 21st.
In closing, it is important to remember that your effectiveness is a direct function of your proximity. Let’s promise to stay focused in this election season on that which we can affect, namely, issues and events in Benzie County and, more specifically, in your respective Townships. Avoid the daily distractions being spewed ad nauseum by the Main Street Media and “the other team”. Please dedicate your time and treasure locally to help us keep “Benzie Red”. Please volunteer and donate to your Benzie County Republican Party.
Thanks for the opportunity to serve. Mark
p.s. Teaser alert: look for our coordinated messaging across all our means of communication including FB, Social Media, website and YouTube (Yes we now have a Benzie County Republicans YouTube Channel!). In addition, we are now putting together our plan to run a weekly ad campaign in our local paper….. p.p.s. Finally, remember we are now in the Election Season, as such, please consider adding a little extra to your due’s renewal. We are keeping the annual dues at the low price of $25/year. We are asking that you go to the link in this Newsletter to renew your annual dues and chip in a little extra to help elect Republicans. You can also mail your dues to Benzie County Republican Party, PO Box 705, Beulah MI 49617.
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Strength: Impregnability; legal, logical, or moral force.
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Peace Through Strength: We believe the first obligation of the federal government is to provide for common defense of the United States by protecting our interests and homeland. Our military must remain strong and ready.
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URGENT CALL TO ACTION! The state has taken away your community’s ability to regulate industrial development and given that power to three unelected bureaucrats in Lansing. If you love Michigan and your community, the time to act is NOW!
Petitions are circulating to make the siting of industrial wind, solar and battery storage facilities a November ballot issue for all Michiganders to decide, BUT, WE NEED YOUR HELP TO SECURE THE REQUIRED 365,000 SIGNATURES! Please click here to request a petition for your signature along with your friends, families, neighbors and co-workers. The deadline is just a few weeks away, so don’t wait! Together we can save our Michigan landscape and retain local decision making before it is changed forever. We know Michigan voters are on our side. Over 87% of voters across all political spectrums support local control of permitting for utility-scale renewable energy.
Forward this email to everyone you know – this issue affects all residents and every signature counts! Don’t let Lansing decide what happens in your community. Please sign up to become part of the effort to secure signatures and restore local voices.
Visit the website: micitizenschoice.org to learn more and find campaign materials under the ‘Resources’ tab. If you have any questions or are able to get more involved, please email citizensforlocalchoice@gmail.com. ACT NOW Petition Talking Points:
- Are you a registered Michigan voter?
- Are you aware our Michigan legislature took away our ability to vote on local land use issues regarding renewable energy, such as wind turbines, industrial solar and battery storage facilities?
- Siting of industrial wind, solar and battery storage facilities will be under the control of a 3 person, appointed board at the MPSC (MI Public Service Commission) in Lansing with little/no knowledge of your community and land development goals.
- If we can attain 365,000 signatures prior to May 28, this can be a ballot issue for the entire Michigan electorate to decide in the November Presidential election, not just 76 legislators.
- The ballot issue has received non-partisan support of the Farm Bureau, Michigan Township Association, Michigan Association of Counties and the Associated Builders and Contractors of Michigan.
- Please help by signing this petition!
- You can make a difference by helping to circulate this petition!
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HELP CLEAN UP BENZIE VOTER ROLLS
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Let’s clean up the voter rolls in Benzie County and make a positive impact on election integrity! For those of you who have not heard, Check My Vote is an online tool available for anyone to monitor the voting history of people registered at their address. Every voting citizen in Michigan is encouraged to check their address to view who is on record as registered to vote there. It's simple. Please check it out. Many have been surprised to see that people are registered at their address who do not live there. If you discover that is the case for you, it means an invalid registration exists, and you can fix it by letting your township clerk know of the error. You can also view the voting history of those registered at your address to see on what election dates they voted and whether the vote was in-person or by absentee ballot. Just imagine if every registered voter in the State of Michigan did this! Our rolls would be clean! Unfortunately, not every voter is aware of this tool or uses it. Will you use it and also help spread the word? In addition to researching individual residences, volunteers are using this tool to help clean up voter rolls. The data for Benzie County currently identifies 16,944 registered voters with 4,610 of those registrations showing irregularities. Volunteers research these irregularities to determine whether the registration warrants challenging. Then, follow-up is needed to challenge the registrations with the clerk.
We need volunteers to assist with the effort to restore voter roll integrity in Benzie County.
Below are the types of help needed:
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And below is where we need help. (You must live in the township for the Clerk Liaison role. You can live anywhere for all other roles.)
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If you can help, please contact Jen Brogley at
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"We strongly and passionately oppose the push for a mandatory 'registry' for children who are educated at home or in private, or parochial schools."
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We have an opportunity in front of us to reverse Prop 2's devastating effects on our future elections. In 2022 voters passed Prop 2, which legalized Zuckerberg money, gave us 9 days of early voting, allows anyone to vote without voter I.D, and does not require video cameras on ballot drop boxes. Michigan Fair Elections (MFE), an incredible organization whose goal is to support fair and free elections in Michigan, is dedicated to eradicating Prop 2 from our state constitution.
Last fall MFE filed a lawsuit initiated by eight Republican legislators in our state. The Legislative Usurpation lawsuit argues that our U. S. Constitution, and our own State Constitution, places the authority over election law squarely with the state legislators. Our legislators alone are the ones who determine the time, place and manner of our elections. In other words, the Secretary of State does not have that authority nor do the citizens of Michigan by passing a ballot initiative, as our state did in 2018 and again in 2022, to change election law.
Michigan is presently awaiting a decision at the federal court level and no matter who wins or loses, there will be an appeal. If we do not act quickly, and proceed with the effort, there can be national consequences. The left is now trying this scam in other battleground states in time for the 2024 election!
Success of this lawsuit would remove 2022’s Prop 2 and Promote the Vote’s Prop 3 (2018 allowing anyone to vote absentee) out of our state constitution so in the future Michigan CAN enact fair election laws.
Unfortunately, Democrat majorities in the House and Senate have passed Prop 2 amendments into Michigan law. We however must take this opportunity to position our state to reinstall fair election laws when conservatives take back the reins of government. Success also would set precedence to stop this deceptive unconstitutional procedure from being used in other critical states for 2024.
I know you get millions of requests for donations, but unless we overturn Prop 2, nothing else matters. Ripping this out of our state constitution is the best chance we have of leveling the playing field of election integrity and this lawsuit has a real chance! However, there is an urgent need for additional funds to help pay some of the legal cost.
In Michigan, Progressive organizations spent $45,000,000 to pass Prop 2. We are trying to raise $50,000 to condemn it to the trash bin of corrupt initiatives pushed by the left.
The team of incredible attorneys working on this case tell us the federal courts are signaling that they are interested in hearing a case like this, so the time is now to act and get this to the US Supreme Court!
I hope I have explained the critical need for this lawsuit to go forward in an expedited way. My goal to help raise the $50,000 needed is to find:
- 8 - $1,000 donors
- 300 - $100 donors (the cost of two people going out to dinner!)
- 200 - $50 donors (a trip to McDonalds for a family of 4!)
I ask for your help to overturn these disastrous amendments illegally added to our state Constitution.
Please go to MiFairElections.org and click the DONATE button, or mail checks to MFE, P.O. Box 41, Stockbridge, MI 49285.
Michigan Fair Elections is a nonprofit organization, a charitable IRS 501(c)3, so your donations are tax deductible.
Thank you for your interest in saving Michigan.
God Bless, Marian Sheridan Grassroots Vice Chair
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Reverse PA 233 - Read the bill HERE. This new law, effective November 2024, forces local communities to go through the state when it comes to the zoning authority of utility-scale wind and solar projects. To "fast-track" the development of renewable energy projects, local voices were shut out of the conversation. The ability to decide where corporations place utilities like wind turbines, solar farms, and battery storage facilities should be decided by our own communities that we know best. For more information check out this WEBSITE.
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From Morgan Ray, State Director of Election Integrity:
I'm reaching out to you today to recruit you to be an election inspector in our August, and November elections.
Due to Michigan's new election laws (9 to 29 days of early voting), we need volunteers to cover the polls.
Statewide, we're going to need a minimum of 1,400 election inspectors to cover polling sites across Michigan.
There are three different areas where we'll need volunteers:
Early Voting Election Day Absentee Count boards
In order to monitor the parity requirement across our cities, I ask that if you plan to work as an election inspector, you fill out the attached application (see below or click here) and email it back to me!
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Best, Morgan Ray Michigan Election Integrity Director Cell: 248-780-9201
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Northern Michigan College's annexation of Benzie County, which will result in an increased tax of 2.05 mills for every property owner and business owner in Benzie County.
Please read the petition on Change.org and consider signing it.
The purpose is to show NMC that there is NOT support for increasing our millage at this time and for sending 3 million of our taxpayer dollars to Northern Michigan College. PLEASE forward this email and link ASAP to others you know who are interested in this issue.
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ATTENTION!!!! TRUMP STORE NOW OPEN! The Trump Store is now open at the Action Center! We have a wide variety of Trump and patriotic merchandise like hats, shirts, flags, and stainless-steel tumblers. Also, there are many fun things like scarves, books (limited edition), drink koozies, playing cards, jewelry, cookie cutters, and more! Looking for a gift? We've got you covered. This may be the last time that these things are available so don’t wait. Come in and look around SOON! All sales are donations that help us pay for our GOP Action Center. Our hours open will be listed on our website. Jane Freeland-Gerschick
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UPCOMING EVENTS IN BENZIE
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Hello, Everyone!
I am excited to Invite you to Join us on May 9th to hear Dr. Douglas Frank share his analysis with us regarding election fraud. He will include a data analysis specific to Benzie County and no doubt have some helpful ways to consider improving the process.
ALL of us can benefit from expanding our current understanding of this topic.
I personally request each elected official, election worker, county administration member, candidate, precinct delegate, party member, friend, and every voting citizen of America to join me in attending this opportunity! Bring a friend, family or neighbor!
And in case you are unavailable on May 9th…. The generous team of people who brought Dr. Frank to Northern Michigan, inspired others to make the most of his visit and There are 4 other opportunities to hear Dr. Frank;
Monday May 6th 6:30p at the French Valley Vineyard (3655 S French Rd Cedar)
Tuesday May 7th 7:00p in Cadillac at Evergreen Resort (7880 Mackinaw Trl, Cadillac)
Wednesday May 8th 6:30p in Boyne City at The Boyne City Eagles (106 River St) Thursday May 9th 6:30p in Benzonia at Benzie County GOP Center (1681 Benzie Hwy, Benzonia)
Friday May 10th 6:30p in Traverse City at the GTGOP Action Center (1730 S. Garfield)
Together is the only way to improve on the craziness going on around us these days. The opposition wants us divided in every way fathomable. They know that together we can Keep Benzie Red.
Whether you are still hearing that noisy gong of “election denial” ring in your head or you believe that fraud is occurring….We all need to understand what Dr. Frank will be sharing.
I’ll see you at the BCRP Action Center! 😉
May God Continue to Bless Us and to Bless America! Sincerely, Mark SmithChair- BCRP
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Note From Chairman Mark Smith: Benzie County Republican Party will receive a portion of the proceeds from Mainstee County's Lincoln Day Dinner based on our attendees.
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May 31st, Fri. & June 1, Sat. Michigan Conservative Union's Annual Conference and Workshop Fri. May 31st from 1 to 4 pm - Workshop to Secure the 2024 Election - A Hands-on workshop to discuss what actions are being taken to secure the 2024 election. Sat. June 1st from 9am to 4pm - Annual MCU Conference - "Time to Take It Back!" Grace Bible Church, 1000 South Canal Road, Lansing, MI 48917 Early Bird pricing ends May 19th. Click here for more information and reservations
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From GT GOP:
An introduction to partner dance class will be offered at our very own action center each Tuesday leading up to the event posted above. Classes will be 6:45-7:45pm and $10. No RSVP needed. Doors will open between 6:30-6:45. Bring a partner or come on your own. Learn the fundamentals and feel confident showing off your skills for the June 14th event! Look forward to seeing you there.
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News In Review: Muskegon Michigan
Dig deeper into The Facts Inside Reporter's Notebook:
Documents:
Links:
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Thank you to Manistee County Republican Party for the following election Info: Foreign Interference
Barry County Sheriff Dar Leaf sent a letter to U.S. Representative Jim Jordan, urging a congressional investigation into what he claims as evidence of “foreign interference” in the 2020 election.
Sheriff Leaf alleges that electronic voting machines were accessed by foreign nationals across the United States, including Michigan, to manipulate election results. Read more here. Lawsuits And there are a lot of lawsuits regarding elections winding their way through the courts. They cover numerous aspects such as changes to the laws, absentee voters' signatures, voter rolls, FOIA rejections, etc. : https://www.securemichigan24.com/news.html
Getting out the Vote Turning Point Action (Charlie Kirk's organization) is working on 'ballot chasing' in Arizona, Wisconsin and Michigan: https://twitter.com/charliekirk11/status/1781341340519039121
Automatic Voter Registration If getting out the vote (GOTV) is the key to winning elections, registering voters is the key to effective GOTV. But doing it at scale takes money and coordination. The Left has been working on this for decades. And now they are pushing Automatic Voter Registration (AVR) Click here to learn more about their efforts and why it matters:
State Ballot Campaigns And now we are finding out that many of our state's ballot proposals have been funded and pushed with, not just out of state money, but with Foreign dark money. Americans for the Public Trust did a deep dive and issued a report. While federal law prevents foreign nationals from donating to U.S. political candidates, committees, and Super PACs, there is no federal law preventing foreign nationals from donating to ballot committees. To close this loophole, Senator Bill Hagerty is introducing the Prevent Foreign Interference in American Elections Act. Among other things, the bill would prevent foreign nationals from spending to directly or indirectly influence state ballot initiatives.
Fractional Votes Americans depend upon the principle that one person has one vote. Would you be surprised to know that the electronic voting systems that tally our vote treat our votes as fractions not integers? Is this a problem or just a part of the way computers do things? You decide.
Mail-In Ballots A new poll revealed that about one in five mail-in ballots in the last election was fraudulent. Meaning that fraud had been committed with that ballot. And this came out because the people who committed the fraud have admitted it to the pollster. That doesn't necessarily mean that the ballot was marked other than what the voter wanted, it just means that they were done improperly. And it would therefore be possible that they were done other than what the voter wanted or even worse. https://rumble.com/v4rxkic-tucker-carlson-claims-1-in-5-mail-in-ballots-last-presidential-election-wer.html
Bidenbucks Election integrity watchdogs say private funds in elections pale in comparison to what Biden has wrought through the power of his pen. Biden signed an executive order that would command the federal government to serve as a get-out-the-vote arm of the Democrat Party.https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2021/03/07/executive-order-on-promoting-access-to-voting/ There are definitely some similarities between Zuckbucks and Bidenbucks. Much like private corporate funds in elections and their contract demands of involving activist groups, Biden’s order mandates federal agencies work with the White House’s "approved, nonpartisan third-party organizations." These are NINOs, nonpartisan in name only. “This is a coordinated effort from left-leaning third parties and the Biden administration to use executive power and taxpayer resources for the purpose of federalizing elections and taking power away from the states,” said Chase Martin, legal affairs director at the Foundation for Government Accountability (FGA).https://thefederalist.com/2024/04/15/bidenbucks-make-zuckbucks-look-like-chump-change/
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NEWS: LOCAL, STATE & BEYOND
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is adapted from a talk delivered on March 11, 2024, at the Allan P. Kirby, Jr. Center for Constitutional Studies and Citizenship on Hillsdale’s Washington, D.C. campus, as part of the AWC Family Foundation Lecture Series.
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Citizens for Local Choice
This is a Statewide effort to get Local Control on the ballot in Michigan this fall.
This is a great presentation of the nuts and bolts of what this effort is all about!
The guest speaker for the March 5th meeting of the Lapeer Tea Party was Michelle Peel, speaking on behalf of “Citizens for Local Choice.”
This is a bi-partisan ballot initiative to give back zoning regulations of wind and solar operations to our local government. You may remember, last November the Michigan Legislature passed new laws that took away the local power to control these issues and gave it to the unelected Public Service Commission.
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WINDMILLS Now that some windmill farms are getting older, problems other than what we've already heard about are sometimes developing.
You may have heard about ice chunks being flung off of turbine blades, but in Oregon, the Biglow Canyon Wind Farm had a blade (as tall as an 11-story building and weighing more than four Toyota Camrys) soar the full length of a football field and plow a furrow 4-feet deep in the wheat stubble where it eventually landed. Someone could have been killed. Maintenance issues were the problem. The turbines were only 15 years old and already half way through their projected life but the company was already considering replacing them.
There are about 72,000 turbines in the US - and growing. Yet there is no effective national, state or county reporting requirement or database tracking safety or operational incidents at wind farms.
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1st Amendment (and Censorship) Critical Infrastructure
You probably know that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has the charge to protect America’s “critical infrastructure”. But you are unlikely to understand that DHS believes it is supposed to “protect” America’s "cognitive infrastructure" and that this means censoring your free speech and preventing you from disseminating ideas or opinions with which DHS disagrees. We are finding out that DHS believes it has the power to silence you, and it has been doing so for some time now.
Within DHS is an entity called the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA). CISA has for some time now been working with private entities to silence anyone who strays from the official government-approved narrative. The Attorney General of Louisiana described it: One might think that with more scrutiny of these government activities that it might be coming to an end - but you'd be wrong. Governor Shapiro, PA, just created the Election Threats Task Force in that state to ensure all levels of government are working together to combat 'misinformation'. Governor Shapiro was short on details but when pressed the state admitted it will center on cooperation between the Pennsylvania Secretary of State’s office which oversees elections, and CISA, the guys at DHS who run the censorship program.
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WHAT CAUSES US TO THINK WE ARE DIVIDED? IS THERE A CURE?
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To watch Michigan Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission meeting from last month, click the youtube link above.
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Check out the Solari Report for actionable intelligence to live a free & inspired life.
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To contact your elected representative in Michigan or Congress:
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Public Comment Period - Oil and Gas leasing
Fluid Mineral Leases and Leasing Process President Joe Biden attacks U.S. corporations for raising prices, but a new proposed regulation from the Bureau of Land Management would make it more difficult and expensive to produce oil and gas on federal lands, raising the price of American oil and gas—and increasing inflation. Part of that proposed regulation would raise bond requirements, increasing the upfront cost for projects, demanding higher future profits to justify the expense, limiting the pursuit of projects with moderate profit potential, and stifling innovation. Small companies cannot afford the new bond prices, so that places those companies at a disadvantage. https://tinyurl.com/25mn7b3y
Comments on this proposed rule can be submitted to the BLM on or before September 22, 2023.
https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2023/07/24/2023-14287/fluid-mineral-leases-and-leasing-process _____________________________________
2nd, 5th, & 14th Amendments
I started with this under the 2nd Amendment but this is also under the 5th and/or 14th Amendment - Due Process . We're talking about Red Flag Laws, very few of which include rules for maintaining a person's Right to Due Process. Two years ago Congress passed the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, which created the process to aid states and municipalities in enforcement of red flag laws. The government says Red flag laws, or Extreme Risk Protection Orders, allow officials to confiscate guns from an individual under a judge’s order if the individual is “at risk of harming themselves or others.” But they don't mention that these laws usually deprive a person of their due process rights and are ripe for abuse. And now Merrick Garland has announced the opening of a Center that will “provide our partners across the country with valuable resources to keep firearms out of the hands of individuals who pose a threat to themselves or others.” The website, which was launched this week, will provide technical assistance and training to “law enforcement officials, prosecutors, attorneys, judges, clinicians, victim service and social service providers, community organizations, and behavioral health professionals.”
https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-launches-national-extreme-risk-protection-order-resource-center Twenty-one states have red flag laws on the books, according to a statement from the White House issued on March 23.
Gun Rights Advocates are Very Concerned about the lack of Due Process in most of those laws.
And many Republicans are sounding the alarm, several taking to X (formerly known as Twitter) to express their concerns and dismay.
https://www.zerohedge.com/political/republicans-sound-alarm-dojs-red-flag-initiative
As the Foundation for Economic Education (FEE), which isn't even a Gun Rights Organization, says: Red Flag Gun Laws turn Due Process on its head - Americans should resist the trend of assumed guilt and demand elected officials end this assault on our constitutional rights. For more explanation of why Red Flag Laws go against our rights: https://fee.org/articles/red-flag-gun-laws-turn-due-process-on-its-head/?gad_source=1&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI0sW629iThQMVbgutBh22bwLbEAAYAyAAEgJYI_D_BwE
Many in DC think that Red Flag Laws are very popular -- people need to let them know about the concerns and the violations of our Rights in these laws.
8th Amendment The 8th Amendment was designed to protect against excessive fines or bail imposed to achieve unjust ends. Letitia James’ crusade against Trump fits that to a tee. If she gets away with it in this case, who else is liable to get hit with excessive bail. (in sharp contrast to the 'no bail' policies for many crimes in many Liberal cities)
https://twitter.com/ScottAdamsSays/status/1770895454978376045?cxt=HBwW2oW4hZSCvpMxAAAA&cn=ZmxleGlibGVfcmVjcw%3D%3D&refsrc=email
The Government and Land Usage (Grab)
The Bureau of Land Management is a federal agency that controls 245 million acres of land and controls 30% of the country's mineral resources. On the East Coast, it manages little land but manages an enormous share of Western states. It owns over two-thirds of Nevada. This gives the federal government enormous sway over the West. Want to go hunting? Want to start a logging company? Want to go hiking? Better make sure it’s okay with the federal government first. Logging, cattle grazing, and mining is important to the economy of many western states but the BLM under Biden is restricting more and more acres of that land. https://www.zerohedge.com/political/blms-quiet-war-precious-metals
The Eastern half of the US is not immune, either. There are several sites in the Eastern U.S. managed by the National Park Service and U.S. Forest Service. (like the Manistee National Forest) Currently, besides Bears Ears National Monument in Utah, the Biden Administration has its eyes on Big Cypress National Preserve in South Florida where a portion could soon be declared a wilderness area. Wilderness areas boast the highest degree of protection, are off-limits, and quite difficult to traverse. Even Native Americans, as well as hunters and recreationists are protesting this closing off of the land. https://tinyurl.com/2dm58trx
The Biden administration is targeting millions of acres for permanent protection in the name of “conservation” to bolster their America the Beautiful (or 30-by-30) initiative – a dangerous rewilding plan masquerading as conservation.
( https://conservationcorridor.org/what-is-30x30/ )
At this point they have not even defined a baseline of current conservation practices, established metrics for measuring progress, or even provided a clear understanding of how they define the word ‘conservation’ yet they are pushing forward on their desire to lock off land from public use. In an EO signed in late January he directed the Interior Department to propose guidelines on determining how to tally land and waters. The agency issued that report last week to the National Climate Task Force, but the White House has yet to release it to the public.
https://www.eenews.net/articles/republicans-on-30x30-catchy-tagline-on-an-empty-package/
Public lands are for all Americans to enjoy and cherish, not just the Biden administration’s preferred environmental buddies. This isn’t conservation; it’s a land grab.
Border
Haiti to Florida The border with Mexico and the border with Canada aren't the only places that people get into our country without permission or vetting. Occasionally people would come by boat from Cuba. Now people are coming from Haiti as their domestic security has rapidly deteriorated as widespread gang violence and civil unrest plague the failed state. People are fleeing in boats bound for Florida. A migrant boat with dozens of Haitians, firearms, and drugs, along with night vision equipment, was recently intercepted by Florida Fish and Wildlife agents just off the Florida coast. Somehow that doesn't sound like peaceful refugees looking for a better life, does it?
https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/haitian-migrant-boat-guns-drugs-night-vision-intercepted-florida-caribbean-crisis
Southern Border Joshua S. Treviño, the Chief of Intelligence and Research and the Director for Texas Identity at the Texas Public Policy Foundation, wrote this compelling article about the southern border and how it resembles a war, how it IS a war, and the situation that the current administration is facilitating with it's 'rules of engagement'. It is the children who end up being the pawns in this war - they are being used and abused.
https://thefederalist.com/2024/03/20/cartels-use-children-as-pawns-when-democrats-play-games-with-the-border/
Northern Border In fiscal 2023, which ran from October 2022 through September 2023, Border Patrol agents apprehended 10,021 people who walked into the country between ports of entry on our northern border. And Border Patrol agents along the Canadian border are well on track to surpass that record number this year. The numbers are of particular concern given that these higher-than-average monthly arrests recently occurred during the winter months when weather can be quite severe and crossing more dangerous. The winter uptick could spell bigger trouble as the temperatures warm up into spring and summer and make it more practical to cross. In the first five months of fiscal 2024, federal agents have caught 6,039 people entering without authorization. The figure puts Border Patrol on track to surpass 14,000 arrests by the end of the year. The rates from prior years have ranged from 2,200 to 7,900 per year, And there has been a dangerous spike in the amount of fentanyl coming across. Nearly double the amount of fentanyl has been seized in the first four months of FY 2024 than it did throughout the entirety of FY23 at the Northern Border. (Fentanyl is the leading cause of death for Americans aged 18-45)
https://gazette.com/news/wex/illegal-immigration-at-canadian-border-has-northern-lawmakers-on-high-alert/article_4c5b3b74-53df-5292-840e-6948f2e9ee97.amp.html
Open Floodgates in Arizona In August 2023 the New York Post reported that the U.S. Border Patrol admitted it was responsible for a decision to weld open more than 100 “flood gates” in the wall at the U.S. southern border in Arizona, allowing access points for illegal aliens to unlawfully enter the U.S. According to the Post, the storm gates were normally kept shut but were opened during the annual monsoon season, which Arizona was experiencing, to prevent the border wall from being damaged. https://tinyurl.com/26pvn757
Now Judicial Watch is suing the U.S. Department of Homeland Security for Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) for all records about the incident (since they wouldn't comply with the FOIA request).
https://www.judicialwatch.org/videos/bidens-deadly-border-invasion/?utm_source=deployer&utm_medium=email&utm_content=&utm_campaign=weekly+update&utm_term=members
Documentation How do illegals manage in this country without any documents? Well, some get their paperwork illegally so that they can appear to be legal, even if they have never been vetted. A nonprofit organization dedicated to “assisting migrants with their paperwork and legal needs” in New York City has been caught on video illegally filling out residency documents for a man without procuring any form of identification from him. (gee, what is all that is needed to vote in some places?)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PcU2MjoZDLA
It appears that illegal aliens can easily fly around the country without any documentation - unlike you and I. TSA is reportedly allowing aliens without verifying identity documents to pass through airport security checkpoints nationwide. Apparently the TSA is relying on unverified biographical information gathered by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) through the CBP One application (CBP One). Much of the information provided to TSA agents is "self-reported."
Thanks to an ongoing Center for Immigration Studies Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit, the public now knows that U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has approved secretive flights that last year alone ferried hundreds of thousands of inadmissible aliens from foreign airports into some 43 American ones over the past year, all pre-approved on a cell phone app. And CBP has withheld – and apparently will not disclose – the names of the 43 U.S. airports that have received 320,000 inadmissible aliens from January through December 2023, nor the foreign airports from which they departed. And there is more.....
https://cis.org/Bensman/Government-Admission-Biden-Parole-Flights-Create-Security-Vulnerabilities-US-Airports
And those 'appointments' for immigration status hearings? About 35% never appear. They are just gone - somewhere in the country.
https://www.uncoverdc.com/2024/03/26/illegal-aliens-poor-documentation-at-airport-tsa-checkpoints
Housing Assistance
Michigan is offering homeowners $500 per month to house "newcomers". The Application is now online in 7 different languages (none being English). The Office of Global Michigan has rolled out its plan to pay Michigan residents $500 per month to house migrants. The website states, “The Newcomer Rental Subsidy program provides Refugees and other Newcomer population-eligible households with rental assistance up to $500 per month for up to 12 months, with eligibility based on immigration status and household income.” The website goes on to say, “Many refugees and other newcomers face critical housing challenges, and this program will increase access to better and more affordable housing opportunities while supporting a more rapid social integration to refugees and other newcomer populations to Michigan.
Who is eligible for the program? Refugees, Asylees, Special Immigration Visa (SIV), Victims of Human Trafficking, Cuban and Haitian entrants, Afghan Nationals, and Ukrainian Humanitarian Parolees. Other immigration statuses include individuals who arrived under the Cuban, Haitian, Nicaraguan and Venezuelan (CHNV) program; individuals who arrived under the Family Reunification Parole Process for El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Colombia, individuals with a pending asylum application, and other immigrant individuals on a case-by-case scenario. But apparently no help for citizens needing help with housing...
https://davebondy.locals.com/post/5421569/michigan-offering-homeowners-500-per-month-to-house-newcomers
Mass Immigration Let's face it, the border crisis is a Mass Immigration and there are three outcomes to Mass Immigration: 1) growth in the economy 2) redistributing wealth from workers who compete with immigrants to people who use immigrants; and 3) passing the costs of immigration on to U.S. taxpayers.
That's the conclusion of Sir Angus Deaton, recipient of the 2015 Nobel Prize in Economics. He also has concluded that "Immigration contributes to inequality. America has a special obligation to our citizens. And America’s economy is not working for the majority of citizens today. Those are three of Deaton’s conclusions in his recently published article, "Rethinking My Economics", on the International Monetary Fund’s website.
https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/fandd/issues/2024/03/Symposium-Rethinking-Economics-Angus-Deaton
And the National Academies of Sciences (NAS) did an analysis and came to similar conclusions. 1. Immigration grows the overall economy (GDP). 2. The additional economic activity produces a roughly $50 billion “surplus” in total wealth. 3. In the process, however, immigration redistributes roughly $500 billion from workers to owners of capital. 4. New immigrants also gain wealth, but do not pay enough in taxes to cover their use of public services.
Every year, immigration reduces the wages of competing American workers by an estimated $493.9 billion; or a 5.2 percent decrease in income. The most vulnerable Americans are the most harmed. https://www.numbersusa.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Factsheet_-Analysis-of-National-Academies-of-Sciences-findings.pdf
Understanding the three true outcomes of mass immigration is the key to understanding the political and power dynamics behind the immigration debate. Mass immigration creates winners and losers.
https://www.numbersusa.com/blog/an-economist-changes-his-mind-immigration-does-contribute-to-inequality/
Food Supply
As if human trafficking, sex trafficking, basically, slavery, and Fentanyl, aren't enough to worry about from the chaos at the border, Dr. Michael Vickers, a veterinarian for about 50 years and served on the Texas Animal Health Commission (TAHC), warns of a threat to our food supply from the likelihood of unwanted diseases being brought across the border. The threat to the food supply is already apparent from the past cases of tuberculosis (TB) transmitted from illegal immigrants to dairy cows in Texas, he said. In recent years, thousands of Texas cattle have been slaughtered after being infected with drug-resistant TB through contact with illegal aliens who end up working in dairies. Rules meant to keep people who are carrying disease out of the United States have been sidelined under the Biden administration, according to Ammon Blair, a border security advocate at the Texas Public Policy Foundation and former Border Patrol agent. Dairy cows aren't the only ones at risk, of course - wild animals, domestic pets, and humans are also vulnerable.
https://www.zerohedge.com/commodities/experts-warn-mass-migration-threatens-us-food-security
What ever happened to Democrats thinking this way?
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/_BMUvWzUH8k
The House passed H.R. 2/S.2824 Secure the Border Act of 2023 almost a year ago. To refresh your memory on H.R.2:
https://www.numbersusa.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Secure-the-Border-Act-of-2023.pdf
But that is not all the House has done. The House of Representatives had another bipartisan vote offered by Rep. De La Cruz (TX-15) - H.Res. 1065, denouncing the Biden administration's immigration policies. It passed 226-193, with 14 Democrats joining all the Republicans to support the resolution. While this is a nonbinding resolution, it was helpful to have a strong majority of the House not only condemn the Biden Administration's actions at the border, but urge the President to use the powers Congress has already granted him to end the crisis.
https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-resolution/1065 ____________________________________ Election Integrity & Borders
Illegal Alien "Charity" Distributing Fraudulent Papers Exposed In Queens, New York, the organization La Jornada provides services to illegal aliens. The Oversight Project obtained video (4.35min) from @realmuckraker discovering a system of fraud where illegal aliens can pay to receive fake residency paperwork, allowing them to obtain a government issued ID using whatever information they provided. La Jornada has worked closely with New York Congresswoman Grace Meng, who helped secure $250,000 in federal funding for the organization in 2023. Meng has also been a prominent advocate for counting illegals in the census for the purposes of allotting congressional districts and the Electoral College.
https://twitter.com/OversightPR/status/1770450233291391125?s=20 _______________________________________ Election Integrity
IV3 True The Vote has unveiled a new program they call IV3. It is a citizen-led effort to ensure the accuracy of our nation's voter rolls. It is a web-based app that empowers voters with an automated way to confirm accuracy, identify ineligible records, report findings to local authorities, and stay up to date on the recent changes to your local voter rolls. To learn more and to help: https://www.iv3.us/
How it works: https://www.iv3.us/#how-it-works
Scan Check Protect True the Vote also has Scan Check Protect, a website which allows voters to check and find out if there are any fraudulent voter registrations in their names anywhere in the United States. Think about it, Americans have no way of knowing if their old voter registrations are being used to support candidates and policies they reject. This is a way to prevent that from happening. https://truethevote.org/registration
Accurate Voter rolls are a very important step in the fight to keep our elections fair and secure. We aren't going to get any help from our government. Attorney General Merrick Garland recently took to the pulpit of a church to rail against election integrity measures, including voter ID laws. Despite the fact that voter ID is supported by 80% of all Americans across all demographics, Garland pledged to bring the full force of the U.S. Department of Justice against states that have passed voter ID requirements into law. He also pledged to protect blue-state vote harvesting and drop boxes, which are entirely too easy to manipulate and game to influence the outcome of elections. And then there are the illegals flooding into this country that help Democrat controlled states keep population counts for election redistricting purposes as they lose actual citizens to red states. And Democrat-run cities have already attempted to grant voting rights to noncitizens, and San Francisco even put a noncitizen on its elections commission. https://tinyurl.com/2d5ok4as
Executive Order 14019 Remember last newsletter we told you about Biden's Executive Order 14019 under which most federal agencies are required to develop a strategic plan for increasing voter participation in elections. Finding out just what those strategic plans are has proven difficult. The Railroad Retirement Board released their plan. And the U.S. Trade Representative, an agency that is part of the Executive Office of the President, made its plan public through a public records request (FOIA), But the Department of Justice is refusing, even under FOIA, and is continuing to block release of it's strategic plan to turn out the vote, claiming presidential privilege. The Foundation for Government Accountability, is suing to get that plan.
https://tinyurl.com/2a9tb6bs
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative intends to cooperate with a liberal legal organization that routinely sues over voter ID laws as part of its strategic plan to comply with President Joe Biden’s executive order to get out the vote. https://tinyurl.com/2738srzd
Keefer, et al., v. Biden, et al. A lawsuit to keep an eye on - Keefer, et al., v. Biden, et al. - is a federal lawsuit brought by Pennsylvania State Representative Dawn Keefer and others that is challenging EO 14019 as usurping lawmakers' authority and doing irreparable harm because it is changing the way elections are being facilitated. The lawsuit contends that Biden’s executive order directing federal agencies to work with private, nonprofit groups in get-out-the-vote efforts violates Act 88, a state law preventing private dollars from funding election administration. The complaint also argues that President Biden does not have the unilateral power to oversee and participate in making legislative decisions regarding the time, place, and manner of presidential and congressional elections, including the registration of electors in Pennsylvania. And there is more.... https://tinyurl.com/28t3v3ty
Google and Election Interference Turns out Google has been getting away with election interference for at least 16 years, and it is showing no signs of stopping. Media Research Center (MRC) Free Speech America researchers compiled 41 times Google was caught interfering in U.S. elections, beginning in 2008, intensifying in 2016 and continuing into 2024.
https://cdn.mrc.org/static/pdfuploads/MRC%20Google%20Election%20Interference%20Report.pdf-1710439680476.pdf
Over the years, Google has repeatedly used its power to help push the most liberal candidates to electoral victory while targeting their opponents, working against Republicans and their non-preferred Democrats. But after Democrats took a devastating loss in the 2016 election, evidence collected by MRC shows that election interference became part of its mission. As one Google executive let slip in a secretly recorded interview, the company was working to actively “prevent[] the next Trump situation.” Here are some of the highlights of MRC’s findings:
https://www.newsbusters.org/blogs/free-speech/gabriela-pariseau/2024/03/18/41-times-google-has-interfered-us-elections-2008
Dominion It looks like Mike Lindell was right all along. Here is an interview with Patrick Colbeck about what they have found. It starts with requests for donations to the cause but does get into the information after that.
https://frankspeech.com/Video/mike-lindell-has-been-right-all-along
Michigan Barry County Sheriff Dar Leaf announced that he has launched an investigation into the handling of the Michigan 2020 election, implicating Dominion Voting Systems officials, Michigan’s Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, Attorney General Dana Nessel, computer scientist J. Alex Halderman, and others in potential misconduct. To read about his investigations into the information he received:
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2024/03/sheriff-dar-leaf-announces-investigation-michigan-2020-election/
Now he is sending a letter to U.S. Representative Jim Jordan, urging a congressional investigation into what he claims as evidence of “foreign interference” in the 2020 election. In his letter, Sheriff Leaf details ongoing investigations and expresses concerns about the integrity of election systems both locally and nationwide. To read more on that:
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2024/03/barry-county-sheriff-sends-evidence-rep-jim-jordan/
Also in Michigan Michigan has 8.2 million registered voters on the books. That’s 102.8% of the state’s 7.9 million voting-age residents, according to census data. And as of 2022, Michigan was the only Great Lakes state where the registered voter tally outnumbered the state’s voting-age population. But the state election officials assure us that all is well and the state and federal regulations require election officials to give inactive voters a lengthy grace period before officially taking them off the books, allowing time for them to either confirm their residency or resume voting.
https://www.bridgemi.com/michigan-government/michigan-defends-bloated-voter-rolls-625000-cancellations-pending
But another case, filed by Michael Butz, an IT professional and election integrity activist from Macomb Co., Mich, alleges data indicates a 12 percent variation between the local records of who voted and the state’s records, so what are we to think? When the discrepancies were questioned by clerks and citizens, “SOS Benson unilaterally, and without legal authority encrypted” the EPB data in order to “conceal” it from the public, and so that clerks cannot access it to reconcile it, the brief alleged.
https://www.zerohedge.com/political/michigan-man-sues-see-election-records-after-his-freedom-information-requests-were-denied
Secretary of States Michigan’s secretary of state said she and other state election chiefs ‘spent 2022 working to build’ a ‘team’ to fight a ‘common adversary.’ These secretaries of state, which happen to be in 6 key battleground states, will not disclose what their apparent plans for a “coordinated” effort to fight a “common adversary” entail ahead of the 2024 election, despite repeated inquiries. https://thefederalist.com/2024/03/21/secretaries-of-state-wont-explain-coordinated-effort-to-fight-common-adversary-in-2024/
Michigan Redistricting We told you about the lawsuit against some of the new districts on the map that the Michigan Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission had come up with. Here is an update..... The Commission has come up with new districts in that area and the plaintiffs don't like them, either. But the Courts will be the ones to decide and the decision for the House maps has been decided and the Senate map should be decided in April. A federal court has ruled that the new House map is better for Black representation, no incumbents will be drawn out of their districts, and the statewide map still tends to favor Democrats and therefore there is no basis to reject them. The new map adheres more closely to county and municipal boundaries and increases the number of majority-Black districts. The new map will take effect for the November election. https://www.bridgemi.com/michigan-government/michigan-redistricting-court-finds-new-detroit-maps-better-black-voters?utm_source=Bridge+Michigan&utm_campaign=1af36afa98-Bridge+Newsletter+3%2F28%2F2024&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_c64a28dd5a-1af36afa98-73836689
FYI - The Michigan Redistricting Commission approved a 40% raise for itself for mapping sessions, citing the additional workload incurred during a court-ordered redraw of metro Detroit legislative maps.
https://tinyurl.com/2yj8m47b
The Second Omnibus The second Omnibus called H.R. 4366 - Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2024 included: Defense; Financial Services and General Government; Homeland Security; Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies; Legislative Branch; State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs.
Containing half of the FY24 individual spending bills and amounting to nearly $1.2 trillion, it not only fails to rein in the size and scope of government spending, the process used to draft, introduce, and consider the package denied members and their constituents enough time to review the 1,000-page bill and continues the spending trajectory that has led to historic inflation and fuels Biden’s disastrous border policies. Together, these bills fuel radical policies by robustly funding the federal agencies responsible for a variety of the Biden administration’s instances of overreach without doing anything to address them. And more -
https://heritageaction.com/key-vote/key-vote-no-on-the-second-fy24-six-bill-minibus-further-consolidated-appropriations-act-2024
Even Congressman Robert Aderholt, Chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, was a 'NO' vote. He said, “This is not the bill that my subcommittee produced and supported. The Senate has taken liberties with their Congressionally Directed Spending requests that would never stand in the House." “I have multiple concerns, among them are the many new social services that this bill would create for the millions of illegal immigrants streaming across our border. Additionally, it would fund facilities providing routine abortion services, including late-term abortions. The Senate must respect the work of the House. In good conscience, I cannot and will not vote for these projects or this bill.” Some of the things he objected to:
But, of course, it passed into law on 3/9/24.
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Michigan Budget
Gov. Whitmer's proposed budget increases several things but she does want to cut one budget. She wants a 28% cut for the Office of Auditor General. That would be a very significant cut ($8.3 million). What she calls for is a slight increase from the general fund but substantial cuts in other revenue sources. Such a cut would have various legal, constitutional, and financial risks, the Auditor General warned. https://tinyurl.com/2cfyfz29 So Gov. Gretchen Whitmer carved out a clear position on government transparency by proposing to slash the budget for the one office in Lansing that holds lawmakers to account. The OAG performs myriad constitutionally authorized functions, including auditing state agency finances and performance. Critically, it conducts a $3.2 million annual statewide single audit that renders Michigan eligible for federal aid. Whitmer’s proposal puts that funding at risk. Over the past several years, audits by the OAG have exposed systemic problems in government agencies and instances where the law has been broken. It is a vital part of a healthy, functioning democracy.
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Michigan Department of Education Speaking of the Auditor General..... he recently came out with a report about the Michigan Department of Education (MDE) falling short on making sure that schools do background checks on school staff - failing to meet its oversight responsibilities to ensure schools aren’t hiring people with some types of felony convictions to work with children. It turns out the MDE has no procedures in place to ensure school districts aren’t employing people who’ve been convicted of criminal offenses that prohibit them from working in schools. Some contract workers have never been fingerprinted and some weren't done in a timely manner. In some cases, MDE received conviction alerts about workers, but did not notify their school districts. __________________________________________ Tax Capture - Michigan
The Michigan Senate approved $1.6Billion in Tax Capture credits through 2038 through the 'Hire Michigan Fund'. How it works: The company that is awarded a deal gets to withhold income taxes from employees’ paychecks and keep the money for itself. Those employees’ taxes are captured by the company. The Hire Michigan Fund can approve up to $125 million in tax capture deals each year through 2038. That amounts to a $1.625 billion loss in general fund revenues in a state where the administration is fighting the Mackinac Center in court to prevent a $700 million-per year income tax cut. (For the year, lawmakers have considered nearly $6 billion in selective subsidies. This does not count the $1 billion in lawmaker earmarks that have become an annual tradition.) What the Senate passed is a three-bill package, Senate bills 579, 580, and 581. The bills now head to the House. https://tinyurl.com/27jlgxsd SB 579 -
Might want to let the Representatives in the House know what you think on this.
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Regulations
Emission Standards The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has released its final emission standards requiring that 70% of new vehicle sales be pure battery-powered electric or hybrids by 2032. A mere 1,181 page document if you'd like to read it:
There has been a lot said about these new standards - and none of them good. These new regulations, which are clearly beyond EPA’s defined powers, will limit overall vehicle choice and force Americans into expensive and unreliable electric vehicles. The EPA expects plug-in electric vehicles to make up between 62% and 70% of the automotive market. But this unrealistic target ignores two key facts: First, consumers are not lining up to purchase electric vehicles, which made up only 7.6% of 2023 vehicle sales despite heavy subsidies and Second, readily available charging infrastructure remains elusive for many EV users. Taxpayers not only pay with more expensive cars, they have to subsidize new production facilities and other peoples' purchases. https://tinyurl.com/29xgcobw Electric vehicles use six times more metals and minerals than traditional vehicles, but Biden refuses to issue permits for the mines needed to produce these minerals in the U.S. https://nypost.com/2023/06/13/greens-want-electric-cars-but-not-the-things-required-to-run-them/ In fact, Biden's (what amounts to electric car mandates) regulations will slam the US working class and boost China. Electric cars take fewer people to produce and Beijing dominates the supply chain for key components of electric vehicles. https://nypost.com/2023/04/16/bidens-electric-car-mandates-slam-the-working-class-and-boost-china/ Another problem with the new EPA regulations - This rule will put small businesses and farmers who need gasoline-powered pickup trucks out of business. They can’t do their jobs with electric vehicles, because recharging saps valuable time from a day. Consider landscapers, as one example, who go from house to house improving people’s yards. No charging stations are nearby, and they can’t take two-hour breaks to find a charging station to recharge. The disproportionate effect on small businesses and agriculture will result in higher prices for services and food, and upward pressures on inflation. And the rule will cause electricity outages because the grid, even by 2032, is unlikely to be set up for 10 million electric vehicles (70% of today’s new car sales) to charge, a number that would grow over time.https://tinyurl.com/2dk43lwb
And why is the EPA increasing its standards? Because of pollution. But electric vehicles release more toxic particles into the atmosphere and are worse for the environment than their gas-powered counterparts, according to a resurfaced study. It found that, because EVs are 30% heavier, their brakes and tires release 1,850 times more particle pollution compared to modern tailpipes, which have “efficient” exhaust filters, bringing gas-powered vehicles’ emissions to new lows. Today, most vehicle-related pollution comes from tire wear. Those pollutants can increase the risk of health problems like heart disease, asthma, and low birth weight,” according to the New York Department of Health. https://nypost.com/2024/03/05/business/evs-release-more-toxic-emissions-are-worse-for-the-environment-study/ The American Action Forum, an organization that keeps track of the regulations that the government puts out had this to say: https://www.americanactionforum.org/daily-dish/epas-kick-in-the-tailpipe/#ixzz8VVFoSKNV
Biden Administration and Regulations President Biden’s day one regulatory executive actions set a clear tone for his administration. Regulations would be a major – if not the primary – means of implementing the administration’s agenda. President Biden’s day one executive actions dealing with regulatory policy included a memorandum aiming to change how the White House reviews regulations. Those changes are aimed toward emphasizing the benefits of regulation and opens the door to a less-balanced review of benefits and costs. One of the president’s other actions unwound most of the significant regulatory executive orders of the Trump Administration. The tone of the actions is clear: Regulations would be a primary method of the Biden Administration’s agenda implementation. _________________________________________
Energy
Green Energy in Michigan New energy laws (some of which we have told you about before) will force Michigan residents to pay between $1,500 and $2,746 more in energy costs each year. What will people get in return? An energy policy that will have no measurable impact on the climate and make electricity less reliable. Projections based on the Obama Administration’s Clean Power Plan suggest this legislation would, at best, reduce global temperatures by a mere 1/1000th of a degree by 2100. And these new technologies mandated by the government are costly and less efficient - why aren't electric companies complaining and protesting and lobbying against it? Well, the answer is complicated. They do not operate in a free market for one thing. They are state backed monopolies. Their prices/rates are regulated. In place of a competitive market that determines prices, the state grants its utilities a regulated profit, the costs of which are passed on to the ratepayers. “[t]he way for a vertically integrated utility to make more money [is]... to spend more money,” explains grid expert Meredith Angwin. Federal policy also makes wind turbines and solar arrays lucrative to power companies. Washington gives out subsidies at taxpayer expense. And that's not even all of the problems..... As Todd Ramey of the Midcontinent Independent Systems Operator (MISO), the transmissions operator under which most of Michigan falls, has said, “Controllable, dispatchable resources are being retired and replaced primarily with weather-dependent, non-dispatchable, and variable generation types to achieve carbon reduction goals,”“These weather-dependent generators are increasing reliability risks.”https://tinyurl.com/2bruruay
Oil and Gas Industry And now, even with inflation still a problem, Biden has proposed a 15-fold price hike to drill on federal land.https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2023/07/24/2023-14287/fluid-mineral-leases-and-leasing-process This proposed regulation from the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) would make it more difficult and expensive to produce oil and gas on federal lands, raising the price of American oil and gas—and increasing inflation. (remember, that increase doesn't just affect us when we fill up our vehicles). The rule would raise the costs of oil and gas exploration, driving small companies out of the oil business and limiting exploration opportunities for larger companies. The BLM rule would reduce the resiliency of American energy to natural disasters, conflicts, or unforeseen crises that could disrupt global supply chains. It would lower oil and natural gas exports at a time when our allies need them. To read more about what the proposed rules entail: https://tinyurl.com/25mn7b3y
National Energy Report Card Mackinac Center and Northwood University released a new national energy report card. The report card ranks eight energy sectors based on capacity, reliability, environmental/human impact, technology/innovation and market feasibility. The report found that the hurried transition from affordable and reliable energy sources to weather-dependent and expensive renewable alternatives (like Michigan is doing) may come at the cost of the grid's reliability, putting human lives and the economy at risk. The report also examines some of the consistently ignored costs and environmental impacts caused by solar and wind energy. Their analysis, the first of its kind, takes a holistic look at America's eight most important energy sources: natural gas, wind, solar, nuclear, coal, petroleum, geothermal and hydroelectric. They look at five key factors: reliability, feasibility, technological innovation, environmental and human impact, and cost. A summary of results: https://tinyurl.com/2b8elay7 To read the report: https://www.mackinac.org/archives/2024/MCPP-NWU_Energy_Report_Card.pdf?utm_campaign=TWAM&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=299458531&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_AnTNs0oMkSJLANLpjXxFXZ85gZNTCv8MPpCpisC6cPUwgJwC4DvO_I0VjVYS7aLwdwJZGTe0ZbpsoScUu5OUD22DXEA&utm_content=299458531&utm_source=hs_email
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Squatters
A recent string of incidents in Georgia, New York and Washington has brought squatting, the practice of occupying someone else's property without their consent, into the spotlight. You have probably heard some of the horror stories. People in some states are afraid to go away on vacation for fear that a squatter might take up residence in their home while they are gone and they won't be able to get them kicked out. More often it is a problem of skyrocketing rent prices and more tenant's rights - including moratoriums on evictions. Disputes between squatters and landlords often become lengthy legal battles, with homeowners trying to reclaim their property and squatters exercising their rights to stay. Laws on the matter vary in different states. In Michigan the time period after which an illegitimate tenant (squatter) acquires certain rights is 15 years. https://www.newsweek.com/how-squatters-rights-compare-different-states-1883480 Squatting is a crime in Michigan, however, squatters do have rights to some extent. For instance, they can't be removed violently. But a property owner also has rights because, again, it is illegal to take over a property that isn’t yours. Owners can remove someone but it has to be done lawfully. For more details: https://wwmt.com/news/state/understanding-michigans-squatters-rights-amid-rising-incidents-across-the-country __________________________________________
The Progressive Prosecutor Movement
Ever wonder why the crime rate seems to be exploding? And how so many big cities ended up with District Attorneys that are so soft on crime? And DAs that refuse to execute the laws of the land. DAs that don't prosecute shoplifting and have 'no bail' even for violent crimes. Charles 'Cully' Stimson from the Heritage Foundation explains how we got to this point: https://imprimis.hillsdale.edu/rogue-prosecutors-and-the-rise-of-crime/ The lesson for voters across America is to pay close attention to “low visibility” local races—such as district attorney races, which directly impact public safety—to protect their communities against the kind of devastation we see in so many of America’s once great cities.
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DEI
'DEI', or 'Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion', is taking hold in government and in many Corporations. But, as a friend of mine suggested, perhaps it should be called 'Diversity, Inclusion, & Equity' or 'DIE'. The most consequential falsehood in American public policy today is the idea that any racial disparity in any institution is by definition the result of racial discrimination. As a result of this falsehood, we are eviscerating meritocratic and behavioral standards in accordance with what is known as “disparate impact analysis.” Many thought that STEM—the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics—would escape the diversity sledgehammer. They were wrong. It has crept into Medicine and Medical Research. What is at stake in these changes? Future medical progress and, ultimately, lives. It has also crept into the legal profession and others. As long as racism remains the only allowable explanation for racial disparities, the Left wins, and our civilization will continue to crumble. The ongoing attack on colorblind excellence in the U.S. is putting our scientific edge, and our lives, at risk. Lowering standards helps no one since high expectations are the key to achievement. In defense of excellence we must speak the truth, never apologize, and never back down. https://imprimis.hillsdale.edu/disparate-impact-thinking-is-destroying-our-civilization/
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FYI - Living Constitution
A living Constitution is one that evolves, changes over time, and adapts to new circumstances, without being formally amended. George Washington warned about people who think the constitution is a 'living Constitution' when he states that straying from the Constitution amounts to “usurpation” and is “the customary weapon by which free governments are destroyed.” Washington's Farewell Address should be required reading for everyone. _______________________________________
FYI - Military
A September 2023 Government Accountability Office (GAO) report on the F-35 revealed some shocking statistics on just how unready hundreds of billions of dollars worth of F-35s are to provide actual combat power. In fact, the report indicated that only 15 to 30 percent of F-35s may be capable of combat. If you've heard higher statistics, that's because within the environs of the military–industrial–congressional complex, “mission capable” is a highly ambiguous term that allows for a whole lot of gaming of accountability metrics. And there are other problems with the F-35. https://www.zerohedge.com/military/70-or-more-f-35s-may-not-be-combat-capable __________________________________________
FYI - Education in Michigan
If you want to learn more about how your school district is faring -- MI School Data is the State of Michigan's official source for pre-K, K-12, post-secondary and workforce data to help residents, educators and policymakers make informed decisions to improve student success. The site offers multiple levels and views for statewide, intermediate school district, district, school and college level information. Data are presented in graphs, charts, trend lines and downloadable spreadsheets to support meaningful evaluation and decision making. ______________________________________
If you would like to contact any of our elected representative in Michigan or Congress about any of these matters or any other matters:
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Books
Counterpunch by Floyd Brown This book will illuminate how we can implement peaceful resistance against the immorality and policies of the Radical Left to bring a renewal of liberty, freedom, and biblically based principles back to America.Counterpunch explains step-by-step how you can take part in a second American Revolution that will completely reorder the country under new governing principles. https://tinyurl.com/24j2hx8m
Rogue Prosecutors: How Radical Soros Lawyers Are Destroying America's Communities by Charles D. Stimson and Zack Smith Rogue Prosecutors explains the origins, beliefs, playbook, funding, and real-life consequences of the “progressive prosecutor” movement—a group of newly elected prosecutors, their allies, and backers that refuse to prosecute crimes, hold criminals accountable, and seek justice for victims. https://tinyurl.com/2c3r3nbp
Big Tech Tyrants: How Silicon Valley's Stealth Practices Addict Teens, Silence Speech, and Steal Your Privacy by Floyd Brown & Todd Cefaratti Big Tech Tyrants boast riches beyond emperors of old but act like juveniles who don’t want to grow up. Big Tech Tyrants don’t know the meaning of privacy, when it comes to you. They try to make you believe they will give their products away for free as a service to society, when really, they are vacuuming your personal data. They use this data to discover your deepest secrets. Your personal data is extremely valuable to them—and they use it—and abuse it. These tyrants knowingly addict users to make more money. Not only that, they also consider themselves the most enlightened the world has ever seen—so they know what’s best for you to see—from the news and information you read to the political candidates they think you should vote for. They censor news and only let you see what they want you to see. This is an eye-opening must read for anyone living in the twenty-first century! https://tinyurl.com/27xfh3r3
Shorting the Grid: The Hidden Fragility of Our Electric Grid by Meredith Angwin When rolling blackouts come to the electric grid, they will be old news to the grid insiders. Only the electricity customers will be surprised. Grid insiders know how fragile the grid is becoming. Unfortunately, they have no incentive to solve the problems. Shorting the Grid shines light on our vulnerable grid. It also suggests actions that can support the grid that supports all of us. https://www.amazon.com/Shorting-Grid-Hidden-Fragility-Electric-ebook/dp/B08KZ51SDP
The Myth of Voter Suppression: The Left's Assault on Clean Elections by Fred V. Lucas The book reveals that “voter suppression” is an empty soundbite lacking evidence in modern times, while page after page documents scores of adjudicated voter fraud cases that not only overturned election outcomes but led to criminal convictions. https://www.amazon.com/Myth-Voter-Suppression-Assault-Elections/dp/1637587856/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=
The Queering of the American Child: How a New School Religious Cult Poisons the Minds and Bodies of Normal Kids by Logan Lancing & James Lindsay In this book Lancing and Lindsay explain what Queer Theory is, where it comes from, how it got into schools, and what it's doing to children nationwide. The cult of Queer Theory preys on children, and it must be understood if we are ever to stop the madness. https://tinyurl.com/24fdyu45
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With all the talk going on these days -- and the 'gaslighting' that we are being subjected to -- and the world sometimes seeming to be upside down -- I thought this quote was one to remember.....
A lie doesn't become truth, wrong doesn't become right, and evil doesn't become good, just because it's accepted by a majority. ------ Rick Warren ------
And here (below) is a meme for you -
And that's it for this time. Do take some action - contact elected officials about an issue you think is important, attend a local government or school board meeting. And remember to listen to what the other person thinks as well as expressing your thinking. There is often more to an issue than first meets the eye. Get involved. If we all do a little bit it can make a huge difference.
Sally -- "The penalty good men pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men." - Plato VISIT MANISTEE REPUBLICAN WEBSITE HERE.
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Thank you for taking time to look over this month's BCRP ( G O P ) newsletter edition. Please feel free to share. To contact us by email: Chair, Mark Smith chair@benziecountyrepublicans.org or by mail: PO Box 705 Beulah MI 49617
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