Two-thirds and 46,…two numbers Gary Glenn held forth as he kicked off a local drive for a part-time legislature.

Glenn, who is running to represent the 98th House District, spoke Thursday at Dan Dan the Mattress Man in Midland about putting a state constitutional amendment on the Nov. 4 ballot.

“I know it is not every day that somebody that is running for the legislature runs on the platform of cutting his salary by two-thirds before he even gets there,” said Glenn, a board member of the sponsoring organization, The Committee to Restore Michigan’s Part-time Legislature (CRMPTL). “But, certainly that is part of the mindset I am going to try to maintain if I am blessed to be elected to this position, is to represent what the taxpayers believe is best for the state of Michigan.”

The “46” stands for the number of states that already have part-time legislatures. Only Pennsylvania, California, New York and Michigan have full-time legislatures.

“This is the best response to any objection anybody brings up to Michigan moving back to a part-time legislature,” said Glenn. “That refers to the fact that 46 states, 92 percent of the states in this country, operate today with a part-time legislature. The state of Texas only meets every other year. Before the 1963 Constitution, Michigan had a part-time legislature. They used to have one staffer for every four legislators.”

And Glenn shared that he believes the people of Michigan want a part-time legislature.

“I haven’t seen any scientific polls yet, but all the online polls are polling 80 percent of Michigan returning to a part-time legislature,” he said.

Under the new proposal, a legislature would only meet in one 60-day regular session per year.

“What this means is they are going to have to get the important things done,” said Glenn. “They are not going to pass these frivolous bills.”

For that part-time position, lawmakers would earn $35,000 per year versus approximately $71,000 now.

“Now that is just salary; if you take the $71,000 per year salary and add in the benefits like health insurance, it is over $100,000,” said Glenn. “Obviously, you are going to save some money. Maybe $10 million a year in legislative compensation, not counting the savings you would have by cutting the staff support.”

The proposal would limit the total number of staff to 250 for the 148 legislators (38 Senate and 110 House).

“That means there would be more than one per legislator,” said Glenn.

The amendment received an endorsement from U.S. Congressman Tim Walberg, R-Tipton.

“Having been one of the handful of legislators back in 1983-86 unsuccessfully pushing for a part-time legislature, I wish you well. Feel free to tout me as an endorser of the part-time drive,” Walberg wrote in an e-mail to Glenn.

The drive needs to collect 322,609 signatures by July 7. However, due to possible invalid signatures, the goal is to collect well over 400,000.

“It is going be done by a citizen-led effort,” said Glenn. “There are no plans, we would certainly solicit (any) contributions.”

Midland County Commissioner Rich Keenan, R-4th District, who was among the 25 in attendance, was concerned about how term limits and a part-time legislature would mix.

“I agree with a part-time legislature,” he said. “We pay them full-time, but they are just part-time right now. They don’t meet very often. As a part-time commissioner I’m finding that once I stepped in as county commissioner, it took me two years just to figure out what is going on because I’m part-time. If you are going to have term limits: in six years, will your legislator have any clue what to do in Lansing if he is only there a little bit? I think we have to consider what our part-time legislature would be.”

To contact CRMPTL, visit: parttimemi.com

A Letter by Bill McMaster to Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Michigan

 

Dear Mr. Loepp:

As a Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Michigan policyholder, I personally received Notice from you in November 2013 at my 2700 Robindale, Bloomfield Hills, MI 48302 residence stating my BC/BS monthly statement beginning January 1, 2014 would“include State and Federal Taxes” inherent in the Affordable Health Care Act; Gov. Rick Snyder’s Medicaid Expansion, and Medicare Prescription Drug coverage for Seniors.

Americans for Tax Reform in Washington, DC published a report last summer asserting there are at least 20 different Federal Taxes entwined in Obamacare. A Michigan State Senator confirmed there are at least nine new or expanded State Taxes/Fees in the package.

Since BC/BS had/has a monopoly around 64% of the Michigan Health Care Insurance coverage, I was advised to address my request for a factual “List of Federal Taxes & Fees” and a “Separate List of the State of Michigan Taxes & Fees which BC/BS announced it would begin collecting from policyholders every month after January 1, 2014.

I was further advised by Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Michigan to address my email to your News Room address. I did so five times between November 2013 and January 2014 without receiving any response whatsoever.

Earlier this month, I caught the TV and Radio ads being aired by BC/BS featuring WJR’s Paul W. Smith and Magic Johnson touting the available “Government Subsidies” for Michiganians who might not be able to pay BC/BS’s full price for Obamacare policy coverage. Your ads encourage prospective customers to call BC/BS to find out how much Government Subsidy they might qualify for, and adding they can deal with BC/BS directly without having to go through the State of Michigan or Federal agency (“Ambassador”).

Such marketing of a pig in a poke is contrary to President Obama’s promise that Obamacare will cut health care coverage for families by $2,500 a year.

Since you have so adamantly refused to disclose our simple request about what we are paying BC/BS for, we have become aware and very concerned about the series of secret policy and tax/fee changes dictated by the White House to Michigan Health Insurance Exchanges, usually late at night. And if our information is correct, we’re appalled BC/BS is submissive to President Obama’s intimidation of consequential punishment for Insurance Exchange executives and State Governments who might feel a duty to avoid partnering with his conspiracy to defraud Obamacare policyholders.

We are further surprised and disappointed BC/BS’s massive and expensive lobbying effort in our State Capitol intentionally violates our 1978 Headlee Tax Limitation Amendment permanently amended into our Michigan Constitution by the majority of statewide grassroots voters. You’re secretly imposing new taxes without first complying with our Constitutional Right to vote Yes or No as mandated by our Michigan Constitution, Article 9, Sections 6 and 25 through 34.

Now Mr. Loepp, this BC/BS Policyholder again requests a LIST OF THE FEDERAL TAXES & FEES, and a SEPARATE LIST OF THE MICHIGAN TAXES & FEES, that BC/BS stated would be collected on monthly BC/BS billings after January 1, 2014.

Sincerely,

Bill McMaster

#  #  # 

Taxpayers United Michigan Foundation was founded in 1976 by Dick Headlee (deceased 2004) and Bill McMaster to successfully win statewide voter approval of the 1978 Headlee Tax Limitation Amendment. It has evolved into a tax deductible 501(c)(3) under the IRS code as a nonpartisan, nonprofit educational foundation helping educate grassroots taxpayers how to defend and control their Constitutional Rights despite exploitation by unethical public officials and units of government.

PUBLIC LAND TOWN HALL WITH REPRESENTATIVE WAYNE SCHMIDT

Acme Township Hall

Representative Wayne Schmidt (R-Traverse City), Michigan United Conservation Clubs and the Michigan League of Conservation Voters are hosting a public land town hall meeting on Monday, February 17, 2014 at 7:00pm at the Acme Township Hall.

Guest speakers will include local experts on public lands and regional tourism, including Glen Chown, founding executive director of the Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy.

Rep. Schmidt introduced HB 5210, which would approve the Department of Natural Resources’ strategic land plan and lift the land cap that was instituted by PA 240 of 2012. The Land Cap Bill, as it was called, required the DNR to create a strategic land plan that had to be approved by the Legislature for the land cap to be lifted.

The DNR has completed that plan, available here, and MUCC supports lifting the land cap through HB 5210. Public land is critical to public hunting, fishing and trapping access, and the DNR’s plan lays out strategies to guide how it manages those goals.  It is still working on completing more specific criteria for it to use in acquiring and selling public land.

Doors open at 6:30. The Acme Township Hall is located at 6042 Acme Rd, Williamsburg, MI 49690

Here’s a link to HB 5210 with the list of it’s sponsors;

http://www.legislature.mi.gov/documents/2013-2014/billintroduced/House/pdf/2014-HIB-5210.pdf

Here is a link to another perspective from Jason Gillman at RightMI.com;

http://rightmi.com/too-much-private-property/

By Joel Griffith RedState Member/Contributor

“Activists can promote tolerance and inclusion without handing control of the party over to those who remain INSUFFICIENTLY committed to the ideas of limited government, economic freedom, and separation of powers.”

Michigan’s Republican National Committeeman – Dave Agema

Demands for the resignation of Michigan’s Republican National Committeeman Dave Agema may be far less spontaneous than initially portrayed. Last week, Agema waded into the gay marriage debate with a controversial Facebook post opposing legalization. Almost immediately thereafter, aspiring political consultant Dennis Lennox has been loudly leading the assault on Dave Agema. In repeated written outbursts, Lennox proclaimed there is “no room for Agema in the GOP”, accused Agema of being a “neo-Know Nothing adherent”, and called Agema an “ignorant bigot.”