In yet another openly hostile, in-your-face act of intimidation against anyone who dares to disagree with the “Religion of Peace,” 57 Muslim countries around the world are now coming together to pressure Western countries into silencing and prosecuting any and all criticism of Islam as a “hate crime.”

As Investor’s Business Daily explains, it is all happening under the banner of a Saudi-based group called the “Organization of Islamic Cooperation,” which released its 94-page document on “Islamophobia” (noticing Islamic violence is fear-based bigotry) in recent weeks.

If this calculated attempt to obliterate all dissent has its way, it will officially become a felony in the U.S. and Europe for citizens to even suggest “that Muslims are inclined to violence” or that “Islam is an inherently expansionist religion.”

Never mind the fact that huge portions of Muslims in countries all around the world admittedly believe  that homosexuals, adulterers and non-believers should be put to death, support suicide bombing civilians, and endorse honor killings.

Or that these are the same people who routinely stone women to death for being raped, who erupt into murderous worldwide riots over cartoons, and who danced in the streets on 9/11.

Or that Islam was founded at the tip of a sword. Or that its Koran openly teaches violent jihad against all non-believers. Or that Islam has remained entrenched in self-initiated carnage in every corner of the world since its bloody inception.

Islam revolves around violent expansion and conquest. Every last thing that in any way indicates something about a religion confirms this–its history, its founder, its teachings, its followers…everything.

But noticing this or objecting in any way is to be condemned and persecuted as “hate speech.” Instead, we are to believe that approximately one abortion clinic bombing per decade makes Christians the dangerous extremists here…while Islam is just a misunderstood “religion of peace.”

Incidentally, it is also worth noting that the “pro-tolerance,” “pro-diversity” liberals who defend Islam as it murders, mutilates and enslaves women across the globe are the very same champions of civility who vindictively smear anyone who objects to limitless taxpayer-funded abortions and contraceptives as being “at war with women.”

By Kevin Hall

When Rob Taylor rolled down his car window on Christmas Eve and handed money to an apparently down on his luck man, the state representative from West Des Moines, Iowa had no idea it was he who was about to receive a wondrous gift.

The man was dressed in shabby clothes and holding a sign indicating he was homeless. The temperature was below 15 degrees, but the man’s spirits seemed warm. He was cheerfully saying “Merry Christmas” to passersby.

Taylor felt moved to help this obviously destitute man. He grabbed the cash in his wallet and handed it over. The man responded with a gift for Taylor. Later that night, Rep. Taylor called it the most beautiful & thoughtful Christmas present one could ever wish for.

Taylor’s gift was an envelope, containing the letter below and $10.

Rep. Taylor was deeply moved by the man’s actions. He immediately shared the letter and story on social media. The gift has spurred the Taylor family to increase their charitable donations. A day letter, Rob Taylor was still awestruck by his dealings with “Jonnie”.

“His action was one of the kindest and most Christian thing that I’ve ever witnessed,” Taylor told TheIowaRepublican.com. “I left Jonnie a voicemail yesterday that Christi and I intend on donating to an unnamed Christian charity because of his letter and the $10 he gave to me. What he did yesterday brought tears to my eyes. The world needs more Jonnies!”

Jonnie Wright was the man portraying a homeless panhandler. Wright is a customer relations consultant. He spent a total of four hours posing as a homeless man on Christmas Eve, in Des Moines and Ames. It was something he has spent a long time thinking about, as a way to give back to the community.

Wright says he has spent many years struggling to do the right thing. He burned through jobs and relationships. He was always looking for something better, never realizing the change needed to come from within.

Wright says he eventually “blew myself up” in order to rebuild from rock bottom. Along the way, he prayed for guidance from the Lord. Now, a changed man, Jonnie Wright is following through on his promise to God. He will give back, for the greater good.

“I am compelled to not only give back but also to help inspire others to perhaps do the same,” Wright told TheIowaRepublican.com. “There were people along my journey who helped inspire me to work through my pain and darkness, to find my way out of my self-created abyss and it is for them and for those who continue to struggle and suffer that I do what I do, for the greater glory of God. I am incredibly humbled by the response to this.”

Those who know Jonnie Wright find him to be one of the most creative people they have ever met. Fittingly, Wright found a very imaginative way to give back. On Christmas Eve, Wright made 50 copies of the letter he gave to Rob Taylor. He attached varying amounts of money to each and stuffed them in 50 envelopes.

Wright donned some ragged clothes that were less than suitable for the freezing temperatures and he spent hours giving back to those who generously helped someone they believed was less fortunate than them. Each time someone stopped to donate, Wright handed that person an envelope.

“Thinking I was homeless, people stopped and gave me cash,” Wright said. “They searched through wallets and purses for paper money and change. They scurried to round up change in their cars. Some drove to ATM’s and returned with cash.”

The response was better than Jonnie Wright could have imagined. Here is one of the many touching stories he shared on Facebook:

“Maria was the first to stop and donate in Des Moines. Her envelope contained $100. She left a voice message on my cell phone and, in tears, said, “I only had $16 but I saw you and wanted to help so I bought some donuts and gave them to you along with a dollar. I have a Christmas get-together with my family tonight and I didn’t know how I was going to get gifts for everybody. Now I can.”

Many people Jonnie Wright interacted with on Christmas Eve called him later that night or the next day. Not only were they thankful for the gift, they were joyous for the unique way their brief meeting helped encapsulate the spirit of the Christmas season.

“The ironic connections and incredible moments of fate over the past 24 hours are, to me, the living breathing proof that there is no coincidence, there is no fate, there is God, and that those who do not believe in him really aren’t paying attention,” Wright said.

Altogether, to aid this seemingly homeless man on Christmas Eve, people donated $363.02, three pepperoni sandwiches, two donuts, a pack of M&M’s, an apple and a pair of gloves. On Christmas Day, Jonnie Wright gave food, the gloves and $1,000 to the Bethel Mission, a men’s emergency shelter that serves Des Moines’ inner city.

Jonnie Wright’s unique experiment of giving back for the greater good touched many lives in ways he could not have imagined. On a day where millions of people around the world celebrated the spirit of giving, Jonnie Wright captured the essence of that feeling and shared it with a few fortunate Iowa souls.

“I have no adequate words,” Wright said. “I have cried like a baby over and over these last two days, at once humbled, at once broken, at once euphoric. I can’t spread my arms wide enough to show how full of love and joy my heart is. I am a customer service trainer but today I have been humbled by how little I know or understand about the power of human kindness.”

Looking back on his interaction with Jonnie Wright, the Christmas Spirit stirred in Rob Taylor in ways that it never had before.

“It brought tears to my eyes and made me so grateful to be a Believer,” Taylor said.

About the Author;

Kevin Hall brings almost two decades of journalistic experience to TheIowaRepublican. Starting in college as a radio broadcaster, Hall eventually became a television anchor/reporter for stations in North Carolina, Missouri, and Iowa. During the 2007 caucus cycle, Hall changed careers and joined the political realm. He was the northwest Iowa field director for Fred Thompson’s presidential campaign. Hall helped Terry Branstad return to the governor’s office by organizing southwest Iowa for Branstad’s 2010 campaign. Hall serves as a reporter/columnist for TheIowaRepublican.com.

LANSING – Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette today announced the U.S. Supreme Court granted review of a pair of cases dealing with religious liberty and First Amendment freedoms. The two cases are Sebelius v. Hobby Lobby Stores and Conestoga Wood Specialties Corp. v. Sebelius. Michigan wrote the multi-state amici brief in support of the Conestoga case on behalf of Michigan, Ohio, and sixteen other states. Arguments before the court are expected to be held March 2014. Under the mandate promulgated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), employers would have to provide insurance coverage that includes abortion-inducing drugs, regardless of whether it violates their religious beliefs.

“Religious liberty is America’s first freedom. I am pleased our nation’s highest court will hear arguments to defend the First Amendment for all, not just a few dictated by the federal government,” said Schuette. 

“Any rule, regulation or law that forces private job-creators to violate their free exercise of religion is a flat-out violation of the Constitution.”

Several Michigan-based businesses have filed their own challenges to the HHS mandate, including Autocam Corp, Domino’s Farms, Weingartz Supply Company, Eden Foods, and Mersino Management, all which Schuette supports.

Click here to read the brief filed by Schuette in support of Conestoga Wood: http://bit.ly/17R56n7

Schuette’s efforts to challenge the unconstitutional HHS mandate are the latest in a comprehensive effort to defend religious liberty for Michigan citizens:

• In 2011, Schuette filed an amicus brief on behalf of eight states in support of religious liberty in a significant case involving the right of religious organizations to manage their religious employees without government interference.  In January 2010, the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously (9-0) agreed with Schuette and upheld the right of religious organizations to manage their religious employees without government interference in the case Hosanna-Tabor Evangelical Lutheran Church and School v. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission et al. 
• Schuette also filed an amicus brief in support of Julea Ward, a former Eastern Michigan University student who is suing the university in federal court for violating her constitutional rights after she was dismissed from a graduate counseling program due to her religious beliefs.  On January 27, 2012, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th District agreed with Schuette that Ward had a right to trial and reversed the lower court ruling dismissing her case.  In December 2012, the university settled the case with Ward for $75,000.

By Larry Kudlow

Did Paul Ryan’s budget deal save the Republican party from itself? I think it did.

Everyone acknowledges that Ryan-Murray is not a great deal. But the fact is, its passage will avoid a government shutdown. That’s crucial.

If the GOP wants to retake the Senate and hold the House in 2014, the key issues must be the catastrophic pitfalls of Obamacare and better economic growth. A shutdown would be a distraction. It would take the heat off Obama and Obamacare, and all the Democrats who falsely promised that if you like your insurance and doctor, you can keep them.

Obama’s “like it, keep it” promise was just named the lie of the year in the annual PolitiFact survey. Reminding voters of that lie is much more important than a government shutdown — which would be blamed on Republicans anyway. Millions more people will be uninsured over the next year than those who are newly insured. At the very least, hundreds of thousands of people who thought they enrolled in Obamacare via the website will find out they are not enrolled. Sick people will lose their doctors and probably their hospitals. Healthy younger people will by and large boycott Obamacare.

In economic terms, Obamacare taxes and regulations are holding back business investing and hiring. And I can add another 5,000 words on the flaws of this state-run health plan. But suffice it to say, those very flaws must be a key ingredient in a Republican takeover next November.

Sure, there are a lot of disappointments with Ryan-Murray. Even Ryan agrees. The worst is that only 70 percent of the sequester is left over the next two years. And although Ryan believes the caps will be restored to 90 percent, that’s probably a triumph of hope over experience. The budget caps of the last couple of years have brought down the level of spending and its share of GDP, thereby functioning as a pro-growth tax cut. Losing that discipline is my biggest problem with the deal. But if there’s a Republican Senate and House in 2015, chances of restoring a large measure of budget discipline are better than if the Republicans lose both houses.

The purest path for the budget talks would have been a clean bill keeping all the sequestration budget cuts. But the votes were never there in the House. Defense hawks and others would have left that bill short by 40 to 50 Republican votes. And Democrats would never have supported it. Hence the shutdown threat.

Ryan knew all this. So he went to work with Senator Patty Murray on a common-ground compromise that pleased no one fully but at least temporarily got the job done and took the shutdown off the table.

And in my view, the GOP got the better of this deal. The spending increases are tiny and there are no income-tax hikes. The sequester itself is not dead. And a costly extension of unemployment insurance never made it in the bill.

The Democrats wanted an end to sequestration and a big tax hike and got neither. And Ryan was able to get minor entitlement reforms with larger co-pays for federal employee retirements, and a small COLA reduction for younger military retirees who find second careers after leaving the armed forces. And the costs of the federal guarantee of private corporate pension benefits will be raised.

Yes, airport fees are going up. That’s a nuisance. But the overall numbers are palatable, with $63 billion in higher spending, $85 billion in so-called fees and other spending cuts, and possible a net deficit reduction of $25 billion.

It’s a political solution, not a fiscal one.

But Senate Republicans could be on the verge of a big political mistake. Senator Mitch McConnell is leading the charge to vote against this deal. He may have a lot of support. But with all due respect, this is a hypocritical position. It was McConnell and other GOP senators who trashed senators Cruz and Lee and House Republicans over the defunding shutdown last summer. Now Mr. McConnell wants a shutdown? Makes no sense.

Fortunately for Republicans, the Obamacare disaster erased the political downside of the shutdown. Paul Ryan understands this. And the really strong Ryan budget — which he put forth in recent years, and includes entitlement and pro-growth tax reform — would have a lot better chance if Republicans controlled both houses of Congress and then claimed the White House in 2016. A small watering down of budget caps seems like a small price to pay on the road to controlling Washington.

Ryan says he has the presidency in the back of his mind. Well, fine. But meanwhile, in the run-up to next year’s election, he may have saved the GOP from itself.

To find out more about Lawrence Kudlow and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate web page at www.creators.com.

A Three-Step Republican Response

By KIMBERLEY A. STRASSEL

Teddy Roosevelt busted Standard Oil. The Obama administration? It’s making the world safe from rapacious piano teachers.

Every month, it seems, brings a new story of this presidency leveling the intimidating powers of the federal government against some law-abiding citizen. Now comes a terrifying tale of how the Federal Trade Commission, a governmental Goliath, crushes an average David because it can.

In March of this year, a small nonprofit in Cincinnati-the Music Teachers National Association-received a letter from the FTC. The agency was investigating whether the association was engaged in, uh, anti-competitive practices.

This was bizarre, given that the MTNA has existed since 1876 solely to advance the cause of music study and support music teachers. The 501(c)(3) has about 22,000 members, nearly 90% of them piano teachers, including many women who earn a modest living giving lessons in their homes. The group promotes music study and competitions and helps train teachers. Not exactly U.S. Steel.

The association’s sin, according to the feds, rested in its code of ethics. The code lays out ideals for members to follow-a commitment to students, colleagues, society. Tucked into this worthy document was a provision calling on teachers to respect their colleagues’ studios, and not actively recruit students from other teachers.

That’s a common enough provision among professional organizations (doctors, lawyers), yet the FTC avers that the suggestion that Miss Sally not poach students from Miss Lucy was an attempt to raise prices for piano lessons. Given that the average lesson runs around $30 an hour, and that some devoted teachers still give lessons for $5 a pop, this is patently absurd.

MTNA Executive Director Gary Ingle, who has been at the organization 17 years-and who agreed to talk when I reached out about this case-said that he and the group’s attorneys immediately flew to Washington to talk to federal investigators. They explained that this provision had been in the group’s code for years, and that it was purely aspirational. The association has never enforced its code, and no member has been removed as a result of it.

The FTC didn’t care. Nor did it blink when the MTNA pointed out that the agency has no real authority over nonprofits (it is largely limited to going after sham organizations) and that Congress has never acted on the FTA’s requests for more control over 501(c)3 groups. Nor was the agency moved by the group’s offer to immediately excise the provision. The investigation would continue.

With a dozen employees and a $2 million budget, the group doesn’t have “the resources to fight the federal government,” Mr. Ingle says. The board immediately removed the provision from its code, but the MTNA staff still had to devote months compiling thousands of documents demanded by the agency, some going back 20 years: reports, the organization’s magazines, everything Mr. Ingle had ever written that touched on the code. Mr. Ingle estimates he has spent “hundreds upon hundreds” of hours since March complying with this federal colonoscopy.

This October, MTNA signed a consent decree-its contents as ludicrous as the investigation. The association did not have to admit or deny guilt. It must, however, read a statement out loud at every future national MTNA event warning members against talking about prices or recruitment. It must send this statement to all 22,000 members and post it on its website. It must contact all of its 500-plus affiliates and get them to sign a compliance statement.

The association must also develop a sweeping antitrust compliance program that will require annual training of its state presidents on the potential crimes of robber-baron piano teachers. It must submit reports to the FTC and appoint an antitrust compliance officer. (The FTC wanted the officer to be an attorney, but Mr. Ingle explained that this would “break the bank,” so the agency-how gracious-is allowing him to fill the post.) And it must comply with most of this for the next 20 years.

The MTNA is not yet free of fear; the FTC has still to approve the consent decree. An FTC spokesman told me the agency does not confirm or deny the existence of investigations. The organization to this day has no idea how it became a target, nor will it ever because the FTC doesn’t have to provide it.

While this abuse of power has received no national attention, it has riled the music community. Brian Majeski, the editor of the journal Music Trades, lambasted the FTC in a December editorial, noting that “a consumer watchdog that sees piano teachers as a threat either has too much time on its hands, or badly misplaced priorities.”

That might be too kind. Whether it is the IRS targeting conservatives, the Justice Department hounding Gibson Guitar, or the EPA conducting an armed raid on an Alaskan mine-this administration has a tendency toward abuse of power. That’s how antitrust laws created to tackle mega monopolies end up being used to hound and hammer a nonprofit organization devoted to piano teachers.

By Melissa Anders | manders@mlive.com 
Follow on Twitter

LANSING — The state has been cleaning house the past two and a half years, scrubbing hundreds of administrative rules in an effort to trim red tape and promote business growth.

While many of the rescinded rules are obsolete, unnecessary or even unenforceable, some regulatory changes have raised concerns among environmental activists and others keeping an eye on the process.

In 2011 Republican Gov. Rick Snyder created the Office of Regulatory Reinvention within the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs. The office has reviewed more than 19,000 rules and so far has rescinded 1,950 rules. Some rules were replaced with others, and new ones were added, so the net rule reduction comes out to 1,554, the office announced Thursday.

Many of the changes were recommended by eight Advisory Rules Committees (ARCs) that studied regulations on the environment, inspections and permitting, insurance and finance, liquor control, natural resources, occupational licensing and workplace safety. The committees, which included various stakeholders and state employees, have so far publicly released 320 recommendations.

While some recommendations involve rule changes, others require legislation. So far the state has implemented more than 100 ARC recommendations, with more expected.

Even if a rule hadn’t been actively enforced, businesses had to wade through the regulations to determine if they’re in compliance.

“That’s the reason that we thought it was so important to give these rules a good scrub, to clean them up, and to get rid of this superfluous and obsolete language,” said Kevin Elsenheimer, a deputy director at LARA who oversees the ORR.

One somewhat unconventional rule requires child care workers in Michigan to smile. He said those rules, which will be removed in January, are unnecessary and impossible to enforce.

Many changes have occurred without much public attention. Others have garnered more interest, namely those involving air quality rules, occupational licensing, and alcohol regulations.

Environmental groups contend some changes would put public health and safety at risk, such as a proposal to reduce the number of toxic air contaminants that would be subject to certain regulations. Supporters of the change say it would bring Michigan more in line with other states while still exceeding federal regulations and protecting public health.

Environmental activists also have spoken against an overhaul of Michigan’s wetlands regulations. Michigan is one of just two states that have stricter rules than the federal regulations, and that’s appropriate given the state’s reliance on its fresh water system, Jack Schmitt, deputy director of the Michigan League of Conservation Voters.

James Clift, policy director for the Michigan Environmental Council, participated in the environmental rules committee. He said he agreed with about two-thirds of the recommendations, but thought the rest either minimized public health concerns or just weren’t efficient or cost-effective changes.

“I wouldn’t say they don’t care (about public health), but they care more about making the businesses happy, and that’s where we’re concerned,” he said. “We think they’re undervaluing the public health of Michigan residents.”

Some deregulation is needed to help Michigan’s small businesses succeed, said Lonnie Scott, director of liberal advocacy group Progress Michigan.

“If that’s the intent, then that’s one thing,” he said. “There’s this other deregulation that just seems to be for deregulation’s sake that really seeks to just increase corporate profits, often at the expense of worker or environmental safety. I think that’s where we get into problems.”

For example, Scott said the repeal of Michigan’s item pricing law was a “terrible mistake” that seemed to help businesses more than consumers.

Elsenheimer said that the state’s goal is to continue to protect public interests while getting rid of burdensome rules. He used the example of a rule requiring businesses to submit a certain wastewater report that was not used by environmental regulators. Another policy required auto insurers to produce large, detailed rating process booklets for their policy holders.

Eliminating those rules, he said, saves businesses time and money but doesn’t have a real-world impact on the public. In the insurance example, some companies spent $1 million each year to produce the booklets. Policy holders can still get detailed information upon request.

Businesses take note of a state’s regulatory environment, said Jason Geer, director of energy and environmental policy for the Michigan Chamber of Commerce.

By paying attention to business needs and making it easier for them to operate and expand here is “huge in changing the image of the state” as a “more competitive and a better place to do business,” he said.

State Senate wants to extend $844 million program; bill now heads to the Michigan State House

The state senate overwhelmingly passed a bill extending the life of an $844.5 million economic development program despite the legislators not knowing how well the program was performing because of a lack of transparency.

Senate Bill 269  would extend funding for the 21^st Century Jobs Fund an additional four years; it was supposed to sunset in 2015. It passed the senate by a 33-4 vote Oct. 31. The bill now goes to the House of Representatives. The 21^st Century Jobs Fund was created using money from a tobacco company lawsuit settlement.

“It’s not possible to get a clear picture of how well the 21^st Century Jobs Fund is performing because the state doesn’t report on the results on many of their projects,” said James Hohman, a fiscal policy analyst for the Mackinac Center for Public Policy.

The Michigan Economic Development Corp.’s 2012 report stated the 21^stCentury Jobs Fund’s Competitive Edge Technology Grants program gave out $137 million in grants and loans and created 999.19 full-time jobs.

But the information about the 21^st Century Job Fund’s performance is not clear.

For example, that 2012 MEDC report states that the company IA Inc./Three Fold Sensors reported negative 3.84 jobs.

Hohman questioned how a company could generate negative 3.84 jobs and wondered whether legislators know what taxpayers are receiving for their money that is invested in this program.

Sen. Rick Jones, R-Grand Ledge, said he supports more transparency on how 21^st Century Jobs Fund money is spent. He voted “yes” on the bill to provide more money to the fund.

“I think the feeling that if we don’t have some sort of mechanism in place to attract jobs in Michigan, then Indiana and Ohio and surrounding states will eat our lunch,” Sen. Jones said.

But Hohman said these incentive programs are better at producing press releases than actual jobs.

The 21st Century Jobs Fund has been roundly criticized for inaccurate reporting, repeated failings of past companies subsidized, and the idea that bureaucrats are better at spending money through centralized planning than the private market/sector.

Hey Gov. Snyder,…repeal the prevailing wage law,…and shut down this program,…and POOOOOOF,….$1,2 Billion Dollars for Michigan roads and bridges!!!

Commentary on this bill;  http://www.michigancapitolconfidential.com/19327

When the House passed legislation to defund ObamaCare but would keep the government running through mid-December, the Senate, led by Senate Majority Leader, Senator Harry Reid (D-NV) stated that they would not budge on Obamacare and the legislation was defeated.

On Monday, Dr. Harold Pease, an expert on the United States Constitution, stated that the authority in dealing with Obamacare funding belongs to the U.S. House, not the U.S. Senate and that the House is doing this all wrong.

Pease said, “Everything hinged upon funding which was given exclusively to the House of Representatives, the only power that they alone had.”

Pease went on to say, “All bills for raising revenue shall originate in the House of Representatives; but the Senate may propose or concur with Amendments as on other Bills. To fund anything, in this case Obamacare, first approval is required by the House of Representatives.”

“If that does not happen taxpayer money cannot be spent. The people, through their representatives to Congress, have determined, after a three-year closer scrutiny of The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (Obamacare), that it does not protect the patient, is not affordable and is not even workable; hence in the interests of the vast majority of the people needs to be defunded.”

When the United States Supreme Court ruled on Obamacare in 2012, Chief Justice Roberts stance on Obamacare coincides with the intent of the U.S. Constitution, explained by Pease, and the powers between the House and Senate.

According to the U.S. Supreme Court ruling, Obamacare cannot be implemented and is not considered the law of the land, contrary to Democrat claims.

Bubba Atkinson of the Independent Journal Review wrote, “Chief Justice Roberts actually ruled the mandate, relative to the commerce clause, was unconstitutional. That is how the Democrats got Obama-care going in the first place. This is critical. His ruling means Congress can’t compel American citizens to purchase anything, ever. The notion is now officially and forever, unconstitutional. As it should be.”

“Next, he stated that, because Congress doesn’t have the ability to mandate, it must, to fund Obama-care, rely on its power to tax. Therefore, the mechanism that funds Obama-care is a tax,” said Atkinson. “He struck down as unconstitutional, the Obama-care idea that the federal government can bully states into complying by yanking their existing medicaid funding. Liberals, through Obama-care, basically said to the states — “comply with Obama-care or we will stop existing funding.” Roberts ruled that is a no-no.”

When the House attached Obamacare to the legislation in funding the government, it made a mistake in doing so and the funding of Obamacare should have been separate, thereby giving the Senate no power in denying the Houses’ request to defund Obamacare.

Pease said, “House opposition to funding Obamacare would have been far more powerful if made a “stand alone” bill not attached to general funding, but it is not. “Stand alone,” having no other parts, would have left the Senate no wiggle or compromise room once it went to them, nor would there be for the Joint Conference Committee thereafter that reconciles any differences between the two houses. There would be nothing to reconcile, Obamacare is merely defunded.”

“Still, the intent of the Founding Fathers was to give the people, through their House of Representatives, the power collectively to say no to any proposed federal tax, which she is decidedly doing.”

If Obamacare is removed from the government budget, presented, and voted on as a separate bill, Obamacare can be defunded by the House. If that is the case, then the Senate and the President has no constitutional authority to override the House’s decision.

Michigan farmers can more easily sell their goods to people from small or temporary roadside produce stands now that Gov. Rick Snyder has signed Public Act 125 of 2013 to reform certain building code requirements 

Triston and Stacy Cole of Cole Farm in Mancelona joined Rep. Greg MacMaster for the signing of House Bill 4732.  Triston approached MacMaster about creating the legislation to waive the rules for plumbing and other building code requirements based on the smaller size and type of facility.

“This bill reduces regulation on agri-business, especially startups and small farms looking to expand,” Triston Cole said. “This bill keeps farms family-owned and operated, and increases direct sales to the public. This also will help to continue to strengthen the relationship between the community and our local farmers, as well as increase awareness of local farming activity.”

MacMaster said the regulations put an overly burdensome requirement on the farmer for what should be fairly simple and straightforward part of farmers providing healthy food options for people.

“The small stands and tents that farmers use to protect vegetables and other produce so people can eat fresh, wholesome food shouldn’t fall under the full-blown rules for full-size building structures,” said MacMaster, R-Kewadin. “Excessive government paperwork and mandates don’t need to be part of picking up some tomatoes, peppers or a dozen ears of corn from the local farm stand on the drive home.”

Typically, the stands in question are approximately 200 to 300 square feet in size – the new law exempts those up to 400 square feet from the plumbing requirement. Building permits and other safety requirements remain in place.

Ryan Romeyn of Providence Farm in Central Lake also applauded the regulation reforms in the new MacMaster law.

“This is great news and will be a great improvement to give farmers and consumers greater flexibility in marketing and purchasing locally grown products to benefit our local economies in Michigan,” Romeyn said. “Our farm is preparing to expand our roadside market, and this law will provide many more options that are economically viable. This will benefit farm families, farm employees, local residents and vacationers.”

The law also exempts tents of the same size from the code in its entirety, but does require a form of secure anchoring for all structures.

MacMaster can be contacted by calling toll free (855) DIST-105; by email, GregMacMaster@house.mi.gov; or through is office website, www.repmacmaster.com.

Gov. Rick Snyder recently signed into law Rep. Greg MacMaster’s House Bill 4732 into Public Act 125 of 2013, a law that waives some state building code requirements so small roadside farm produce stands don’t have to install plumbing. Pictured attending the signing were Stacy and Triston Cole of Cole Farms in Mancelona, Rep. Greg MacMaster, and his wife, Kim MacMaster.