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By saul anuzis Posted in John McCain | Michigan Republican Party | Republicans | Saul Anuzis — Comments (1) / Email this page » / Leave a comment »

MORNING UPDATE:

MICHIGAN McCAIN OPERATIONS...are opening this week in Farmington Hills and our coordinated Victory Centers are being set up as we speak.  A central, McCain for President email has been set up for Michigan that goes to all the right staff if you are interested in volunteering or getting any information about the campaign.
 
Email: Michigan@johnmccain.com

NEW McCAIN AD...now playing.  Check it out...putting America first!

THE AFL-CIO AND ITS MEMBER UNIONS PLAN TO SPEND OVER $200 MILLION IN SUPPORT OF OBAMA'S CAMPAIGN..."The AFL-CIO's endorsement will enable the federation to begin spending the $53.4 million it has budgeted for the election on voter-mobilization efforts for Sen. Obama, targeting union members through phone calls, mailings and visits to workplaces and homes. The federation's member unions plan to spend an additional $150 million through the fall on their own efforts." (Kris Maher, "AFL-CIO To Endorse Obama, Start Spending," The Wall Street Journal, 6/25/08)

BUDGET DEAL STRUCK...NOW - TRANSPARENCY IN GOVERNMENT SPENDING...is a critical effort by officials at the state level to empower taxpayers to become fiscal watchdogs by making expenditures available on the Internet.  Michigan needs comprehensive legislation mandating the creation of a website detailing state expenditure information.   Attorney General Mike Cox and Secretary of State Terri Lynn Land have unilaterally posted their departments expenditures online...the Republicans who run departments...without legislation or being required to do so. Governor...what are you trying to hide???

STATE SPENDING RISING...state spending to increase to over $44 BILLION...and Republicans force the Governor and Democrats to hold the line on any new taxes.  Last year, the Democrats jammed through the largest tax increase in Michigan's history...over $2 BILLION in new revenues.  Taxpayers...be vigilant.

GAS PRICES TOO HIGH...America is getting mad as politicians play lip service and will NOT take the steps to make us energy independent.  WE have huge oil reserves, we have domestic options, we need nuclear power and we would be less dependent on what is happening in the Middle East.  Demand action...now!!!

NUCLEAR POWER...America wants peace and prosperity. We need to become less dependent on foreign oil and have more domestic sources of power. Cheap, reliable and affordable energy will change the world. More below.

DEMOCRATS TOP PRIORITY...PAYBACK TO ORGANIZED LABOR...CARD CHECK...Protect the workers' right to a secret ballot. The vast majority (around 81%) of Americans believe that American workers have a right to have a secret ballot election before they are forced to join a union. Last year the House Democrats passed a bill that would strip American workers of the secret ballot. A new bill should be introduced reaffirming that right, and it should be brought up again and again until marginal Democrats are forced to vote with the American people against the union power structure.  This, coming from a Teamster.

For more information go to: http://www.unionfacts.com/cardcheck/whatIsCardcheck.cfm

JAMES BARRETT...retired as President of the Michigan Chamber of Commerce.  Jim served the Chamber, our state, the conservative movement, and yes, even our party better than most.  His leadership, commitment and philosophical consistency is a model for future generations of leaders.  Now we'll suck him into more "partisan" activities!?!  Thanks for all you have done...and will do.

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FOR THE LATEST NEWS, COMMENTARY & INFORMATION:

Check...out...our...online Articles of Interest.........News...you...can...use.........

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THE REST OF THE STORY:

- NUCLEAR POWER...is the world's largest source of emission-free energy. Nuclear power plants produce no controlled air pollutants, such as sulfur and particulates, or greenhouse gases. The use of nuclear power in place of other energy sources helps to keep the air clean, preserve the Earth's climate, avoid ground-level ozone formation and prevent acid rain.

Nuclear power has important implications for our national security. Inexpensive nuclear power, in combination with fuel cell technology, could significantly reduce our dependency on foreign oil.

Nuclear power plants have experienced an admirable safety record. About 20% of electricity generated in the U.S. comes from nuclear power, and in the last forty years of this production, not one single fatality has occurred as a result of the operation of a civilian nuclear power plant in the United States. In comparison, many people die in coal mining accidents every year and approximately ten thousand Americans die every year from pollution related to coal burning.

For more information go to: http://www.nuclearnow.org/ and http://www.nei.org

Another site I would recommend is the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC).

 

TODAY'S TOP STORIES

The following stories and more are available at my Articles of Interest online.

 

FBI PROBES DETROIT CITY COUNCIL
Some under surveillance in 5-4 approval of sludge-treatment plant; Investigation via wiretap could cast wider net

BY JIM SCHAEFER, DAVID ASHENFELTER and JOE SWICKARD 
FREE PRESS STAFF WRITERS 
June 28, 2008

The FBI is investigating some Detroit City Council members in connection with a multimillion-dollar sludge-treatment project the council approved last fall, the Free Press has learned.

Sources familiar with the public corruption investigation said the FBI has wiretapped phones, a move that suggests the probe has been under way for some time.

It was unclear Friday night how far the investigation has progressed, but agents have sought information from several people, including Council President Ken Cockrel Jr., who was interviewed Wednesday, sources said.

 

Mich. lawmakers adopt much of new budget

6/28/2008, 2:03 a.m. EDT
By TIM MARTIN
The Associated Press   

LANSING, Mich. (AP) - Michigan lawmakers approved much of the next state budget before they adjourned for a summer break early Saturday, but they still haven't decided exactly how much money will be headed to public K-12 schools.

School funding is being held up by a disagreement over Gov. Jennifer Granholm's plan to open smaller high schools in some Michigan cities. The Democratic governor wants money for that project included in the spending plan that begins Oct. 1. But Republicans in the state Senate don't, saying they are worried about its startup costs and the consequences of borrowing money in a tough economic climate.

 

Michigan Senate passes energy legislation

6/28/2008, 2:04 a.m. EDT
By DAVID EGGERT
The Associated Press   

LANSING, Mich. (AP) - Just before midnight struck, a divided Michigan Senate voted to limit competition in the state's electric market, a demand of big utilities before they propose building new multibillion-dollar power plants.

Senators also late Friday approved a requirement that more electricity in the state come from renewable sources or be saved through efficiency programs, despite criticism from Democrats who called the standard "anemic."

Both the Democratic-led House and Republican-controlled Senate now have passed energy plans, and it is unclear if a compromise can be worked out soon or have to wait until after the November election.

 

Cheeks Kilpatrick says scandal hurting re-election

6/27/2008, 8:49 p.m. EDT
By COREY WILLIAMS
The Associated Press   

DETROIT (AP) - A text-messaging sex scandal involving Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick has impeded re-election efforts of his mother, Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick.

In an interview slated to run Sunday on C-SPAN's "Newsmakers," the six-term Michigan Congresswoman said polls show the scandal and criminal charges facing her son have impacted her primary campaign.

But Cheeks Kilpatrick said she still expects to defeat challengers Mary Waters and state Sen. Martha Scott of Highland Park.

 

Minimum wage hike to have wide impact
Businesses warn 25-cent increase will be passed on to consumers

Gerrick Lewis
Lansing State Journal
June 28, 2008

Inside Cottage Inn Pizza downtown, cooks in bright orange shirts and stained white aprons work together in assembly line fashion to prepare pizza after pizza, leaving the smell of pepperoni and cheese in the air.

Employees at the pizzeria are among the 267,000 workers statewide preparing to feel the effects of an increase in the minimum wage. It goes up 25 cents from $7.15 to $7.40 an hour for adults Tuesday.

The increase, which is the third over three years, stems from legislation Gov. Jennifer Granholm signed in 2006 to raise wages in the state.

 

Sabaugh's blanket mailing of absentee ballots deemed unconstitutional

By Jameson Cook
Macomb Daily Staff Writer

The state Court of Appeals struck down county Clerk Carmella Sabaugh's practice of mailing absentee voter applications to anyone over age 60, in a ruling released Friday.
 
The decision declaring the practice in violation of the state constitution and not allowed by state law could end an ongoing legal dispute that has carried partisan overtones.

Michigan Republican Party Chairman Saul Anuzis said the ruling affirms the GOP's belief that Sabaugh improperly mailed 49,234 such ballots for the November 2006 election to try to affect voter turnout in favor of Democrats, which in general benefit more from senior citizen votes. Sabaugh gained approval from the county Board of Commissioners to spend $13,000 to mail the ballots.

Conservatives warm to McCain's view of the law

By BEN ADLER
6/28/08
 
Conservatives may not be enamored of John McCain, but on a subject that is near and dear to their hearts-legal philosophy and judicial appointments-they are finding a lot to like about the Arizona senator.

Between his campaign trail rhetoric and a stable of legal advisors who are well-regarded in conservative circles, McCain is winning over converts who at one time harbored deep suspicions about his commitment to appointing reliably conservative judges.

 

GOP reps. advised to avoid party brand

By MIKE ALLEN
6/27/08

A new playbook for House Republicans urges them to run essentially as independents, showing empathy for voters, emphasizing local issues and ignoring many traditional party campaign practices. The advice for House candidates is part of an effort to minimize Republican losses in a year when voters are exasperated by the economy, the Iraq war and President Bush:

"Encourage Republican candidates to establish themselves in a personal manner, emphasizing local issues whenever possible." "Candidates have to have a positive alternative vis-à-vis their Democratic opponents." "Work to develop an issues matrix that is different than in years past and also shows a deep empathy towards the voters."

McCain tops Obama for Israeli vote
Favored by elderly, poll finds

Joshua Mitnick
Saturday, June 28, 2008

TEL AVIV | Sen. Barack Obama's recent efforts to woo American Jewish voters by staking out pro-Israeli positions seem to have fallen on deaf ears in the Jewish state, according to a poll published Friday.

Asked to name their preference to become the next president, a sample of 500 Israeli Jews favored presumptive Republican nominee, Sen. John McCain, over the Illinois Democrat by a 36 percent to 27 percent advantage.

McCain: Set U.S. limit for car CO2
He moves away from state-set emissions limits, rejects federal bailout of Big 3.

Gordon Trowbridge / Detroit News Washington Bureau
Saturday, June 28, 2008

WARREN, Ohio -- Republican presidential candidate John McCain said Friday he favors nationwide limits on carbon emissions from cars, a position that addresses one major worry of Detroit's automakers but could create new problems for them.

The presumptive GOP nominee also said he would oppose any federal bailout of domestic carmakers to keep them afloat -- an issue that took on new urgency this week as auto stocks plunged and Wall Street analysts suggested the companies may not have enough cash to last through the transition from trucks and SUVs to smaller cars.