ORGANIZE - Take Muskegon Back

State GOP Rules 2010 for Conventions.

2010-07-26T07:53:00.000-07:00

Please note, this site has some good info on it but I use it now primarily for info drops so that I can have a link to that information. The rest of the info on the side bars may be out of date. What is below is up to the date of this blog entry, 7/26/2010
Regards, Live Dangerously Be A Conservative

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REPUBLICAN PARTY OF MICHIGAN
PROPOSED RULES FOR
SELECTION OF DELEGATES AND ALTERNATES
TO THE
2010 REPUBLICAN COUNTY AND STATE
FALL CONVENTIONS
AS ADOPTED BY THE
MICHIGAN REPUBLICAN STATE COMMITTEE
ON JUNE 20, 2009
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. DATE AND CALL OF COUNTY CONVENTIONS ............................................. 1
2. COUNTY CONVENTIONS ........................................................................................ 2
3. COUNTY CONVENTION CHAIR ............................................................................ 2
4. SELECTING THE TEMPORARY CHAIR OF THE CONGRESSIONAL
DISTRICT PORTIONS OF THE COUNTY ........................................................... 2
5. COUNTY CONVENTION DELEGATES ................................................................ 3
6. PROXY VOTING PROHIBITED ............................................................................. 5
7. DELEGATE APPORTIONMENT TO STATE CONVENTION ....................... 5
8. METHOD OF ELECTING DELEGATES TO THE STATE CONVENTION 5
9. PROCEDURE FOR REPORTING SELECTION OF DELEGATES AND
ALTERNATES ............................................................................................................... 9
10. ISSUANCE OF CREDENTIALS ............................................................................. 10
11. OPTIONAL CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT CAUCUSES .............................. 10
12. FILLING STATE CONVENTION DELEGATE VACANCIES ....................... 11
13. MODIFIED UNIT RULE/METHOD OF VOTING ........................................... 12
14. PURPOSES OF STATE CONVENTION .............................................................. 12
15. A REPRESENTATIVE DELEGATION ................................................................ 13
16 STATE CONVENTION RULES .............................................................................. 13
17. WAIVER ........................................................................................................................ 13
18. AMENDMENTS TO THESE RULES .................................................................... 13
EXHIBIT A (State Convention Rules) ........................................................................... 14
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1. DATE AND CALL OF COUNTY CONVENTIONS
County conventions shall be held at 7:30 p.m. Eastern Time, Thursday, August
12, 2010, throughout the state at locations registered with the Michigan Republican
Party (“MRP”) by Thursday, July 15, 2010.
The location, time and date of meeting of all such county conventions shall be
designated in the call issued for such convention by the chair of the county executive
committee (whose term of office commences January 1, 2009), by Thursday, July 15,
2010. For the purposes of these Rules, the term “county committee” shall be read to
include the congressional district committees in Wayne County and the congressional
district portion committees within the boundaries of Wayne County.
The county executive committee must forward by first class mail a copy of such
call to each candidate for state legislative office, county office, and precinct delegate for
the August 3, 2010, primary election. In addition, such call shall be sent to all
incumbent Republican members of the State Legislature and the Michigan
Congressional delegation and Statewide Officeholders (see Rule 5C) where such person
resides in the county in question. Although all candidates for state legislative office,
county office, and precinct delegate shall receive a call to the county convention, the call
must indicate ONLY DULY ELECTED PRECINCT DELEGATES, THE REPUBLICAN
NOMINEES FOR STATE LEGISLATIVE AND COUNTY OFFICE, AND INCUMBENT
MEMBERS OF THE STATE LEGISLATURE AND THE MICHIGAN CONGRESSIONAL
DELEGATION AND STATEWIDE OFFICEHOLDERS (WHERE SUCH PERSON
RESIDES) SHALL BE ALLOWED TO VOTE ON MATTERS AS MAY PROPERLY COME
BEFORE THE COUNTY CONVENTION. The call shall also provide, however, that
unsuccessful candidates for state legislative office, county office, and precinct delegate
are encouraged to attend the county convention.
In the event that delegates to the state convention to be held on August 28, 2010,
(hereinafter sometimes referred to as the “State Convention”) are to be elected by an
apportionment method in a county convention, as set forth in Rule 8A, a copy of such
apportionment shall be included in the call issued for such convention and mailed to
delegates and Republican nominees.
A copy of the official call for county conventions must be received by the County
Clerk and the MRP Headquarters, 520 Seymour Street, Lansing, Michigan 48933, by
Thursday, July 15, 2010.
If the MRP does not receive the official call by July 15, 2010, the State Party Chair
is authorized to rescind any call which may have been or will be issued by the chair of
the county executive committee. The State Party Chair is further authorized to issue a
call to that county convention.
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2. COUNTY CONVENTIONS
Except for Wayne County (where conventions are held by congressional district
or parts of congressional districts within the boundaries of Wayne County), there shall
be no separate congressional district conventions; only county conventions are to be
held pursuant to these Rules. For the purposes of these Rules, the term “county
convention” shall be read to include those conventions held by congressional districts in
Wayne County or parts of congressional districts within the boundaries of Wayne
County. Where county conventions are held in counties containing more than one
congressional district or parts of more than one congressional district within the
boundaries of the county, the county convention shall meet as one body for all business
purposes, including the election of a chair of the full convention in accordance with Rule
3, except that the various congressional districts or portions of congressional districts
within the county shall caucus separately, in sub-conventions, at that county convention
for purposes of selecting delegates and alternates to the State Convention. The
temporary congressional district chair (as selected pursuant to Rule 4) for each such
congressional district portion of the county, shall call such congressional district subconvention
within the county to order. In addition to electing delegates and alternates
to the State Convention, each county convention shall discuss (but not necessarily take
any action upon) the issues that will be considered by the State Convention.
3. COUNTY CONVENTION CHAIR
The county convention shall be called to order by the chair of the county
executive committee. The county chair shall act as temporary chair until the delegates
elect a permanent chair. A permanent chair shall be elected as follows: The county chair
shall cause to be read both the list of precinct delegates duly elected at the August 3,
2010 primary as certified by the County Clerk, and the list of at-large delegates. As the
name of each delegate is called, the delegate shall state his or her choice for permanent
chair. The person receiving the majority of the votes of the delegates present shall
become permanent chair. The convention may waive the reading of the list of delegates.
4. SELECTING THE TEMPORARY CHAIR OF THE CONGRESSIONAL
DISTRICT PORTIONS OF THE COUNTY
The temporary chair of each congressional district portion of a county shall be
selected as follows:
If a chair of one of the current fifteen (15) congressional districts resides in
a congressional district portion of the county, this person shall be the
temporary chair of that congressional district portion of the county.
If no chair of one of the current fifteen (15) congressional districts resides
in a congressional district portion of the county or is unable to attend the
county convention, then the vice chair of the congressional district shall be
the temporary chair of that congressional district portion of the county.
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If no chair or vice chair of one of the current fifteen (15) congressional
districts resides in the congressional district portion of the county or is
unable to attend the county convention, then the chair of the congressional
district shall designate the temporary chair of that congressional district
portion of the county.
If no chair, vice chair or chair's designee of one of the current fifteen (15)
congressional districts resides in a congressional district portion of the
county or is unable to attend the county convention, then the county chair
(or the State Party Chair, if in Wayne County) shall select the temporary
chair of that congressional district portion of the county.
5. COUNTY CONVENTION DELEGATES
A. Delegates
Delegates to county conventions held August 12, 2010, for the purpose of
electing delegates and alternates to the State Convention, shall be the precinct delegates
as elected at the August 3, 2010, primary election, and the most recent Republican
nominees for state senate, state representative, county-wide and county commission
positions, all incumbent Republican members of the State Legislature, the Michigan
Congressional delegation, and Statewide Officeholders (see Rule 5C) where such person
resides in the county in question. These nominees will be henceforth referred to as “atlarge
delegates.”
In the event that a delegate arrives at the county convention following its
commencement, that individual shall be immediately seated after reporting to the
secretary of the county convention. Such delegate thereafter shall cast his/her vote on
all convention business.
B. Filling of Precinct Delegate Vacancies
For purposes of filling a vacancy in precincts where no precinct delegate
was ever elected, a county convention may fill such vacancy for the balance of the
unexpired term by a majority vote of the precinct delegates present, provided that the
vacancy shall be filled by a person who is a qualified registered elector residing in the
precinct in which such vacancy occurs.
For purposes of filling a vacancy in precincts where a vacancy results from
a precinct delegate, duly elected, having died, resigned, or changed voter registration out
of the precinct from which the precinct delegate was elected, a county convention may
fill such vacancy for the balance of the unexpired term by a majority vote of the precinct
delegates present, provided that the vacancy shall be filled by a person who is a qualified
registered elector residing in the precinct in which such vacancy occurs.
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For purposes of filling a vacancy in precincts where a precinct delegate,
duly elected, fails to attend this particular county convention or, if the convention
wishes, the vacancies described above, such convention may fill such vacancy on a
temporary basis for only this convention by a majority vote of the precinct delegates
present, provided that the vacancy shall be filled by a person who is a qualified
registered elector residing in the precinct in which such vacancy occurs.
For purposes of filling a vacancy in precincts where a precinct delegate,
duly elected, is also a delegate at-large, a county convention may fill such vacancy on a
temporary basis by a majority vote of the precinct delegates present, provided that the
vacancy shall be filled by a person who is a qualified registered elector residing in the
precinct in which such vacancy occurs.
Where a precinct delegate vacancy is filled on a permanent basis, the
convention chair and secretary shall forward such names and addresses with
precincts/wards indicated to the MRP headquarters by Monday, August 16, 2010, along
with the certified list of delegates and alternates to the State Convention. Failure to
forward such names in this manner, shall mean that the vacancy was filled temporarily.
In a county convention, the convention, acting as one body, shall
determine whether to fill precinct delegate vacancies, and shall, if it shall so determine,
fill such vacancies. In no event shall a precinct delegate vacancy be filled, either on a
permanent or temporary basis, until after all voting for State Convention delegates or
alternates is completely finished.
C. Candidates as Delegates
All Republican members of the State Legislature and the Michigan
Congressional delegation shall be entitled to attend the county convention as delegates
at-large of the county convention where such person resides.
The following Statewide Officeholders shall be entitled to attend the
county convention as delegates at-large of the county convention where such person
resides:
(1) The governor, if the Governor is a Republican;
(2) The lieutenant governor, if the Lieutenant Governor is a
Republican;
(3) The secretary of state, if the Secretary of State is a Republican;
(4) The attorney general, if the Attorney General is a Republican; and
(5) A United States senator, if the United States Senator is a
Republican.
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The most recent person nominated as a Republican candidate for state
legislative or county office shall also be a delegate at-large to the August 12, 2010,
county convention in which such person maintains his/her legal residence.
The number of delegates at-large shall be in addition to the number of
delegates specified in the call for the August 12, 2010, county conventions.
D. No Restriction on Qualification of Delegates
The individuals who can attend and participate in the August 12, 2010
county conventions are referenced in these Rules. The county convention may not
adopt or enforce any restriction on the qualification of the delegates who can attend and
participate in the August 12, 2010 county conventions, including but not limited to, the
requirement that a county convention delegate must be a dues-paying member or a
contributor to the county party in question.
6. PROXY VOTING PROHIBITED
No delegate to any convention or caucus governed by these Rules may give a
proxy to represent him/her at such convention or caucus.
7. DELEGATE APPORTIONMENT TO STATE CONVENTION
The number of delegates elected to the State Convention shall be apportioned to
the several counties in proportion to the number of votes cast for the Republican
candidate for Secretary of State in each of said counties, respectively, at the 2006
November election. This apportionment shall be determined by the Credentials
Committee. No delegation may be enlarged by apportioning a fractional vote to each of
the delegates. In addition to the proportionate number of delegates allocated to each
county, all incumbent Republican members of the State Legislature and the Michigan
Congressional delegation, and Statewide Officeholders (see Rule 5C), shall be entitled to
attend the State Convention as delegates at large of the congressional district in which
they reside. The authority to approve the final apportionment of delegates to the State
Convention is delegated to the Credentials Committee.
8. METHOD OF ELECTING DELEGATES TO THE STATE CONVENTION
The county conventions may exercise one of two options for electing State
Convention delegates and alternates--the apportionment method or the at-large
method. The convention must use one or the other system. If the apportionment
method is used and there are still vacancies in the State Convention delegation or
alternate slate(s) following such elections, these only may be filled by an at-large vote.
In order to recognize the importance of precinct delegates, in the event that: (1) a
precinct delegate duly elected at the August 3, 2010 primary election; (2) attends the
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August 12, 2010 county convention; and (3) desires to attend the State Convention as a
delegate (or as an alternate if State Convention delegate positions are filled by precinct
delegates attending the county convention), then such precinct delegate shall be given
preference (over a non-precinct delegate or a precinct delegate who does not attend the
county convention) to be elected as a delegate or alternate to the State Convention.
Between two or more such precinct delegates who attend the county convention, no
preference shall be given. In order to recognize hard-working Republicans, who may
not be precinct delegates, a county convention, acting as one body, may authorize the
election of up to two eligible individuals per county or congressional district portion not
subject to this preference, as though they were, to attend the State Convention as
delegates or alternates. In counties containing more than one congressional district or
congressional district portion, the actual selection of individuals to whom this
preference shall be granted, if authorized by the full county convention, shall be
executed in the respective district caucuses of the county convention. Under this
paragraph, no preference is given to anyone who does not attend the county convention.
Violation of this preference requirement is subject to challenge pursuant to Rule 8C.
To facilitate this process, before any voting on the delegates or alternates to the
State Convention occurs, the chair of the county convention or the congressional district
or congressional district portion sub-convention shall make an announcement seeking
the names of those precinct delegates in attendance who wish to attend the State
Convention as a delegate or alternate. Any precinct delegate who is in attendance prior
to the commencement of the initial vote who indicates he or she wishes to attend the
State Convention as a delegate or alternate shall be considered to be in attendance for
any subsequent vote on the State Convention delegation and shall be eligible for this
preference.
Any person is eligible to run for delegate or alternate to the State Convention
irrespective of whether they are precinct delegates or in attendance.
County conventions shall elect alternates to the State Convention in the same
number and in the same manner as the election of delegates. Delegates and alternates
shall be registered electors of their respective counties and districts, and no delegate or
alternate will be entitled to a seat in the State Convention who does not reside in the
county and district he or she proposes to represent. In a county containing more than
one congressional district or portions of more than one congressional district, the
various congressional districts or portions of congressional districts shall caucus
separately at that county convention for purposes of State Convention delegates and
alternate selection; delegates from one congressional district may not select State
Convention delegates and alternates with respect to another congressional district.
A. Apportionment Method of Electing State Convention Delegates and
Alternates
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At the time of issuing the call for a county convention, the county executive
committee may apportion to the various wards, precincts, townships, cities, or districts,
of such county the delegates to the State Convention to which such county is entitled.
The delegates to the county convention from each ward, precinct,
township, city, or district, as the case may be, shall choose the delegates to the State
Convention that have been apportioned to such ward, precinct, township, city, or
district. Delegates and alternates to the State Convention shall be residents of the ward,
precinct, township, city or district from which they were elected. The number of
delegates so apportioned to the several wards, precincts, townships, cities and districts
shall approximate, as nearly as may be, the number of delegates to which said county
may be entitled.
If the apportionment system of delegate selection is employed in
accordance with Rule 1, then contiguous, townships, cities, or electoral districts, as the
case may be, may be joined together for the purpose of creating single or multi-delegate
districts for the purpose of state delegate and alternate selection; provided, however: (1)
townships, cities, or districts which may be joined together must be contiguous to each
other; and (2) only whole townships, cities, or districts may be joined together - no
divisions of these jurisdictions within a county’s boundaries shall be permitted.
If the apportionment system of delegate and alternate selection is used,
the apportionment system must be based on the same formula referenced in Rule 7 to
apportion State Convention delegates (i.e. based on the 2006 vote for the Republican
candidate for Secretary of State).
Under an apportionment system of delegate and alternate selection, when
the electing bodies (ward, precinct, township, city, or district, as the case may be)
created for delegate and alternate selection have completed their selections, such
choices are final and may not be changed by the county convention.
In the event that a delegate and alternate selection district (ward, precinct,
township, city, or district, as the case may be) does not elect its full delegation, then such
vacancies in the delegation to the State Convention shall be filled, at-large, by the full
county convention.
In the event that an apportionment method of electing delegates to the
State Convention is utilized, all delegates shall be apportioned; there shall not be
reservations of certain state delegate positions as at-large positions.
An apportionment plan which satisfies the requirements of these Rules
must be precisely followed by the county convention and cannot be changed or ignored
by the convention or any sub-unit of the convention. As indicated in Rule 1, any
apportionment plan to be used at the county conventions must be devised prior to the
issuance of the call to the delegates and must be included with the call to the delegates.
B. At-Large Method of Electing State Convention Delegates and Alternates
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If the at-large method is used, or if the apportionment method is used but
is not completed or followed in the selection of delegates, the convention shall choose
the delegate or delegates to which such ward, precinct, township, city or district may be
entitled.
When selecting delegates and alternates at-large in a county convention,
there is no requirement for apportionment of State Convention delegates or alternates
to any areas of the county. All delegates and alternates are selected by the entire county
convention; provided, however, that in a county containing more than one congressional
district or portions of more than one congressional district, the various congressional
districts or portions of congressional districts shall caucus separately at that county
convention for purposes of State Convention delegate and alternate selection.
Conventions may employ any one of several methods of at-large delegate
and alternate selection:
(1) Nominations from the floor. If nominations are made individually,
then if the number of nominees exceeds the number of State Convention delegates and
alternates, each convention delegate votes for each position on the State Convention
delegate and alternate slate.
(2) A nominating committee may be appointed by the chair. The chair
of the county convention or the county portion of a congressional district may appoint a
committee to draw up a proposed slate of delegates. This committee may be of any size.
The committee then develops a proposed slate of delegates and alternates, which is
presented to the convention for approval.
Chairs often appoint a nominating committee weeks before the actual convention
so that the names chosen for the slate are carefully researched and selected. For this to
be permissible, the convention chair must reappoint the same committee at the
convention.
Whenever nomination is by nominating committee, the rules
adopted for that convention should include a clause stating that “the report of the
delegate selection committee [or something similar] shall be received.”
Once the slate is received, it may be amended by the convention. A
motion may be made to strike one or more names and replace it/them with others.
Thus, the slate is amended until it satisfies a majority of the convention, and then it is
approved.
(3) Groups may propose their own “slates.” When nominations are by
slate, then the choice may be made between opposing slates. If a slate-vs-slate system is
used, the procedure must be approved by the convention before the votes are taken.
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If nominations are by nominating committee or by slate, the most
common technique is to propose a slate and allow it to be amended by the convention.
A slate is amended by a motion to strike one or more names and replace it/them with
others. Thus, the slate is amended until it satisfies a majority of the convention, and
then it is approved. A slate must comply with the precinct delegate preference
provisions of this Rule.
C. Credentials Challenges
All credentials challenges shall be filed with the MRP Headquarters no
later than 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time, Tuesday, August 17, 2010; provided, however, that
the Credentials Committee may extend this challenge deadline in the event that the
chair of the county convention subject to challenge fails to report the delegate/alternate
list in accordance with the time frames established by Rule 9. Such challenge must be
signed. Since the burden of proof necessary to sustain a challenge is upon the
challenger, some tangible evidence of the challenge must be provided to the Credentials
Committee as part of the challenge. No challenge raised after 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time,
Tuesday, August 17, 2010 (unless extended as provided herein) shall be considered.
Only credentials challenges timely filed, shall be decided by a Credentials Committee
comprised of the State Party Chair, the Budget Committee Chair, the Policy Committee
Chair, the National Committeeman, the National Committeewoman, the State Party
General Counsel, and the State Party Co-Chair. Such Committee shall be chaired by the
State Party Chair who shall call a meeting of the Committee by Thursday, August 19,
2010, at a time and location he shall establish. The Credentials Committee may meet, if
the Chair so desires, via conference call. The Credentials Committee’s decisions shall be
communicated to the Rules Committee of the State Convention, and shall become part
of that Committee’s report and shall not be subject to change by the full State
Convention absent a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the delegates present and voting. The
Credentials Committee’s decisions shall result in the issuance of credentials by the
Convention officers prior to the optional district caucuses on Saturday, August 28, 2010.
9. PROCEDURE FOR REPORTING SELECTION OF DELEGATES AND
ALTERNATES
The chair of each county convention shall send a certified list electronically in
Microsoft Excel format of the delegates and alternates chosen by such county
convention in a form prescribed by the State Party Chair to the MRP by 1:00 p.m. of
Monday, August 16, 2010. Each delegate certification list shall provide the registered
voting address of each State Convention delegate and alternate so that the temporary
roll of the State Convention may be prepared. Any delegate certification list not received
electronically in Excel format by the MRP by 1:00 p.m. of Monday, August 16, 2010, will
not be received and therefore will have to be presented before the Credentials
Committee (see Rule 8C) prior to seating any delegate from the county convention in
question.
The State Party Chair shall make available a list of the delegates and alternates
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for a particular county convention to: (1) any State Convention candidate, or his or her
representative; or (2) any delegate or alternate delegate to the county convention in
question.
In addition to the District Chairs, National Committeeman and National
Committeewoman who are automatic Convention officers, the State Party Chair shall
have the discretion to appoint Convention officers to govern the State Convention and to
assist the District Chairs to govern the optional congressional district caucuses. No staff
member of the Michigan Republican Party shall be appointed as a Convention officer.
Any additional Convention officers named by the State Party Chair shall only complete
tasks within an optional district caucus with the approval of the District Chair; however,
a Convention officer may exercise their authority under these Rules if these Rules are
not followed for any reason. Nothing in this Rule is intended to limit the authority of a
District Chair.
10. ISSUANCE OF CREDENTIALS
All credentials shall be issued by Convention officers at a location or locations
convenient to the sites of the optional congressional district caucuses and the State
Convention. Credentials shall only be issued to each delegate, alternate, guest, or VIP
personally and individually, and no other person is authorized to pick up credentials on
behalf of such person. Prior to being issued credentials, each delegate, alternate, guest,
or VIP, shall identify himself or herself by presenting an official state identification card,
operator's or driver's license, or other generally recognized picture identification card.
All credentials challenges shall be decided by the Credentials Committee.
11. OPTIONAL CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT CAUCUSES
The delegates and alternates to the State Convention may, at the call of the
District Chair, caucus in individual district caucuses at 8:00 a.m. Eastern Time on
Saturday, August 28, 2010.
All optional congressional district caucuses shall follow Robert's Rules of
Order Newly Revised on matters not covered by these Rules. Before the permanent
officers are elected for each optional congressional district caucus, State Convention
delegate vacancies shall be filled as provided in Rule 12.
The temporary chair of each optional congressional district caucus shall be
selected as follows:
If a chair of one of the current fifteen (15) congressional
districts resides in the congressional district, this person
shall be the temporary chair of that optional congressional
district caucus.
If no chair of one of the current fifteen (15) congressional
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districts resides in the congressional district, or is unable to
attend the optional district caucus, then the vice chair of the
congressional district shall serve as temporary chair of that
optional congressional district caucus.
If no chair or vice chair of one of the current fifteen (15)
congressional districts resides in the congressional district,
or is unable to attend the optional district caucus, then the
chair of the congressional district shall designate the
temporary chair of that optional congressional district
caucus.
If no chair, vice chair, or chair's designee, of one of the
current fifteen (15) congressional districts resides in the
congressional district or is unable to attend the optional
district caucus, then the State Party Chair shall select the
temporary chair of that optional congressional district
caucus.
12. FILLING STATE CONVENTION DELEGATE VACANCIES
In order to increase participation at the optional congressional district caucuses
and the State Convention, the elevation of alternates to delegates shall be a
nondiscretionary, automatic and consistently-applied process. At all times during the
optional congressional district caucuses and the State Convention, alternates shall be
automatically elevated to delegates. The District Chairs and other Convention officers
have the authority to elevate alternates. Any challenges to the elevation of alternates
shall be determined by the Credentials Committee.
State Convention delegate vacancies shall be filled from the alternates within the
same county and congressional district as the absent delegate. Thus, if a delegate
vacancy is from the 8th congressional district portion of Shiawassee County, then it
must be filled by a duly elected alternate from the 8th district portion of Shiawassee
County. Similarly, if the delegate vacancy is from the Wayne County portion of the 15th
district, then the vacancy can only be filled by a duly elected alternate from the Wayne
County portion of the 15th district.
In filling vacancies at either the optional district caucus or on the floor of the
State Convention, counties must use the numerical elevation system of alternate
elevation. Under this system, alternates within the county or county portion of a
congressional district are elected on a numerical basis (first alternate, second alternate,
etc.) by the convention or county portion of a congressional district at the time of their
election and are elevated to fill delegate vacancies in that order. Thus, the first alternate
is given the first vacancy, and so on.
In the event that a delegate arrives or returns to either the optional district
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caucus or State Convention floor after an alternate has taken his or her place, the
delegate immediately resumes his or her place and shall cast his or her vote on all
business which occurs thereafter.
Where an alternate has been elevated and the delegate whose position he or she
has taken returns to claim his or her seat, the alternate shall be returned to the alternate
pool.
13. MODIFIED UNIT RULE METHOD OF VOTING
On all matters other than issues, the "modified unit rule" shall be used to all votes
taken on the floor of the State Convention. Under the "modified unit rule", the delegates
present from any congressional district shall vote the entire voting strength of such
congressional district. If a poll of the delegates in any district shall show that less than
all accredited delegates from a district are present, the voting of the entire voting
strength of such district shall be in substantially equal proportion to the vote of those
actually present and voting, including abstentions in such poll. The absence of an atlarge
delegate (an incumbent member of the State Legislature, the Michigan
Congressional Delegation, or a Statewide Officeholder) shall not prevent a congressional
district from voting its entire voting strength pursuant to this rule. Except for the
"modified unit rule" described herein, the use of a unit rule system of voting, or any
modification thereof, at county conventions, at the optional district caucuses, or at the
State Convention, is prohibited.
14. PURPOSES OF STATE CONVENTION
The Michigan Republican State Committee ("MRSC") directs that the State
Convention of the delegated representatives of the Republican Party of Michigan be held
in the _____________________, on Saturday, August 28, 2010, at 10:00 a.m.
Eastern Time, for the following purposes:
-- the nomination of:
(1) One (1) Lieutenant Governor
(2) One (1) Secretary of State
(3) One (1) Attorney General
(4) two (2) Justices to the Michigan Supreme Court
(5) two (2) members of the State Board of Education
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(6) two (2) members each for the Wayne State University Board of
Governors, the Michigan State University Board of Trustees, and
the University of Michigan Board of Regents
-- transacting other such business as may properly come before the State
Convention
15. A REPRESENTATIVE DELEGATION
Participation in the Republican county and State conventions shall in no way be
abridged for reasons of sex, race, religion, color, age, or national origin, and the county
and State conventions shall encourage the broadest possible participation by everyone
in party affairs.
The county conventions and State Convention shall be open meetings, and all
citizens who are qualified electors are urged to participate.
16. STATE CONVENTION RULES
The Rules for the Governance of the August 28, 2010, Michigan Republican State
Convention, a copy of which are attached to these Rules as Exhibit A, shall govern the
August 28, 2010 Michigan Republican State Convention unless amended. With the
exception of Rule 2, Rule 6, Rule 27 and Rule 28, the Rules for the Governance of the
August 28, 2010 Michigan Republican State Convention may be amended by a vote of
20 or more members of the Convention Committee on Rules or a two-thirds (2/3) vote
of the delegates of the full State Convention present and voting. Rule 2, Rule 6, Rule 27,
and Rule 28 may not be amended by the Convention Committee on Rules and may only
be amended by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the delegates of the full State Convention
present and voting.
17. WAIVER
In the event that these Rules, or any part thereof, are inconsistent with the Rules
of the Republican Party as adopted by the 2008 Republican National Convention (the
"RNC Rules"), the Credentials Committee is hereby authorized to take any and all action
necessary to: 1) obtain a waiver from the Republican National Committee to insure that
these Rules remain in full force and effect; and/or 2) comply with the RNC Rules.
18. AMENDMENTS TO THESE RULES
These Rules may not be amended without the affirmative vote of two-thirds (2/3)
of the members of the state committee elected and serving, and such vote must be in
person and not by proxy. Any proposals for amendment to these Rules shall be
submitted to the State Party Chair in writing, at least ten (10) days prior to their
consideration.
14
EXHIBIT A
(State Convention Rules)
RULES FOR THE GOVERNANCE OF
THE AUGUST 28, 2010
MICHIGAN REPUBLICAN STATE CONVENTION
Number 1:
That the business of this State Convention is as follows:
-- the nomination of:
(1) One (1) Lieutenant Governor
(2) One (1) Secretary of State
(3) One (1) Attorney General
(4) two (2) Justices to the Michigan Supreme Court
(5) two (2) members of the State Board of Education
(6) two (2) members each for the Wayne State University Board of
Governors, the Michigan State University Board of Trustees, and
the University of Michigan Board of Regents
-- transacting other such business as may properly come before the State
Convention
Number 2:
That the State Party Chair shall appoint the Chair, Secretary, and any other officers the
State Party Chair sees fit to govern this Convention. That the State Party Chair shall
establish a theme for the State Convention and make reasonable efforts to obtain a
nationally recognized speaker. That the State Party Chair shall determine the order of
business of the State Convention and may add other items of business of the State
Convention not referenced in Rule 27; provided, however, that candidate nominations
(except Lieutenant Governor) shall occur in the order established by the Rules
Committee, and this order may only be amended by a majority vote of the delegates of
the full State Convention present and voting. Notwithstanding any provision in these
Rules to the contrary, the State Party Chair may insert other items of business between
candidate nominations, and the State Party Chair shall determine when the nomination
of the Lieutenant Governor shall occur in the order of business of the State Convention.
15
Number 3:
That Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised be adopted for the procedures of this
Convention for all matters not covered by these Rules.
Number 4:
That the Committees of this Convention be a Rules Committee, a Committee on
Credentials, and a Committee on Issues.
Number 5:
That the membership of the Convention Rules Committee consist of one male member
and one female member from each congressional district appointed by the
Congressional District Chair. These appointments (plus an alternate for each position)
must be reported to the State Party Chair by 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time, August 21, 2010.
Number 6:
That the membership of the Committee on Credentials be comprised of the State Party
Chair, the Budget Committee Chair, the Policy Committee Chair, the National
Committeeman, the National Committeewoman, the State Party General Counsel, and
the State Party Co-Chair. The Committee on Credentials shall be chaired by the State
Party Chair and shall present to the Rules Committee a list of the delegates and
alternates to this Convention for each county and district, which list shall be the certified
list of delegates and alternates to the State Convention and shall, without change, be a
part of this report. The Credentials Committee's decisions shall be communicated to the
Convention Committee on Rules, and shall become part of that Committee's report and
shall not be subject to change by the full State Convention absent a two-thirds (2/3) vote
of the delegates present and voting. The Committee on Credentials does not have the
authority to hear challenges not properly filed under the provisions of Rule 8C of the
RULES FOR SELECTION OF DELEGATES AND ALTERNATES TO THE 2010
REPUBLICAN COUNTY AND STATE FALL CONVENTIONS.
Number 7:
That, in the event a challenge is brought before the full Convention concerning the
status of delegate(s) or alternate(s), said challenged delegates or alternates shall be
prohibited from voting upon questions of their own certification but shall be recognized
as voting delegates on all other matters, subject to a successful challenge.
Number 8:
That no issue or amendment to an issue shall be presented from the floor of the
Convention unless the Rules of the Convention are suspended by a vote equal to sixty16
six and two-thirds (66.66%) percent of the Convention delegates present and voting.
Any Convention delegate who wishes to propose a new issue to the Convention on
Saturday, August 28, 2010, must send a written draft to the Issues Committee Chair
seven (7) days in advance of the Convention, and gain approval of the wording by a
majority vote of the Issues Committee on or before Friday, August 20, 2010. Brief pros
and cons must be included and at least fifteen (15) copies must be provided. Any new
issues approved for submission to the Convention shall be assigned a number and shall
be considered at the end of the report of the Issues Committee. No more than five (5)
issues may be presented to the Convention.
Number 9:
That an issue having been presented to the Convention shall be open for discussion by
the delegates of the Convention. Discussion shall be limited to no more than two (2)
minutes per speaker, and not more than three (3) speakers on each side. No more than
five (5) issues may be presented to the Convention.
Number 10:
That delegates wishing to be heard on either side of an issue shall register their names
and districts with the Issues Committee at the podium of the Convention until the report
of the Issues Committee. Speakers shall be chosen on a first come, first served basis,
alternating pro and con as available, until the allotted time of discussion is exhausted. A
substitution may be made on the sign-up list if a speaker who registered earlier in the
day voluntarily defers to someone else. Only convention delegates, may speak to the
issues from the floor, unless permission is obtained in advance from the State Party
Chair.
Number 11:
That debate on issues shall be for a maximum period of one hour (60 minutes)
beginning with the report of the Issues Committee. At the expiration of this time limit,
the Convention shall move to the next order of business. The Parliamentarians shall act
as the official timekeepers.
Number 12:
That at the time scheduled for discussion of issues on the Convention agenda, the
Secretary will first read the text of any new issues approved by the Issues Committee on
or before Friday, August 20, 2010, and inform the delegates that a vote equal to 66.66%
to suspend the rules is required for consideration of each new issue. Voting on
suspension of the rules motion(s) may be by voice vote or a show of hands, but if a roll
call vote appears necessary, that vote shall be taken by the District Chairs during the
time that the Issues Report is being considered. If a motion to suspend the rules is
approved, debate and voting on those issues will take place at the conclusion of debate
on the issues proposed in advance by the Committee.
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Number 13:
The Chair of the Convention shall halt debate on issues at an appropriate time so that
the votes can be tabulated within the one (1) hour allotted for discussion of the issues.
If, at the end of the one (1) hour period, the tabulation of the votes on each issue has not
been completed by the Tellers and announced by the Secretary, the Convention shall
proceed with its business. The final results of the voting on issues shall be announced
later in the Convention.
Number 14:
Votes on issues shall be submitted by the congressional district chairs to the Secretary
and Tellers. The congressional district chairs shall tally their votes at the conclusion of
the debate on each issue. The Secretary of the Convention shall announce the tabulated
results on each issue. Only delegates present on the floor of the Convention may vote on
issues. Only the votes of the delegates present and voting will be counted.
Number 15:
That the roll be called by congressional district numerically based on the order of
rotation previously established for nominations and for voting on all questions requiring
a roll call vote beginning with Congressional District Fifteen (15).
Number 16:
That Convention officers shall fill delegate vacancies from the list of alternate delegates
to the Convention pursuant to Rule 12 of the RULES FOR SELECTION OF DELEGATES
AND ALTERNATES TO THE 2010 REPUBLICAN COUNTY AND STATE FALL
CONVENTIONS.
Number 17:
That as to all matters, other than issues, the delegates present from any congressional
district shall vote the entire voting strength of such congressional district; provided, that
if a poll of the delegates in any district, shall show that less than all accredited delegates
from a district are present, the voting of the entire voting strength of such district shall
be in substantially equal proportion to the vote of those actually present and voting,
including abstentions in such poll. The absence of an at large delegate (an incumbent
Republican member of the State Legislature or the Michigan Congressional delegation,
or a Statewide Officeholder) shall not prevent a congressional district from voting its
entire voting strength pursuant to this Rule. No unit rule, other than provided herein,
shall be permitted.
Number 18:
That a delegate who desires to be recognized by the Chair shall identify himself or
herself by name and by congressional district or county. In the event of a question of
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the credentials of the person seeking to address the Convention, to be recognized by the
Chair or to cast a vote or votes of a delegation, the Chair shall accept the ruling of the
Credentials Committee.
Number 19:
That in an effort to offer speed, convenience, consistency, and confidence in the
nomination and election process at the State Convention, the State Party Chair shall
obtain tabulating equipment for the purpose of registering each delegate's vote in
contested candidate elections or nominations. As to all contested candidate elections or
nominations, all voting shall be conducted on a congressional district basis for the
purpose of registering each delegate's vote. To preserve the privacy of each delegate, all
voting for contested candidate nominations or elections shall be done by paper ballot.
Each District Chair shall appoint no less than two tellers for the purpose of tabulating
the ballots and reporting the results to the District Chair. Tellers shall attend a training
session on use of the tabulation equipment prior to their appointment being authorized
by the Convention Chair. In the event of a malfunction of this tabulation equipment,
paper ballots shall be used by each delegate, and each delegate shall personally hand his
or her paper ballot to the Secretary of the District Caucus, who shall preserve the privacy
of each delegate's vote. Any candidate shall have the authority to appoint a
representative to observe the voting process, including but not limited to, the ballots
themselves, the tabulation of the ballots, and the reading of the voting results. All voting
shall be conducted within a reasonable amount of time and pursuant to such procedures
as determined by the Chair, and no voting shall be allowed after such time has expired.
The Chair shall authorize the sergeants-at-arms to take necessary action to ensure a
smooth voting process.
Number 20:
A recount of the votes cast in contested candidate elections or nominations shall be
allowed at the request of the losing candidate or candidates prior to the adjournment of
the State Convention pursuant to such reasonable procedures as established by the
Chair, but in no event shall a recount be allowed if the Convention vote differential is
greater than fifty (50) votes.
Number 21:
(a) That any person seeking nomination at the State Convention for any office which
will appear on the general election ballot (“ballot office”), shall first file an
affidavit of candidacy (the “Affidavit of Candidacy”) with the State Party Chair by
Friday, August 6, 2010, at 5:00 p.m. Affidavit of Candidacy forms shall be
prepared by the Michigan Republican State Committee. In the event that any of
the information set forth in the Affidavit of Candidacy is untrue for any reason,
the Michigan Republican State Committee (by a two-thirds (b) vote of those
present and voting, including proxies) shall have the authority to rescind the
nomination of any candidate nominated at the State Convention, and to select a
replacement. The State Party Chair shall then communicate to the county
19
conventions the names of the candidates that have properly filed Affidavits of
Candidacy and the office that such candidates shall be seeking.
(b) That, after properly filing the Affidavit of Candidacy, any person seeking
nomination at the State Convention for a ballot office, shall next seek the
approval of the Policy Committee of the Michigan Republican State Committee
(the “Policy Committee”) at any regular or special meeting of the Policy
Committee. Approval by the Policy Committee to such nomination for a ballot
office shall only be granted if a candidate demonstrates the written support of a
minimum of five (5) congressional district chairs elected and serving. For the
purpose of approving/disapproving a nomination for a ballot office according to
this rule, the Policy Committee Chair may call a special meeting by means of a
conference telephone or similar communications equipment by which all persons
participating in the special meeting may hear each other if all participants are
advised of the communications equipment and the names of the participants in
the conference are divulged to all participants. Participation in a special meeting
held pursuant to this rule constitutes presence in person at the special meeting. If
any person chooses to vote by proxy at a special meeting held pursuant to this
rule, written authorization to vote by proxy must be received by the Policy
Committee Chair and the State Party Chair prior to the commencement of such a
special meeting.
(c) That only if, for any reason, a person seeking nomination at the State Convention
for a ballot office does not properly file the Affidavit of Candidacy and/or does
not obtain the approval of the Policy Committee pursuant to this rule, a person
seeking nomination for a ballot office must then first: (1) obtain the written
approval of at least eight (8) congressional district chairs elected and serving; or
(2) obtain the written approval of any three (3) regular members (or their
proxies) of the Michigan Republican State Committee from at least eight (8)
separate congressional districts, before such person’s name may be placed in
nomination at the State Convention for a ballot office. Prior to being nominated
at the State Convention, such person must then first complete and file the
Affidavit of Candidacy with the State Party Chair.
(d) That approval by the Policy Committee, any congressional district chair, or any
regular member (or their proxy) of the Michigan Republican State Committee to
seek nomination for a ballot office pursuant to this Rule, shall not constitute an
endorsement, nor shall individual members of the Policy Committee, any
congressional district chair, any regular member (or their proxy) of the Michigan
Republican State Committee, or any congressional district caucus delegate be
bound to vote at the State Convention for that candidate; rather, approval
pursuant to this Rule is merely a prerequisite to seek nomination for a ballot
office at the State Convention.
(e) That for the purposes of this rule, the term “ballot office” shall not include the
office of Lieutenant Governor.
20
(f) That, unless a person obtains the approval of the Policy Committee, the
congressional district chairs, or the regular members (or their proxies) of the
Michigan Republican State Committee pursuant to this rule, a person may not
seek nomination at the State Convention for a ballot office.
Number 22:
That the number of nominating speeches not exceed one (1), which shall be limited to
three (3) minutes each.
Number 23:
That the number of seconding speeches not exceed one (1), which shall be limited to one
(1) minute each.
Number 24:
That demonstrations for nominees be limited to five (5) minutes each with only
delegates and alternates to the Convention and guests with official guest credentials
being permitted to participate in any demonstration.
Number 25:
That a Convention candidate receiving a majority of the total votes cast on any ballot
shall be declared elected by this Convention. If there are more than two (2) candidates
nominated for a single position and no candidate receives a majority on the first ballot,
the two (2) candidates receiving the largest vote shall be voted upon in a run-off on the
second ballot.
Number 26:
That Convention officers shall not commence the tally of votes until after the conclusion
of all nominating speeches, seconding speeches, and demonstrations for all persons
seeking nomination or election at the State Convention.
Number 27:
That the Business of this Convention shall be as follows:
Call to Order
Invocation
Pledge of Allegiance
National Anthem
Call to Convention
Appointment of Temporary Chair
Appointment of Temporary Officers
Rules Committee Report
21
Oath of Office to Officers
Issues Committee Report
Nomination of Candidates
Announcements
Adjournment
Number 28:
That except for Rule 2, Rule 6, Rule 27 and Rule 28, these Rules shall be the Rules of the
Convention unless changed by a vote of at least twenty (20) members of the Rules
Committee or by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the delegates to this Convention present and
voting. Rule 2, Rule 6, Rule 27 and Rule 28 may only be amended by two-thirds (2/3)
vote of the delegates of the full State Convention present and voting.

March 30th meeting Musk. Patriots Tea Party

2010-03-24T17:35:00.000-07:00

Please disregard this site other than this post. Most of the other info is out of place. I use it, as in this case to cut and paste an email so I can link to it and post it elsewhere where space is limited as facebook or twitter.

This is an email I got from Chris Kaijala about the agenda for The Muskegon Patriots Tea Party Meeting coming up March 30th.

-----enmail-----
All,

Please join us at the 2nd Gen. meeting for the Muskegon Patriots.

Please bring a friend.

The details of the tentative agenda are listed below.

Best Regards,
Muskegon Patriots

Muskegon Patriots 2nd General Meeting March 2010

The Muskegon patriots would like to invite you to attend the 2nd general meeting of the Muskegon Patriots. The details are located at the bottom of this message. You can also find them on the website at www.Muskegonpatriots.com. You can reach us at Muskegonpatriots@Gmail.com.

All patriotic Americans are invited to attend.
We hope to see you there, and please bring a friend.
There is a lot of work to be done this year. Some of us want to be more active in the community. Let's present our concerns to our elected officials in Muskegon County. We have started to show up to local government meetings. We are starting to make our presence known… We plan to help our elected representatives understand that we have concerns. We want to have a positive affect on our local government and schools.
I look forward to seeing you there!
The tentative agenda for the meeting is as follows:

1. Pledge of Allegiance
2. Introduction and ground rules.
3. Health care legislation – update / action. (CK)
4. State petition drive – healthcare independence for Michigan. (FB)
5. Strategy planning, the need for an action roadmap. (Lawrence)
6. County and local government meetings. Reports. How to get involved. (JR)
7. Update on becoming a precinct delegate. (BC)
8. Report on: Workshop held March 9 – “Toolbox” for getting involved in local government. (JR)
9. Update on being involved in election process: voter reg., poll watchers, etc. (SH)
10. Video: training for jury duty. (RL)
11. Tax Day Rally Planning. (CK, +)
12. Open forum for you to share your ideas, and concerns about local or national government. (These concerns will be recorded for future action.) (YOU)
13. Future meetings. (CK)
14. Breakout sessions - small groups /work (YOU)

Are looking forward to you being there and being involved. Please forward this to other concerned Americans that want to be a part of changing our government back to constitutional principles.

Muskegon Patriots 2nd General meeting
Tuesday March 30, 2010 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM
Muskegon Eagles 621 W. Western Street, Downtown Muskegon, MI

RSVP info:
Call Chris at 231-903-0884 or send us an e-mail at MuskegonPatriots@gmail.com .
You can see information on the meeting at the website http://www.muskegonpatriots.com/

More Details at the Facebook Group -Muskegon Patriots, Twitter - MuskegonPatriot, Website - www.MuskegonPatriots.com, and http://www.teapartyofwmi.org/group/muskegonpatriots.

------------
Regards LD

2010-03-09T07:25:00.000-08:00

Jack Hoogendyke is bringing his Center Right Meeting to Muskegon. The meeting schedule is below. Toast n Jam's. I've hoped for this kind of thing since the start up of our Carmen Group breakfasts a year and a half ago.

If "Right to Work" rings your bell and you have been wanting to find out how to make Michigan a "Right to Work" state, Gary Glenn is a must see. All welcome.

Great news for Muskegon. Below is the email about it. The nice graphics won't transfer but the facts are there.

---------------------

The Center Right Coalition is Expanding Two Meetings, March 18

Lansing 9:30 am - Muskegon 5:00 pm

Agenda for Lansing March 18, 9:30 amSamuel Ingham Building
116 W. Ottawa Lansing MI
• Gary Glenn, AFA-Michigan. Gary will be giving an in-depth presentation about his personal experiences as Director of the Right-to-Work campaign in Idaho in the 1980's, what the landscape for RTW looks like in Michigan, why it is needed and how it can be accomplished.

• David R. Breuhan, author of "Spread the Wealth" will be speaking on the subject, "Tell the Government to Stop the Printing Press, it is Time for a Market Based Recovery." Breuhan is a Bloomfield Hills, Michigan based money manager who specializes in the management of corporate retirement plans and asset management for high net worth individuals. He received his Bachelor of Science from the United States Military Academy at West Point and was graduated with high distinction from Walsh College being awarded a Master of Science in Finance.

• More to be announced.

Agenda for Muskegon March 18, 5:00 p.m.Toast n Jam's Restaurant 3462 Henry Street
Muskegon, MI 49441-4356. ph(231) 737-5267

• Gary Glenn, AFA-Michigan. Gary will be giving an in-depth presentation about his personal experiences as Director of the Right-to-Work campaign in Idaho in the 1980's, what the landscape for RTW looks like in Michigan, why it is needed and how it can be accomplished.

• Ken Punter, candidate for State Representative, 91st district. Ken will be discussing his campaign and the issues facing te 91st district.

• More to be announced.

Special thanks for Arline Helms and Toast-n-Jams Restaurant for making this event happen.
---------------------
Do You Believe in Limited Government?
If you believe government is too big and intrusive, if you believe government taxes and regulates too much, then Center Right is where you need to be. Each month we will:
• Discuss bills before the legislature that need to be defeated because they grow government, or supported because they put limits on government.
• Hear from local elected officials or activists who are keeping watch on the growth of government at the city, township and county level.
• Listen to and ask questions of candidates for office who are running as limited-government conservatives.
• Network with local and state organizations like Mackinac Center, Americans for Prosperity, Education Action Group, MI-FairTax, and local Tea Party Organizations.
• Strategize on how to be effective at protecting our liberties.
You are welcome to bring any issues to the meeting you believe are appropriate. Please let me know if you would like to make a presentation. You will be given 5 minutes to speak, and answer questions. Please bring handouts that explain your issue in detail. Typical attendance is around 50.

If you would like to present, or if you have any questions, please contact me. I hope to see you there!

www.JackForMichigan.org

PD Handbook 2010

2010-02-24T12:41:00.000-08:00

MICHIGAN REPUBLICANS

Precinct Delegate Basics

What is a Precinct?

A precinct is the smallest political geographic division in a state. The area varies in size and is determined by population. A precinct contains a maximum of 2,999 registered voters, although many precincts are smaller. It is up to the local municipalities to draw their own precinct lines.

What is a Precinct Delegate?

A Precinct Delegate is an elected representative to the local political party from the precinct. Every precinct has at least one Republican Delegate, and some have more. The local party determines the number of delegates based on the number of Republican votes in that precinct in the previous election.

How do you become a Precinct Delegate?

A person running for Precinct Delegate must be a registered voter residing in the precinct in which they are running. The Candidate needs to fill out an "Affidavit of Identity." Affidavits are available at County Clerks’ offices as well as City and Township offices. These affidavits need to be notarized by a Notary Public. Notary Publics can be found at the County Clerks office or at a local bank. Once the affidavit is completed it is turned into the County, City or Township Clerk where you live. The affidavit must be submitted no later then 4:00 p.m. on May 11. 2010. Once the candidate files, their name is placed on the ballot in the August primary. Their name is under the heading “Candidate for County Convention Delegate.” The primary ballots are separated by political party, so only Republican voters vote for the Republican candidate. In the case that the race is contested the person with the most votes wins.

When are Precinct Delegates elected and how long is the term?

Precinct Delegates are elected in the August primary election of even numbered years. In 2010 this election will take place on August 3rd. The term is a two-year term, so delegates elected in August 2010 will serve until the August primary of 2012.

Paid for by the Michigan Republican State Committee with regulated funds.

PO Box 24187, Lansing MI 48909. Not authorized by any candidate or candidate committee.

2

What are the duties of a Precinct Delegate?

The official role of a Precinct Delegate is to attend all County Conventions during the two-year term. The number of County Conventions varies from three to four, depending on if it is a Presidential or Gubernatorial cycle. In addition, Precinct Delegates are involved in helping local parties and candidates in a variety of activities.

What if I need to withdraw?

Sometimes circumstances occur in which a candidate needs to withdraw their candidacy. A Precinct Delegate can withdraw until three days after the filing deadline, which is May 11, 2010 at 4:00 p.m.

How do I know if I am elected?

On the day after the election you can call your County Clerk’s office to find out if you were elected. The Clerk will also notify successful Precinct Delegates by mail.

Making a Difference

Why Should I become a Precinct Delegate?

Politics begins at the local level when you talk to your family, friends, and neighbors about the issues that are important to you. Once you get involved and become a Precinct Delegate you have the opportunity to share these issues and concerns and make a difference.

How do I make a difference?

Precinct Delegates play a key role in electing Republicans to every office.
As a liaison to your community you have the opportunity to build personal relationships with Candidates and Party Leaders. These individuals come to you when they need to know specifics about your community. In addition, Precinct Delegates have the opportunity to attend State Conventions where they help select many of the Republican Candidates for the statewide offices.

As a Precinct Delegate you have the opportunity to attend Republican gatherings where you can meet and make friends with people who share a similar philosophy. You also have the opportunity to gain in-depth knowledge on current issues, legislation, and party policy through your contacts. This knowledge will help you be in a position to effectively express your views and share your opinions.

Remember, as a Precinct Delegate you are taking an active role in retaining and strengthening the freedoms that make America great and you are making a difference.

3
Where to Start

Where is my Precinct?

The first thing to do is find out which Precinct you live in. You can get this information from your voter registration card or from the County, City, or Township Clerk where you live. Once you get this information the next step is to get a map. Maps are available from the local clerks. Your Republican County organization may also be able to provide you with a map. The map will show you the boundaries of your Precinct.

How do I get to know my Precinct?

Once you have your map the best thing to do is drive around your district. As you are driving take notice of the characteristics of your Precinct. Notice which areas are industrial, commercial, farmland, or residential. Make note of the kinds of homes in your area. Are they single-family homes, multi-family dwellings, or communities with restricted access? Look for growth, new homes, subdivisions, or businesses. All of this information will be useful to you, the Precinct Delegate, as well as local candidates as you plan for election activities.

How do I get to know the people in my Precinct?

After you have driven around your Precinct and become familiar with the area, it is time to meet the people who live there. The best way to do this is by walking your precinct. It is a good idea to walk your precinct at least once a year. This shows you are active in your neighborhood and that you care about the community. It is a great way to find out where the Republicans live. Once you have identified Republicans in your precinct, you can ask them to volunteer during the next election, place a yard sign in their yard, and remind them to vote on Election Day. Keeping in contact with the Republicans in your precinct is a great resource for all of the Republican candidates.

What else do I need to know?

It is important to remember that you have been chosen by the Republicans in your precinct to be the liaison to the Republican Party. As a Precinct Delegate, you will be asked to help with a variety of activities. Your help is needed by local candidates and the party as a whole because of the local knowledge you have of your precinct. Others in your area will look to you for Republican information and connections. You are the point person for your precinct.

What other activities might Precinct Delegates perform leading up to an election?

The Republican State Party has several programs they ask Precinct Delegates to assist in implementing. These programs include distributing yard signs
performing literature drops, helping with absentee voter programs, and get-out-the-vote phone calling. These programs are an important part of the campaigns of local and statewide candidates. Participation in these programs makes the difference between Republican candidates winning and losing.

4

Election Day

What happens on Election Day?

After months of hard work and campaigning, the only thing that matters is the results on Election Day. For this reason there are several programs that run on election day. These programs are important to ensure that our voters get to the polls and that they vote for the entire Republican ticket. On election day, you should be involved with three main programs. These programs are working the polls, poll watching, and GOTV phone calls.

How do you work the polls?

Working the polls is the last chance you get to inform the voters about the Republican Candidates. When volunteers work the poll, they stand outside of the polling place for the precinct and pass out information about specific candidates or slate cards for the entire ticket. They give this information to voters as they enter the building to vote. One thing to remember is that Michigan state law requires that poll workers must stay at least 100 feet from the entrance to the polls.

What is poll watching?

Poll watching is a way to check if the Republicans in your district have voted. Take the precinct list to the poll and check off the names of all the Republicans that vote. Around 5:00 p.m. take the list to a phone bank, or your home and make phone calls to the Republicans who have not yet voted. Remind them that time is running out to vote and that the polls are only open until 8:00 p.m. This is a great way to ensure that every Republican votes. Poll watching is more important than working the polls, so if you can only find one volunteer to work at a specific time, have them poll watch.

Do I continue GOTV Phone calls?

Yes, Get-Out-The-Vote phone calls must continue on Election Day. If you have already called your list, call them again. Do not be afraid to call too many times. Offer voters rides to polls if they need them, and have volunteers available to pick them up. Make sure that everyone on your list has been reminded to vote on Election Day. GOTV phone calls should be the number one priority for Precinct Delegates.

Important Dates to Remember in 2010

May 11, 2010 Filing Deadline for Precinct Delegates

August 3, 2010 Primary Elections

August 14, 2010 County Conventions

August 23, 2010 State Convention

November 4, 2010 General Election

Late November 2010 County Conventions

5

What offices are on the ballot in 2010?

Governor / Lt. Governor State Board of Education (2)

Secretary of State University of Michigan Regents (2)
Attorney General Michigan State University Trustees (2)

All 15 US Representatives in Congress Wayne State University Trustees (2)

All 110 State Representatives Justice of the Supreme Court
All 38 State Senators Judge of the Court of Appeals

Judge of the Circuit Court

Judge of the District Court

Judge of Probate
County Conventions

What is a County Convention?

A County Convention is a meeting of the Precinct Delegates and Elected Officials in a County. At these meetings the participants elect individuals to be delegates and alternates to the State Convention or they elect people to serve on the County Party Executive Committee.

When do County Conventions take place?

The first County Convention will be held on August 12, 2010, soon after the August Primary when the Precinct Delegates are elected. The next County Convention will be held within 20 days of the November 2, 2010 General Election.

The third and final County Convention will take place in January 2009. In Presidential election years there is an additional County Convention, which takes place in April.

What specifically occurs at each of these Conventions?

August 2010 - At the August County Convention, the newly elected Precinct Delegates meet together to elect delegates and alternates to the State Convention. In 2010, the State Convention will be held on August 28, 2010. At this State Convention the delegates will elect candidates for the following statewide offices:

Michigan Supreme Court (2)
Michigan State University Board of Trustees (2)
University of Michigan Board of Regents (2)
Wayne State University Board of Governors (2)
State Board of Education (2)

At this State Convention in gubernatorial election years, all of these statewide offices are elected in addition to Lieutenant Governor, Secretary of State, and Attorney General. These positions are four-year terms and only elected in the gubernatorial election year.

November 2010 - At the November County Convention, Precinct Delegates elect the members of the County Executive Committee. The members of the Executive Committee serve a two-year term.

6

January 2011 - At the January County Convention, Precinct Delegates elect delegates and alternates to the State Convention. The State Convention is in late January or early February and is held to elect the Republican State Party leadership. The leadership positions to be elected at this convention are the following:

State Chairman and Co-Chairman District Executive Committee Members

Six Vice-Chairmen District Officers
State Committee Members

In Presidential election years there is an additional County Convention in April.

April - During this County Convention the Precinct Delegates again elect people to be delegates and alternates to the State Convention in May. At the May State Convention the delegates elect people to be delegates to the Republican National Convention and elect the Republican National Committeeman and Committeewoman from Michigan.

How do I know when and where the Conventions take place?

About thirty days before the County Convention, Precinct Delegates should receive an official Call to Convention. The official call will be sent out by the Republican County Chair and will give all of the details of the County Convention. If you are elected a Delegate or an Alternate to a State Convention you will receive information from the Michigan Republican Party.

I AM A REPUBLICAN BECAUSE . . .

I believe in a strong America that protects our freedoms, and champions democratic ideals throughout the world.

I believe in an America with a conservative, limited government.

I believe that everyone is created equal, and that we are blessed with rights that cannot be taken from us.

I believe in the free market and fiscal responsibility.

I believe in an America where our children receive the best education in the world, and understand values like decency, responsibility, and honor.

I believe in an America where we feel safe in homes and secure in our communities.

I believe in an America with the compassion to care for those who cannot care for themselves.

And, finally, I believe that the Republican Party is the best conduit for my convictions.

Muskgon County Republican Dues Schedule

2009-09-06T07:00:00.000-07:00

Annual Membership Dues Invoice
Muskegon County Republican Party

If you have already paid your 2009 dues please disregard this notice.

2009 Annual Dues (dues are for 12 months)
Membership Levels

General Membership $ 30 (Includes newsletters, invitations to events, & Get Involved Opportunities)

GOP Club Membership $ 75 (Includes above PLUS one Lincoln Day Dinner Ticket)

Century Club Membership $150 (Includes all general membership opportunities PLUS one Lincoln Day Dinner Ticket PLUS one ticket to one other event for the year)

400 Club Membership $400 (Includes all general membership opportunities PLUS 2 Lincoln Day Dinner Tickets, 2 tickets to one other event for the year PLUS private VIP receptions & reserved seating at events)

Please print this Invoice and include your payment -
Mail to:
Muskegon Republican Party Treasurer - 143 Ruddiman Dr, N Muskegon, MI 49445

Name:_____________________________________________________________

Address:___________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

e-mail______________________________________________________________
Please include your email as we are in the process of converting to e-mail whenever possible.

Phone:_____________________________________________________________

Membership level desired__________________Amount Enclosed_______________
Personal Checks only
Please make the checks out to Muskegon GOP
Political Contributions are non tax deductable

From an email from Susie Hughes Vice-Chair

Dems Consider GOP Reforms

2009-09-04T05:15:00.000-07:00

Dems Consider GOP Reforms

Senate, House Republican plans public for months to balance budget, avoid shutdown, and protect essential services WITHOUT raising taxes

Calling today's 11th-hour marathon budget session a step in the right direction, Senate Majority Leader Mike Bishop and House Republican Leader Kevin Elsenheimer today invited the governor and House Democrats to make their outline to balance the budget public and demonstrate their sincerity by moving it through the legislative process.

Bishop said his caucus already sent House Democrats and the governor their plan to balance the budget without raising taxes, noting a clear difference in priorities between Republicans and Democrats.

"The Senate Republicans have a public plan that has been vetted through committees and passed by the full Senate," said Bishop, R-Rochester. "We are looking forward to a budget process that is transparent and clear, not held behind closed doors with unaccountable and unelected mediators. As we close in on the Oct. 1 deadline, we are also looking for expedient action from the House and governor."

Elsenheimer noted the House Republican plan to Reinvigorate, Reinvest and Reform Michigan was introduced 43 days ago on July 22. The House Republican plan creates jobs, balances the budget without raising taxes, and preserves stimulus dollars to jumpstart the state's economy.

"Republicans have a plan to solve the budget crisis without raising taxes - and we're ready to balance the budget today," said Elsenheimer, R-Kewadin. "The GOP plans are on the table, before the public, ready to go. I'm disappointed that the state is in the shadows of another government shutdown after the House Democrats' summer vacation, and when the ideas proposed today start to move in the form of legislation, then we'll know they are serious."

#####

____________________________
Phyllis Browne
Communications Manager
Michigan House of Representatives
(517) 373-1690 office
(269) 806-4936 cell
____________________________

Ken Punter makes it Official

2009-09-03T09:31:00.000-07:00

Breaking >>>>> Punter makes it official, he is running for the 91st

________________ ______________________________________________________
NEWS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, September 2, 2009. Ken Punter, 49, of Ravenna, has announced
his candidacy for the 91st District seat in the Michigan House of Representatives and is running as a Republican.

Ken is the manager and minority partner in Crockery Creek Farms; located in Ravenna and Fremont.

Ken is a graduate of Grand Valley State University and retired as a Lieutenant
Colonel in the Marine Corps after 22 years of active and reserve duty. He has served
on the Ravenna School Board, the Ravenna Zoning Board of Appeals, and the
Ravenna Community Educational Foundation.

He was a Cub Scout leader, spent time as a little league coach, and is a registered MHSAA official for cross country and track.

Ken is a first generation American and believes in giving back to the community
as is evidenced by his service to United States Military and the activities he has
participated in at the local level. He is especially adamant about being a “Servant
Leader” for the 91st District.

Ken’s campaign is of a grassroots nature and will require many volunteers and
contributors to win the August 3, 2010 primary and subsequent November 2nd election.
More information about Ken can be found at votePUNTER.com.

Citizens for Ken Punter
P.O. Box 73
Ravenna, MI 49451
(231)853-6109
www.votePUNTER.com
kenpunter@votePUNTER.com

Paid for by Citizens for Ken Punter

Candidates for the Primary 2010 testing format

2009-08-20T09:41:00.000-07:00

1. Republican Primary Candidates for 34th State Senate Seat.Map of District. Muskegon,Mason,Newaygo and Lake Counties.
http://www.michigan.gov/documents/Senate_state_16748_7.pdf

Goeff Hansen

Web site
http://www.hansen4senate.com/
Interview at Bottom Up Politics
http://bottomuppolitics.blogspot.com/2009/06/goeff-hansen-interview-34th-state.html

Calendar of political events

2009-08-20T09:39:00.000-07:00

CALENDAR FOR
FUND RAISERS AND MEETINGS POLITICAL and
WHAT NOT.

Now thru the Elections, 2010

Aug. 6th, Thurs. 8am

53rd meeting of the Carmen Group. Good talk of all things political. Great Food. The first is free the second is your tab. 8am-9am or so. Corner of Clay and Jefferson downtown Muskegon. Carmen's Restaurant.

Aug. 8th, 12 - 3pm

The Muskegon County Republicans will be having a pot luck celebration of their 102 years as a County Party. It will be called the Summer Grand Old Potluck. It will be at Pamona Park in Fruitport.Link to Pamona Park
-----link-----
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=pamona+park+Fruitport+Michigan&sll=29.545177,-81.572878&sspn=1.120625,1.757812&ie=UTF8&ll=43.129553,-86.154957&spn=0.029378,0.054932&z=14T
--------------
The plan as I understand it is to have an old fashioned picnic with the County Party providing the meat and soft drinks and everyone just bring a dish to pass. If interested in helping; get hold of Susie Hughes or David or give me a call, at 231-728-3455.This will be what we make it. Let's get to talking it up, families are welcome. This could be a warm friendly family thing. PDs, lets make this a thing to remember. Again keep checking back; I'll add updates as I find them.
---------------------

Aug. 10, Monday Noon

Monthly Muskegon County Republican Caucus Lunch. Noon at the Pizza Ranch 1848 E Sherman.A good place to find out what will be on the agenda or to get something on the agenda for next weeks Executive Board Meeting. See link below for map.

---link-----
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=pizza+ranch+sherman+muskegon&sll=43.256125,-86.267683&sspn=0.007329,0.013733&ie=UTF8&ll=43.208929,-86.205254&spn=0.055677,0.109863&z=13
-----------

For further info or if you have something to add or a new event you want put up here, feel free to call me. Any day or time.

Bob Carr 231-728-3455
glhotdogs@verizon.net

Leon Stille endorses Hansen for 34th Senate seat

2009-07-29T08:36:00.000-07:00

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE;
July 29, 2009

CONTACT: PETER WILLS
231‐342‐3772

HANSEN EARNS MAJOR ENDORSEMENT IN BID FOR STATE SENATE

Former 34th District State Senator Endorses Hansen for his old seat
(HART, MI) – State Senate candidate Goeff Hansen (R‐Hart) today announced that he has
received the endorsement of former State Senator Leon Stille (R‐Spring Lake) in his bid for the 34th State Senate seat. Stille represented the 34th District (formerly the 32nd District) before retiring due to term limits.

“Michigan is faced with some very serious challenges right now and I believe that Goeff Hansen is the best person to represent our interests in the State Senate as we struggle to turn our state around,” Stille said. “His experience as a local small business owner, combined with his determination to get the job done right, will ensure West Michigan has a strong voice at the table working for us.”

Senator Stille served in the State Senate from 1994 – 2002, where he focused on education and agriculture issues as the chair of the Senate School Aid (K‐12) Appropriations Subcommittee and the Education Subcommittee, Vice Chair of the Farming, Agribusiness and Food Systems Committee and member of the Education Committee.

“I am pleased to have earned the support of Senator Stille,” Hansen said. “As our state senator, Leon Stille worked diligently to protect our natural resources and farmland and provide for a quality education for all of our children. As your next state senator, I pledge to continue to focus on those issues as part of my priorities for our district.”

Goeff Hansen is the owner of a local family business and is currently serving his third term as a state representative. He lives in Hart with his wife Tami. Together they have two grown children and four grandchildren.

Senator Stille’s endorsement comes as Hansen announces over 200 endorsements from leaders across the 34th State Senate District. To see the complete list of supporters or to learn more about Hansen’s background as a family business owner, his voting record as a state representative, or his plan to cut taxes, reduce spending and grow the West Michigan economy, residents are invited to visit his website at www.hansen4senate.com.

Paid for by Goeff Hansen for Senate P.O. Box 167 Hart, MI 49420

Linkable site. To Hansen's E-Zone actual pre-bill doc.

2009-07-11T09:14:00.000-07:00

>>>>>>>> edit <<<<<<<<<

As I sometimes do I use this site as a dump site where I can put word docs and such so they can be linked to from my other sites. The following is from the Hansen for Senate committee and is a word doc. covering what the final bill will look like when enacted around July 14th. The bill will amend the Renaissance Zones bill, to include more small business' among other things.

Regards, Live Dangerously Be a Conservative

>>>>>> end of edit <<<<<<<

Economic development; renaissance zones; entrepreneurial
renaissance zones (e-zones); create.
Economic development: renaissance zones
A bill to amend 1996 PA 376, entitled
"Michigan renaissance zone act,"
by amending section 3 (MCL 125.2683), as amended by 2008 PA 217,
and by adding section 8g.
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:
1 Sec. 3. As used in this act:
2 (a) "Agricultural processing facility" means 1 or more
3 facilities or operations that transform, package, sort, or grade
4 livestock or livestock products, agricultural commodities, or
5 plants or plant products, excluding forest products, into goods
6 that are used for intermediate or final consumption including goods
7 for nonfood use, and surrounding property.
8 (b) "Board" means the state administrative board created in
9 1921 PA 2, MCL 17.1 to 17.3.
2
02852'09 JLB
1 (c) "Development plan" means a written plan that addresses the
2 criteria in section 7 and includes all of the following:
3 (i) A map of the proposed renaissance zone that indicates the
4 geographic boundaries, the total area, and the present use and
5 conditions generally of the land and structures within those
6 boundaries.
7 (ii) Evidence of community support and commitment from
8 residential and business interests.
9 (iii) A description of the methods proposed to increase economic
10 opportunity and expansion, facilitate infrastructure improvement,
11 and identify job training opportunities.
12 (iv) Current social, economic, and demographic characteristics
13 of the proposed renaissance zone and anticipated improvements in
14 education, health, human services, public safety, and employment if
15 the renaissance zone is created.
16 (v) Any other information required by the board.
17 (d) "Elected county executive" means the elected county
18 executive in a county organized under 1966 PA 293, MCL 45.501 to
19 45.521, or 1973 PA 139, MCL 45.551 to 45.573.
20 (E) "ENTREPRENEURIAL BUSINESS" MEANS A NEW, FOR-PROFIT START21
UP BUSINESS OF 100 EMPLOYEES OR LESS REGISTERED IN AND WITH THIS
22 STATE ON OR AFTER JULY 1, 2009.
23 (F) "ENTREPRENEURIAL BUSINESS FACILITY" MEANS A FACILITY OR
24 OPERATION THAT HAS AS ITS PRINCIPAL FUNCTION THE RESEARCH,
25 DEVELOPMENT, SUPPORT, MANUFACTURING, OR PROVIDING A SERVICE FOR AN
26 ENTREPRENEURIAL BUSINESS.
27 (G) (e) "Forest products processing facility" means 1 or more
3
02852'09 JLB
1 facilities or operations that transform, package, sort, recycle, or
2 grade forest or paper products into goods that are used for
3 intermediate or final use or consumption or for the creation of
4 biomass or alternative fuels through the utilization of forest
5 products or forest residue, and surrounding property. Forest
6 products processing facility does not include an existing facility
7 or operation that is located in this state that relocates to a
8 renaissance zone for a forest products processing facility. Forest
9 products processing facility does not include a facility or
10 operation that engages primarily in retail sales.
11 (H) (f) "Local governmental unit" means a county, city,
12 village, or township.
13 (I) (g) "Person" means an individual, partnership,
14 corporation, association, limited liability company, governmental
15 entity, or other legal entity.
16 (J) (h) "Qualified local governmental unit" means either of
17 the following:
18 (i) A county.
19 (ii) A city, village, or township that contains an eligible
20 distressed area as defined in section 11 of the state housing
21 development authority act of 1966, 1966 PA 346, MCL 125.1411.
22 (K) (i) "Recovery zone" means a tool and die renaissance
23 recovery zone created in section 8d.
24 (l) (j) "Renaissance zone" means a geographic area designated
25 under this act.
26 (M) (k) "Renewable energy facility" means a facility that
27 creates energy directly or fuel from the wind, the sun, trees,
4
02852'09 JLB
1 grasses, biosolids, algae, agricultural commodities, processed
2 products from agricultural commodities, or residues from
3 agricultural processes, wood or forest processes, food production
4 and processing, or the paper products industry. Renewable energy
5 facility also includes a facility that creates energy or fuels from
6 solid biomass, animal wastes, or landfill gases. Renewable energy
7 facility also includes a facility that focuses on research,
8 development, or manufacturing of systems or components of systems
9 used to create energy or fuel from the items described in this
10 subdivision.
11 (N) (l) "Residential rental property" means that term as
12 defined in section 7ff of the general property tax act, 1893 PA
13 206, MCL 211.7ff.
14 (O) (m) "Review board" means the renaissance zone review board
15 created in section 5.
16 (P) (n) "Rural area" means an area that lies outside of the
17 boundaries of an urban area.
18 (Q) (o) "Urban area" means an urbanized area as determined by
19 the economics and statistics administration, United States bureau
20 of the census according to the 1990 census.
21 SEC. 8G. (1) THE BOARD, UPON RECOMMENDATION OF THE BOARD OF
22 THE MICHIGAN STRATEGIC FUND DEFINED IN SECTION 4 OF THE MICHIGAN
23 STRATEGIC FUND ACT, 1984 PA 270, MCL 125.2004, MAY DESIGNATE
24 ADDITIONAL RENAISSANCE ZONES FOR ENTREPRENEURIAL BUSINESS
25 FACILITIES WITHIN THIS STATE IN THAT PORTION OF A CITY, VILLAGE, OR
26 TOWNSHIP IF THAT CITY, VILLAGE, OR TOWNSHIP OR COMBINATION OF
27 CITIES, VILLAGES, OR TOWNSHIPS CONSENTS TO THE CREATION OF A
5
02852'09 JLB
1 RENAISSANCE ZONE FOR AN ENTREPRENEURIAL BUSINESS FACILITY WITHIN
2 THEIR BOUNDARIES. A RENAISSANCE ZONE FOR AN ENTREPRENEURIAL
3 BUSINESS FACILITY SHALL HAVE A DURATION OF RENAISSANCE ZONE STATUS
4 FOR A PERIOD OF 5 YEARS.
5 (2) EACH RENAISSANCE ZONE DESIGNATED FOR AN ENTREPRENEURIAL
6 BUSINESS FACILITY UNDER THIS SECTION SHALL BE 1 CONTINUOUS DISTINCT
7 GEOGRAPHIC AREA.
8 (3) THE BOARD MAY REVOKE THE DESIGNATION OF ALL OR A PORTION
9 OF A RENAISSANCE ZONE FOR AN ENTREPRENEURIAL BUSINESS FACILITY IF
10 THE BOARD DETERMINES THAT THE ENTREPRENEURIAL BUSINESS FACILITY
11 DOES 1 OR MORE OF THE FOLLOWING IN A RENAISSANCE ZONE DESIGNATED
12 UNDER THIS SECTION:
13 (A) FAILS TO COMMENCE OPERATION.
14 (B) CEASES OPERATION.
15 (C) FAILS TO COMMENCE CONSTRUCTION OR RENOVATION WITHIN 1 YEAR
16 FROM THE DATE THE RENAISSANCE ZONE FOR THE ENTREPRENEURIAL BUSINESS
17 FACILITY IS DESIGNATED.
18 (4) THE BOARD SHALL CONSIDER ALL OF THE FOLLOWING WHEN
19 DESIGNATING A RENAISSANCE ZONE FOR AN ENTREPRENEURIAL BUSINESS
20 FACILITY:
21 (A) THE ECONOMIC IMPACT ON LOCAL SUPPLIERS WHO SUPPLY RAW
22 MATERIALS, GOODS, AND SERVICES TO THE ENTREPRENEURIAL BUSINESS
23 FACILITY.
24 (B) THE CREATION OF JOBS RELATIVE TO THE EMPLOYMENT BASE OF
25 THE COMMUNITY RATHER THAN THE STATIC NUMBER OF JOBS CREATED.
26 (C) THE VIABILITY OF THE PROJECT.
27 (D) THE ECONOMIC IMPACT ON THE COMMUNITY IN WHICH THE
6
02852'09 Final Page JLB
1 ENTREPRENEURIAL BUSINESS FACILITY IS LOCATED.
2 (5) THE BOARD SHALL REQUIRE A DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT BETWEEN
3 THE MICHIGAN STRATEGIC FUND AND THE ENTREPRENEURIAL BUSINESS
4 FACILITY.
5 (6) AS USED IN THIS SECTION, "DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT" MEANS A
6 WRITTEN AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE MICHIGAN STRATEGIC FUND AND THE
7 ENTREPRENEURIAL BUSINESS FACILITY THAT INCLUDES, BUT IS NOT LIMITED
8 TO, ALL OF THE FOLLOWING:
9 (A) A REQUIREMENT THAT THE ENTREPRENEURIAL BUSINESS FACILITY
10 COMPLY WITH ALL STATE AND LOCAL LAWS.
11 (B) A REQUIREMENT THAT THE ENTREPRENEURIAL BUSINESS FACILITY
12 REPORT ANNUALLY TO THE MICHIGAN STRATEGIC FUND ON ALL OF THE
13 FOLLOWING:
14 (i) THE AMOUNT OF CAPITAL INVESTMENT MADE AT THE FACILITY.
15 (ii) THE NUMBER OF INDIVIDUALS EMPLOYED AT THE FACILITY AT THE
16 BEGINNING AND END OF THE REPORTING PERIOD AS WELL AS THE NUMBER OF
17 INDIVIDUALS TRANSFERRED TO THE FACILITY FROM ANOTHER FACILITY OWNED
18 BY THE ENTREPRENEURIAL BUSINESS FACILITY.
19 (iii) THE PERCENTAGE OF RAW MATERIALS PURCHASED IN THIS STATE.
20 (C) APPROVAL OF THE BUSINESS PLAN BY A STATE RECOGNIZED
21 ENTREPRENEURIAL SUPPORT RESOURCE AS DETERMINED BY THE BOARD.
22 (D) ANY OTHER CONDITIONS OR REQUIREMENTS REASONABLY REQUIRED
23 BY THE MICHIGAN STRATEGIC FUND.

Linkable site. To Hansen's E-Zone overview

2009-07-11T09:07:00.000-07:00

>>>>>>>> edit <<<<<<<<<

As I sometimes do I use this site as a dump site where I can put word docs and such so they can be linked to from my other sites. The following is from the Hansen for Senate committee and is an overview, background and sallient points of Goeff Hansens soon to be legislative effort to amend the Renaissance Zones bill, to include small business'.

Regards, Live Dangerously Be a Conservative

>>>>>> end of edit <<<<<<<

Entrepreneurship Renaissance Zones (E-Zone)

Overview

The legislation creates an Entrepreneurship Renaissance Zone for any new, for-profit startup business of 100 employees or less registered in and with this state on or after July 1, 2009.

• The bill follows the general framework of what’s currently in the Renaissance Zone Act with respect to eligibility, geographic parameters, length of Ren Zone status, etc.

• No real property or personal property taxes, and no MBT, for a period of five years.

• MI Strategic Fund may designate additional zones; no limit.

• The parameters for legitimacy and commitment would include operational standards, local economic impact, job creation, capital investment, purchase of local raw materials and an approval of a business plan by a state recognized entrepreneurial support resource. i.e. SBTDC, SCORE, MSU Product Center, Michigan Works, incubators, etc.

General Points

• This bill incentives innovation and creativity. It encourages and supports our state’s small and start-up businesses.

o Ex. There is tremendous growth potential in fish farming in this state. The aquaculture industry can be a source of job creation and local food, and can evolve into a leading industry in this state. This new state financial incentive would allow us to harness Michigan’s greatest natural resource for everyone’s benefit.

o There are numerous small business services that are working every day to help Michigan citizens grow the economy. I believe this tax-free incentive for business start-ups can serve as another tool in the toolbox of economic recovery.

• Alleviating the burden of expensive start-up costs helps entrepreneurs speed up the process of turning their ideas into viable businesses, sharpens their focus on innovation and job creation. Emerging companies should be given every resource to increase their chances of success.

• The “Start-up Business Renaissance Zone” legislation is a strong, pro-active move toward encouraging and supporting our state’s small and start-up businesses.

• Small businesses are the engine of our economy. As a local family business owner, I’ve created jobs for hundreds of local families. I know what works and what doesn’t. I’m a proponent of entrepreneurial revitalization and believe that our current economic condition presents opportunity. In the 1970s, FedEx, Southwest, Microsoft, Apple, Genentech and Charles Schwab were started. Young talent migrated from previously lucrative jobs and toward start-ups.

• Excessive regulations, a burdensome and confusing tax code and high tax rates are stifling business growth and job creation in our state. Through lower taxes and less regulation we can encourage business development and attract new businesses to our state. New policies such as my Tax-Free, Start-up Business Renaissance Zone legislation will promote entrepreneurial efforts.

Background

• The Seidman College of Business at GVSU recently published a report entitled “Entrepreneurship Climate in West Michigan”. It stated that fewer people in West Michigan were starting up their own businesses. One of the barriers includes expensive start-up costs and lack of investment funds from either the state or through lending institutions.

• The process of starting a business may include start-up options, forms of business ownership, financing a new venture, financial management, selecting a location, marketing, regulatory compliance and understanding fundamental principles of business.

• Statistics, from the National Business Incubator Association (NBIA), indicate that new business create a MINIMUM of three jobs, including the “owner”, right at start-up. In fact, they are strongly advised, by business counselors, to seek out partners to cover the “trinity” of entrepreneurship – namely “Product or Service, “Marketing” and “Finance”.

• Summary of a major Kauffman Foundation survey on what “Entrepreneurial America” wants to see from government – it’s NOT what they’ve been getting:

Americans Want Government Stimulus for Small Businesses and Entrepreneurship, Reveals New Survey from Kauffman Foundation

Americans want to see more initiatives that aid small businesses, like the $15 billion package unveiled by President Obama, according to a new poll released by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation.

The survey, conducted by pollster Douglas Schoen, consisted of a random national sample of 2,000 Americans. The survey indicates strong public sentiment that the government should be doing more to encourage individuals to start businesses and create jobs, which is ultimately the long-term solution for the country's economic woes. Three hundred of the 2,000 respondents are entrepreneurs and 300 are aspiring entrepreneurs.

By 63 percent to 23 percent, survey respondents prefer giving individuals the incentives they need to start their own businesses as opposed to allowing the government to create new jobs directly or through big corporations. Further, as a means of leading the country out of the economic crisis, 63 percent of respondents say the United States government needs to encourage the creation of new businesses, which will create sustainable, long-term employment opportunities and economic growth, while only 22 percent favor the government creating new jobs in the public and private sector.

"These two statistics--which produced similar results--underscore the public's deep and abiding belief that the government should facilitate entrepreneurial activity by creating the conditions and policies that make it easier for individuals to take a risk, as opposed to the government itself creating jobs," said Carl Schramm, president and CEO of the Kauffman Foundation.

More findings are available from the full survey, which is available for download at
www.kauffman.org/recoverysurvey. Other statistics about entrepreneurs and the economy are available at www.kauffman.org/researchfacts.

Fiscal Impact questions:

The fiscal impact is indeterminate. There would be no less impact to local/state govn't since they're not currently receiving this tax base.

• Within the last three years of a Renaissance Zone period, the Michigan Renaissance Zone Act requires the eligible entity to begin paying 25% of their annual tax obligation, followed by 50% and 75%. Under this bill, the first two years would be tax free and thereafter, the state and local unit would begin to receive tax revenue.

• The bill requires that the business provide an annual report of their activities to the Strategic Fund Board.

• The bill does allow for the city/village/township to consent to the creation of a ren zone for an entrepreneurial business facility.

• Also, if the start-up does not meet the bill's benchmarks, the MSF may revoke the ren zone.

• If the foregone tax base remains a concern, the MSF may consider this within the larger context of total economic impact of an "e-zone" within the community.

• If, for the first 5 years, these entrepreneurs can direct all available capital towards job creation and successfully executing their business plan, the foregone revenue from real/personal/MBT will have been worth it.

Just Give 2 --- Great New Activist Site

2009-06-15T05:04:00.000-07:00

As you know I try to get involved with my community, not so much by joining things because I’m not a joiner by nature.

I prefer the one on one approach. My conservative principles tell me that the one on one approach is good too, as it cuts out the middle man. In the realm of helping others it is the cheapest, quickest way to do it that way. In the realm of politics as well; they say all politics is personal. It wouldn't hurt politicians either to take a more direct and personal approach to helping their constituents whenever possible.

On my other blog Bottom Up Politics I try to ask myself what can I do today? What one small thing can I do today in my neighborhood to help things out? It might be just shoveling my own sidewalk so kids can walk someplace other than the street. At least give them the option. Lol. We all do something well, share it with your neighbors.

What I’ve found is that doing one little thing tends to suggest other little things and pretty soon you may be organizing a few of your neighbors into seeing that your side of the block is shoveled from corner to corner or some other bizarre type of nearly socially unacceptable old fashioned behavior. Lol.

What I’m trying to get to is that I found a great site which is about how to be an activist in the cause of limiting government intervention in our lives, by doing it ourselves. Below is the link. This is not complicated stuff; simple direct and easy, just a few ways to help our neighbors. Simple common sense rules are involved here; not a six volume set of Community Health regs.

-----link-----
http://justgive2.com/service/
--------------

The name says Just Give 2 (hours a week). This is not about joining some gov. charity or volunteering for the peace corp. or any other type of nonprofit so they can organize the “volunteers” and make their wages.

This site simply reminds us how easy it really is to help our neighbors. It really doesn’t for example take the County Health Dept and a special state grant to help your neighbor plant a garden or maybe start a few neighbors on a common piece of land or vacant lot to start a community garden.

How long does it take to watch a neighbor’s kid for an hour so they can run to the store? I know, sorry it’s a trick question. But then again it could take the rest of your life being friends with your neighbors.

That list of things is a great starting point. Every political party should post it for its members to see, but that’s another story. Our parties are the ones who need the real help. First we have to help ourselves then our neighbors and then later we can deal with the parties by getting involved at the local level and demand that they listen to their neighbors.

If you have any quick things to do to help, leave a comment or better yet go to the site. Then go do it and let us know what happens.

Gee just when you thought I was done, another page on the Just Give 2 site is how to be an activist and take the country back. (Sound familiar? – “Take Muskegon Back”) They say to do this so we can put the We back in “we the people”. I like that. This they say only takes 1 hour a week. See link below.

-----link-----
http://justgive2.com/activisim/
--------------

I might add to this, go online and find your local, city, village or county web site. The first week spend some time searching out when they hold meetings, some will have agendas on line, if not they have phone #s listed just call and find out how to get the agenda for a meeting ahead of time. Then go, just sit in the audience and learn. See how your government works. The next week or two pick a subject close to your heart and research it. Teach yourself to be an expert. Then when you’re confident speak up then speak out.

The list that Just Give 2 gives us is a great start but the list is really infinite. Whatever you can think of to do is a good thing. Anything is better that sitting home doing nothing. If you have an idea, let us know, add a comment on the blog.

By the way, once started it feels so empowering that you probably will get addicted. Just ask Mel Gibson, FREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEDOM.

Regards, Live Dangerously Be A Conservative

2009-06-14T09:38:00.000-07:00

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Sat. Tea Party Convention.

I had been really excited all during the April 15th “Tea Party” thing, and all the stuff leading up to it.

The whole affair nationwide was a smashing success. Finally; here was something where the average American could stand up and be heard, directly. This was a chance for the 4,000 who were in Lansing to be a part of the news. For those who were there, they saw and heard the different reasons why people took time off and showed up. We the people knew without the filtered news commentary why we took that time off to go to Lansing or one of the 25 other “Tea Party” protests across the State or any other of the some odd thousand Parties across the Nation.

For once the million or so people across this, their Nation didn’t have to rely on the media to tell them what was happening. We had found the new media. We “not so few” felt good in that knowledge. We also felt confident with our knowledge, confident enough to see and understand at a deeper level how slanted and corrupted the media has become. For me and many others the smears and attacks and half-truths were hurtful, it was becoming personal.

Well since then, there has been a lot of activity on the Tea Party front. There has been a bunch of different conservative organizations trying to become identified with the “movement”. Some of the groups are trying to control the direction of the Tea Party thing. Local branches have formed in different areas throughout the state. Some are tax based, some are centered on family values, others gathering around constitutional purity.

I have been watching and a part of this great enthusiasm starting to fracture and divide and I’ve sadly sat by and watched. Again I felt powerless. Well along came an article on Right Michigan by Wendy Day about a “Tea Party Convention”.

-----link-----
http://www.rightmichigan.com/story/2009/6/1/214350/2609
--------------

Nick and others later on during a "break out" talking about "New Media" Nick's on the left.

Well I started digging by clicking on the link in the article which took me to the convention site. This site, this convention, seemed to be what I was looking for. This promised to be a way to gather again all the diverse groups and ideas that gave rise to the Tea Party in the first place. I talked it up and blogged about it. I registered but had a problem with Pay Pal, which turned into a blessing as I had to email Melanie (Wendy’s partner) and she emailed me back so that personal touch was what I needed.

For various reasons I put off getting hold of my blogger buddy to finalize our plans to drive to Lansing. Well I finally called and Thurs. we set it up. We also decided to become delegates to the convention. This involved getting 25 signatures of friends etc. Well it took me almost all day Friday to hunt up 25 people. As Jim picked me up in the old Circuit City parking lot Sat. morning at 6:15 for our trip to Lansing, he provided the 25th signature. That whole process of getting names was less about the people I contacted but seemed more about helping me define what I was up to with this. Again talking with other people usually teaches me a lot about myself.

Below Blogger friend Jim + Jack McHugh, Me + Jack, Jim on the prowl.

As we were nearing Lansing, I was hoping there were going to be enough people attending, to become meaningful. Well there were. I talked with Wendy at our lunch break and she said around 240. BTW, my friend and I had a great political and other discussions on our way there.

The event was at the Capital City Baptist Ministries, which is a complex of buildings; including a field house, auditorium and church proper among others; great space. I would like to preface the recap by saying how well run and professional the convention was.

It all started with a continental breakfast for the bleary eyed and registration etc from 8-9am. Then the action began.

The opening ceremony was well set up with a good group of speakers for the whole group. We then divided up into smaller “breakout” groups according to our tastes. After the work sessions we all came back together for lunch and listened to our keynote speaker Jen Gratz. WOW.

More on her later then we had a 5 min. presentation per ballot proposal which we were to vote on. There were 5.

-----link-----
http://www.teapartyconvention.com/?page_id=520
---------------

After that we broke up again, this time by geographic area. (Northern Mi. Western Mi. Central Mi. and Southeastern Mi.) The biggest crowd by far was from Central Mi. Below is our group from West Mi.

After that we again all assembled and listened to Thayrone X a radio personality from WAAM 1600 out of Ann Arbor. We then heard the ballot results. The Fair Tax people won the day.

I did meet some friends from Livingston County. Arlene is pictured below.

I didn’t get home until nearly 5pm; a full day and my brain was full.
Now about Jen Gratz. As I alluded to earlier, I was starting to feel that the Tea movement was starting to die a slow death and that I was feeling helpless. Well up to the microphone stepped Jen Gratz.

I had researched her on You Tube and everything I had seen told me that she was an impressive person. What impressed me was her determination. She had the fire of youth. She was willing to take the platitudes we feed our youth as truth.

She applied to the UofM and was turned down while people she knew of color whom she felt had less ability than she were accepted. She single handedly fought the fight. Don’t get me wrong, she had people who supported her but she never gave up. As she said and from the You Tubes I’ve seen, the whole of government was against her. In Michigan both parties sided against her, only Mike Cox stood up for her. In an election year all other politicians and other government run or funded non profits ran for the PC cover. Even most churches.

This Tea Party thing is something too that is swimming against almost all of organized government and all its funded auxiliary groups. Jen Gratz showed how one person can still, with the constitution in hand, make change if it is backed by the people.

Oh, did I forget to mention that Jen Gratz was triumphant in the end on election day? Was she happy? Of course she was, was she proud, well that is obvious when you see her talk. How did she do this. Her leadership and personality was a big factor, but the idea she had was the key that made her quality apparent. The other factor that made it possible was the “initiative process”.

This process allows for law and constitutions to be rewritten or changed by “popular uprising”. Seems strange that conservatives are now using what the liberals brought forth. Liberals can use a little chagrin from time to time.

Times do change and Conservatives after all do know “Make Do, Make it Now, Make it Work”.

The politicians also were out and trying to just be seen but were not intrusive. I for one think that is a good thing. Politicians need to listen more to what’s going on with real people and less with what is going on in their political circle. The big names I saw were Pete Hoekstra, Mike Cox, Terri Lynn Land. No speech making just mingling.

I give credit for the effort of Wendy Day and her bunch for keeping a tone of unity throughout. With all the various “one issue” groups that were there in force, she fought a stunning battle by not fighting. For that I give thanks, and will volunteer what I can for her (US).

This group was as close to coalition of the various factions of the conservative spectrum that I have participated in. The meaning of Democracy and lessons in civil discourse were what I walked away with. There at the end as in the beginning; there was a unity of purpose. Though it seemed vague and wispy, Freedom I must remember is also a fragile thing that needs constant looking after. I think Wendy in her closing remarks pulled it together by saying something to the effect that as with the first revolution future generations may look at us and wonder how we could come together and make the necessary sacrifices to save our country, or look back and wishing we had.

Regards, Live Dangerously Be A Conservative

Garden to Table,, Well not quite.

2009-06-12T05:40:00.000-07:00

Well Thursday morning at our regular "Carmen Group" breakfast; guns, amo, the economy and politics were discussed. Jon D. from Hoekstra's group stopped in and we got to talk some serious politics.

click on pics to enlarge

We covered it all from picking asparagus to operating a loader at Marve’s farm. Well seriously Jon D. told us of the planned time that Pete was going to actually go out and pick asparagus on a farm, in conjunction with the Asparagus Festival. This is part of Pete’s plan to work up to 100 jobs around the state to help get in touch with Michiganders.

Dave W thought, as the rest of us did, that the “100 jobs” idea was great. He asked who had thought it up, and Jon D said that Pete did. I said I thought it dovetailed into the bike tour really well.

If you know anything about picking Asparagus you know the hard stoop kind of labor it is and that our previous President regarded as work Americans won't do. During the conversation I said something like, "so Pete'll be doing the work Americans won't do?" Jon D kinda grinned and said no more.

Jon D. has often stopped at our “Carmen Group” to grab a breakfast and to stay in touch with the local polls. It worked well today Marve who runs a leaf composting site at his farm suggested that maybe Pete could do some work for him too. Marve who is always looking for cheap labor, especially heavy equipment operators seemed really pleased with the idea. A good way to mix politics and the bottom line. I’ve always claimed Marve was a true fiscal conservative.

I too took advantage of the situation and asked Jon D if Pete would be interested in being interviewed by me at Bottom Up Politics. He said that he would. After some emails I’m hoping to get that interview. Jon also promised to email me info on Pete’s schedule so I can blog and investigate the goings on. I will post it as I get it.

On the Love Community Garden front, I picked my first crop of radishes, thinned my carrots and planted 4 tomato plants to my little bed. Also have been harvesting friendships with a couple of neighbors I never met before this garden thing.

Life goes on. Twenty some garden beds, twenty some neighbors, think about it.

Regards, Live Dangerously Be A Conservative

Karen Buie's "Surprise" B-Day Party

2009-05-27T07:24:00.000-07:00

Got this email from Bob Scolnik. That guy is quick.

TO ALL: Please join us at a SURPRISE BIRTHDAY PARTY FOR KAREN BUIE! Sunday, May 31st at the Bent Pine Golf Course Club House from 3 - 5 PM. Lunch will be served...please arrive a little before 3 PM. Please RSVP to Karen's husband, Larry Jenkins at: larryjenkins26@yahoo.com or call him at (713) 882-8931. We hope to see you there!
Bob & Merle

Karen Buie-Jenkins Surprise Birthday Celebration

When....................Sunday May 31st, 2009
Where...................2480 Duck Lake Road, Whitehall MI 49461
Bent Pine Golf Course Club House
(Take Whitehall Road to Duck Lake Road & Turn Left)
Time.....................3:00 PM - 5:00 PM
CATERED LUNCH
RSVP (713) 882-8931 Larry Jenkins or RSVP by Email
larryjenkins26@yahoo.com

-------------------
I talked with Larry and he said that all are welcome to come and say hi to Karen and enjoy. He also said I could post this and it wouldn't hurt the "Surprise"

Regards, Live Dangerously Be A Conservative

Calendar of Events

2009-05-26T12:20:00.000-07:00

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Voulnteering and just watching

2009-05-25T08:01:00.000-07:00

I spent Sunday volunteering and then just plain watching what others had volunteered to help put on. First about the volunteering.

Want to get involved in your community? It is as simple as asking “What Can I Do Today?”

Keep it simple though. Just let them know you can help with something for a specific amount of time etc. Do something you want to do, something you think will make you happy. Something you think will fit you. I say "You Think" because volunteering tests what you think. Remember some surprises are pleasant.

There are lots of things and good causes to pick from. Don’t fret about picking the perfect one. Just pick one put in a couple hours helping out and see if you like it. If not and you didn’t make any grandiose promises; it’s a win win situation. You learned something and they got some needed help.

Then the "work" starts. I call it work, but I consider it a fulfilling and constructive use of my time. If I considered it actually work, I would become a “Paid” volunteer and start demanding my rights. Instead I volunteer and exert my rights to keep them strong.

The knowledge I seek I try to learn from the doing.

I “work” where I feel I’m needed. I work with whom I choose. On rare occasions this type of grouping seems to overcome some strong type A personalities. The egos disappear and everyone pitches in and things get done seemingly without effort. It doesn’t matter whether it’s in some Wall St. boardroom or at a local charity event; when it happens it is a joy to be involved. The concept of “work” never even enters into it. Sorry for lack of pics. As we got busy. The pics were taken before the event as we were setting up and sorry to Ruben as he couldn't come untill 10:00 I believe. That he was able to come at all is a wonder as he has two full time jobs.

Click on pics to enlarge

This happened Sunday from 7am till around 2pm in Fruitport at the Car Show, a part of Old Fashioned Days. Mike, Morning, myself and someone I just met named Ruben got together and worked at a tent selling coffee, pop and donuts and later grilled up hotdogs and hamburgs for sale. Ruben did most of the cooking, he was good at it.

Mike is the one who set up the whole thing, he did all the work. He brought the trailer full of all the supplies, and grill and coolers galore, Ice and food and pop and all that including the tent tables and chairs etc. That guy is a piece of work. The rest of us just helped set up the stuff then sell the goodies. Mike made that experience possible.

I’m blogging about how we took the stuff there and turned it into a well run little deal. After a short break in period we all just did what was needed, changing rolls on the fly to get the job done. I left for a couple hours as I was obliged to see the “Lost Boat” Ceremony in Muskegon. I managed to get back and help out a couple more hours then help tear it all back down and load it up. My kudos to Mike,Morning and Ruben.

I blog about this stuff to constantly remind me that keeping my ego out of things is a major thing I need to work at. I actually volunteer vs. writing about it, to help to also keep reality in the equation. (ego+ego) + cooperation = a get it done attitude = contentment in a job well done. Kind of the plus side of ego.

In between the Car Show I attended the “Lost Boat” event in Muskegon at the USS Silversides museum on South side of the Muskegon Lake Channel. This I’m ashamed to say is the first time I attended. Hat/Tip to Muskegon Pundit and Gordo.

It was a beautiful day, it was a moving ceremony which actually took place upon the deck of the submarine. Bleachers were set along side with seating behind and also from the Museum deck behind that. Everything combined to make this a good memorial to those who lost their lives helping defend our freedom. There was a rear Admiral, local dignitaries, a symphony orchestra playing John Phillip Sousa stuff, an excellent trumpet player (Pamela Smitter Baker) on the top bridge playing taps.

Be sure to click on pic below. She could play that horn.

The Tolling of the Boats was moving.
During the War, over 50 boats were lost, some with all their crew. As each boat was read off and the way they were lost stated, the Bell would toll once. The shear numbers of crew and boats lost were impressive. As I listened to the different ways in which they were lost and or captured and held prisioner, I couldn't help but better understand the sacrifices that were made for me a baby boomer, and our country.

There was also a flyover with a missing plane formation. A perfect simulatation of the sacrifices made by them. My pics are not great but you get the idea.

Most impressive were the surviving sub vets, dressed to the teeth. Their strength and pride were evident even after all these years. I was glad to have witnessed this. When I was home that evening I viewed a one hour documentary flick I rented from NetFlix called "Submarines - Steel Boats, Iron Men. A point made in the movie was that on board a submarine (more so than any other branch of the military) the crew lived, had to live as a close knit family. They had to not only be polite but watch and help each other due to their long confinement in small spaces. As I watched the "Survivors" I could still tell the bond was there. I hope the pic below showes some of that.

Regards, Live Dangerously Be A Conservative

Web site stuff.

2009-05-20T17:30:00.000-07:00

I know the web site sucks. We are trying to reorganize it. Don't spend much time there or you will get frustrated. We are working to get changes made. What can I say, it's a process. We meet then we hash out something then it gets sent on to someone to make the change. It takes time, but we are making progress.

Spent an extra morning at Carmen's today. The three originators of the "Carmen Group" met "off Day" Wed. morning to get some business done on the web site. This was a follow up to our larger meeting earlier in the week. Some new changes will be coming to the site. A calendar and new and better coming events.

A plus for me was the information relating to Precinct Delegates and their duties.

We are trying to make it a lot more personal with pics of events and articles about what and how the GOPers are interacting with the community.

We also are putting up buttons to help us and readers get involved. We hope this part of the web site will grow into an educational tool for those who want to learn about out city village and township governments, with links to scheduled meeting and articles on how to get involved in your municiple government.

We are striving for ways to make it easier for people to become involved not only in their governments and communities but show how the Republican party can be of help to do just that.

We have tried to set up the methods for timely change, time will tell. Tomorrow is the Reg. Carmen Group. We'll talk about it some more I'm sure.

http://www.muskegongop.com

Like I said don't waste much time here yet, put us on your favorites and check back at least once a week. In a couple, the changes will start appearing.

Regards, Live Dangerously Be A Conservative

Update just in. Got an email from Josh about the 23rd veterans appreciation event being put on by Muskegon Patriots.
-----email-----
Well, we now have someone for an invocation, live singer for the anthem, and parking permission for the side of the causeway! Looks it looks as though everything has come together for the event. If you think of anything thats missing let me know. Otherwise we will see you there on Saturday... good luck with your other apt.
Josh
----------------
A singer, invocation and legal parking on the sides of the causeway. See you there at 10:30 sharp. We have sound system and music provided by Chris Beck and three speakers. We'll be rockin on the river flats in the desolation in land of Mordor, under the mighty tower of Suaron himself. As we hold our banners high we look to the West in these perilous times, fighting a delaying battle hoping for Gandolf the White.

Pipe Dreams and other things

2009-05-19T08:23:00.000-07:00

Updates, we had our County GOP Meeting. The only really new business was that the County Party nailed down the location for the Aug 8th Grand Old Picnic which will be held at Pamona Park.

It was discussed by the Precinct Delegate chair that we were planning on a coffee and donut get together, June 13th and not just PDs were invited but volunteers too. We may not put PD in the name for the donut and coffee thing. It was also discussed that nothing much would be done this summer as it was summer and what not, and that we need not do anything until closer to the election, to his benefit Farhat our Chair thought perhaps we should do something. Again it was brought up about our not overwhelming the Precinct Delegates. We at least are succeeding at that.

Also the idea of me doing interviews of the township officials was canned. Not the idea of the interviews just the me part. It wasn’t my idea to start with and I guess my proposal on how I’d like to do it wasn’t accepted. I got an email, nothing was said at the meeting. I was asked I offered, we are both off the hook.

I’ll just keep blogging as I want and volunteer for stuff. I seem to do better one on one outside the party anyway. I’d like to get with a candidate however, and I have one in mind. As it happens, and as I’m permitted, I’ll share how that works.
My quirky talents may work better for a candidate than a party anyway.

Getting back to the meeting we did have a college Republican attend and he was frank about his desire to run for State if not National office in 10 years. It was good to see some fire in the belly of someone under 50 for a change. I suggested that he work for another candidate and start to learn the game. I also told him to try to start building up his base by doing things, by getting involved with his age group as well as they will be his voters in ten years. Start a young Republican group, I wish him well and told him to feel free to call etc. I’d be happy to help as he wants it. I’m sure he’ll get all the help he doesn’t want.

The Muskegon Patriots May 23rd event honoring our Veterans Is moving right along. I blogged on Bottom up Politics about the details of the event.

-----link-----
http://bottomuppolitics.blogspot.com/2009/05/may-23rd-at-causeway.html
--------------

Blue Sky Lions news.
In an emergency meeting called to accept change or deny a lease agreement with the City of Muskegon for the Old Fire Barn and Blue Sky Lions; nothing was decided. After both sides threw down their gauntlets and threatened to pull out it became obvious nothing was going to be decided.

This Club was formed with over 50 members and over the course of a few months, we find ourselves down to 4-8 people, bickering and arguing. Each meeting is chaired by a different person, so the next meeting we argue about the previous meeting and what THEY did. The good will and public support for this has dried up as seems obvious by the lack of attendance. Well I decided I’d had enough and left. I found out late nothing was decided.

I got into this hoping to help the youth of Muskegon one on one. This is not proving to be the case I’m afraid. The International Lions are the ones footing the bill for the renovations etc for the Old Fire Barn. The Blue Sky Lions would be responsible for raising approx. $25-30,000 @ yr. min. for the overhead of Ins and utilities and programs. The only volunteer (unpaid) that I heard came from the International Lions. They have the contractors lined up who will do the work for free. I could help out there. The Blue Sky Lions only seem interested in applying for grants so they can buy volunteers to man the programs.

Sorry, so far I don’t like what I’m hearing. This group lost the only fundraiser it had because we couldn’t find enough volunteers to man a candy bar booth at “Old Fashioned Days”!! This was a proven money maker and was given to us by the Fruitport Lions and we had to give it back. I’m sure though given enough time we could write a grant somehow to fund that fundraising effort for next year. In the mean time I and another are going to help the Lions of Fruitport for generosity and how we left them holding the bag for their troubles.

I just feel my little efforts in our Love Community Garden was more fruitful (forgive the pun) than all the time and fruitless (there I go again) meetings I’ve gone to in connection to Blue Sky Lions. I could’ve spent a nice Sat. morning instead helping at the First Congregational Church serving breakfast, actually helping others instead of helping further someone else’s agenda. There are way too many helpful things to do out there than waste my time, wandering around in a bureaucratic maze.

Regards, Live Dangerously Be A Conservative

Muskegon Patriots Veteran Day Event + some updates.

2009-05-18T11:26:00.000-07:00

Muskegon Patriots had another organizational meeting for the May 23rd event they are putting on at Veteran's Memorial Park on the Causeway between Musk. and North Musk. Here is a link to the event on their new and always getting better website.

-----link-----
http://www.muskegonpatriots.com/may_event_page.html
--------------

I was pleasantly surprised by the turnout. I counted 12 people. We are optomistic about the turnout. Josh has talked with the police to make sure things will go smoothly. There will be three speakers, and a sound system, as before. The speeches will not be long this time. This is about Veterans.

I just noticed that there is no home button on the above link. Below is a link to the home page.

-----link-----
http://www.muskegonpatriots.com
--------------

If you notice there are now shirts and hats and buttons for sale. These will be for sale at the event the 23rd of May. These will be for sale through the 4th of July event in Lansing. See Website for info. Josh is working on a pay pal way of ordering them off the web site. We are working on how much postage is etc.Please keep coming back to the site as it is changing almost every day at this point. I just bought the shirts and they will be for sale at the May 23rd Veteran's Tribute.

Remember this is a volunteer outfit. No dues, the money to do what we've done has come from the pocket of mainly Josh. These shirts etc, and our donation jar are to help keep this alive. We are more than happy to break even. We decided at this last meeting that we needed to get some money to break even in order to keep this going.

Josh is very adamant and we agree about transparency. Receipts are on the web site, at least a quickly as they can be collected scanned and entered.

---------------------

In other local news, on my way to the post office to check postage costs, on my way from Shirts N Stuff where we ordered our shirts etc. I drove down Getty and past Pastor Duncan's church next door to the projects. I previously attended a tent revival and blogged a couple times about his selfless ministry on my Bottom Up Politics blog.

-----link-----
http://bottomuppolitics.blogspot.com/search?q=Duncan
--------------

Well as I was driving past I noticed his big nearly semi sized trailer open and I did a u turn and stopped. I hadn't seen him in a long time. The windows of his church/activity center were broke and he had found some large windows in remainder at some warehouse in Battle Creek if I remember rightly. He was delivering them to his church. Also there were some people out helping clean up the property and he was mowing it.

We talked and once I made sure that he wasn't getting grant money, I volunteered to offer my services to help design and install the windows setup. He seemed genuinely happy to accept my help. I gave him my blog/Precinct Delegate card and we had a good talk about the evils of bureaucracy and the hooks governtment money has and the trouble it can cause. We even talked about Dave Ramsey and the financial ministry Ramsey has on the radio.

I hope to get involved with this. Anyone else out there in the trades that want to lend a hand feel free to contact me.

Bob Carr
glhotdogs@verizon.net
231-728-3455

Muskegon didn't Adopt a Precinct

2009-05-15T03:24:00.000-07:00

1. “Adopt a Precinct”.

Just called the Mike Nofs' Campaign for an update and talked with Steve Sachs. The campaign is in the middle of their Jobs First Bus Tour of the 19th State Senate District comprised of Jackson and Calhoun Counties. Steve said Mike was excited by the large turnouts he has been seeing. I was excited by the way Mike is conducting this campaign. This Jobs First Bus Tour is a “Bottom Up Politics” type of thing.

I then asked Steve about the “Adopt a Precinct” program and whether they were making headway. I was hoping for something positive. I got more good news than I wanted. Muskegon County no longer has to worry about me pushing the “Adopt a Precinct” program. It’s too late for us. Steve said of the 167 precincts in the 19th Senate District they only have 12 left to fill and they will be filled by the end of the week. Sounds like a lot of counties around the state realized the importance of this race and put their efforts where their mouths were.

From the response I received from Muskegon County, I see that I need to work on my Salesmanship skills. Anyway that is awesome news for the Nofs Campaign. Steve said I was welcome to join up on my own and others also. I’m debating, what about any of you? A little door to door in a foreign county seem like fun? No passport needed.

He also said that the county chairs will be mailed a letter asking for financial help. I told him good luck with that. Lol.

Kudos however to the State Party, Terri Reid and Holly for their roles in making this happen.

As I’ve blogged in the past this election is more important than just getting a better majority in the Senate; it is about showing voters that the Republicans are not dead. It could be about drop kicking some enthusiasm into other close races across the state the following year (2010). For all you sports fans, it is about momentum. This Special Election could be great for the Party. Mike Nofs is a serious fiscal Conservative. This will be a crucial race for us to win.

I feel Mike Nofs seems to have found a way to tap into the angst out there as evidenced by the Tea Party popularity. But make no mistake the Dems will throw everything including the kitchen sink into this race to stop that from happening. Dirty politics won’t take long to emerge. If Mike wins against that onslaught; other Candidates should take note for the elections in 2010.
--------------------------------------------

I Want Specifics

2009-05-08T10:57:00.000-07:00

Specifics Specifics I holler. I want some specifics.

Sounds good, I’m getting out there telling everyone what we need. We need specifics, we can’t get anything done without specifics.

OOOOOOPS. What the hell do they expect me to do now? WORK????.

Jack McHugh sent out an email from the Mackinaw Center with a whole list of specifics, three lists to be precise. Damn him anyway. Who does he think he is anyway? Does he think he works for a think tank or something?

Well all kidding aside, his email is great. His three tools are blueprints on how to gather information on legislators and public officials with questionairs and research links to allow us to become fluent on what our elected officials have done to protect our individual freedoms.

Specifics well here are some links filled up with them.
Links:
http://www.mackinac.org/10508
http://www.mackinac.org/10509
http://www.mackinac.org/10510

Here is the email in full. I must admit to admiring Jack McHugh. I keep comparing him and McCotter to William F Buckley. Just me. Also I didn't put all the links in but just go to the web site I did highlight it's all there.

-----email-----

Friends -

Since the Tea Parties, the questions that everyone has been asking are "what next?" and "what else can we do?"

The Mackinac Center has posted three important tools with some answers. All three are now live on Mackinac.org.

The first is "Tea Party Activists have Attitude," and it describes the 'tude they should have to change the incentives on members of the political class.
(First item: "Tea Party activists aren't impressed that their politician is a 'nice guy.' They're all 'nice guys' - get over it, and hold them accountable for their deeds rather than their smile.")

The second installment is called "Ten Minute Tea Party Activist" and it lists 10 specific actions activists can do.
These are more sophisticated than the usual "civic creed" nostrums - I think you will like. This list is now live on Mackinac.org (and will be the featured Current Comment on Monday).

Finally, a "Candidate Quesionnaire for Tea Party Activists" provides "hard-to-dodge questions that suggest whether a candidate for the Michigan Legislature actually supports limited government principles."
Emphasis on "hard to dodge" - these go way beyond the "Do you support tax and spending cuts?" that they all say "yes" to, and which tell you nothing.

Please don't hesitate to spread these tools far and wide.

Thanks for all you do.

Regards,

Jack McHugh
----------

Now I know this email was about more than political parties. It was to give us the tools to hold our political parties and the individual politicians in them accountable to the people and to conservative ideas of fiscal responsibility thru smaller government.

I post this email, these tools on this blog as I see them as a prime way for PDs to educate themselves about candidates so we can influence our party and people we know to influence elections in order to elect officials who better reflect what we want.

The Macinac Center is at the forefront not only State wide but nationally of formulating conservative solutions to the problems of the day. They luckily were in position with the infrastructure in place to help lead this ground swell and not let is waste itself upon the shore.

If you have time also check out their recent study and videos on Michigan’s Film Initiative. Mac Center are the ones leading the charge in putting out viable solutions. Their three “tools” are a great example. They have been doing this ground-breaking stuff for a long time now.

There is another Jack out there in right field and his name is Jack Hoegendyk a blogger and ex congressman from around Kazoo who has been fighting and continues to fight the good fight for common sense government since I can remember.
I also got the following email from him. Echoing the other Jack’s remarks. I saw them both by the way at the Tea Party in Lansing.

-----email-----

What Do These "Tea-party"
People Stand For?

If you haven't already figured it out, the tea-party movement is not a passing fad. Excitement and passion for real change is growing; the April 15th events were not the climax, but the beginning.

The word 'change' has been used to the point were it has practically lost its meaning, but the tea parties have demonstrated that taxpayers are not looking for change to come from government, they want to bring change TO government.

This movement has grown to where it may lead to a realignment of political parties. I have been hearing since 2007, when Republicans went along with the tax and fee increases and enacted them into law, that we have only two options as voters: Democrat and Democrat-light.

It is time elected officials wake up and realize this is real. Voters will be looking for something very different in candidates for office in 2010 and they won't be easily fooled. They will be seeking candidates who believe in:
• Individual Liberty
• Personal Responsibility
• Limited Government
• Economic Freedom
Voters believe government has grown too large, spends too much, taxes too much and intrudes into every aspect of their lives: their schools, their homes, their businesses, and their private property. They want a government that protects their constitutionally guaranteed rights to life, liberty and property. Voters are looking for candidates who value the rule of law and the protection of human life from conception to natural death.

Right now, neither party has the interests of the voters and taxpayers at heart. Voters are convinced that elected officials, regardless of party are concerned first and foremost about their next election, and that they only listen to the lobbyists and special interests, the takers who continue to demand more dollars from the state coffers.

If I were an elected official, I would be nervous, if not worried. Incumbency will have less value than it has in many years, and it may even be a detriment. Voters will be demanding accountability; they will be asking questions and expecting answers, not platitudes. Party affiliation will not help either. Candidates in "safe" districts will not be able to assume that if they win the primary, they have the election in the bag. None of the old rules will apply. It will be a very interesting election year.

I welcome your feedback, feel free to send me a note.

Read the blog!

Find out who stands between you and higher taxes. Read about the latest tax and fee schemes being proposed in the legislature...and MORE!

www.JackForMichigan.org
------------
Sorry the graphics didn't come thru. Go to his blog it is great.

I don’t know what else to say but join the revolution. Let's Organize and Bring Change TO Government. It's spring and time to start pruning.

Regards, Live Dangerously Be A Conservative.

Grass Roots and Gardening

2009-05-03T15:05:00.000-07:00

We , the Muskegon County Republican party had it’s first ever Precinct Delegate Workshop. This was a spur of the moment event trying to tie it in with the Jon Huntsman Dinner a half hour later in the day. For not being a formal workshop affair, it came off nicely. I was excited our County Leadership decided to have one.

Click on any pic to enlarge

It was a first step. I hope it was the ice breaker we needed. Christina Acterhoff the Fruitland Township clerk gave a talk. As our County Chair David Farhat said we need to first learn to crawl then walk then run. Well being the unrealistic, pushy hot head we all know me to be; I’m glad the crawling is over.

Seriously though the people who were there seemed willing to do something. As Marlene Chockley said in her formal Precinct Delegate Workshop she put on in Brighton that I attended; “people just need to be asked”. That’s the PDs job, It’s also our job now to quickly get them something to do. Something short easy and quick yet and here is the main point; something important that will help us make a difference come 2010

Pat Uriarte as Chairperson of the PD Committee for the County was there and taking names and talking to the PDs that showed up. At the meeting Susie our Vice Chair said she needed our list of Republicans and possible Republicans contacted and updated. This could be the first official PD job to do. This list needs first to be put in order by Precinct then given in pieces to the PDs we have and whoever else they can recruit to call the people and confirm their address etc. We need to figure out a script to give the PDs along with the names in their precinct. A chain of command to pass the findings on to so the list will actually be changed and become a better tool to get out the vote when the time comes.

The PDs can also use this as a way to get their foot in the door of their precinct.
If you follow this blog you know I’m big on PDs being the backbone of this party. If the National, State , and County Party are willing to listen to PDs they are willing to change. That is the first step. Our County Party Sat. morning took that first step. Now we few, we proud, we PDs that took that step with them need to do the rest of it.

David Farhat sent an email to the PDs congratulating us and suggesting a regular meeting at our headquarters. I would like to see our PD Committee Chair Pat call a meeting of PDs to discuss that or an email thing.

I would like to try to set up a formal PD Workshop designed on more of a how to basis instead of a goal oriented one. David Farhat’s suggestion for a regular meeting could be about the startegy for the election and deciding what the PDs should do and what they can and will do etc.

The main thing at this point is to work with the PDs we have. Get them what they can use, like precinct maps and any lists of republicans in their precincts. Susie started with a list of PDs. Check out my side bar and I have other useful stuff to navigate your precincts. The main thing is the old standby question. What Can I Do Today? That has gotten me off my feet more often than not. Just walking around a couple of blocks looking at my neighbors, and maybe just saying hi to someone works. Anything is better than nothing.

Hopefully this blog site can serve as a tool to help us live up to its name.

Organize-Take Muskegon Back.

Regards, Live Dangerously.

After that there was a nice luncheon with Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr of Utah. Nice to see in person someone who might be running for President in 2012. I was too fired up by the PD thing, I enjoyed the networking this luncheon provided. Got some good talk with Jim McCormick and Goeff Hansen. Oh yeah Mr. Yob brought his guy with him who is running for Gov. and showed him around. Like I said I was having more fun talking to the real people there.

After the PD Workshop I changed clothes and was able to help out at a service project put on by the new Blue Sky Lions club of Muskegon. Helped my friends in my neighborhood; Morning Bear, Pastor Phillips and fellow gardeners had a chance to get some dirt and lumber to build some raised beds on our garden we started last year at Pastor Phillips’ Love Fellowship Baptist Church with his blessing and help.

Below some before pic.

Next are some during pics.

Next are some after pics. We did good.

As you can see from the pictures it turned out pretty well. The Lions especially Mike and Sue helped out a lot. Mike Brought the equipment. In the end after the normal struggles we finished before dark. What a great improvement over last year. Don’t get me wrong, the garden did good last year. But this year there will be no stopping us.

A big Bottom Up Salute for all those who helped especially Morning Bear, Pastor Phillips, Al and Mike and Sue.

King of the jungle maybe, but I learned even Lions get tired.

Regards, Live Dangerously Be A Conservative

PD workshop update

2009-04-30T15:11:00.000-07:00

My best laid plans are gone assunder

No power point by somebody from state. Too short of notice or I wasn't forcefull enough. The County party is pulling it together well with what they had to work with. Our Chairs and ex Chair Bob Scolnik will fill in. I don't know but I think Holly Hughes will ad something about the adopt a precinct program.

The new idea is we need to learn to crawl before we can walk. So much for help from the state. I learned Wiser likes short messages on his blackberry, I just sent him a shorty.

I'm going to go to watch and learn then get my lunch for $10 off. Maybe I'll bring some old shoes to throw at Huntsman or anyone else I feel like, to raise some excitement. Maybe set up a booth selling them outside? What ya think Big Mark you want some shoes? 1 buck a piece.

Should be fun going to Hart for the Oceana Lincoln Day Dinner. Just eat and listen and leave the driving to someone else this time. Thanks Jon.

Regards, Live Dangerously Be A Conservative

Nofs Website

2009-04-26T09:45:00.000-07:00

New Website for Mike Nofs is up and running. I’ve linked the page describing the “Jobs First, Jobs Now” plan Mike has and how he hopes to accomplish it.

-----link-----
http://www.mikenofs.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=28:jobs-first-jobs-now&catid=5:issues&Itemid=34
---------------

The site is pretty interactive with a few goodies thrown in. Being a history nut I enjoyed a scrolling side bar with some historical oddities I found interesting. Browse through the site and see what you rate it.

His pitch for donations seemed appropriate. This race will be one of the most costly, and on top of that there is little time to raise the money necessary. While I realize he will be getting a lot from the State Party and other bigger doners, I appreciated that his pitch was centered on his “19 Club”. While he may of wished he was running in the 34 District, lol; it shows that he has a feel for the people in his district and is willing to let them decide what to contribute. I’m sure some will donate more as they see fit.

From this lack of condescension our State and National parties could take a lesson. Sometimes I feel the parties think that websites are just to raise money, they forget that the purpose of raising money is to attract voters. The primary purpose of a website should be to do just that. The money will follow. Planting the seed is enough. Paraphrasing Haley Barbour at the State GOP convention. The guy that gives you $20 will vote for you, the place giving you $5,000, is hedging his bets as they probably gave the same amount or more to the other party.

I paid my $19 to join Mike's club.

I liked Mike at first because I thought I should. Then I met him, and some of his organization, went to an event to hear him talk live. Now I’ve seen his website and the way he is campaigning and now I’m pleasantly surprised that I still Like Mike.

The guy grows on you.

Regards, Live Dangerously Be A Conservative.

PS, I’ll have some info from Mike at our upcoming PD training workshop, May 2nd. Still hoping to gin up enough enthusiasm on this side of the state so our County Party will “Adopt a Precinct” and help win this all important “special election” this November. I’d like to think we took care of business as we “get off the pot”.

County Republican Party Meeting - Updates.

2009-04-22T09:33:00.000-07:00

County Party Updates.

The Muskegon County Republicans had their Monthly meeting. BTW all are always welcome. The meeting is the 3rd Monday of every month at 5:30. The event had I’d guess 20 or more people. Several things were talked about.

click on any Pic. to enlarge.

It was good to see Kay Punter at the meeting, her husband Ken couldn't make it as he had a school board meeting in Ravenna. It is rumored that he is looking to ba a candidate. Kay was mum on the subject. I think Ken would do well in what ever he tries, if his family and business are any indication.

We started with intros for new people among which was a friend Larry Hibner a PD nominated at the last PD convention. We also talked about the Tea Party protests, a lady from the Montague event was there also.

Goeff Hansen the state rep. out of Freemont was there and gave us an insight into what was happening in the State House. Goeff will also be running for the 34th State Senate Seat being vacated by Jerry Van Woerkhom due to term limits in 2010. This election as they all will be, is a must win for Republicans.

Co Chair David Farhat brought us up to date on the Special Caucus Luncheon and Meeting featuring Jon Huntsman, Jr the Governor of Utah as the keynote speaker. We were lucky to snare him on his tour across the country. We owe David our thanks for that, for acting quickly. We can help by getting others to attend and we can make this a success. This should be a good speech by a top flight fiscal conservative, not to mention a well catered lunch for $25 or $15 if you are a PD attending the meeting before hand.

The luncheon will be Saturday, May 2, 2009 starting at 12 noon. There will be a social time before from 11:30 – Noon. Location – Oak Ridge Golf Club, 513 W Pontaluna Rd. Norton Shores. Cost is $25 per.

Before all of this at 10:30 there will be a Precinct Delegate workshop and any Precinct Delegates that attend this will be charged only $15 for the luncheon with Governor Huntsman. The PD Workshop is free. Special Invites will be sent to individual PDs. Also I believe around 1,000 general invites will be sent out to those on our mailing list, All are welcome. Bob Scolnik has been instrumental in doing the real work of putting the invites together and hand mailing the PDs. We owe him thanks for that. If you don’t get one by next week. Feel free to call me at 231-728-3455 and I’ll get you hooked up with a RSVP.

In regards to the PD Workshop, I immediately tried to get Marlene Chockley who gave a power point presentation I attended in Brighton a month or so ago which I thought was well done. She however was all booked up. Then I got hold of Terri Reid from the state party. Terri is in charge of the state party “Adopt a Precinct Program”. I had talked with her earlier. I asked her with her connections for help in getting someone from State to give a Precinct Delegate “how to” presentation for our group. She said she would get back to me and mentioned Larry Ward as a possible. I just received from Marlene Chockley the power point and dialogue in an email. I forwarded it to Terri.

I will keep this edited with updates as they happen. I will add the updates to the side bar on the right. Scroll down to the Calendar and keep checking there under the date May 2nd.

I’m happy to see attention being paid to the PDs of our county. I had no clue what my job as a PD was and this type of thing will help answer that. If you feel like you'd like to learn more about what it means to be a PD come on down. This workshop will be instructive as to the duties of PDs and the impact we CAN have on elections. Hope to see you there.!!!

Other news.

Our spring highway cleanup is just about upon us. Saturday, 4/25/09. Stu Peterson as always heads up that effort and always finds it hard finding volunteers. I heard that he has done it by himself on occasion in the past. I did it last year, we had 6volunteers and as I remember it only took an hour or so. We clean up a mile of Apple ave. - out aways - at the corner of Shaw. Check side bar, scroll down to calendar check for updates on the location and times etc. under April 25th heading. I’ll be there, I’ll find out the rest and put it on the side bar calendar.

Other News

We will be having a pot luck celebration of our 102 years as a County Party. It will be called the Summer Grand Old Potluck. David Farhat said the tentative date was Aug.8th, a location hasn’t yet been picked. He and Susie among others are working on a location for the picnic. The plan as I understand it is to have an old fashioned picnic with the County Party providing the meat and soft drinks and everyone just bring a dish to pass. If interested in helping get hold of Susie Hughes or David or give me a call, at 231-728-3455. This will be what we make it. Again check the side bar, scroll down to calendar for updates under the Aug. 8th heading in which I’ll add updates as I find them.

Regards, Live Dangerously Be A Conservative

PS It's spring. Below a picture of Larry Hibner's garden in the Heights. Makes mine look tiny.

Mike Nofs announces Tues. 4/21

2009-04-19T07:14:00.000-07:00

Mike Nofs will announce his candidacy for the 19th State Senate Seat in the upcoming November election Tues, April 21st. This was confirmed by this email from Steve Sachs.

-----email-----
Bob,
I wanted to let you know that Mike is making his announcement on his run for State Senate this coming Tuesday.
We would welcome your attendance.
------snip-----
We have two announcements scheduled - The first is in Battle Creek at 10 AM and the second in Jackson at 2 PM.
Hope to hear from you.

Thanks, Bob!
Steve
------end of email------

I found this artticle about Mike Nofs and Tea Parties in the Battle Creek Enquirer. Battle Creek had a Tea Party also. They had some politicians speak, chief among them was Mike Cox. Also Mike Nofs said the following in a quote from the link below.

“Former state representative Mike Nofs condemned the use of tax money supporting things other than core government services.

Nofs may announce Tuesday that he is running for the vacant seat for Michigan’s 19th State Senate District. He told the crowd that not having a voice in the Senate gives them an extra reason to demonstrate.

“You have no representation,” he said. “You are being taxed without representation, so you are legitimate”

-----link to quote-----
http://www.battlecreekenquirer.com/article/20090419/NEWS01/904190316/1002/NEWS01
-----------------------

I hope to make it to the Battle Creek announcement. I’ll find out more on Monday.

Regards, Live Dangerously Be A Conservative.

For updates now through Nov. on this race and on the Adopt a Precinct Program, see the side bar top.

Some New Stuff

2009-04-17T12:37:00.000-07:00

Went to our Carmen Group breakfast Thurs at 8am and our County Chair was there. David Farhat told us that we were getting Jim Huntsman the governor of Utah to come and talk. David asked what we thought and most agreed it was a good thing.

The date is definate May 2nd the time too is set at 11:30 in Muskegon. We have yet to work out the location. We are looking for $25 a head and sponsorships at $100. Keep looking at the side bar for the Community Service calendar for updates as I get them.

Fresh off of the anti tax and anti spending protests of tax day, bringing Huntsman here to talk about fiscal responsibility should prove to be interesting. Especially iin our state which is a poster child for fiscal irresponsibility. His message needs to be heard.

As the link below says, Jim Huntsman on the list of possible Presidential GOP contenders for the nomination in 2012. He is coming to Muskegon.

Be there or be square. lol.

Below is a link to the man and some of his accomplishments.

-----link------
http://www.deseretnews.com/article/705297446/Jim-Huntsman-a-front-runner.html
---------------

The more we know the better our decision.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

I was recently in Jackson at there Tea Party at least the start of it, and I picked up some info on the special election coming in November for the 19th State Senate seat. The race is against the Republican Nofs and Democrat Griffen. Steve Sachs from the Nofs camp had told me previously that Griffen's strong hold was in Jackson. Well I was there, had lunch two doors down from the Democratic HQ and had a chance to talk with the owner of the restaurant. He filled me in with some background on Griffin.

First Griffin was Mayor of Jackson for a few years, his family was way into politics for a long time in Jackson. He has the name in Jackson. Nofs has the name and strength in the other county (Calhoun) they both make up the 19th state senate distrct. I felt like I was talking about Muskegon. It was like the 92nd was Jackson and the 91st was Calhoun. Different #s maybe, but the same logic.

With the help of outside counties I along with some pretty smart state people think we can win this one. If we all make some extra effort the tide can be turned. The Adopt a Precinct Program is alive and well. Our victory in 2010 and 2012 can start this Nov.2009.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

On a local front My friend and I helped a neighbor fix part of her roof. A simple thing but we made her day, my friend and I. Didn't cost anyone anything.

At the Lansing Tea Party I heard 3 different speakers tell us that to make a difference it takes each of us to spend some time just simply helping our neighbors who need help. The government doesn't have to, we do.

Later in the day at the Livingston County Republican Lincoln Day Dinner, Peter Hoekstra talked as the keynote speaker. Part of what he said perked my ears up. He said he agreed with Hillary about it taking a village to raise a child. He just said that the villiage he used was not the government but friends and family and his church. Pete's children were young when he had to spend most of his time in Washington. He said he counted on his own village, of his own choosing, to help him raise his children.

During that talk he also brought up a Constitutional Ammendment he and Jim DeMint authored, the Parental Rights Ammendment.

-----link-----
http://www.cnsnews.com/Public/Content/article.aspx?RsrcID=45919
--------------

He is afraid of the UN and the language giving the Government the right to look after the "Well being" of the children, not the parents. We should all fear that can of worms. The Parental Rights Amendment is an alternative to that UN bill to protect the rights of parents to raise their children; not only from the UN but from our government.

-----quote-----
“The Parental Rights Amendment would help stop the assault on parental rights, whether it is an assault from Congress, from the courts or the U.N.,” Hoekstra told CNSNews.com on Tuesday.
---------------

From a principle and political perspective this seems like a good thing. As the article alludes to; although passage in the Democrat congress isn't likely, this plants the seed of a principled opposition to the UN resolution.

It puts the gauntlet down and lets all know where we stand and there is an alternative to the Liberal policy.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

That's all for now, except for these pictures of some signs I made and donated to the Muskegon Tea Party.

Regards, Live Dangerously Be A Conservative

Smile While You Got Em

2009-04-13T20:55:00.000-07:00

City Hall For A Change.

Went to the City Commission work meeting tonight; it started at 5:30 and ran a long time. The main point of discussion was the budget shortfall of $1 million dollars. The scary thing was that next year was projected to be worse. The people, who should know, the staff, were the ones saying it.

The plan to cover the budget deficit was to pay off half of it from what they prudently had set up. The Budget Stabilization Fund. I believe they left a million in it and pretty much swore not to touch it again. Kind of reminded me of the fifty times I quit smoking before I actually did.

The other ½ million in the deficit was made up of various department cuts in salary and manpower. While the police lost 3 neighborhood people, the only complaining that was done was by the Fire union guy who kept saying how unfair it was that three of (his) guys were getting a cut in pay of 10%. There were BTW a lot of other cuts to make up for the ½ million.

All the commissioners added to the lament of how they didn’t like any of the cuts; but in the end they bowed to the inevitable. I give them credit for that as they didn’t have to. Other cities don’t and are going bankrupt. Our Federal government certainly istn't. We because of it are still surviving with some cuts.

My Ward Commissioner Clara Sheppard proposed that the city finance a conference here of the league of cities. A cost of $5,000 was the cost. Pretty minor cost and it would bring in some money. However, the commissioners in effect said they would vote to ok the conference being here but not put any money towards it. After cutting some wages and laying off others and cutting the number of parks for our youth, the commissioners were in no mood to fund some other cities junkets.

I am always pleased as I watch Mayor Warmington conduct the business of the city. It is obvious who the mayor is. His demeanor is as even as mine would not be.

A friend of mine stood up at the end during other business and proposed that the City set up an ethics rule for Neighborhood associations; including the idea to not allow elected officials or married couples on the neighborhood boards, to reduce real or imagined conflict of interest and cronyism. This brought some heated discussion about the issue from Commissioner Spataro an elected official who is on the Nelson Neighborhood Association along with his wife.

This argument continued after the meeting I was told. Another Commissioner also let it be known at that time he also had a wife and they were on another board in another neighborhood. I was told he crumpled up our request and threw it away when talking to my friend.

One thing I think and that is she struck a nerve.

Where this will lead I don’t know. It did prick their interest when she told them we turned down $12,000 for our garden and are doing just fine without it. And that the fund facilitator is no longer facilitating that grant.

For correcting that, my friend deserves some back watching at the least. She won’t get a thank you from the city or the County Health of that I’m sure.

When I get more time we can take a romp through the bureaucratic negligence and arrogance behind all that. For now I have to get ready to get some sleep and have some teeth pulled tomorrow. I won’t be a happy blogger after that so look out. Fair warning. Lol

Regards, Smile while you got em. either way, Live Dangerously Be A Conservative

Muskegon Tea Party Meeting

2009-04-12T06:06:00.000-07:00

Sat. 4/11/09, 3pm Muskegon Tea Party meeting.

We had a meeting at Applebees, to find out about the Muskegon Tea Party. I was glad to see the effort that Joshua and others have put into this event. At Heritage Landing there will be music and speakers. No politicians by the way will be speaking.

Joshua has mailed out an email to all politicians from Levin /Hoekstra down to the township clerks in the outlying areas inviting them to attend this or any other tea party, stating that those who do not will be highlighted later.

That is part of the program here: to remind the people that they are the bosses not the politicians. Also Country Singer John Rich has said he will send something to the Muskegon Tea Party, Joshua said that this was done in such a last minute way, he isn’t sure we will get it in time.

To help clear up any confusion, the event is at Heritage landing. If you want to come with a sign before noon on the 15th and want to be in a march, come to the statue in Hackley Park. They will be leaving at noon to march down to Heritage landing to join the others. If not just make your way to Heritage landing.

There will be a sign up table. We are asking for people to bring non-perishable food and or a buck of two as a contribution. No, not for Joshua or the group. This money and food, ALL OF IT, is going to Muskegon food pantries. Another table will be there where you can sign a scroll which will be sent to our politicians the leaders in Washington. If you want to know what that says, come on down at noon and read it.

Bring your lunch, eat it on the fly. That’s why it’s at noon. You are welcome to come and go at any time. That is your right. That is the point.

Any questions you can email Josh at

MUSKEGONTEAPARTY@YAHOO.COM

Regards, Live Dangerously Be A Conservative

Or call/email me at glhotdogs@verizon.net
231-728-3455
I’ll try to find the answer for you.

Invite to meet before the Musk. Tea Party

2009-04-10T10:26:00.000-07:00

Everyone is invited to the Muskegon Tea Party April 15th noon. If you’re interested in doing this and want further info or input or to meet others who will be coming, you are also invited to a meeting this Sat 4/11/09 at 3:00pm at Applebees on Sherman, see my calendar on the side bar. Bring ideas for signs or whatever questions you may have, bring your friends.

Regards, Live Dangerously Be A Conservative

Nofs Update.

2009-04-07T20:26:00.000-07:00

Just got the following email from Steve Sachs about the "Adopt a Precinct" program.

The logic is simple. We need to find all the Republicans we can then do all we can to persuade them to get to the polls and vote.

-----email-----
Bob,

Sorry its taken me 3 days to get back with you. I had to track down this information and make sure it was finalized. Here is the information on the adopt-a-precinct program. Please feel free to blog about it.

The Michigan Republican Party recently announced a new program to help identify Republican voters in the 19th State Senate District. The "Adopt-A-Precinct" program is being led by Terri Reid, who is coordinating State Party efforts in the 19th District.

Here are some of the specifics of the program:
- County party or GOP group agrees to adopt a precinct (s) some counties are doing more than one
- Each precinct will have between 400-500 calls
- There will be printed bubble sheets and a script to follow.
- The script reads more like a poll than a straight ID script.
- We’re asking that once the list is received, the calls be completed within a week.
- The answers will be recorded on the bubble sheets
- Once completed, the sheets are sent back to MI GOP and we’ll scan them and append our file.

If your County Party, Young Republicans, College Republican or GOP group is interested in getting involved in the "Adopt-A-Precinct" program, please feel free to contact Terri at treid@migop.org or 517-487-5413.

I'm working on information for the Jackson tea party.

Best Regards,

Steve Sachs
---------------

That is what Precinct Delegates are supposed to do. That is our job. At least part of it. As Marlene Shockley enlightened me at the Livingston County PD training workshop; PDs not only do the calling but learn their own precinct. Get to know all the residents at least whether they are Republican or Democrat. Record that info and pass it on.

Steve Sachs talks of appending the file, he is talking about voter vault. Marlene Shockley suggested in her talk that all PDs have access to at least their Precinct to update the information.

Reading through the list you can see why it will take a county to adopt a Precinct. With 4-500 phone calls to make in a week it would need 5 people min. to make this a simple task.

If you've never done this before, 100 calls to strangers is a lot to do at a time. 20 a day for 5 days is more doable. Especially if we are expected to call back the no answers. That would take 5 dedicated PDs.

Remember too that we will be using our own phones and all the calls will be long distance. Se we need, not only 5 people but they each need unlimited minutes.

I will call Terri Reid tomorrow and get more details, then bring it to our Musk. County Republican Caucus the 13th. See if they want to do it.

Regards, Live Dangerously Be A Conservative

Pools, of Contributors and Resources. Mysterious(ly)Shrinking ???

2009-04-05T20:34:00.000-07:00

Sorry good idea but we don’t want to dilute our resources. Sorry but we don’t know if it’ll work.

Well it’s true: if I had a dollar for every time I’ve been told that, during this past year; I’d have a Benjamin to spend for gas to go to the Lansing Tea Party the 15th at noon. Which by the way I'm told is badly organized, won't accomplish anything and may hurt our Party.

I’m not talking just about the negative comments I hear about the Tea Party thing. I’m talking about the negative attitude most Republicans have toward any type of change. An unwillingness to try something different because they don’t know if it’ll work.

The last election and now for this upcoming one, all I hear is that there seems this mysterious pool of money (mysteriously no more, no less) that is available for Campaigns In the area. We can’t do anything to jepardize it. “What about this special election coming up; can’t we make a little effort to raise a little money for Mike Nofs in Jackson? It’s a year away from our election here.” No we can’t mess with our pool of campaign contributors. "Ever hear of new ones, gee they might also after 15 months from now contribute to our County Party again if we asked. Especially if their effort worked in Jackson." Well see they say what if it doesn't we may have lost that person for good. "Gee like you had him in the first place!!" So it goes ad nauseum.

I heard it last election, you know the one where we did so well. That whole argument is demeaning to our party and is cannibalistic because it feeds upon the motivation that drives the “Pool of Contributors” to contribute. That negative attitude is reflected in lots of other ways.

The whole idea of reaching out to new people, to new areas thought to be Democratic strongholds. Out side of lipservice I see little done. "Don't dilute our resources I'm told. Our volunteer base." Like we had any?

Another attitude killer of this sort I evidenced when I’ve made efforts to talk the party into celebrating the PDs we have and doing what we can to keep them busy and getting more. I’m told that they have never in the past done anything so why waste our precious resources of time and money to do what they obviously don’t want to do.

I feel like retorting; "how do you know you never tried." Well I’ve in fact said that and I was told that they did try, they emailed the whole list. What I would suggest is some effort that is a little more personal and labor intensive. But then there would go the Pool of Contributions.

To bad the Dems didn’t think the way we do. For all my bitching about Republicans becoming Democrat like, there are some things that we would do well to emulate from the other side.

There are some bright spots and I try to highlight them in and out of the Party.
I will keep doing that.

Regards, Live Dangerously Be A Conservative

PD ALERT Help Mike Nofs win back the 19th district State Senate Seat

2009-04-02T11:20:00.000-07:00

Help Mike Nofs win back the 19th district State Senate Seat

Just had a call from Steve Sachs, who is working on the Mike Nofs 19th district State Senate Seat campaign. He got my name from Holly Hughes, our National Committee Woman. The chain of command does work, always slower than one hopes, but in this case actually pretty fast.

Steve told me that April 22nd would be the date Mike Nofs will formerly announce he is running for the State Senate. I was assured that Mike has been pretty active already pounding the flesh trying to get his message out.

A shocker to me was the dollar amounts that Steve Sachs told me might end up being involved in the race. Remember this race is in November of this year. NOT 2010. He was talking of each side spending $2 million apiece. That is a big wow. A state race. The recent New York 20th US congress race was only ½ that. You saw the attention that garnered.

Is this an important race? Well if money talks, we should all be buying ear plugs for all the yelling to come.

Steve gave some reasons for the extra expense. First was that he said the area is a 3 market area meaning to cover all the people in the area they had to spend 3 times the amount. He told me NY 20 was one market. Also he pointed out that the 19th was large and rural area making door to door cost more etc.

Underneath all this was the reality that Stryker the Democrat go to money guy would be getting heavily into this, and if we wanted to compete we needed to compete financially too.

I said I would do all I could in Muskegon to try and fire up the troops. He is mailing me some lit I’ll pass out to our County Party at our next meeting.

I had an idea and thought I’d run it by Holly, and she in her wisdom showed me the error of my ways. During the conversation we talked about the “Adopt A Precinct” program and the progress so far. If my notes are correct, the counties of Kent, Ottawa and Oakland were on board with a bus load of volunteers each for the 19th.
That is great news; perhaps if I can’t get people here interested, I can hook up with Ottawa or Kent. Save some gas type of thing.

I’m also finding out that the demands upon Holly as National Committee Woman are pretty huge. She didn’t say so, but during our conversation I began to understand the work she does for the party. She for example has a meeting the 15th to plead Michigan’s case for funds to the NRC. She said we have a good case to make with the Governorship up for grabs, not to mention the Congressional Race. But everyone will be pleading broke so I wish her luck. I hope she makes her case well. She has meetings with Wiser and Steele. She is busy recruiting and dissuading candidates for office. All this and I’m sure she is anxious to get into the game herself. State Rep or maybe State Senate???

Getting back to the 19th she told me to leave the money to the money people and concentrate on the people. The PDs. Not having any money of my own I thought that was a good idea.

Regards, Live Dangerously Be A Conservative

PS. If you want to get involved, give me a call and I’ll be happy to get you lit. and or put you in touch with someone. Who says we can't get a bus like Kent County?

Bob Carr 231-728-3455
glhotdogs@verizon.net

Jack, Pete, Terri, Bill coming up

2009-04-01T11:28:00.000-07:00

Got this email from Jack Hoogendyk and it had his itinery on it.
Looking forward to seeing him in Lansing and it would be super to follow him to KaZoo too.
----Jack's itinery----
Jack's Upcoming Schedule:

APR 9 7:30 pm: Macomb GOP, National Coney Island 30140 Van Dyke, Sterling Heights, MI

APR 15 NOON: Taxpayer Tea Party, State Capitol

APR 15 5 p.m. Taxpayer Tea Party, Kalamazoo

APR 16, 5:15 pm: Midland GOP, Pizza Sams Midland 102 W Main St.

APR 21, 6:30 pm: Forum at Central Michigan University
---------------------

April 7th 5:30

The Muskegon County GOP members as a part of the 2nd Congressional District have been invited to attend a FUN FIVE COUNTY GOP DINNER This is an ITALIAN DINNER held at the Pere Marquette Township Hall in Ludington Tuesday April 7th at 5:30pm Cost is $15 per person, proceeds will benefit the County Party supplying the items for auction or raffle.

Google Map http://maps.google.com/maps?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&q=1040+s.+pere+marquette+ludington+mi&fb=1&split=1&gl=us&cid=12030854562798520706&li=lmd&z=14&t=m

This sounds like a fun Republican event, if you are interested contact: Susie Hughes - susiehughes@comcast.net for more info.
-----------
I called Juanita Periman and she told me that Bill Huizenga was going to be the main speaker and that Terri Lynn Land was going to make an appearence and talk also. She told me also that there will be people from the five counties of Mason, Oceana, Manistee, Newaygo, and Lake. Should be a good time for me from Muskegon to broaden my horizons and do some networking.
---------------------------------------------

May 1st

Oceana County Lincoln Day Dinner

Friday May 1st at the West Michigan Masonic Center in Hart for more info you can contact: Juanita Pierman (231) 869-4338 or by email at piermanjp@verizon.net
OCEANA’S ANNUAL LINCOLN DAY DINNER Below is an email Juanita was kind enough to send me. Be nice to see Pete and Geoff Hansen again.
---------

FRIDAY, MAY 1, 2009

WITH
CONGRESSMAN PETE HOEKSTRA
CANDIDATE FOR GOVERNOR

INTRODUCTION BY
REPRESENTATIVE GOEFF HANSEN

ALSO INVITED ARE OTHER CANDIDATES FOR
STATE OFFICES IN 2010

WEST MICHIGAN MASONIC CENTER
2661 N. Oceana Drive, Hart

6 PM SOCIAL HOUR (BYOB) 7 PM DINNER
DINNER CATERED BY THE GOLEN INN

$30 per person

SILENT AND LIVE AUCTIONS

Mail check to: Oceana Republicans, P O Box 825, Hart, MI 49420
Personal checks only. Bring an extra check for the auction!

For Reservations Call: Juanita Pierman 869-4338
Joe Merten 873-4267

Paid for by the Oceana Republican Committee, P.O. Box 825, Hart, MI 49420
---------------

-----------------------------------
April 15th

Livingston is having their Lincoln Day Dinner with Pete Hoekstra as the main speaker.

2009 Lincoln Day Dinner

with Keynote Speaker

Congressman Pete Hoekstra

April 15th, 2009 from 7pm to 9pm

Crystal Gardens in Howell

Tea Party Update

2009-03-31T10:56:00.000-07:00

I'm posting this to let people know about some new "Tea Parties"

I'm also using this as a info. drop to have a link to put on my side bar upper right at
-------------
http://bottomuppolitics.blogspot.com
-------------

03/29/09 From Musk. Co. co chair. Susie Hughes. I see two new ones.

-------------
(Detroit, MI USA City County Building
1 Woodward Ave 313-215-9401. Organized by: Beth Breidenstein).
-------------

A closer one.

------------
(Grand Rapids

Location
Ah-Nab-Awen Park
303 Pearl St. NW
Grand Rapids, MI 49504
------------

Also at the Holland event where Pete announced his candidacy for Governor, I learned a rumor of a protest forming in Grand Haven. Will update when I hear more.

Regards, Live Dangerously Be A Conservative

Common sense prevails, the protest spreads.

A first report

2009-03-30T10:47:00.000-07:00

Just had a call and interview by phone from Pete Hoekstra before the Holland announcement.

Here are a few thoughts from the interview. I will write more after I return from his more public announcement in Holland at http://bottomuppolitics.blogspot.com

First I wasn't aware Pete had already announced. He had, so this wasn't premature.

Second we grass roots activists seem to have a soul mate in Pete Hoekstra.

Pete is behind the candidacy of Mike Nofs and realizes the importance of the race from the "keeping the Senate" to the momentum idea for 2010.

Maybe with his help the "Adopt a Precinct" program can get a needed push.

Pete plans on a 1,000 miles of biking the byways of the state.

He plans on working at 100 diferent jobs along side 100 diferent workers in the state.

He plans to showcase his unique talents in business and politics.

The combination of knowing what needs doing and the ability to fight it through the political process to get it done.

Again I'm off to Holland see my Bottom Up Politics site for a fuller report and a report on the Holland Announcement.

Regards, Live Dangerously Be A Conserbative.

Monday, Big Announcement Holland

2009-03-29T12:52:00.000-07:00

Email from Team Hoekstra.
---------------
Major Hoekstra Announcement

Pete to Share His Plans for the Future

Hosted By Team Hoekstra

Please Join Pete, Diane, their family and the rest of Team Hoekstra for a special announcement on Monday, March 30th at 4:30pm at Herman Miller, Inc. in Holland, Michigan.

March 30, 2009 4:30pm -6:00pm
(Doors open at 4pm)

Herman Miller, Inc. (The Green House) Please Use the Visitor Entrance
10201 Adams St.
Holland, MI

There is no cost for this event and no tickets are required.

To help anticipate accommodations please
RSVP to Deb at 616-396-3354 or
deb.teamhoekstra@sbcglobal.net

Please feel free to share this invite with your family and friends

--------------

Can't wait to see how Stryker and the bunch try to rape this guys good name. Maybe the time is ripe for some backlash to the old Liberal same old same old "big lie" tactics. Maybe people will start to say enough is enough.

I'm going, the last line said feel free to share this invite with your family and friends. Feel Free by showing we are free.

Regards, Live Dangerously Be a Conservative

Apology

2009-03-25T14:08:00.000-07:00

My computer and tv and all the stuff putting me on the Information Highway was stolen and it has taken me awhile to get functioning again. My apologies and I will return. Shortly see my post at Live Dangerously.
---link----
http://conservativeinmuskegon.blogspot.com/
-----------

Regards, Live Dangerously Be A Conservative

Is it possible to Change things? Some Self Justification

2009-03-21T07:00:00.000-07:00

All I have to do is look at history to see. Yes it is possible. Dig deeper and I see that there are usually a lot of people trying and a lot of people failing with their ideas good and bad until change finally can occur.

Why is that?

Why do some fail and others succeed? Obviously some ideas are simply bad; others are good. Most are in-between. For political change, timing is important for the success of an idea. There must first be seeds planted. In this blog’s case, in my case; I’m trying to plant as many seeds as I can. I think all these seeds all my ideas are good. I’m biased of course. Ya think? At the worst these seeds as they die will make fertile the soil for other new ideas or for the same ideas at a future time.

Whether or not an idea can sprout and grow depends upon whether it is fed and nurtured. Given what it needs to flourish. In this case, this blogs ideas need to be picked up and changed and molded by others to create something that can flourish. If they prove to be bad ideas or unworkable ideas, well that is the point of this exercise: trying to find ideas that will lead to change. The best ideas the ideas that succeed in this will no longer be my ideas.

I believe in the concept of “Build it and they will come”. If this doesn’t work then I must assume that what I built wasn’t good enough or at least timely enough.

What I do know is that I feel compelled to keep coming up with ideas and projects that I think will work. I feel driven to find some path to change. I’m trapped if you will, into believing that if I “Build it they will come”.

If they do come then the, I and They will become “We” and change will occur.

Until that time I will keep plugging away and coming up with ideas.

My newest one has to do with getting some people to go to Lansing to be in the “Tea Party” protest there. So far one other person and I are going at least tentatively. My next post will be about that. Below is a link to that.
-----link-----
http://taxdayteaparty.com/teaparty/michigan/
--------------
By the way, I see that there are now two planned “Tea Parties”. This is an idea someone had that is taking root. It is being nurtured through the new media. By others. It is a grass root, bottom up type of thing. For more information, scroll down my side bar to the "Community Service Calendar"

If you are tired of the government spending your money join the Party.

Again if you’re interested email me
glhotdogs@verizon.net.
I will post more later.

Regards, Live Dangerously Be A Conservative

More stuff from the Chockley Power point PD workshop

2009-03-18T13:37:00.000-07:00

1. Who are the precinct delegates?
a. Get a copy of your county’s apportionment
b. Get a list of the precinct delegates who were elected.
2. How many slots are there?
a. The 2008 delegate apportionment was due April 1, 2008 to the County clerk.
b. Numbers were set based on the number of votes for Secretary of State in each precinct and as the precincts existed 180 days before the primary election.
3. Filling open delegate slots
a. Delegates can be permanently seated at any county convention.
b. Permanently seated delegates should be reported to State Party and the County Clerk
4. How many can there be in 2010?
a. The 2010 apportionment will be due April 1, 2010
b. Numbers will be set based on the number of votes per precinct for President in 2008
5. Preparing for the 2010 Primary
a. Early in 2010, prepare your delegates for their next primary.
b. Send a note telling them about the exciting election coming up, when their term is up, and how to file for another.
c. Send an affidavit of identity.
6. Affidavit of Identity.
a. File this with your county, township, or city clerk by 4pm on May 11th,2010.
b. Remember Filing Deadline is 4pm May11th.
7. Become a Notary.
a. Have someone file to become a notary. File the forms at the Sec. of State office and pay the bond-costs are about $70
b. Carry affidavits of identity to Republican functions.
c. Get delegates to fill them out and notarize them.
d. File them at the county clerk’s office before 4pm on May 11, 2010

Now What?
Just when you thought
It was over,
It’s not.

File by 4pm in the governing unit where you reside your Declaration of Intent Form.

You can also file it on election day at your polling place.

1. Finding Delegates
a. Check donor databases
b. Approach volunteers.
c. Ask People who stop by the HQ or who attend Republican functions. Perhaps set up a table at the larger events.
d. Get referrals from current delegates.
e. Recruit friends and neighbors.
f. Talk it up at your events.
g. Call Republicans from the Voter Vault
2. How to keep delegates.
a. Train them
b. Give them something they want to do.
c. Keep them informed about your activities and how they can help.
d. Invite them to special events.
e. Have something for them to do.
f. THANK THEM for their help
g. Make the time fun and or rewarding.
3. Efforts all year long
a. Identifying voter party preference
b. Opposition research on Democrat candidates.
c. Staffing fair booths
d. Helping with special events
e. Writing a Republican newsletter.
f. Sending letters to the editor
g. Monitoring local issues
4. More efforts all year long.
a. Dropping Republican welcome packets to newcomers in their precincts.
b. Helping a young or a teen Republican club get started in a local high school.
c. Holding service projects to get positive public exposure for the good things we do.
d. Planning social events to encourage participation and make friends.
5. Be prepared to lose delegates. Remember these points.
a. Precinct Delegates are important and appreciated.
b. Include them in the regular activities of the committee.
c. They’ll be there in the future when you need them.
d. Precinct Delegates are the Key to Victory in 2010. They are the force who will find and deliver the votes for our candidates.
6. Our job as PDs is to get Republican votes. How do we do that?
a. Identify Republican favorable.
b. Get them registered to vote.
c. Then make sure they can get to the poll on election day or have them vote an absentee ballot.

############################
“Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another, “What? You too? I thought I was the only one.”
C.S. Lewis.
############################
Identifying Republican in our midst.
1. In the family
In the neighborhood.
1). Yard signs, bumper stickers, flags
Unique displays, Jan.21st candles
Burning, Holiday displays/
2. Look for Conservative ideas and values, not all who share these ideas will be Republican but it’s a start.
3. Look to affiliated interest groups like home schoolers, ABATE, NRA, Small Business Associations, Right to life,
4. Have volunteers search the local newspapers for articles and letters to the editor for conservative ideas. Also search the internet for conservative bloggers etc. The important thing is to get Republicans to actually vote.
5. Contact all elected officials and PDs and Candidates, and election inspectors. Go to the Donor lists (campaign finance disclosure). Find these at county websites, or for the state at. www.michigan.gov/sos or the federal at www.fundrace.org or www.tray.com or www.opensecrets.org . Also go through supporter lists of Republican Candidates.
6. Get some PDs trained to be able to access Voter Vault. That is where we as PDs can put all the information we gather from our precincts about Republicans and “leaners” for use in the upcoming election.
7. Continually stress the importance of collecting possible Republican voters. We don’t need to push but we need to make our presence known.

The Importance of PDs and Volunteers

1. More people available to help get the message out come election time. Phone calls, lit drops, just talking it up and letters to the editor etc.
2. A base of volunteers for our candidates to draw from. Remember come election, volunteers are needed for parades and going to debates and in general to create a buzz about our candidates. Also at election time we need to work as election inspectors, watchers and challengers. The end result will be to give our candidates a better chance to get elected. As we saw in the last election, the buzz counted for a lot.

I would like to thank Marlene Chockley. It was from her power point PD training format that I copied from and paraphrased the rest. We need a lot more Marlines’ out there.

Livingston County PD training workshop

2009-03-15T06:35:00.001-07:00

Here is a copy of Marlene Chockley's presentation Sat. 3/14/09 Precinct Delegate Training Workshop. Click on page to enlarge.
---------

--------------
I admit I enjoyed the program. The PDs were enthused and willing. This type of thing however lays out only some guidelines. Like in baseball the object is simple, hit the ball out of the park. To do it takes a lot of individual effort, with guidance from more experienced people. Babe Ruth didn't hit a homerun all the time.

I hope we in Muskegon County can get a committee formed and some things done to try to fire up our PDs. This type of workshop may be a start. It starts with a desire on the behalf of a few PDs and the leadership then a continuing effort to promote and highlight any progress that is made.

This whole thing can be overwhelming. It need not be. One thing at a time with a goal in mind is all it takes. We can make our goals as small as necessary to achieve progress. The progress then will have a chance to build upon itself.

Last election Muskegon County was left out of the loop as far as direct help from the State Party. No organized effort was made here to do the things the above pages suggest.

We did very little of this on a door to door basis. What was done was done by the candidates. We should have been there to help them.

Marlene Chockley pointed out that the purpose of all the PDs getting information from their neighborhoods was to first set up the door to door giving out of absentee ballots to Republicans. Then on the next door to door just before the election remind the voters to vote and drop some lit. off. At some point another door to door for a candidate and issue crib sheet would be informational.

All of this is dependent upon updating our list of Republican voters, and do all we can to get them to the polling place to vote. Also if we have a poll watcher at the polling place with that list they could check off the people as they voted. Then at 2pm they would call the HQ with the names of who didn’t vote so more volunteers could start making phone calls to those people and see if we could help them physically to the polls.

We had few poll watchers, they had no lists. We had nothing set up at the HQ for phones and people to drive voters to the polls.

I take responsibility for that disaster as I was watching the HQ. What little I had to work with I didn’t know what to do with. I just couldn’t organize it. I felt alone. This whole blog is the result of my frustration. I want that to not happen again. I don’t know how but our party must start to gather volunteers to lay the groundwork for something different in 2010.

I’m willing to do my part, but people run from me like I’m a live grenade. I don’t have the knack.

One point I don’t want to neglect was the importance Marlene placed upon Poll workers. Law says that there should be a balance. In heavily Democrat areas sometimes this is not the case. We need to not only have candidates in as many races we can, we need poll workers there also. They can be the foot in the door.

As you read the above pages of Marlene’s presentation she talks a lot about how the PDs and their groups act as another foot in the door. In my neighborhood for example we PDs that live here know what the community events are. Republicans are pretty generous people by and large. We just tend to keep our light under a bushel. It is our job to figure out how we can do what we do to help and at the same time let people know who we are. In my case maybe helping to serve food at the Sat. morning breakfast at the 1st Congregational Church. Wearing a GOP Hat or shirt or apron would be more than enough.

The options are endless. I had suggested a blood drive and Livingston Chair said that they had one in the works coming up. We could do one at our HQ once spring is really here.

We’ve got to get a presence out in the community. I’d love to see a large banner on our Republican HQ for example.

The whole thing is dependent upon one thing. What is it? Yup you guessed it; volunteers sure enough. Well we have some volunteers. They can get more. In my view the real need is for the attitude to change about PDs. We need to back them.

It’s like hitting the ball out of the park. It takes effort and practice. It takes encouragement and help along the way. It, like baseball is a team effort.

Regards, Live Dangerously Be A Conservative

F L A S H !!!

2009-03-11T17:29:00.000-07:00

Hey Precinct Delegates out there.

This Sat. 3/14/09 --- 9:00 registration. Presentation 9:30-11:30.

That is this weekend. Sorry for the late notice, I just found out about it. I’m going. I can make it.

-----link------
http://www.livingstonrepublicans.com/162.html?psid=0sID8NBcj7USsBXgCMus
---------------

I called up Norm Shinkle and he gave me Cindy Pine’s # over at Livingston County. She called me back we emailed and the event linked above is open to us. This sounds like a professional presentation. I’m hoping to learn a lot about what this website is for.

How to Organize-Take Muskegon Back.

I just emailed a request to our Muskegon County Party to batch email our Musk. PDs. About it. This is really short notice. May not have Time my bad.

All will not be lost. Cindy said that they hope to make a tape of this so I hope to get a copy and present it here. Try to stir up some activity.

{my edit 3/12/09 1;10 PM address is 6870 Grand River Rd, Brighton, Mi 48114}

Feel free to come, feel free to call me for questions. My # is 231-728-3455 Bob Carr.

I’ll report on the presentation afterwards.

Dreams Start Hard

2009-03-09T14:21:00.001-07:00

I’m getting old. Instead of springing forward, I fell down or my brain did. I forgot the spring let alone the forward. I showed up to our 12 noon Caucus right on the dot at 1:00. Oh well, people were leaving but a few hung out and I was able to fill myself in on what I missed and what will be come up at the next Executive Board Meeting.

By the way we had a lot of people there. Good to see.

The exciting thing I learned we will talk about is the topic of Precinct Delegates. PDs will be on the agenda for the next meetingRight up this blogs alley.

We have a member, Pat Uriarte who had been in Chicago politics for quite awhile and worked herself up through the political system of Chicago. She will be sharing her expertise at our next meeting March 16th. I called her up when I got home and we had a nice talk.

She said we need to focus more on Precinct Delegates as an important part of our grass root outreach. Needless to say I started paying attention. Pat mentioned the idea of Block Captains. I had invented the name Precinct Delegate Designates for the same type of thing. A way to get volunteers involved. Block Captain by the way is a much better name.

Pat said that there are too many people per PD in our Michigan’s system. A PD has a list of duties he or she is to perform within the precinct. Those duties are crucial in order for a real grass roots program to work. The PDs we both agreed could not do those duties well due to the large population each PD was responsible for.

We need more people, the number of PDs are set by the state. While other volunteers can’t be called PDs they still have a vital role to help the PDs complete their duties.

To make it work, the PDs will have to serve as Precinct Captains. They will have to recruit the volunteers or Block Captains. They could recruit others to help them. One of the duties a PD or Block Captain has is to knock on doors, register voters and make lists of what they find out. This information can then be used to help get the vote out. Plus the simple number of new recruits we need is a plus in any election. Remember that for every new member there are friends and family that will at least hear our message.

With an effective grass roots program, imagine the buzz you will start to hear about the up to now silent Republican Party.

I realize the problem lies in recruitment. It is important to stress the importance of the Precinct Delegate, and the whole grass root thing. This is how the County, then the State, and finally the National Party will learn of what the voters really want. That is how we will win elections.

I hope with Pat’s help we can start to do that in Muskegon. I would love to be a part of that.

I recently went with our Muskegon delegation to the State Convention in Lansing. We had a nice Banner saying Muskegon County Republicans. We were the only county banner in our caucus. I have a vision that one day I will be holding up the 6th Precinct Ward#2 City of Muskegon Republicans, at our next County Convention. I will need at least one Block Captain just to help me hold up such a wordy banner. Lol In my vision ours was hard to spot among the many others flying in the air conditioning.

Think Positive.

Dreams start hard but the good thing is once started they die hard.

Stuff

2009-03-07T14:32:00.000-08:00

Stuff.

The new Lion’s chapter in Muskegon. Blue Sky Lions is off and running.

They are getting together with the Love Community Garden to supply volunteers from The Lions Blue Sky to help the people at Love Community Garden put together the raised garden beds. A Lion has a Kubota loader and believe me that will help us move some 26 cubic yards of dirt. Plus all will pitch in to build the frames for the raised beds.

Englewood Farms and fellow Fruitport Lion Marve Engle is giving Love Community Gardens a break on the dirt and free delivery to boot.

This is set up for May 2nd come rain or shine.

If you want to help give me a call. Bob Carr, 231-728-3455

News from the Carmen Group. (Local chit chat of a conservative nature every Thurs, 8am at Carmens.) Marve Engle one of our County Commissioners and a regular at the Carmen Group gave myself and J. Riley another blogger and regular from Carmens a guided tour of the waste water management facility out Apple Ave.

There was a minor overflow of the dyke of a holding pond. The spill was minimal and the spillage was safe. It just went to another area to soak in and not to any creeks or flowing water. This was not raw sewage.

This was my first visit to the Water treatment part of the complex. I’m used to just thinking about the solid waste area we see from Apple as we drive along.

The sewage treatment was something altogether different. It was huge. The water in their main holding pond if I remember correctly amounted to more water than Mona lake or Duck Lake I forget which. Either way that's alot of water.

There was a road on top of a dyke between two holding ponds I swear it was a mile long and narrow. It was really only one lane. There were seagulls galore and from our guide we learned that this was nothing. During the spring the seagulls nest on the road and there will be thousands more. It reminded me of Hitchcock’s old movie “The Birds” and driving along a spit of road between two massive lakes of sewage, I couldn’t help think of the movie. “Monsters from the Blue Lagoon” lol.

There were also other ponds where the sewage is initially aerated and the settling process is begun. The facility I believe has over 1200 acreas.

Crossing Apple, Marve showed us a project that Dave Farhat is responsible for and trying to get working. The project has to do with wetland habitat for pheasants. Also a small lake he hopes to center youth activities from the city and other areas around in tandem with the pheasant thing. This is the first I’ve heard of it.

Like so many other things Republicans do for the community they tend to do them under the radar. Why? I don’t know, modesty perhaps. I think that they think if people think it is a Republican thing they won't cooperate. But I see nothing wrong letting people know. People seem to cooperate with Democrat plans. They shout it from the roof topl The main thing is to get something good done. This seems like such a thing.

I will try to get an interview with David in order to let you know what is in the works.

Meanwhile

My favorite stores are doing well.

Benson’s Drug is doing great. What a pleasure that place is. People from the neighborhood are getting to know their grocery dept. The new frozen meat products, vacuum packed by the Meat Block is selling well. They started carrying frozen hamburger, steaks, porkchops and the like. Good quality stuff right here in the neighborhood. They also are selling fresh potatoes and onions. Now if you run out you don’t have to run all the way to Meijers. You can walk to Bensons. On Apple just East of Terrace.
-----link to previous post-----
http://bottomuppolitics.blogspot.com/2008/05/bensons.html
-------------------------------

Mia and Grace Bakery and Bistro is doing a booming business over on Third St. off Monroe. The food is still the best Texas Cuisine in the county. They have a farm to table program. They buy fresh from local farmers. The great news is that they have offered to buy from the local neighborhood gardens, of which Love Community Garden is one, if the produce we grow meets their standards. That was a really nice gesture on their part.

The art work of local artists and down-home walk in atmosphere will take one out of the hood (oops Muskegon) for awhile and you can pretend you walked in off the street for lunch in a Bistro in Boston. Really a pleasant dining experience.

Below I have in order some of the posts I’ve made of them.
------
http://bottomuppolitics.blogspot.com/2008/05/mia-and-grace-bakery-and-bistro.html
------

http://bottomuppolitics.blogspot.com/2008/06/mia-grace-update.html
------
http://bottomuppolitics.blogspot.com/2008/07/mia-grace-bakery-bistro.html
------

The family owned and run Bolt Hardware had to trim back it’s hours, due to an illness in the family. The owners wife Callie who was the main operator of the store during the day, in recent years was losing weight and kept losing it till she had to go to the hospital. She told me that they gave her every test they could think of but not a clue as to the cause. She is back out and everyone is hoping she will get better. Especially Mark her husband who I’m pretty sure he is getting worked to the bone.

Below is a link to a previous post I made in May about Bolt Hardware.
-----Link-----
http://bottomuppolitics.blogspot.com/2008/05/bolt-hardware-its-family-affair.html
-----------------

There was something about a metal plate in Callie’s hip that the radiologist over looked on her chart and in the process of x-raying her she received 3rd degree burns on the outside. The tests are trying to show if that had anything to do with it. So far they have disproved any other cause they can think of.

I would have had a lawyer the first day but that’s just me. Any way she is still really fragile but wanting to get back to work so the hardware can get up and running regular hours again. Mark her husband works nights and can only keep the store open from 1pm weekdays. Like I alluded to; Mark is probably needing some rest.

Stop in and tell them hi. Wait till the afternoon though.

BTW they are at 236 Mason.

------------=-------------

As always US 31 and Mr. Burris are selling the heck out of those Barbeques. There is a reason his is the longest running family restaurant in the County.

Carmen’s new restaurant seems to be doing well. At our meeting there last Thurs. early there was a booming trade. There was another group meeting there I think they had about 10 with them.

Hard to blame them for picking Carmens as their breakfast fare especially their omelets are to die for.

Well that’s enough for now.

Getting hard as I move around the neighborhood not to spend some money locally.

Regards, Live Dangerously Be A Conservative.

Some Updates

2009-03-02T18:40:00.000-08:00

First here is a link to my other site about some updates to the Adopt a Precinct program.
-----link-----
http://bottomuppolitics.blogspot.com/2009/03/adopt-precinct.html
--------------
Next is an article about the new Lions Club chapter of Muskegon.
-----article-----
http://www.mlive.com/opinion/muskegon/index.ssf/2009/02/editorial_roar_of_welcome_for.html
-----------------
I'm a new member.!!! I am going to the first meeting March 3rd, 6pm at the Shoreling Inn and Suites downtown first floor. This is to start the chapter. This is a great idea.

This is a type of thing I've been talking about for a long time. I hope I can be a part of it.

Join us, become a member.

Regards, Live Dangerously Be A Conservative

How about some "In Your Face" Activist Conservatism?

2009-02-28T17:54:00.000-08:00

We as Conservatives have been reluctant to take public stands in the past. To actually go out and take it to the streets. What would a Conservative protest look like. Well as I blogged about a lot earlier we in Muskegon had a mini protest over the “Drill Here, Drill Now, Pay Less” protest started by Newt Gingrich.
-----link to previous post-----
http://bottomuppolitics.blogspot.com/2008/07/energy-freedom-march-is-done.html
------------------------------------
Was there details of that protest email campaign by Newt that you didn‘t like? Probably. Some Conservatives probably felt it too over the top. Don’t shake the boat on this some said. We probably can’t do much anyway, we have to pick our fights more wisely. Plus remember Newt sat down with Nancy Pelosi.

Well Newt had his way and over a million signatures flowed in. More importantly Congress was flooded by outraged calls from people saying they had enough. Well guess what? The moratorium on drilling ended. A victory, at least for awhile. Now it looks like it will come back. But the point is we won a battle that most said we by all right should of lost.

We did it by uniting behind a concrete example of how government intervention doesn’t help solve a problem, it only makes it worse. The people knew it and they used the leverage of the election year to force their voice to be heard. I was happy some in Muskegon were a part of that effort.

Recently in response to the Stimulus Bill, a stock guy blew up and ranted on National TV. Although he was ranting, he was echoing the thoughts of many in the country. Was there anything wrong with the message? Could it of been different? Did he represent all the diverse groups of the Republican party? Well he represented something that resonated and something the people could relate to.

We in Michigan had a Lansing Tea Party. Nick at Right Michigan was there and took pictures and wrote a good article about it.
-----link-----
http://www.rightmichigan.com/story/2009/2/27/124743/081
---------------
Others around the country had similar “Tea Parties”.

What I have learned from all this and which the CPAC reinforced for me was that as a party we can not turn away from the good because it’s not perfect.

As we try to come up with solutions to the problems we face, remember that we are Conservatives and if we base our solutions on our core principles then for example we should be able to attend either a school voucher rally or a home school rally or even a public education reform rally. All three would help the education system. Like free enterprise, let them all be tried and base our opinion on what they actually accomplish.
-----link-----
Edreform.com
---------------
I add a quote from Pope John Paul II
“Parents are the primary educators of children.”

Haley Barbour said we should count as friends anyone who agrees with you 80% is your friend.
President Reagan sand anyone who agrees with 90% is not your enemy.

Both were talking about building a coalition.

We as Conservatives need to see the good in each of our different solutions, get behind other solutions and other people’s ideas if they are conservative in nature. Forget our own righteousness once and awhile.

What this means in conservative politics and education reform as mentioned above in particular, is that while vouchers and charter schools are not as government free as home schoolers, we should not lose sight of the fact that all of these are better than the record of public schools.

On CPAC I heard a home school activist say that his enemy is the same that the charter school and voucher programs face. Why he asked should we not unite also. He talked of one success and how it works in a cross pollinating sort of way with the others. We in other words should be gaining strength from all our success as conservatives.

This is the new face of Activist Conservatives. Actually it has been around for hundreds of years, but it is new in this big everything age.

Got a protest of any sort based on Conservative principles? Give me a call. I’ll try to make it.

Regards, Live Dangerously Be A Conservative.

Love Community Garden

2009-02-26T07:58:00.000-08:00

Well the Love Community Garden is making progress in the money game. Saving money game that is. Seeing how little of the offered money they can spend to get a quality product.

Morning Bear took the bit in mouth and came up with the quote for the lumber and dirt etc for the raised beds and will submit them to Pastor Phillips. We went from the suggested 7,000 to 1,500.

The grant controllers have gotten used to the idea that they can’t force us to take what we don’t need. They will use the rest of the money I’m sure. This is really not a political statement. Just some common sense, a wise stewardship of God’s gifts.

Regards, Live Dangerously Be A Conservative

PS. This garden was here last year, it was used as an example to get State funding for others. With or without any funding it will again be here next summer. Hope the other gardens do well.

Check It Out

2009-02-24T12:43:00.000-08:00

Here is a link I just got.
-----link-----
http://www.rightmichigan.com/story/2009/2/24/93630/6089
---------------
Looks like fun. If anyone wants to car pool please let me know. More than happy to split the gas.

Glhotdogs@verizon.net
231-728-3455

Regards, Live Dangerously Be A Conservative

Adopt a Precinct

2009-02-23T19:12:00.000-08:00

Adopt a precinct.

This should be right up this blog’s alley.

-----Shinkle------
http://www.shinkleforchair.com/adoptaprecinct.asp
---------------------

Remember last 2007 those special elections that the Dems won in seemingly “safe” Republican districts? I think there were three or four in a row. They showed us what was coming up in 2008. We already had taken losses in 2006. We should of known, we were complacent and dispirited.

This special election for the Michigan State Senate district #19 could a portent of things to come in 2010 for Republicans. This could be a way to get our party on the move and enthusiastic again. Could be a way to put all the new slogans about grassroots, bottom up change, relevance etc to a test, a chance to start to learn from our mistakes of the last 8 years, a chance to learn and experiment to find out what works and what doesn’t.

I heard a couple of speakers at the State Convention in our 2nd District Caucus talk of the importance of getting a Republican in that seat.

The election date has just been set by Governor Granholm for Nov. 3rd.
-----link-----
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-ap-mi-statesenate-elect,0,3659902.story
---------------
Nick as usual at Right Michigan gives an astute analyses of the situation. A close study of his “primer” shows the importance of the race in and of itself as to the Republicans gaining a stronger working majority in the state senate. The bonus factor of enthusiasm over such a pick up could be the first of the dominos.
-----link-----
http://www.rightmichigan.com/story/2008/12/1/141944/268
---------------
I emailed Shinkle, Hoogendyke, and the state party about info on the Adopt a Precinct program and will report when I hear more.

If anyone is interested in helping to organize this please let me know. If anyone has any info. Please let me know.
Bob Carr (aka Live Dangerously)
Glhotdogs@verizon.net
231-728-3455

Other links to the 19th Mich. Senate district.
-----State map of Senate Districts-----
http://www.senate.michigan.gov/2003/senatedistricts.pdf
---------------------------------------
Click on the 19th in the above link and it will enlarge.

Below Calhoun County Precincts and maps (over 50)
-----link-----
http://www.co.calhoun.mi.us/election.taf?_function=precinct
---------------
Next is the Jackson County Precinct Maps. Not all of Jackson County is in the 19th State Senate District. I don’t know the area well enough to know what precincts are in and which are out. Right click on the map and then click the marque tool and the zoom is excellent.
-----link-----
http://www.smartmap.org/MapGallery.cfm?ParentID=347
---------------
Well that’s it for now till I get some more info. This is a possible win for us I think. But we need to out do the vaunted Obama machine.

What say you???

Regards, Live Dangerously Be A Conservative

Let's get Relavent

2009-02-12T08:32:00.000-08:00

Tony Marsh wrote a column called “On The Road To Relevance” linked here
-----link-----
http://townhall.com/columnists/TonyMarsh/2009/02/11/on_the_road_to_relevance
---------------
This a well written article but also Mr. Marsh put forth my opinion of how the Republican party can regain the trust of the people. Relevance being the first priority.
-----quote from the above article-----
We began to fear our own conservative principles because we’d refused to make them relevant to the day-to-day concerns of those whose votes we desperately sought.
-----------------------------------------------------
This is basically a get back to basics type of article. It brings up Michael Steele’s efforts to make the party more relevant by getting candidates running at all levels and in every precinct. I see it as a back door way to change the party in the way it needs to be changed in order to get the new voters we need.
-----another quote from article-----
Those candidates will look like and speak like the people whose votes they seek to earn. They’ll carry the message that the people and the policies of the Republican Party don’t build walls, we open doors.
------------------------------------
For this type of thing to work. Well to put it bluntly it calls for a massive effort. If we are to get a Republican on the ballot in every township race, well that would in the case of Muskegon County involve getting I would guess twice as many candidates as we had last election cycle. I just did a quick head count of the last election and Republicans just in the township races in Muskegon County failed to even run over 40 candidates for the township offices such a supervisor, clerk, treasurer and trustees. That is not counting the city races and the village races.

This is 40 new candidates not to mention fielding candidates for all the other races in areas where we ran but lost.

I tried my best to give support to the township candidates but found no support at the county party level. In some cases open hostility. I ended up doing very little. A lot more needed to be done. If Mr. Steele can come up with a way to do what he wants almost by definition the huge influx of new candidates will bring change to the party. That’s what I mean by a “back door approach”. All those new faces will also have some new and relevant ideas, and that also by definition will scare the beejesus out of the current party leadership particularly at the county level.

With my experience from the last election, I saw that it was all the county party could do to field the county wide candidates then only give partial help in their elections or lack thereof. How we are going to add another 40 to the list is beyond me. Our last county meeting in its exclusiveness had barely 20 attendees.

If Michael Steele is serious about this Endeavor then he should be looking at recruiting Precinct Delegates as the starting point to find the necessary recruits for office.

He has the old riddle of the chicken or the egg as to which comes first. We need a good message a relevant message that you me and all the peons of the party can get behind. The problem is trust. We need to trust the messenger to fulfill the message.

The best way I know to do that is starting at the local levels with concrete plans and projects that voters and citizens can relate to. Set up by and run with concrete real people. I like freedom, I think freedom is what this country is all about. Let’s showcase some projects locally that highlight individual freedom free from government rules and regs etc that work and enhance our real sense of empowerment derived from our selves not force fed from the government.

As Tony Marsh finished and I quote
-----quote-----
We’ll recapture our credibility when we turn those messages into concrete policy initiatives that create economic prosperity and personal empowerment.

The Republican Party is under new management. It’s arrived just in time. Now, let’s get on with it.
---------------

I will again get up off my butt and start doing what I should.

Regards, Live Dangerously Be A Conservative.

PS. This next County Republican Meeting I will be making a proposal. It will be along the lines of what I've blogged here and hopefully get something started. I have less than a week to get it flushed out. Then we have less than two years to make it work.

New Things

2009-01-12T09:48:00.000-08:00

New things going on in the Republican County Party.

1/19/09. Monthly meeting see side bar calendar for details
Our new Leadership of Dave Farhat and Susan Hughes with John Koens as treasurer and Stuart Peterson and secretary will be (hopefuly) strutting their stuff.
All invited. I'm assuming this will be an organizational meeting to set up committees and talk about structure. Maybe not. I'm not sure. If you want to get into the party "goings on" this is a meeting not to miss. If you want a say in how our party functions for the next two years please come.

1/29/09

click to enlarge

Call to Convention for the County Republican Precinct Delegates at 7;30. Again see side bar calendar for details. This is where our County's delegation will be elected that will go to the state Convention to pick our State Party leaders. Also our District Chair and leadership. Only Precinct Delegates are allowed. If you are and want a say in how our State Party functions this is it. Please come.

Regards, Live Dangerously Be A Conservative

New Meetup page by Jim Riley. Could become a great tool for us.
-----linl----
http://www.meetup.com/Muskegon-County-Republicans/
-------------

Volunteers and Organizers Needed

2009-01-03T14:56:00.000-08:00

Volunteers and Organizers Needed

I have come up with two ideas that Republicans could organize and volunteer for if we agree on the ideas. What do you think?

1. 1st Congregational Church has a free Weekly Breakfast every Sat. from 9-10:30. They will be in need of volunteers to help serve food. This is on a sign up for a time slot type of thing. Currently they are full. The weeks ahead will be when help will be needed. They serve on average 300 people breakfast. Plenty of things need doing.

2. A Gleaners Truck can be had for around $800.00. There is 10,000 lbs of food in a truck. They advertise it. There are around 250 people that follow the locations around to pick up food. Volunteers would be needed to set up and disperse the day of the dispersal. Heavy work also such as setting up tables and moving boxes of food. Lots of other help could be useful just keeping things in order. Also there will have to be organized for this to happen a fund drive. I would like to see several individual events raising a couple hundred or so at a time. I guess any way we get the money is fine as the end result is good in itself. I would like to get more people involved though and create more of a buzz to publicize our involvement. We can do that by having multiple smaller fund raisers which would olaso serve as volunteer raisers.

A. Both the Breakfast and the Gleaners Truck could be one time or regular events. Monthly Quarterly or Yearly. This could become a traditional type of thing, or not. It depends upon the amount of people willing to help organize and actually do the stuff that needs to be done to pull it off.

Any one interested in any aspect of one or both of these please contact me Bob Carr at 231-728-3455. Or email me at glhotdogs@verizon.net

Remember none of this is in any type of concrete form. I have only talked with a couple people about the Gleaners Truck and once with the 1st Congregational Church people. See my post at, Bottom Up Politics below for what else I have found out.
-----link-----
http://bottomuppolitics.blogspot.com/2009/01/open-doors.html
--------------
At this point we need people to help get this organized and start making lists of possible volunteers. Larry Hibnar a new Precinct Delegate from Precinct 6 of Musk. Hts. Has said he would be happy to volunteer some Sat. serving food. We have a start.

I will start talking this up at our Thurs. Carmen Group and at our next Executive Committee Meeting. But we don’t have to wait for that. In fact if we do this it will probably not get done. We need to start kicking this around and fleshing it out ahead of time to be able to present it to the Committee.

What say you ???

Regards, Live Dangerously Be A Conservative

And So It Goes

2008-12-21T10:17:00.000-08:00

Heard the rumor that Norm Shinkle is bowing out of the race for Michigan Republican Chair. Leaving Jack Hoogendyk and Ron Wiser. I've recently talked with Wiser and he seems a capable and intelligent person. Definately a cut above, above what I'm still not sure. Sounds too much like where we've already been with little success. He does sound like he is on top of the game at least as far as connections to the powers in the party and especially the fundraisers of the party. I just had a hard time feeling like I should be saying Hello Mr. Ambassador, Instead of Hi Ron. But that's just me.

I hear that Norm will be endorsing Ron Wiser and will have a place working for him. That will at least let the lowly PDS in the door. Norm I'm sure will see to that at least. So on the money and the elite and somewhat on the "back to local support level" things could be worse.

I wonder just what the emphasis will be under Wiser. I talked at legnth with him about what we are going to do with the county and township and Precinct efforts. I heard the same "wisdom" that I had heard during the last election. It didn't work then, from what I heard or didn't hear it probably won't work in 2010. We need to rely less on the off year out of power surge everyone is hoping for and put the effort into enlarging our base. We need a solid simple message and alot more feet on the ground. To accomplish that we will need real help in training and real hands on efforts. Not a two hour seminar in Lansing, but emails on all the how to recruit PD-candidates possible and how to's on putting on mini fundraisers and community service efforts.

I assume that this will get done on a piece meal effort as in the last election. I was hoping for some help. Guess It's back to the old Standby, What Can I Do Today?

I hope to see where Jack Hoogendyk is at now and see if there is any hope for a more conservative message to fuel our next efforts. If I sound discouraged, maybe it's that I just shoveled for 3 hours or maybe it was remembering all that I shovelled last election.

Regards, Live Dangerously Be A Conservative

AWHILE AGO 1619

2008-12-18T11:30:00.000-08:00

Just found this blog. Mover Mike. Check it out.
-----link-----
http://www.movermike.com/time-for-our-own-strike/
---------------
As the nation goes so goes the state and the county and our neighborhoods.
There is a shake up in the Parties of all of the above. The battle is for who controls the party at whatever level. The bureaucrats or the workers. Such things as open dealings vs. not so open dealings are at stake.

This battle has been going on since the dawn of time.

The quote below sums up the battle in the early days of this country of ours.
“On June 30, 1619, when the Jamestown Legislative Assembly instituted a representative form of government, rules stated that only colonists of English descent would be given the right to vote. This denied Poles the right to governmental representation in a colony they helped to sustain and grow. As a result they organized what became the first labor strike in American history. Their slogan was “No vote. No work”.

Nowadays the reason to have a strike, protecting our Civil Rights, Our Voice in the system remains the same. These very rights have been outsourced by the voice of the Bureaucracy of whatever kind. We simply elect people that were supposed to oversee the bureaucracy, but finally the bureaucracy oversees the elected officials. The voter has become redundant.

Perhaps it is time for us the People to reassert ourselves by planning our own strike against the bureaucracy.

The power of the Purse is the key. The Poles above realized that. Those that have a hand in creating wealth should have a share of that wealth. They should have a say in how that wealth is used.

As I believe Mover Mike was saying. If our government won’t listen to us then we must do something. We must strike. As we’ve seen recently, the price of gas for our cars has plummeted. Why? Demand has gone down. We the people found ways to use less gas. We voted with our pocket books.

How else can we “vote” with our checkbooks?

School choice. Vouchers.

Stop buying from the “Big” things, shop the “little” things. Benson Drugs instead of Meijers. While you’re in there buy the milk on sale and some potatoes and a couple pounds of hamburger from the Meat Block.

What will this do besides save you time and gas money? It will start to erode all the “big” stuff that has come about with “big” business and “big” government getting in bed together. Big labor practices, along with the monopolizing of the pricing and quality structure of the products offered for sale by the “big” three any thing. Whether they be cars or sewing machines or shingles for your roof.

The more pressure we can put on these “Trimopolys” as I call them, the better chance we have of influencing the products they make. The better chance we will go back to the customer is always right type of idea. In government we get a better chance to have the government working for us and not us being a slave to “big” government.
That brings us back to the old story of whether an army of Davids can really make a change against all the Goliaths that are out there.

That then finally brings me back to my “Take Muskegon Back” blog. Politics is the last bastion upon which all our freedoms are built. The use of the Freedoms we have is crucial. We must use the freedoms we have or they will be overridden. Overridden in the courts, and in our bureaucracies.

I have a right to build my house. Just try and do it and see how many restrictions have been put upon that simple right. Unless you are a licensed electrician, carpenter, plumber, architect, HVAC person, and environmental impact person. You can’t even begin to get an ok to do that from the government.

We no longer have many rights. Only what rights we can buy from others are allowed. Anyway I digress.

I have secretly been playing with the idea of a “Protect March”. Picking a favorite store or business of mine and have a “Protect March” for it. Bring favorable “grass root” attention to what they are doing for the community simply by the services they provide. The quality of personal service they provide. Let me know if you think that is a worthwhile thing to do. For example a march “For Benson Drugs”

Regards, Live Dangerously Be A Conservative

PS. As the Poles had the right to share in the shaping of their government, we as the other half of “free enterprise” have the right to do our part in shaping our economy, and hence our government.

As a friend of mine says. “It’s the spending stupid” What better way to control spending, than controling our own. Why pretty soon we might start to do something really radical and complain about how the government is spending the money we give them. Then maybe voting accordingly.

IS THIS FACILITATING OR WHAT ?????

2008-12-10T17:38:00.000-08:00

Needless to say, if you follow this or my "Bottom Up Politics" blog you know how adament I am about using the Precinct Delegate approach as the means to enlarge and invigorate our Base. We have had a hard time recruiting PDs because we treat them as the low man on the totem pole. Usually make fun of them if anything. We should be doing exactly the opposite. We should elevate them, we should get out of their way and help them, we should get their ideas THEN form our marching orders. We should have groups in every precinct. We need to listen to the PDs. and the Candidates at the Township level. It's a two way street brother.
Check out the following link I got from Norm Shinkle who is running for State Chairman. See the top of my right side bar for updates on that race.

It's a long read but well worth the time.

-----link-----
http://www.shinkleforchair.com/Contents/file/The%20Way%20Forward.pdf
--------------

I hope Jack forgives me, but Norm just seems like he is talking my story. He seems to have a real plan and the focus is on the right thing. This is my opinion.

This guy is after my heart. After reading the last article in the MRPWATCH site at the top of my side bar. I wish Jack H. would join with Nrom S. and together they could have a chance against Wiser and his money.

The Main thing is to Elect Republicans. What we've been doing didn't work, we need change and Wiser isn't it.

Jack and Norm could unite the base as never before.

Think I'm on this bandwagon.

Regards, Live Dangerously Be A Conservative.

POSSIBILITIES

2008-12-07T11:57:00.000-08:00

Check this out.
-----link-----
http://apnews.myway.com/article/20081207/D94TPC680.html
--------------
How do we do that here in Muskegon?
Ideas?
Try the sound of this headline.
-----link-----
http://www.lanewslink.com/
--------------
Hope it doesn't take a Hurricane for a Bobby Jindal to come out of the woodwork in our neighborhood.

I'm hoping that it will be as easy to start as Ringing a Salvation Army drive and a hundred other things just as easy. Then some officials who will battle selflessly for what is right and make a stink shoveling up the mess the failed liberal policies have left behind. They will also have to paint a nice picture of the future as we do the dirty of the cleanup. Yup give us hope. Not in the word but in the deed. It really isn't so hard to do the work Americans don't seem to want to do anymore, it is actually quite fullfilling in it's reward.

Let's put on our thinking hats and pick up the shovels and start digging.

Muskegon County Republicans win in sweep. Like I say let's start digging, at the worst it'll be good exercise for our heads and our hearts.

Regards, Live Dangerously Be A Conservative

PS. Any ideas or comments? Bob Carr glhotdogs@verizon.net. 231-728-3455

COUNTY CONVENTION

2008-12-04T10:15:00.000-08:00

A County Convention to Remember.
Tues Dec. 2nd The Muskegon County Republican Party called it’s Precinct Delegates to Convention. A larger than normal number showed up. My count was well over 60. We filled the Blue and Gold Room at MCC where it was held.

As promised Norm Shinkle showed up and did some politicking as promised. Wiser must of got wind of it and he didn’t come but sent a surrogate to speak for him.

We soon got down to the business we were there to conduct which was for the Pds to select a new Executive Committee. That soon became controversial. Some of our group are strong backers of Ron Paul and they fought for inclusion in the Executive committee and after much discussion they were included. There inclusion is important as they represent some core Republican ideas. We as a Party represent our base and now more of our base will be represented.

The bright spot for me came after that as we filled vacancies in the Precinct Delegates. Chris Beck, his son Drew, and Dan Churchill were present and voted into new Precinct Delegate positions. I felt Chris and Dan who both ran a good campaign in Fruitport Township for Supervisor and Trustee respectively would make excellent Pds. Chris’ son Drew is 20 and studying Political Science and after the meeting told me how interesting the meeting was. You could tell this guy will be an asset to us.
I also nominated Larry Hibnar from Precinct 3 in Musk. Hts. In absentia to be a precinct Delegate and he too became one. Below is a picture of him on the right standing next to Jim Riley who set up the “Adopt a Kettle” program.

click to enlarge
The next day Larry was volunteering. Enough said.

Craig Pirrotta brought along Doug Thorstenson who also became and was eager to become a Precinct Delegate. There were others I believe but until I can come up with the list from our Secretary Stuart Peterson, I will leave them unmentioned.

All in all I was really pleased with the turnout and the decisions the Party came up with. Even the arguments were civil. As Norm Shinkle whispered to me (I paraphrase here) “It’s a good problem when people are fighting over who will get on the Executive Committee”.

CARMEN GROUP Update
This morning at our regular Thurs. 8 am Carmen Group meeting at which I was late (I humbly appologize), a lot of ground was covered. Possible officers of the party were discussed, but mainly how we can set up the party to get and keep more people involved. The types of things we need to do to make this Party of ours a better thing.

Let me remind everyone reading this that the Carmen Group is just a bunch of “regular meeting goers” getting together over breakfast to keep in touch and to float their own ideas out to see what others think. This is not a place where policy is made, far from it. Just a gab session.

Jim Riley’s “Adopt a Kettle” was an example of how easy it is to actually do something for the community and the party at the same time. How with some thought and action by one person, several volunteers can get involved and be a part of the community and the party. All agreed it was a good thing.

For me the main focus for the party is to make sure that.
1. There is always something that volunteers can do. If someone comes to us cold and wants to volunteer, we need the infrastructure in place to direct them to someone and something they can do.
2. We make every effort on gaining volunteers.
For our County Party I’m hoping and others seemed to agree on a structure based upon Committees. I hope to see permanent committees, like Memebership, Lincoln Day, etc. plus the ability to set up on the fly others for more specific goals. Come to the Ex. Committee meeting Dec. 15th and be a part of this taking shape. We have a fresh slate to work with.
Regards, Live Dangerously Be A Conservative
Ps. The best laid plans of mice and men will come to naught without the people (volunteers) to carry them out. The best and most active volunteers are the ones who have a part in making those plans.

Ring a Bell ???

2008-12-01T15:31:00.000-08:00

Help Ring The Salvation Army Bell.

Jim Riley of the Muskegon County Republican has organized a two day contingent of “Bell Ringers”. The first one has come and gone successfully. It was the day after Thanksgiving. They must of avoided the thundering herd as they are all alive to talk about it with friends and family.

The next and last day is Wed. Dec 3rd. Times are from noon-8pm. Please feel free to contact Jim at 231-557-0012. The more the merrier. Most slots are filled with one person. The slots are 1 hour long. It is nice to have someone extra there to take turns ringing the bell. If not be sure to say hi to them when you shop Wal-Mart.

Regards, Live Dangerously Be A Conservative

County Convention and Jeb Bush

2008-12-01T12:11:00.000-08:00

County Convention.

Norm Shinkle has confirmed that he will be at the College by 6:30 for sure. As a candidate for State Party Chairman, you may be interested in meeting him before the Convention starts at 7:00. You’re welcome to come. I will post a note or meet you at the front entrance. As I’ve said in an earlier post, he is a “grass roots” type of candidate. He thinks the PD’s are an important part of the Party, not an afterthought.

I’m hoping to have 3-6 people to nominate as Precinct Delegates to fill our vaccancies in our pool of Delegates. New blood and all of that. I hope this works well for them. I hope they can all become PD’s . I’m hoping to get some recruitment and technical advice from Mr. Shinkle to help make this happen.

Two of these ran and lost in the Township races. A Third I hope to talk with tonight won. A couple others are friends that want to get involved. Two more possible are related to the first two. They all show desire to do something to help the party. That has to be a good thing.

In our case I define the “grass roots” as the townships. If that includes some who may not go along with conventional wisdom but have a desire to help the Republican Party that too is a good thing.

Below is a link to an interview in Newsmax of Jeb Bush and his ideas of how to rebuild the Republican Party. Some good ideas.
-----link-----
http://www.newsmax.com/headlines/jeb_bush_interview/2008/11/30/156557.html?s=al&promo_code=723F-1
---------------
For us the PD’s of the party the following quote is useful.
-----quote-----
You’ve got to do the hard work. That means grass-roots organization. It means listening to the base of the party. It means voter registration. It means turn-out operations. It means recruiting candidates that look like the population we’re trying to attract to our cause. Those things seem to have waned in the last couple years.”
--------------
He further elaborates.
------quote-----
The party must hold fast to its convictions. “We can’t be Democrat-lite. We can’t just ‘get along,’” he told Newsmax. “We have to actually be proposing solutions to what appear to be intractable problems as it relates to education, healthcare, infrastructure. Across the board there are ways that we can show that we are truly on the side of the people that are concerned about the future of the country, without abandoning our principles.” ……..

Bush cited Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal as “a great example of a governor who is leading by example, and has a passion for reform. That should be the model across the country.”
------------------
Our township candidates and PD’s are the ones we have to draw from to create the new “Bobby Jindals” the ones who will lead this party by example.

It starts by getting involved. In your community and in your party.

Regards, Live Dangerously Be A Conservative

CHANCE to become a PRECINCT DELEGATE

2008-11-26T16:51:00.000-08:00

This upcoming County Precinct Delegate Convention Dec 2nd, 7pm at Musk. comm. College in the Blue and Gold room, will see the current Precinct Delegates elect a new Executive Committee that will decide the course of the Muskegon County Republican Party for the next 2 years. At the end of that process, the Delegates can nominate and elect vaccancies in the Precinct Delegate Roster. If you want to become a PD without having to wait untill the Primary time in 2010, now is your chance.

For details please contact me at the #'s below.

Bob Carr
glhotdogs@verizon.net
231-728-3455

Who's your pick State Party Chair ???

2008-11-26T16:39:00.000-08:00

Below is a web site I found that gives a current update on what is happening in the race for our State Chair.
-----link-----
http://michiganrepublicanpartywatch.blogspot.com/
--------------
I've met Jack Hoogendyk 3 times and have talked in depth with Norm Shinkle. Both seem good honest and Republican. DeVoss' candidate Wiser has entered with all that money can bring and the DeVoss endorsement. But to be noted as Norm told me. Betsy DeVoss is staying neutral in the affair. I think if we want to change the party we have to change the leadership to one with different ideas. I don't think Wiser will do that.

We will be having a chance to meet Norm Shinkle in our upcoming Precinct Delegate Convention Dec. 2nd. 7pm Musk, Comm. College. In the Blue and Gold room, main entrence one floor down. Norm told me he was coming early and we'd set up some place he could seriously talk with PDs coming to the convention. This is a good chance to meet one of these people first hand.

Here is a letter I'm sending to a few of my fellow PDs. If you want the attachment, contact me at the #s below and I'll email it to you.
---------------------------------

Dear fellow Precinct Delegate.

Attached is an email I received from Norm Shinkle. He is a candidate for State Republican Chair. There are many putting their hat into that ring. I was told that Mr. Shinkle was expert at recruiting Precinct Delegates. That is becoming my chosen profession lately Lol.

I emailed him and later after some more emails we talked. When he found out our Convention is Dec. 2nd at 7pm at MCC he told me that he wanted to come. Better yet he wanted to come early. He wanted to not only Glad Hand people but get a chance to talk with them seriously about his campaign for State Chair and his new adopt a precinct plan already in the works.

He does seem to be a doer, a grass roots type of guy that knows two things our party really needs. How win votes and how to recruit precinct delegates.

We needed help during the last election and he of all those that could was the only one that came through from the state level.

If you want a chance to talk with him in a small group, let me know ahead of time so I can let you know of the time and place. That way I can have some time to set this up. Mr Shinkle said he would just show up a half hour or so and we could talk in a nearby room.

His web site had this about his efforts. As a fellow PD you may find this interesting.
-----link-----
http://shinkleforchair.com/about.asp
--------------
From the viewpoint of an organizer and doer, he has the edge. Jack may have the edge with the message although they both would work well. Why don't you come and find out for yourself at least about Shinkle.

Please let me know if interested
Bob Carr
glhotdogs@verizon.net
231-728-3455

2008-11-24T09:57:00.000-08:00

Conventions, Leaders and We The Precinct Delegates

2008-11-21T19:06:00.000-08:00

The Muskegon County Republicans are having a County Convention for the purpose of nominating and electing a new Executive Committee. Dec. 2nd or 3rd (I’ll edit it in when I find out). The only people that can vote will be Precinct Delegates, Elected officials of the Party and those candidates or officials who ran and lost in the Nov. Election. I don’t know but will edit in the exact amount to be elected to the Executive Committee. I’ve been told it is around twenty or so.

The Committee is the body that conducts all the business of the County Party the only people with a vote on how the party works. After they are elected in on Dec2nd(?) At the same meeting the floor will be open for nominations by Precinct Delegates to fill any vacancies of Delegates in our Precincts. Anyone can be nominated for the vacant Precinct Delegate slots. I’m going to try to get out a list of vacancies to the current PDs and ask them to recruit some more. The Executive Committee will then vote on them.

Later, and I will fill in the dates as I find them out, but which I assume will be during the regular monthly Executive Committee Meeting Dec 15th a new slate of officers including the Chair will be elected by the Executive Committee.

We then will have another County Convention to pick a group to go to the State Convention to among other things pick a new State Chair.

If you want to get involved with any of this let me know. Anytime.
This ain’t a business, it’s a passion.
Bob Carr
Glhotdogs@verizon.net
231-728-3455

A Precinct Delegate is on paper the strength of our Party, If you want you can help make that paper theory a reality. That is what this blog is all about. That is what is needed to rebuild this party.

Regards, Live Dangerously Be A Conservative

Talking To My Self

2008-11-19T16:48:00.000-08:00

A Sense of Humor Helps

--------------

Hey there what are you trying to do bud?

Simple, I want to Take Muskegon Back.

Back from what?

Back from the economic abyss Muskegon along with the rest of Michigan is teetering on the edge of, brought there by the Democrat leadership’s agenda. If you don’t believe me, look at an article Nick at Right Michigan wrote. It shows the case for why I’m saying the abyss is near.
-----link-----
http://www.rightmichigan.com/story/2008/11/19/131230/60
---------------
So what do you think you can do here on this blog that nobody watches? In the shelter of your computer in your little shack of a house? You don’t even have a furnace, you just heat with wood.

Well guy, like Janus Joplin said “Freedom’s just another word for nothing left to lose.” I’m a lot closer to that freedom than most. Because of my humble circumstances, I find my self with a bit of a different perspective on things than some other Republicans. I feel that I might be able to offer a different slant on things. Plus I’m not of the Party, because I’m new to it, I’m not tied into the structure. There is freedom to be found there, that let’s me think new thoughts. Or at least come up with new ways to do old things. Maybe think out of the box a bit.

You got that right. You’re not only out of the box but out in left field.

Hold up there, if you are putting me out in the field I’d prefer right field.

Yeah. Yeah so you’re a real riot. A real funny guy. But I repeat what do you think you can do that the whole party apparatus couldn’t do. Just Who Do You Think You Are.

Sorry you don’t think one man can make a difference. I do. So I’ll try if you don’t mind. By the way is there anything that I can do for you today?

You’re nuts, I’m leaving I have to go to a meeting then a business lunch, I’ll donate $50 to the Sparrow club though they do great things for sparrows.

Well good for you, nice talking to you, hope you make a difference.

Regards, Live Dangerously Be A Conservative

PS. See our side bar under “Plea for Help” for an update on some of the mechanics of trying to make a difference.

Report on Muskegon County Republican Meeting last night

2008-11-18T17:57:00.000-08:00

click on picture to enlarge.

The meeting was held at the County Headquarters on Henry St. It was blizzardly outside and the roads were slick. As I got there around 4:15 to turn the heat up, I thought attendance would be low. Slowly people started to show up. By the 5:30 meeting time came we had a decent bunch. I would say 30 or more.

The main discussion was about the election. We had our elected officials there, Marve Engle and Bob Scolnik who were re-elected to the County Commission. (Mr. Snider our other re-elected County Commissioner didn’t show up). Some of our defeated candidates were there also. Dave Fisher, Annette Smedley, and the arch Conservative James McCormick. State Senator, Jerry VanWoerkhom was there also.

We all talked about why we lost so badly and what if anything should be done about it. There was an air of inevitability about it. Past, present and future. (Past) The Democratic wave just happened. There was nothing we could of done better that would of stopped it. (Present) What we’re doing is OK, we’ll hunker down, we’ve done it in the past. It works. (Future) It’s all a cycle our turn will come. The Dems can’t live up to their promises their organization will start to crumble. We’ll do better next time.

We heard both sides, we sounded conflicted. One stated how terrible it was McCain pulled out of Michigan. Another thought that it was a good thing because it kept Obama out of Michigan. Which he said would of made our losses worse.

Everybody including myself was understandably disheartened by the results of the election. But I like to think that we are not brain dead. Hopefully we’ll start up with some constructive ideas. Hopefully we’ll snap out of it before we let defeat becomes inevitable again.

We will be closing up the Henry HQ till it warms back up in Spring. I had a whole speech set up but from what I heard, I knew that was not the time. People would not of paid attention. That is understandable. People are still in shock. Myself included. So I just ranted loudly and pulled out my maps and all the rest of my stuff quietly. I still can’t get a price on how much it would take to donate to the Party to open the HQ up for a day if we can cook up any profitable events for which we need a spot. I still have a hard time with the idea of not using that great place with all the Republican signs and what not.

But as always I’ll fall back to my default mode. Make Do, Make It Now, Make It Work.

NEXT MEETING
Muskegon Republican County Committee
December 15th, 2008, Terrace Plaza Cafeteria
as usual, 5:30

Regards, Live Dangerously Be A Conservative

THIS JUST IN. At the meeting GordoM from Muskegon Pundit
-----link----
http://muskegonpundit.blogspot.com/
-------------
Did make a positive suggestion at the meeting. Well it looks like he dug in and followed through on the idea. I signed up today and most of the slots are already filled. A "Two Thumbs Take Muskegon Back" for JR. Below is a copy of the email he sent out.
-----email-----
http://muskegonpundit.blogspot.com/
---------------
Hi folks!
The elections are over and it's time to remember our Muskegon neighbors in need.

The Muskegon Republicans will be ringing the bells for the Salvation Army on Friday Nov. 28 (yes, the busiest shopping day of the year!) and Wednesday Dec. 3.

We'll be in front of the food entrance at Walmart (on Henry and Norton) and I've attached a spreadsheet with the times and those who have already signed up to be official GOPer Ringers!

You can sign up for an hour, alone or with a friend or add your name to those already signed up and share some fun and and the gift of your time with a fellow Republican.

And, believe it or not, it is fun. Ane very gratifying to see the different families and children digging deep to help others.

And didn't you really want to do something, anything to help others during this holiday season?

So get out your long johns and comfortable shoes and help us show GOPer Love and raise money for one of the best and most efficient charities in our great country.

Merry Christmas and Happy Hanaukkah!
--------------------

Way to go Gordo

Our First Precinct Delegate Designate

2008-11-17T05:47:00.000-08:00

Big meeting tonight for my Precinct Delegate Designate plan.

I found a new energetic recruit for a Precinct Delegate Designate slot Precinct #3 Muskegon Heights. Here is the story of that.
-----link-----
http://bottomuppolitics.blogspot.com/2008/11/diversion-back-to-reality.html
--------------
I plan to introduce both tonight at the meeting. A kick off of the plan. Larry's will be the first pin I put in the County Precinct Map. Before the meeting I’ll have to buy some colored pins and make up a legend explaining the different colored pins to put on the map. I hope to get the other Precinct Delegates that show up to put their pins on the map also.

I’ve made up a “Precinct Delegate Designate” information packet. It is now complete in hard copy. I will soon have it up on the side bar once I can scan in and link the Precinct maps. Below is the cover letter that goes with it. This explains what is in the packet.
-----------------------------------------
Welcome Larry To The
Muskegon County Republican Party

You are my first Precinct Delegate Designate recruit !

Your Precinct is Precinct #3 of Muskegon Heights.

Monday night I will explain the concept of Precinct Delegate Designate and then Introduce you. Then I will walk over to the map I have set up and put a pin in Precint #3 Muskegon Heights and ask for other Precinct Delegates to see me after the meeting and I will put their pin in their Precinct if they so choose.

In your Precinct Delegate Designate packet, you will find the following.

1. A map of Precinct #3 of Muskegon Heights.

2. A list of all the precincts in Muskegon County,

3. A description of the duties and responsibilities of a Precinct Delegate from the State Republican Party.

4. A description of what a Precinct Delegate Designate is compared to a Precinct Delegate.

I put in with your packet the agenda for the meeting tonight along with the minutes from the last meeting.

Also as I said I added the idea for the Party that we talked about. It is rough but I think you can get the drift. The County is there to help the Precincts not the other way around.

Regards, Bob Carr
Another Proud Precinct Delegate
Live Dangerously Be A Conservative
-----------------------------------------------------
I also bought a “all in one” copier scanner and will try to get the 71 individual Precinct Maps scanned and online for us.

See you at the Meeting tonight. If you have any questions about the meeting or anything, as always call or email me anytime, any day.

Regards, Live Dangerously Be A Conservative

Bob Carr
231-728-3455
Glhotdogs@verizon.net

A Reminder to Stimulate Progress

2008-11-15T20:24:00.000-08:00

Here is a link about the drubbing our Republican Brothers and Sisters took in Kalamazoo. Read it and see if it sounds familiar.
-----link-----
http://www.mlive.com/kzgazette/news/index.ssf/2008/11/kalamazoo_county_swinging_to_d.html
-------------
Things said like; “The Republican are just getting weaker and weaker.” Sound all too familiar, and the idea that they lost county wide was another similarity.

Then the quote that landed this story onto this blog. Remember this Blog is supposed to be about organizing Muskegon by precincts and setting up a Volunteer base forming them into Republican Clubs. Read the quote.
-----quote-----
Among the worrisome trends for local Republicans:
â€¢ The highly regarded organization of the Obama campaign means local Democrats now have extensive lists of supporters and volunteers as well as a structure that can be remobilized in the future.
"We now have a permanent precinct organization, a permanent set of people in the neighborhoods talking to people about the issues," Pawloski said.
----------------
This blog of ours is called “ORGANIZE-Take Muskegon Back”
The premise is that not only do we have to do what the Libs.do using the same tools like the internet etc. We will do them one better. We will use our organization to make a real difference in the neighborhoods where we live. We will show case conservative solutions that work. We will get our neighbors and friends to trust us through our actions, then we will win elections.

This is a huge job but it is built with little steps. Finding another like minded person in your neighborhood is the first step. Some neighborhoods are harder to do that in than others. I do it by simply making it a point to go out to a place in my neighborhood I haven’t been before and talking to people. Just passing the time of day. And so it starts. It reminds me of fishing. A lot of fish swim by the bait before one bites. The experienced fisherman learns patience and to enjoy and take interest in his surrouding (your neighborhood) until a fish finally bites and one always does. But it takes a constant thought process to come up with different ideas that we are not used to doing. It has been a learning experience and fun AND a bit of an adventure so far for me.

I’m hoping to use this blog as a means to network with other people in other Precincts so we can share some ideas on how to do just that. Also to bragg up success we have, however small. The buzz has to start somewhere. Sometime.

Here and Now seem fine with me.

I spent an hour down at the County HQ getting it ready for the County Executive Committee Meeting Monday 5:30pm. I printed off copies of my “What is a Precinct Delegate Designate” thing I came up with. Also put up the Metro City Street map with a core board backing, for reference and a visual aid. I have the new Precinct County map up also and will give a talk during the New Business part of the meeting. I will briefly explain my plan of how to organize the Precincts and the new “Designate” term and the reasons for it. I will buttonhole all you Precinct Delegates that attend and put a red (what else) push pin up to represent you in your precinct. When you find a Designate then we’ll put up a yellow pin for them. I just now came up with the thought that maybe a hotel from an old monopoly set could represent a precinct club when ever the first one is started.

Every monthly meeting I will highlight any new additions to the map, and ask if anyone has any new Designates. I’m just starting to work on a blood drive. If you have any ideas on that or a good speaker cheap for a precinct Delegate/Designate get together, I’m all ears. I’m trying to come up with a way to have at least one separate thing a month along with the monthly Executive Committee Meeting. I guess fundraiser along with GOP-Raisers will be needed also. We can play that by ear.

Getting Late.

Regards, Live Dangerously Be A Conservative

Always feel free to make a comment. Or call or email.

Bob Carr
231-728-3455
glhotdogs@verizon.net

Suggestions What do you think ??

2008-11-15T07:23:00.000-08:00

I sent this email out last night to several individuals mainly in the party. I'm interested in seeing their reactions if any. Our Executive Committee meeting is this coming Monday at 5:30 at the Henry St HQ. Everyone's welcome.
-----link-----
http://muskegongop.com/news/66/56/Executive-Committee-Meeting/
--------------
Thought I'd give them something to talk about. But since this directly is about Precinct politics I decided in the tradition of transparency to post it here.

Suggested Projects (Methods and Goals) For the County Party

1. Speakers Committee
A. Set up a regular monthly speaker meeting.
Try to focus on enthusiasm building.
Just local to start, Get Jerry Van Workhom or
Pete etc to talk. Any one with a good
Republican message.
B. Make sure to push the idea of fun, along with
Motivational and informational.
C. These as with all things we will keep an eye on the
Bottom line. Try to make some money. At
Least break even.
D. Pass the hat, donations for small affairs, or
Something else, like a dinner or anything to
Generate some cash.
2. Fundraising Committee Beyond Membership .
A. Consider all things from baked goods to
The Lincoln Day Dinner.
B. Do the normal pleas for donations from
Corporate Muskegon.
3. Facilitators Committee.
A. Help the PD/PDD and clubs by giving them
Guidance through literature and go to and recruit
People. Come up with ways to help
Them organize their neighborhoods.
4. Infrastructure Committee
A. HQ Sub Committee for the building and
enhancing it, including more electronic
media, Signage, etc.
B. Internet Sub Committee, to build a data base
And a more interactive Web site.
5. Membership Committee
A. Define membership, costs rights benefits.
B. Come up with ways to gain members.
6. Poll Watcher and Poll Challenger Committee.
A. Define purpose and numbers needed
B. Come up with necessary tools for them
To use in their duties. Manuals, contact
Numbers, badges with necklace. What
Ever needed. Use Dems. Method.
7. Voter Registration Committee.
A. Have table set up at all events. With forms.
be creative.
8. Community Outreach Committee
A. Go to schools for education. Speakers
B. Help PD/PDD put on larger Neighborhood
GOP raisers.
C. Set up Larger community events. Blood
Drives . A Canned Food Drive, be creative.
9. Election Committee
A. Candidate subcommittee
B. Put together anything that is needed to
Further the needs of the candidates.
C. Lit drops, Put together signs, Phone banks,
Volunteers for door to door
10. A VICTORY CELEBRATION EVENT.

HOW TO DO THIS - WHERE DO WE GET THE MONEY AND VOLUNTEERS?
WE RAISE THEM.

1. The overall active base will come from the Precinct Delegate/Designate effort, and our established base. We start promoting that yesterday. We continually build that up so that there will be active cells within each Precinct, doing what the Party is doing above but on a smaller scale. This is the back breaking part, that is where the work lies. The County Party for the most part should be an extension of the Precincts efforts. County Committees number 5 - 9 should be made up of PD/PDD who are doing just that in their precincts. These committees should be there to facilitate the Precinct efforts and put on “Gala” county wide Events which will help both the Precinct and County.

The first 4 Committees have to do with motivating and funding the base.

The Concepts

The concept is to win votes, by winning volunteers who go out and into their neighborhoods and win more volunteers. The County Party should be there to facilitate them in their efforts.

The second concept is to help the candidates get elected to office. The first part of that is to get a base of volunteers at the precinct level to draw from for the campaign effort. The second is to have enough money raised to do what needs to be done at the election to help our Party Take Muskegon Back.

The third concept is to build a fully self sustaining Party at the County level that has ample resources self raised beholdin to none but the base. I think $50,000 come election is an obtainable goal. Half of that money should go to building the infrastructure for winning elections, such as phone banks buying lit. promoting the GOP name in the paper, perhaps a larger “Gala” Election rally for all candidates with a big “Draw” and keeping the HQ visible and highly active. The HQ serves as a focus that creates enthusiasm by just walking in. TV playing videos of campaign highlights. Another just on FOX that kind of thing. You can smell victory in an active HQ. This is crucial around election, but also helpful year round to be a focus for our activities especially attracting members.

Regards, Live Dangerously Be A Conservative

Why the Extra Blog

2008-11-14T09:43:00.000-08:00

I started off with my Live Dangerously blog all about my thoughts on National and sometimes State stuff. You know, philosophizing on the state of the union. Well that was nice and let me vent some of my anger, but the anger always would come back.

Next I came up with my Bottom Up Politic blog and that actually got me out into the community. At that time I also started to get into the local politics of this just finished election cycle. I realized that there was a million things to do and I could politic to my hearts content knowing I could never do it all. Everything I did right or wrong for the most part was accepted as there was noone else volunteering.

For me it was a heady time, I was impressed with the candidates I met, I got to understand from being around them that it wasn't about "philosophising" but more about service to the community. I continued to get into my community meeting people in politics and thru them other people most good some bad. I kept volunteering within the Muskegon County Republican Party anytime someone asked I volunteered unless I was already busy volunteering then I would still try to find a way.

Well I ended up touching most aspects of the campaign. I sat at the headquarters everyday and got to meet all the people coming in for yard signs and other Republican stuff. I got acquainted with all the Candidates and met most of the Dems too. I ended up volunteering for one candidate a lot. Again due to a lack of volunteers and my willingness gradually I became her campaign manager. Really just a glorified gopher but I did feel glorified to be a part of it all and near the end was actually starting to do some of the real Manager stuff. We along with every other Republican county wide candidate in Muskegon lost. That was tough to take as I truly believed we had the better qualified by far candidates. How could that happen?

Now that I have some experiance, at least enough to recognize the mistakes I made and to spot a bunch of things that the party could of done, or done better; I now am setting up this blog in the hope of doing some of those things I feel need to be done to effect the next election. To "ORGANIZE - Take Muskegon Back"

I talked with Holly Hughes awhile back and asked what she needed from the County Party the Most that she didn't get. She simply said more volunteers. Of all the other things the County Party could of done, Holly hit it on the head. We need volunteers. We need them because they are the lifeblood. When they join it means that the County Party is doing it's job by creating a real enough message that people will get behind and enthused about. They are the best advertisers of our message to their friends and family. Beats a robo call anyday.

Our Party's approach seemed self defeating without the new volunteers and the new ideas they bring. Forever drawing on a shrinking base. The party faithful worked long hours and hard but without that extra volunteer effort the base didn't come out to vote. I'm hoping that if we get back to a conservative common sense message, along with foccusing all our efforts into filling each precinct with volunteers and delegates and precinct captains and Republican clubs we can turn this cold blue state to a hot RED one.

The whole of my short experiance in politics has taught me that community service is the cornerstone of politics. Without that the public will continue to throw the bumns out. We have to reform government and politics. We have a lot of National leaders capable of that and we don't have to worry which one, there are easily 5 that are capable of using a true conservative agenda to win the White House in 2012, but they can't do it without the base, and the base needs to be organized some how. The base is the one that has to grow itself. That is what we almost totaly lacked this last time.

That is the purpose of this blog. I am putting out a plan I have which I tried to base upon the current structure of the Party. I based it upon what we claim in the Republican Lit. for the Precinct Delegates that we want. I am setting up this blog in the hopes of actually making it work. As Bobby Jindal says to "Act as we Talk".

Always feel free to contact me. See my side bar upper right for the #s.
I always us the signature of, Live Dangerously Be A Conservative
My name is Bob Carr
231-728-3455 any time.
I am a Proud Precinct Delegate just trying to do his job, I need your help

What is a Precint Delegate "Designate/Volunteer"?

2008-11-14T06:32:00.001-08:00

What is a Precinct Delegate "Designate/Volunteer"?
Call it what you will but call it Important

1) As a "Designate/Volunteer" you will have no legal standing in the Party.

2) You will be asked to recruit other Volunteers as fellow "Designate/Volunteers".

3) You will be asked to try to organize your neighborhood, or help your Precinct Delegate to organize your neighborhood.

4) You will be asked come Primary time 2010 to run as a Precinct Delegate, perhaps against other "Designate/volunteerss" you may have recruited.

5) You will be asked to support them as fellow Republicans, with a smile.

6) You will be asked to do as much as you can.

Why Will I Want To Do This?

1) To make a difference, I want legal standing in my Party

2) To make a difference, we need all the Volunteers we can get.

3) To make a difference, my neighborhood needs to be more Republican.

4) To make a difference, I will feel confident that I will make an effective Precinct Delegate when elected, thru my actions and training as a Precinct Delegate "Designate/Volunteer". I will have gotten to know my neighbors and their issues. I will have had a hand in binging the Republican Party back into my Community. I will know that I have earned the right to be a Precinct Delegate.

5) To make a difference, I will need to work with not against my fellow Precinct volunteers.

6) To make a difference, I will not do more than I can, nor should I be expected to. That choice will always remain mine.

7) I will try to remember the goal is to elect Republicans to office, not anything else, having nothing to do with rank, or title. The titles are just part of the game. The real deal is to get votes, find votes, deliver votes.

I might add it's not for the money because there is none and will probably cost you not only money but your most valuable resource. YOUR TIMRE, If still interested read on.

The duties on the organizing front for a "Designate/Volunteer" are essentially the same as a Precinct Delegate. Look at a "Designate/Volunteer" as a Precinct Delegate in training.

Get hold of me or the Party
Bob Carr
231-728-3455
glhotdogs@verizon.net

Regards, Live Dangerously Be A Conservative