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Mich. Speaker of House Employs State Paid Thugs to Stop Recall Effort
Redstate.com ^ | April 1, 2008 | publiusforum

Posted on 04/02/2008 7:21:35 AM PDT by bamahead

Here is a story that details how far Democrats will go to destroy the people's ability to be heard in government. It also shows Democrat's penchant to abuse their power, their blatant waste of government funds, and the incestuous relationship that the anti-democratic process unions have with Democrats.

Up in Michigan, the thieves in the Democrat Party voted in a gigantic tax increase. Michigan has been mired in a one state recession for quite a while and Governor Jennifer Granholm's only solution has been to raise taxes to pay for government "shortfalls" -- and by "shortfall" you can read government waste. Well, after years of this localized recession in Michigan, the state legislature finally OKayed this massive tax increase meant to "save" the state from its financial ills.

Now, remember, this increase was supposed to make up for deficits in current commitments. Of course, as soon as the tax increase was passed, Governor Granholm and the state Democrats passed a new budget that raised spending by $760 million dollars. And the state GOP has reckoned that the Granholm tax increases has taken more than $602 million dollars from the pockets of Michigan families just since October of last year.

It is a typical Democrat Party mess of overspending, high, punitive taxes, lost business and a big hurt put on the average citizen.

Read on . . .

So, what is the recourse that the people of Michigan have to address these wasteful politicians? The recall. Michigan has a recall law whereby citizens can gather 8,000 signatures to recall any politician under the Governor that they have decided no longer serves them. And a recall effort has been launched against Democrat Speaker of the Michigan House, Andy Dillon.

So, as these citizen activists who are sick of being bled to death by the uncaring masters in the state capitol of Lansing fanned out into Redford Township to ask the folks to sign their recall petition, they were met with harassment from state workers and union members imported for the purpose. The recall effort is all perfectly legal and serves as a fine example of the people acting in the democratic way to try and change the bad habits of their representatives in government, but the unions and the Democrats headed by Speaker Dillon are wholly against this expression of freedom and liberty.

What could be more democratic, more quintessentially American than a recall effort?

Apparently the Democratic Party and Speaker Andy Dillon are not so interested in the democratic process.

Dillon has begun an illegal practice sending state workers and related supporters in unions all across the country to gang up on these citizen petition carriers and try to block people from being able to get to the petitions to sign them. These "petition blockers" often outnumber the petition carriers four, sometimes seven to one.

(Left is photo of paid state worker harassing petition signers.)

These petition blockers scream at citizen petition signers, calling them names, and hover menacingly over them making them feel threatened and uncomfortable. They also are assigned to follow the petition carriers to their homes and harass them there.

Remember, these petition blockers are paid state workers. One wonders why the people of Michigan are paying their taxes to have state workers loll about these citizen petition carriers on the state's payroll? Don't these state workers have jobs they are supposed to be doing for the state? After all, state workers are not paid to act as thugs for the Speaker of the House... or any other politician for that matter.

Speaker Dillon's office was queried by a Michigan TV station why state workers were acting as political operatives on the job. Greg Bird, Speaker Dillon's Press Secretary told WDIV that any state worker that was acting as petition blockers "was using vacation time." But when the TV station asked for records to prove the claim, the Speaker's office never supplied the proof.

And when the TV reporters asked why it was fair to have four to seven state workers deployed to harass a single citizen petition carrier, Dillon's Press Secretary said that "they were exercising their Constitutional right to inform the voters."

Even more ridiculously, Dillon's shill complained that the thuggish state workers were themselves "feeling harassed" because the citizen activists trying to push the recall petition efforts had hired people to photograph them as they tried to harass the petition signers. This is like the bully complaining that his hand is bruised because the nerd he was beating up kept slamming his face into the bully's knuckles!


And there is another aspect of this that just screams out unfair practice. According to the state’s laws, petitions have to be created by people who live in the district of the state representative that they are trying to recall. This residency requirement forces petitioners to live in the district.

Yet, Speaker Dillon is under no ruling that prevents him from importing union members from any place in the country to surround the citizen petition carriers and harass them. His thugs don’t even have to live in Michigan, much less the district in question.

So, while the citizens that want to recall a politician are under all sorts of requirements, the thugs that harass them are free from all rules and regulations.

This whole story is sad proof that Democrats will do anything to destroy the democratic process, deny citizens their say in government, waste taxpayer’s money and use union thugs as an army to carry it all out. I hope we see this effort succeed and I wish I'd heard of it sooner than today!


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Government; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections; US: Michigan
KEYWORDS: democrats; michigan; recall; taxes; unions
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http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2008803190383

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aOBivWps5Hk

1 posted on 04/02/2008 7:21:35 AM PDT by bamahead
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To: traviskicks

state sponsored thuggery ping...


2 posted on 04/02/2008 7:22:15 AM PDT by bamahead (Avoid self-righteousness like the devil- nothing is so self-blinding. -- B.H. Liddell Hart)
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To: bamahead

Am I the only one who thinks that pic is hilarious?


3 posted on 04/02/2008 7:28:15 AM PDT by domenad (In all things, in all ways, at all times, let honor guide me.)
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To: domenad

Nope. It kind of looks like one of the Baldwins.


4 posted on 04/02/2008 7:32:42 AM PDT by bamahead (Avoid self-righteousness like the devil- nothing is so self-blinding. -- B.H. Liddell Hart)
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To: bamahead

“This whole story is sad proof that Democrats will do anything to destroy the democratic process, deny citizens their say in government, waste taxpayer’s money and use union thugs as an army to carry it all out.”

This story is scary! This type of thuggery leads to violence. Which is a perfect example of why the 2nd amendment is so important.


5 posted on 04/02/2008 7:35:47 AM PDT by Fox_Mulder77
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To: bamahead

Enough videotaped “engagements” and the Feds can step in. That might be the best recourse.


6 posted on 04/02/2008 7:37:26 AM PDT by NonValueAdded (Who Would Montgomery Brewster Choose?)
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To: bamahead

We’re having the same problem here in NJ, with one difference, the “State Paid Thugs” are State employed Union Workers.


7 posted on 04/02/2008 7:37:36 AM PDT by alice_in_bubbaland (Vote Obama! And we'll be picking shrapnel out of our butts for decades!)
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To: bamahead

Are any of the petitioners men? They’d only menace you once down here in Texas and then get an ambulance ride.


8 posted on 04/02/2008 7:37:53 AM PDT by Resolute Conservative
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To: alice_in_bubbaland

It’s the same in Mich - all state employees are unionized.


9 posted on 04/02/2008 7:50:30 AM PDT by bamahead (Avoid self-righteousness like the devil- nothing is so self-blinding. -- B.H. Liddell Hart)
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To: bamahead

NJ is trying to recall Gov. Corzine. I sure hope this effort grows some legs!

http://www.app.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/B5/20080326/NEWS/80326013/1094/OBITUARIES


10 posted on 04/02/2008 7:55:29 AM PDT by alice_in_bubbaland (Vote Obama! And we'll be picking shrapnel out of our butts for decades!)
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To: bamahead

Michigan—wholly owned by Unions and Muslims.

As Jeff Goldbloom says “they’ve got the upper hand.”


11 posted on 04/02/2008 8:05:28 AM PDT by subterfuge
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To: subterfuge
This is nothing than State sponsored Mafia tactics. We got rid of the mob and we get state sponsored racketeering. Get the RICO laws ready.
12 posted on 04/02/2008 8:38:21 AM PDT by DownInFlames (,)
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To: bamahead

BTTT


13 posted on 04/02/2008 8:44:37 AM PDT by Unicorn (Too many wimps around.)
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To: bamahead
Do the "Petition Blockers" wear brown shirts with swastikas on their sleeves??

"Those who don't learn history's lessons are doomed to repeat them".

14 posted on 04/02/2008 9:00:00 AM PDT by GoldenPup
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To: AdmSmith; Berosus; Convert from ECUSA; dervish; Ernest_at_the_Beach; Fred Nerks; george76; ...

Stab-me-now’s husband caught in prostitution sting:
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080402/METRO/804020443

Senate Condemns MoveOn.Org
Posted on 09/20/2007 1:50:01 PM EDT by NRG1973
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1899668/posts
The Senate voted (75-25) to condemn MoveOn.Org for its despicable advertisement in the new York Times... Stabenow (D-MI), Nay

Debbie Stabenow Votes AGAINST Funding Fence She Voted to Build (MI Senate race)
Michael Bouchard for Senate | July 14, 2006
Posted on 07/16/2006 3:17:18 PM EDT by Clintonfatigued
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-gop/1666735/posts

Stabenow stands next to Incompetence Sign - OOPS!
National Review | 3/14/2006 | Kathryn Jean Lopez
Posted on 03/14/2006 6:16:39 PM EST by Loud Mime
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1596330/posts


15 posted on 04/02/2008 9:01:11 AM PDT by SunkenCiv (https://secure.freerepublic.com/donate/_____________________Profile updated Saturday, March 29, 2008)
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To: Springman; sergeantdave; cyclotic; netmilsmom; RatsDawg; PGalt; FreedomHammer; queenkathy; ...
Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

If you would like to be added or dropped from the Michigan ping list, please freepmail me.

The whole state is run by a bunch of thugs, isn't it?

16 posted on 04/02/2008 9:26:09 AM PDT by grellis (If the democrats want a re-vote, let THEM pay for it!!!)
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To: grellis

Stabenow’s husband for the department of morals!


17 posted on 04/02/2008 9:44:32 AM PDT by Westlander (Unleash the Neutron Bomb)
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To: grellis; bamahead

Thanks very much to the ping. Thanks for posting. If you’re petitioning in Oakland County, and need backup to photograph the thugs and follow them home, FReepmail me.


18 posted on 04/02/2008 1:48:08 PM PDT by PGalt
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To: bamahead

bump


19 posted on 04/02/2008 2:07:17 PM PDT by lowbridge ("I can't wait to see what he stands for." - Susan Sarandon on her support of Barack Obama)
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To: lowbridge

bump


20 posted on 04/02/2008 2:10:25 PM PDT by lowbridge ("I can't wait to see what he stands for." - Susan Sarandon on her support of Barack Obama)
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