What A Well Dressed Protester Should Wear

At one of the breakout sessions at the Tea Party Convention last Saturday, a interesting man stood up and said that the Tea Party on April 15, was the first protest he had ever attended. He said he did not even know what to wear but decided on casual clothes. Well that was a pretty good guess.

In reality , the well dressed protester wears what ever he or she pleases. That is what it is all about, liberty, soverinity and getting those we elect to represent us instead of themselves. I think the convention was a success. It was a good second step. The speakers were interesting, the discussions were good and the people were friendly.

The feeling I got was that everyone there was ready to move on to the next step and was not willing to maintain the status quo. Some were preparing for more Tea Partys on July 4th, others were preparing for the march on Washington in the fall and still other are prepared to gather signatures to effect change in our state. What I saw was a large group of determined people.

You can get involved too. Click on the minuteman and sign up. Read how a little effort by a lot of people can make a difference. Let the events in Iran motivate you. Let it remind you how precious our freedoms are. Let it remind you what our forefathers had to endure to acheive their goals. Do not let anyone convince you that any political party,or any person has motivated the new patriot revolution. It is driven instead by the actions of our elected officials and their insesitivity to the people they represent. It is a result of thier lack of regard for the principles set down in our constitutions that they swore to uphold.

Any people who believe in freedom, when pushed, will eventually push back. Technology has made this a much more even fight. We can not let the selfserving ruin our country or our state. We can not let them decieve us into complacentcy. The thugs on the far left or the wacos on the far right should not be allowed to define the rest of us. That sould not be interpreted as the lack of will by the rest of us to do what must be done.

Et Tu Wayne County?

On Tuesday June 9, Scott Hagerstom from AFP and I testified before a Wayne County Committee which was considering a county sponsored title corp at the request of the Register of Deeds Bernard J.Youngblood. What has Wayne County got to do with title searches and insurance. Needless to say, we thought it was a bad idea and said so. The title companies, as you would suspect, had something to say on the issue as well.

Our main concerns were that government should not be in business. If they did this, what kind of transparency and oversight would there be? How would the liability be paid for? Who would pay the $10,000,000 that is anticipated for start up? What success has there been where it was tried before. Has It been tried before and succeeded?

Wayne County's track record, in my book, has not been very good. Even if it starts out costing less, taxpayers will eventually wind up picking up part of the tab. Even those people who do not have the resources to own their own property. They had to stop the meeting because of conflicts but they are going to schedule another for more discussion. Good thing.

Forbes Magazine said that title insurance is the richest insurance racket. If Youngblood believes that, why does the county not prosecute instead of go into the business?

Youngblood's attorney, Patrick J. Bruetsch, approached us after the meeting. He says the county will have nothing to do with this, Youngblood just wants to endorse the idea. We asked then why is it before the committee. Then he said Youngblood will only let credible investors be involved. We asked "how does he get to pick the investors if he is not involved?" He claims he misspoke. He then proceeded to say much the same twice more. Something stinks here. The county should stay clear of this. They have enough problems to deal with. When they can do the job with what they have, even then it should not be expanding government. Besides, who is paying for youngbloods attorney? Why does he need one if he only wants to endorse the project?

If someone can do the job cheaper let them go in the business. If the title insurance companies are price fixing as they implied, then call in the feds.

Stand Up

I am looking forward to this Saturday, June 13. The Tea Party Convention will not only be fun, but it will continue the momentum of the Lansing Tea Party. The five proposals that will be presented, voted upon and prioritized will give us goals to work towards. The speakers have a wealth of information between them and the break out sessions will give us a chance to share ideas.

I am asking you to get out of your fetal position and register. It is being held in Holt, Michigan. It"s not that far. You can get to the registration page from the homepage of the Wayne County Taxpayers Association. The cost is only $10 per person and that includes lunch. For those of you that have children, there is even childcare. What more could you want.

Put some effort behind your words and join us. All talk and no action doesn't change a thing. People call me all the time and want me to do there work. This is your opportunity to commit to do your share. Hope to see you there.

D Day Dilema

I watched with appreciation the international ceremony to commemorate the 65th anniversary of D Day. It is very easy to take for granted the sacrifices the others have made for the freedoms enjoyed by the rest of us. It is also almost impossible not to be touched by the old and failing figures who were there at the ceremony. Those aging soldiers that remain are passing at a phenomenal rate and soon will be no more. We can not afford to let their memory pass with them.

Against incredible odds they landed in Normandy, France and thus began the eventual downfall of Nazi Germany. With the playing of the most impressive rendition of taps that I have ever heard, speeches, a 21 gun salute and fly overs by planes of the countries of France, England, Canada and the United states we honor the courage, dedication and and the supreme sacrifice of those who fought and died.

You could see behind the eyes of the remaining soldiers the memories of their lost friends and the difficulties that they endured from that moment on, both in memory and physically. They gave up so much for our way of life, please do not let it be in vane.

Recently, we have been warned by our socialist friends about the dangers. We are on the precipice and ready to fall over. Of all the warnings, the most unsuspected was from Pravda, a Russian publication:

It must be said, that like the breaking of a great dam, the American decent into
Marxism is happening with breath taking speed, against the back drop of a
passive, hapless sheeple, excuse me dear reader, I meant people.

True, the situation has been well prepared on and off for the past century,
especially the past twenty years. The initial testing grounds was conducted
upon our Holy Russia and a bloody test it was. But we Russians would not
just roll over and give up our freedoms and our souls, no matter how much
money Wall Street poured into the fists of the Marxists.

Those lessons were taken and used to properly prepare the American populace for the surrender of their freedoms and souls, to the whims of their elites and
betters. ..........

The Russian owners of American companies and industries should look thoughtfully at this and the option of closing their facilities down and fleeing the land of the Red as fast as possible. In other words, divest while there is still value left.

The proud American will go down into his slavery with out a fight, beating his chest and proclaiming to the world, how free he really is. The world will only snicker.

I can not believe that Americans will much longer sit by and let this happen. How can we refute our history. How can we deny that our poor have been better off then in any country? How can we refute that opportunity has not been plentiful when people try to sneak into this country across the borders and across the seas? How can we so willingly turn over to our representatives control of our lives? How can we let people run our economy who have no experience, tell us what we want, tell us what we need and ,heaven forbid, what we should think?

Thank you to those who have fought and died for our country. I for one will try not to let your efforts be in vane.

Dillon the Villan and Boss Hog Handy

Nothing to relieve the taxpayers burden has been done in this state. Some things just stay the same. When I failed to recall Andy Dillon from the 17th district and rid him of his seat as the Speaker of the House for raising taxes, I was sure that this would happen.

I allowed myself to rejoice in the fact that his association with R Miles Handy, then Supervisor of Redford Township, along with Handy's own bad reputation, caused Handy to be replaced as Supervisor. That joy was short lived. I knew in my heart that those that sleep with dogs get flees. So instead of eliminating one bad apple from Lansing, we now have two. This kind of thing is part of the reason we do not have good governance.

Handy is now Andy's right hand man. I hate to think how the two of them can conspire to think about what they can do FOR themselves and TO the rest of us. Between the two of them, they have one diabolical mind. Andy Dillon's payback to his political friend costs us all. We have another year and a half to endure. I wonder if he replaced someone or if he is paid from the increased office expense account they voted themselves.

As a reminder of who Dillon calls his friend, I have a must see video released during the recall. If you have already seen it, it is fun to watch again anyway.

Short Wait By Future Standards

I am delighted to say that I spent 6 1/2 hours in the Emergency room at Oakwood Hospital last night. Oh it was tiring and aggravating but I was happy to do it.

The day before yesterday, my husband felt a pain behind his knee. We thought he must have pulled a muscle or stretched a tendon. He could not remember anything he had done to cause the problem. The next day it started to really swell and by evening his leg started to turn blue below the knee. At that point, it was off to the emergency room with his very swollen blue leg.

Our fear was that it could be a blood clot that might travel and kill him. They took his information as soon as we walked in. Then, proceeded to take his vitals and information about the problem. We waited about 45 minutes to be taken back to a examination room. Then it was wait for a doctor. In the mean time, a nurse came in and took his vitals again. The doctor finally examined him. He said it may be a cyst that had burst or a blood clot and an ultrasound was necessary to determine the problem.

We then had to wait a couple hours for his turn with the ultrasound machine and a reading from radiology. They determined that this was one of the biggest cysts that they had ever seen in a leg and it had burst. Keep the leg elevated and see your physician the next day was the advice. He thought that it might not require surgery and would eventually be absorbed by the body.

The point of all this is not that you care about my husbands leg but that in 6 1/2 hours we went from fear to diagnosis and treatment. Only in America!

The Fraser Institute of Canada did a study about "Waiting Your Turn in Canada". The startling statistics brings home the truth about socialized medicine.

The Fraser Institute's 11th annual waiting list survey found that waiting
time for surgical and other therapeutic treatments grew significantly in
2000-01. Total waiting time between referral from a general practitioner and
treatment, averaged across all 12 specialties and 10 provinces surveyed, rose
from 13.11 weeks in 1999 to 16.2 weeks in 2000-01. This nationwide deterioration
reflects waiting-time increases in eight provinces, while concealing decreases
in waiting time in Saskatchewan and Newfoundland.

In 2007 the median wait for an ultrasound was 3.9 weeks,but in Manitoba and Prince Edward Island it was 8 weeks. Prince Edward Islanders are waiting far too long for routine ultrasounds and X-ray results. The same story replays over and over in each country with socialized medicine.

We have to keep that nightmare from happening here. Call your members of congress and tell them you don't want single payer healthcare.

What A Fix I Am In

I am conflicted. As a resident of Wayne County I know that I should be doing everything I can to encourage business to stay and flourish in Wayne County. As I have just become a major stockholder in GM, I now have other considerations to take under advisement.

Right now Detroit and Warren are having a disagreement over where the Headquarters of General Motors should be located. First lets look at the taxes. Mayor Bing and Executive Ficano are proposing a tax free zone for the Renaissance Center. While, The City of Warren has offered a 30 year abatement if GM moves its headquarters to the GM Tech Center.

If lower taxes are good for GM, why are they not good for everyone else? The small businesses that will suffer or be put out of business because of automotive downsizing are sure to need propping up. There is also the average taxpayer to consider, who must pick up the burden for the hole that exists in revenue left by the break given to businesses.
I know that as consumers we are paying them anyway, but somehow if you don't pay them directly they seem less harmful and there is still the possibility that they will not pass the break on.

Then there are the employees. Would they rather go into Downtown Detroit and pay a fortune for parking?
Or, would they rather park in the huge parking lot at the Tech Center? If they wish to live near work, would they rather live in Detroit with poor services and inadequate schools ? Or, live in Warren where schools and services are not so bad and their spouses will not have to pay the 2.5% resident income tax? That is if they work.

How about property values? Would you rather invest in housing which will continue to decline under present tax rates and exiting population? Or, in property which will very likely appreciate in the future?

The Detroit News has given you an opportunity to vote on the question of whether they should stay in Detroit or move to Warren. I am torn on the question to be sure. It isn't easy being a business owner in Michigan.

I Can't Believe It's The USA

What the heck is going on. I never believed that I would see Americans standing by watching their country change the way it has. The government is taking charge of every aspect of our lives and the people are standing around looking dumb founded. Has our educational system dumb down our population so much that we can not remember why our country was founded. Have we learned so little history that we willingly repeat the mistakes to the same regretful ends. Socialism does not work and Fascism works even less well. Yet, we seem to be immobile because we have been taught that government knows better.

Nothing government does seems to function properly but we are willing to abdicate more responsibility to them. Our banking system is crumbling, our Social Security System is not secure, we are losing our homes, our jobs, and our secure future. All of this has been done at the hands of government and the governed who have not been vigilant. Now we are about to give up our very health to a system that other countries warn us is inadequate and failing the people of other countries to the degree that they must come here for proper treatment.

I always cringed when I hear someone quoting Patrick Henry. I thought there is someone going over the edge. As I look around me now, I am thinking maybe these people were not so crazy. I am not ready to pick up arms yet, but I can see based on history why it became necessary. In light of what is happening around me, I am wondering just how far government is willing to go before it tramples our constitution. Watch this video of Patric Henry's speech and tell me what you think.

It's People

It seems that national health care is as close as it has ever been to passing. It is absolutely scary to me. Not only will it mean that I may not qualify for some health care procedures because I'm getting older but it seems that those I qualify for might be beyond my reach because of the length of time I must wait. Government involvement in other countries has meant less people inclined to become doctors. Fewer doctors translates to longer waits.

As the last bastion of non socialized medicine people come here from all over the world to receive treatment. Where will we go?

I suppose we should suspect such things as we devalue life and trivialize the belief in a Supreme Being. We have people who are pro choice all the way to partial birth abortions. Why would they not think it is OK for old people to die. We could even do it real nice like in the classic movie "Soylent Green".

Unfortunately, I would still have to be like Charlton Heston at the end of the movie.

The Simplified Single Business Tax

Remember the reason for changing the Single Business Tax in Michigan? They wanted to make it more simple and it had to be revenue neutral. First they thought up the Service tax that turned out to be a disaster and then quickly changed it to a 22% surcharge on the Michigan Business Tax. That too turned out to be anything but simple or revenue neutral.

Chairman, President, and CEO of the Edward Rose and Sons Building Enterprises, Sheldon Rose is holding his tax return for Michigan. It weighs between 7 and 8 lbs. and is ten times the size of his previous return. When asked what he thought about it, his response was that it was "preposterous". I cant' think of a better word to use.

The family-owned company is a residential developer, general contractor, and property owner and manager with a large presence in the Midwest. How has our legislature encouraged him to keep his business here in Michigan? They seem to be perplexed by the fact that people and business are leaving. If we do not become more business friendly in this State there will be no one left to produce or employ. This is the thanks we give to people who create jobs, operate and invest in Michigan. That is of course unless they are hand picked by Governor Granholm to receive taxpayer money.

Fleas Spreading Everywhere

What do Big Business and Government have in common? Answer: An incredible amount of unfunded liability. The old saying,"If you sleep with dogs you get fleas" can not be better demonstrated than in the relationship between the two. As we rely more and more on government the infestation is spreading.

Those of us who planned for our future liability are now seeing our 401ks, IRAs and Social Security disappear before our eyes. I always thought that I should be self reliant. I never thought that it would be taken from me so drastically by my own governments. I use the plural for a good reason. They are always suspicious that there will be subversives from among the people. But, it seems that they are the ones conspiring to make our lives hard and to disrupt our way of life. They are delusional. They think that they can solve problems by doing anything. Just vote for a bill. Don't read it. Talk about a problem. Don't do anything that might solve it.

It is more important that they be liked than right. The State of Michigan is a perfect example of doing nothing. In spite of the trouble we have been in, their solutions have been non existent or more harmful. At the federal level they are devaluing our dollar to the point that we should be furious. We are not the danger to our country - they are.

Please get involved. The country you save may be your own.

Taxpayer Minutemen

Now that the Tea Parties were such a success, we can not just go back to the way things were. We can not be complacent and allow things to pass without comment. All those organizations who work to make them a success have agreed to work together and insure that we are not forgotten. Leon Drolet of Michigan Taxpayers Alliance came up with a great idea. As a result of the US Supreme Court decision for which I was plaintive, any resident in Michigan can collect signatures for a recall. Anyone can collect signatures for a ballot initiative. So, Leon thought up the idea of Taxpayer Minutemen. Below is an explanation of just who we are. We hope that you will join us. Just double click on the picture. Print out the form and send it in. It will show your true commitment to change and show the politicians who is in charge as we grow in number.

Politicians will think twice before voting against the people who elect them. Only those in their district can vote against them, but people of like mind can bring to the attention of the people of their district, through recall or initiative, ideas that they have thwarted in the past with rules that have worked against their constituents. The balance of power between lobbyists and their money and citizens they are supposed to represent, can be equalized with your help and commitment.

Allert: 4/26/09 The registration link for the Taxpayer Minutemen will be up within a few days. there was a mixup in communication. Sorry for the mixup. Please check back. Thanks.

Proud To Be An American

The Tea Parties should be an inspiration to all true Americans. I have to laugh at those who think that the tea parties were organized by well funded organizations. I know that groups like ours, an those that worked with us, worked for weeks in our humble way to make them a success. I think it is beyond the nonbelievers to understand that we are capable of independent thinking. They are so busy walking in lockstep with the liberal and delusional press that they forget what a great and free country we have.

The same people who showed up for the Tea Parties are the son, daughters, husbands and wives of people who have fought for this country. It would be a shame to let all their efforts be for nothing. We are the people who know and appreciate what we have and intend to keep it. We are not Democrat or Republican or anything but American when it comes to our country and freedom.

We know that socialism does not work and we believe that we can make a difference. This can not be a one time event. We understand that because we became lax, we will have to work harder now to maintain our way of life. If things continue as they are, we will enslave our children an grandchildren. They will never have the standard of living we have, old people will suffer under the inflation and productivity will diminish with our ability to compete in the global economy. We owe it to ourselves and future Americans to preserve what has been so heroically fought for by our forefathers.

I'm No Coward or Racisit - How About You?

The latest news is that the Tea Parties will be infiltrated by Acorn, the Huffington Post and others. My reaction is -so what? The only thing that bothers me is that Acorn gets our money to do these things. My suggestion is to ignore them. If they ask you to sign something, politely say no thank you. Do not let them goad you into anything. Do not get into an argument with them, no matter how much they try to get you into one.

There is nothing more aggravating than failing. That is what we want them to do. The media will make that their story rather than the one we try to get across. If you feel the need to sign something, sign up with one of the sponsoring organizations. We are now all working together on things we agree upon. We communicate with each other and are finally realizing that we need each other to reach our goals.



With the recent decisions in the Supreme Court, we can assist each other on ballot initiatives, Recalls, and other petitions. We can pool our physical and financial resources when the need arises. Our cyber connections allow us to communicate effectively and efficiently. It is not just the government who can tell the story.

Come Join us on April 15, at the State Capitol steps in Lansing at high noon. There are more of us than there are of them. Let us peacefully make our point while we can. Get involved and get mad but make sure you are in control.

Why We Need To Expose The Far Left.

The double standard of the left fascinates me. They clammier the loudest if denied free speech but when it comes to them, they frequently deny it to others. As an example, the Michigan Liberal Blog still will not allow me to comment on anything they write. I have never used obscenities or done anything but express my opinion on what they have written. Yet, they seem to be so week on their opinions that they are afraid to be challenged? Moveon.org has no problem in making a point by any means necessary but will try to block any opinion that does not agree with theirs.

That is what I like so much about the concept of the Taxpayer Tea Party scheduled across this county. There is no way to disguise the hundreds of thousands who will be attending these Tea Parties. People of all stripes will be attending and expressing their feelings of frustration and indicating they are not going to take it any more.

We may not have the money that some of these left wing organizations have but we have the American Spirit. We have the awareness and history of those who fought and died for the principles of our forefathers. We have the freedom to express ourselves and the desire to make sure we keep them. This is not a one day event. It is a way of life. We need to defend it every day. I even defend the Michigan Liberal Blog but I wish they had the courage of their convictions and the philosophy of fair play.

Please join us on the steps of the Capitol Building on April 15, at noon. Also, sign up with one of the sponsoring organizations so that we can continue to fight the fight. We are cooperating more and more. We have our eye on the prize which is a free and representative democracy.



For Printable Map of Downtown Lansing CLICK HERE:

What Does A Trillon Dollars Look Like?

It seems like everyone is overwelmed by all the numbers being thrown around by the government. Last year a million dollars seemed like a big number. A billion was huge and a trillion dollars was unimaginable. Now they are talking about deficits in multible trillions. So what does a trillion dollars look like?


What Does a Trillion Dollars Look Like

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Unbeleivable

Are You Up To A Challenge

According to the Orlando Sentinal the taxpayers "Tea Party" in Orlando, Florida drew over 4,000 taxpayers to show their discontent with Washington. Carrying Signs and chanting they showed their frustration over government spending.

I am issuing a chalenge to all of you to help us exceed that number. If you can not afford the gas, bring others and ask them to share the expense. If it is a long way, turn on the radio to entertain you. There are certainly more than 4,000 available people out there. We have more reason than the federal spending. We have state spending to complain about. They are thinking of raising taxes again. You can bet that every time they do, there are fewer people and businesses to pay them.

Our "MI Taxpayers Tea Party will be on April 15, at High noon on the steps of the Capitol Building in Lansing. You can take the time to do this. Even bring gramma and grandpa. They helped build this country and I am sure they do not want to see others destroy it. Get excited! Get angry! Tell them "your not going to take it anymore." Hold them accountable. Work against them or remove them, if they will not listen.

We can do better than Orlando. There are fewer people everyday who have anything better to do. You are responsible for preserving our freedoms. You are responsible for our children's future. Your actions determine the life, libertyand persuit of happiness for future generations.

On My Honor

Why does government seem to have it's own agenda? Why does it seem that it's agenda is frequently in opposition to the wishes of taxpayers? I think it is because the Democrats and Republican have been around long enough to know that unless they stick together with other members of their party and put aside their differences they can not win.

That is why the Taxpayers Tea Party on April 15, at the State Capitol Building at noon is so important. This is an opportunity for taxpayers to show their willingness to cast aside their differences and come together in a common cause. It is the only way to win. I have seen organizations come and go as a result of egos and frustration because people were unwilling to put forth the effort or see the big picture.

I have plagiarised the following from the girl scouts pledge and think all taxpayer advocates should heed it:

On my honor, I will do my duty, to God and my country, to help other taxpayers at all times and to uphold the Constitution.

Set the time aside to join us and taxpayers across the country - to stand together. The thing we all have in common is that we are all taxpayers and government is waisting our money and burdening our children and grandchildren. It is time to stand up and say "that is enough". We need to put the cause ahead of ourselves and let our elected officials know that "we are mad as hell and are not going to take it anymore" and mean it.

Finally Done But Not Finished

The Wayne County Taxpayers Association and the Michigan Taxpayers Alliance has just finished their statewide tour. They have been conducting workshops on "How to Appeal Your Property Assessment". We estimate that we have instructed close to 2,000 people on the procedures involved to successfully appeal your assessment.

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It is now time for them to do the work. While the presentation does not give you the benefit of the discussion, questions and answers of the workshop, it does give you the step by step procedure. Good luck to all in this difficult time. You may also get a hardship exemption if you qualify. Talk with your assessor about the requirements in your city or township.

You Are Not Alone

On the way, the wind blew. It rained. It snowed. It was freezing cold. My friend and I thought that we must be the only ones crazy enough to go to Lansing in this weather. Much to our surprise and delight, there were more than 250 others, with only three days notice, who realized the importance of showing our unity and discontent with the spending in congress. This weekend, people in 40 states spent time showing their frustration over how their money was being spent by those who are supposed to represent us. For us, you can add the elected in Michigan too.


It is time for us to take up what has always been our responsibility. We are sovereign. It is our responsibility to pay attention to what government is doing. We will lose everything our forefathers fought and died for if we are not careful. If you think I am being dramatic, all you need to do is check history. We can not allow others to take from us what is not theirs. We must be vigilant and safeguard our rights and responsibilities. If we are to live free we can not turn authority over to others.