Editor's Note: A reader of this blog sent the following alert from the Coalition to Rescue Michigan, a pro-liberty group committed to restoring the constitutional order of representational government. Please read, and ponder: Is RM correct in labeling State Sen. John Damoose, who represents Emmet County, a RINO? Also ponder: Rep. Neil Friske, who represents Emmet County, voted for responsible government.
In the very first week of voting on legislation, the Republicans have proven to be at best spineless fools, and more likely Republican In Name Only (RINO).
There were a few notable exceptions. But most of the Republicans just voted to give your hard-earned income tax dollars to people who pay NO income tax, in the true socialist fashion of "redistributing" money.
Not only that, but fourteen Republicans – eleven in the House, three in the Senate – just voted to give an income tax credit to pensioners, most of whom are retired government employees, while the rest of us get nothing.
Have a 401(k)? Saving for your retirement? Too bad for you. While inflation destroys the value of your savings, the pension credit was a tax cut targeted especially for bureaucrats.
What Democrats falsely called "the pension tax" was the tax everyone else also pays, and still has to pay. But under House Bill 4001 and Senate Bill 1, pensioners alone get a special tax cut.
The RINOs who voted for the Democrats' bureaucrat payoff were:
Sen. John Damoose Harbor Springs (517) 373-2413
Sen. Mark Huizenga Walker (517) 373-0797
Sen. Michael Webber Rochester Hills (517) 373-0994
Rep. Brian BeGole Antrim (517) 373-0853
Rep. Robert Bezotte Howell (517) 373-3906
Rep. Nancy De Boer Holland (517) 373-0846
Rep. Graham Filler St. Johns (517) 373-1778
Rep. Thomas Kuhn Troy (517) 373-1706
Rep. Mike Mueller Linden (517) 373-0840
Rep. Kathy Schmaltz Jackson (517) 373-1798
Rep. Bill Schuette Midland (517) 373-0152
Rep. Donni Steele Lake Orion (517) 373-1771
Rep. Alicia St. Germaine Harrison Twp. (517) 373-0555
Rep. Mark Tisdel Rochester Hills (517) 373-1792
Feel free to give their office a call this afternoon, or tomorrow or Thursday, and let them know how you feel about them giving tax breaks to retired bureaucrats.
And if you think that's bad. . . all of these so-called Republicans – and many more – also voted to give your income tax dollars to those who pay no income tax.
Falsely called the "Earned Income Tax Credit," the EITC is what's called a "refundable" credit, meaning that a check is sent to the "taxpayer" for the balance of the credit exceeding taxes owed. Since this piggybacks on the federal EITC, and many low-income wage-earners owe no income tax at all, they simply collect these checks.
(Also of note, more than a quarter of all handouts under the program go to people who claim credits on their returns but are not eligible.)
So which Republicans voted to mail checks to non-taxpayers, paid for by you?
All of them except these:
Sen. Thomas Albert Lowell (517) 373-1734
Sen. Jon Bumstead Newaygo (517) 373-1635
Sen. Kevin Daley Lapeer (517) 373-1777
Sen. Roger Hauck Mt. Pleasant (517) 373-1760
Sen. Michele Hoitenga Cadillac (517) 373-7946
Sen. Dan Lauwers Brockway (517) 373-7708
Sen. Jonathan Lindsey Coldwater (517) 373-3543
Sen. Aric Nesbitt Lawton (517) 373-0793
Sen. Rick Outman Stanton (517) 373-3760
Sen. Jim Runestad White Lake (517) 373-0793
Sen. Lana Theis Brighton (517) 373-2420
Rep. Steve Carra Three Rivers (517) 373-0843
Rep. Andrew Fink Osseo (517) 373-1788
Rep. Joseph Fox Fremont (517) 373-0825
Rep. Neil Friske Charlevoix (517) 373-2629
Rep. Jaime Greene Richmond (517) 373-1775
Rep. Matt Maddock Milford (517) 373-1780
Rep. Josh Schriver Oxford (517) 373-0839
Rep. Rachelle Smit Shelbyville (517) 373-0615
Eight Republicans in the House. That's it.
The rest voted for a socialist wealth redistribution scheme.
Remember that when they ask for your support later this year.
Maybe some of the freshmen got bamboozled by the Democrats. It's hard to believe anybody could be so naive as to trust bills cosponsored by 55 Democrats, and ignorance is no excuse when you're voting on legislation to confiscate money from the pockets of 10 million people.
But perhaps some deserve the benefit of the doubt – if these are the last left-wing bills they vote to pass into law.
If your representative or senator was not on that short list of those who managed to vote correctly (the latter, in green) ... pick up the phone, call their office, and verbally knock some sense into them.
Because if this pattern continues, soon they will be voting to force workers to pay tribute to the Democrat Party or lose their job – because Democrats told them to. Soon they will be voting to strip away your rights to free speech, to bear arms, and to due process, when the Red Flag bill comes to a vote – because Democrats told them to.
Don't let them do it. Hold their feet to the fire.
These knuckleheads just got to Lansing, and the first thing they've done is voted with Democrats to confiscate your money.
Hold them accountable!