Faith in government fails when lawmakers abuse the very laws that govern us

by: LiberalLucy

Sat Dec 06, 2008 at 10:54:12 AM EST

I love government and politics, even though most folks I know think I have a screw loose. I'm often told by others how corrupt politicians are, and the terms sleaze, scum, and dirty are often tossed around. Maybe I'm just not jaded enough, but I honestly believe that politics is a truly great thing because every once in a while change is enacted that helps real people like you and I. It's what government, by the process, politics is supposed to do. 

But it's hard to hold on to that love for the process and the institution when so often it appears that such a blatant double standard applies to those who run our government. Some days it's all I can do to remind myself to trust in karma, and hope that it truly does exist. Case in point: Republican Representative Kevin Green of Wyoming.

On October 28th at 2am, Green was found sitting in a parked, but running car on the side of the road in Saginaw County. He was unconscious, so drunk in fact, he had thrown up all over himself. Sheriff's Deputies pulled Green out of the car and attempted to perform a series of sobriety tests (you can also watch a YouTube video of it) -

Green told them he had consumed four Captain Morgan rums with Coke, drinking the last one about 10 p.m.

Police said he failed several sobriety tests.

When asked whether he would take a portable breathalyzer test, he would not answer, saying only "Can I talk to you...and can you just take me to my room?" deputies wrote.

A deputy said Green "began to tell me his life story."

"After Green repeated himself several times, Deputy Weber told Green that he would not ask him again and if he didn't answer yes or no, it would be deemed a refusal."

It wasn't until deputies got him to jail that he agreed to the tests shortly after 3 a.m., deputies said.

Shortly after 3 a.m. -- more than an hour after his arrest -- Green took a pair of breathalyzer tests that showed a blood-alcohol level of 0.13 percent -- far above the 0.08 legal limit, the report shows.

That was a solid week before the election in which Green was running for re-election. And yet, by some unknown, mysterious reason, none of this information was made public until the day after the election.

What you can't see from HouseTV

by: LiberalLucy

Thu Sep 20, 2007 at 22:54:05 PM EDT

Here's a brief list while I wait for both parties to return from Caucus.

• Sen. Mickey Switalski (D-Roseville) and Sen. Valde Garcia (R-Howell) have both been present on the floor tonight talking with various members of each party's caucus.
• The Gallery is chock-full of lobbyists some wringing their hands, others typing a million miles a minute on their Blackberries.
• Leon Drolet is sucking off power and wireless Internet from the state with his laptop in gallery. Very few people have been seen with him, but Rep. John Garfield (R-2 Drinking While Driving) of Rochester Hills has been quite cozy with him. If Drolet ever bothers to follow the law and file his donations, you'll see quite a sizable chunk of change from the Terrible Toupee himself.
• The Lt. Governor, Budget Director and former Senate Democratic Leader Bob Emerson, and representatives from the Governor's office are all present.

Updated: Garfield ducks second drunk driving conviction

by: kjbas58

Tue Aug 14, 2007 at 13:11:13 PM EDT

Video evidence that questioned whether Rep. John GARFIELD (R-Rochester) really had his seat belt off when he was pulled over by a Michigan State University (MSU) police officer caused Ingham County prosecutors to drop drunk driving charges against the third-term House member on Monday.

Garfield was pulled over March 29 by MSU police for allegedly not wearing his seatbelt, not for swerving or any other visible factors that would lead a law enforcement officer to believe he was driving drunk. It was only after the stop that the officer suspected Garfield had been drinking.

Update: The Detroit News on Tuesday confirmed the charges have been dropped. No word on why.

Just 24 hours before jury selection was set to begin, it appears the second drunk driving charge against Rep. John Garfield, R- Rochester Hills, may be dismissed. The moral of the story seems to be with a good lawyer anything is possible, or justice is only for those who can't afford a good lawyer.

Ingham County prosecutor Stuart Dunnings told subscription only Gongwer that he has submitted a motion to the 54-B District Court Judge to dismiss the second drunk driving charge. Dunnings said the video evidence of Garfield being pulled over by Michigan State University police on March 29 for not wearing his seat belt "doesn't jive with what was being said." I'm not really sure what that means, unless they pulled him over first because they suspected he was driving drunk at that hour of the morning and used his not wearing a seat belt as justification for pulling him over after the fact. However, that is pure speculation on my part.

But there appears to little doubt of Garfield's guilt. His blood alcohol level was .14, and the legally drunk level is .08. The day after Garfield was arrested his chief-of-staff, Dave Jessup, said, "This is an ongoing battle he is fighting with alcohol,'' he said. ''He is home in the district and is taking steps to deal with this.''

Sunday Coffee Talk/Open Thread

by: nirmal

Sun Apr 01, 2007 at 06:00:00 AM EDT

• Walberg Watch:  Despite what Saul would have you believe, Democrats in the U.S. House did not raise taxes by passing the 2008 budget plan.  Instead, they chose not to extend the tax cuts that President Bush passed in his first term.  Given our enormous national budget deficit, we cannot afford to keep spending on programs that we can't pay for.  Unfortunately, Tim Walberg doesn't believe in fiscal responsibilty and voted against the budget plan.

• Dave Dempsey:  In the context of the Great Lakes Water Compact, Dave Dempsey argues for public ownership of the Great Lakes.  I believe in competition and the marketplace, but there are some things that are simply better off entrusted to the public.  The Great Lakes are part of a system that affects humankind as a whole, and we all have a stake in how our water is treated.

• Jack Lessenberry:  Mike Bishop may agree that we are in an economic crisis, but he needs to be willing to compromise so that we can start to get out of it.

• Christine Barry:  Our favorite Shiawassee blogger explores some of the devastating impacts of the Senate Republican cuts on her county.

• The Conservative Media:  I read criticism of Rep. Johnson on all of the right wing blogs, but not a peep about John Garfield.  Talk about double standards.

What pranks are you pulling today?

Saturday Coffee Talk/Open Thread

by: LiberalLucy

Sat Mar 31, 2007 at 09:49:06 AM EDT

• LSJ: Not that anyone is really that surprised, but GOP State Rep. John Garfield (Rochester Hills) was arrested again for drunk driving on Thursday morning on MSU's campus. Garfield was arrested in 2005 in Troy after hitting another car. Just like last time, Garfield's entered rehab. I wonder if Bishop's willing to tele-conference him in from rehab on these budget talks? Check back for more on this story later.
  
• The AP: John Flesher has a story that definitely merits some discussion on our use of Great Lakes water. Turns out, those of us in the 5- state Great Lakes region are using much more water than we probably should. How do we protect our natural resources from our own greed?
  
• DNews: One more reason to just say NO to U.S. involvement in Iraq - the Michigan National Guard only has about 40% of its equipment available. The rest is in Iraq. The MNG's top guy calls it "unacceptable". We're shorting our own safety to fight in a war where we have no business? Oh yeah, makes perfect sense, if your name is Dubya.
  
• Kzoo Gazette: Michigan's favorite son, actor and Chelsea resident Jeff Daniels shines in his latest film. Be sure to check out 'The Lookout' at a theater near you. Help Daniels in continuing to give Michigan the Upper Hand. :-)
  
• Stone Soup Musings: Just because Microsoft is making money hand over fist (Vista anyone?) doesn't mean they're required to treat American workers with decency. In fact, it seems as if Microsoft's hiring practices are less than All-American and fair. Bill Gates maybe a world-class philanthropist, but he could stand to take some of that back to his own company.
  
• Walberg Watch: Spring Break is a time when our Congresscritters are supposed to make it back home to visit their constituents. It seems as Walberg's only interested in playing favorites with his constituents, and in an entire week, he's only making 3 stops, to his Republican strongholds. Just one question, does Walberg actually want to get re-elected?
• WizardKitten: The House GOP is just as bad as their Senate counterparts. WK has the full scoop including some thought-provoking commentary.