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recalls 
Thu May 01, 2008 at 22:38:36 PM EDT
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Leon Drolet, once a promising lawmaker, seems headed for a life of rule breaking, law bending and even *gasp* hard time. It seems that Leon forgot one of those rules about how a Political Action Committee (PAC) can't accept contributions from corporations. Guess what Leon did? From MichiganMessenger, ... the Michigan Taxpayers Alliance Foundation gave $11,000 to the Michigan Liberty Club, a political action committee (PAC) controlled by Drolet, on November 20, 2007. -- snip -- The problem, says Rich Robinson, executive director of the Michigan Campaign Finance Network, is that the Michigan Taxpayer Alliance Foundation is listed as a corporation in Michigan said, "That makes its contribution to a PAC illegal."
Leon's no stranger to breaking the rules. As recently as last fall, the Pig Man (now Recall Monkey) forgot to get a permit for his porcine pal Mr. Perks. The local cops had to haul Mr. Perks away to the pokey. Leon, of course, claimed that Mr. Perks was committing an act of civil disobedience by remaining in front of the Capitol building. Not content to meander Lansing with his band of merry YAFers, Leon's latest trick seems to be trying to hoodwink folks into signing a recall petition against Speaker of the House Andy Dillon. So Leon has to lie to get people to sign a petition. He only raised $5 in Andy Dillon's district to pay for his recall vendetta instead relying on out of state and outstate funding from rightwing checkbooks. He routinely breaks the rules and claims that it's "civil disobedience". Someone put this monkey behind bars before he becomes (more of) a public nuisance.
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Thu May 01, 2008 at 17:44:37 PM EDT
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The story I mentioned earlier:
Dillon Recall campaign donations violate state law, expert says
Thanks much to Fellow reporter Todd Heywood for busting hump on this story today!
We will be publishing screenshots of documents later.
I'm sure we will have more on this in the near future. Stay tuned!
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Thu Feb 07, 2008 at 19:59:20 PM EST
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(Who's paying for these recall hearings during an election year? Taxpayers! Thanks, Leon. - promoted by Eric B.)
Word on the street is that the recall effort against Grand Rapids' State Representative Robert Dean did not go at all well during the 15 January Primary. Apparently, they just have not been able to get many volunteers from the district and their canvassing effort has been weak and their efforts during the primary were remarkably ineffective -- they had very few of the precincts actually covered with signature gatherers. Now, apparently out of a sense of desperation (the clock is ticking on their 90 day signature gathering window), the Recall folks have taken Secretary of State Terri Lynn Land, Attorney General Mike Cox and Kent County Prosecutor William Forsyth (the state and local officials assigned to enforce the law) to court to try to change so residents from outside his district to collect recall petition signatures.
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Mon Feb 04, 2008 at 15:06:06 PM EST
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(From the diaries - promoted by lpackard)
The Free Press is reporting that Granholm is leading an effort to stop the recall madness - on both sides: Gov. Jennifer Granholm called for “a cease fire” on recall campaigns launched against lawmakers in the wake of tax increased they approved last fall to balance the state budget. “I think recalls are a terrible answer to moving forward,” Granholm told reporters. “It is a distraction, it’s divisive and we need to come together.”
Meanwhile back at the ranch, Drolet calls himself reasonable??? Leon Drolet, of Michigan Recall, the organization that is spearheading the recall campaigns, said he would halt recalls if Granholm rolls back the tax hikes. "I will cease collecting signatures if she agrees to undo the tax increases and return the money,” Drolet said. “It sounds like a reasonable offer, she’s not leading the recall (against DeRoche.)
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Thu Jan 31, 2008 at 12:45:27 PM EST
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It's a pretty appropriate title for what happened late morning in Oakland County. Recall lanaguage was approved by an Oakland County Board for State Representative Aldo Vagnozzi, a Democratic member from Farmington Hills.
Aldo, as everyone affectionately knows him, is one of the best-loved legislators in all of Lansing by Democrats and Republicans alike. But still, the Recall Grinch/aka The Pig Man/aka Leon Drolet, an ultra-conservative extremist funded with out-of-state monies, would like nothing more than to send the dear man packing, simply because he voted to save Michigan during the great Budget Crisis of 2007. Some people truly know no shame. Stay tuned as we bring you information on how you can help Aldo. (Rep. Vagnozzi is pictured above greeting friends as he escorts Gov. Granholm into the State House during Tuesday's State of the State.)
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Fri Dec 14, 2007 at 16:53:25 PM EST
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...as waxed today by Sen. Mickey Switalski of Roseville. Quite fitting for the season if I may so myself. Enjoy the video here, or read the pretty prose below - Annus Mirabilis, A Fiscal Odyssey Sing, Goddess, the Wrath of Constituencies displeased,
As Solons took budgets in both hands and squeezed.
Then, weary with cuts, dropped the red budget axe
And seized its hated rival, the increase in tax.
Heroes searched for a cure to the Plague economic
Hit on Revenue, Cuts and Reforms as the tonic--
That many brave Pols to the Fate of Recalls sent
While their bodies by Perks the Pig were rent.
Say then, What Cause first locked the parties in strife?
Some say it was term limits that shortened our life.
Or exuberant tax cuts. Or government waste.
Whatever it was, we Chronic Deficits faced.
Granholm threw down the Gauntlet at her State of the State.
Said she "Sales Tax on Services will be Structurally Great."
The blown away 'Crats cast their votes for fair Jenny
Even Fiscal Conservatives, like two-penny Denny.
But with just sixteen votes, it was never enough.
Lawmakers decided to chew on this stuff.
Insurmountable problems, an abundance of critics.
Tempting solutions that hid pitfalls and gimmicks. Oh yes, there's lots more where that came from...
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Wed Nov 21, 2007 at 11:08:52 AM EST
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 Before you grab your knife and fork tomorrow, consider giving Republican out-of-state special-interest groups a different kind of bird to eat, like a little crow.
Thanks to the miracles of these Intertubes, now you can help stop the Pig Man from the comfort of your keyboard. By donating online to the campaigns of two the Democratic representatives whom have already had recall language passed, Marie Donigan of Royal Oak and Robert Dean of Grand Rapids, you can help halt these extremist measures. As it stands right now, you'll donate to each individual on a separate site. Be sure to tack on an extra 37 cents to your donation to let them know you're a member of the Michigan Liberal community. Remember, these dedicated public servants really need your support for all of the different facets required to fight these turkeys, and you can rest assured that your donation will go to fight to take Michigan back from the extremists who wish to destroy it. Donate to Happy Thanksgiving from your MichLib Family!!
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Mon Nov 19, 2007 at 10:02:06 AM EST
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(From the diaries. Looks like the website is run by the House Dems. - promoted by lpackard)
Just a quick note to help you get organized so you can assist in defeating the recalls of Rev. Robert Dean in Grand Rapids and Marie Donigan in Royal Oak.
The StopTheRecall.org website was launched this Saturday to raise awareness of the recalls and support all Democratic Representative recall targets.
StopDeanRecall.org has also been created to assist Dean.
It is expected that StopTheRecall.org will begin including Rep. Marie Donigan sometime next week.
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Thu Nov 08, 2007 at 16:34:07 PM EST
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Word is in from the Ogemaw County Clerk that the Clarity Hearing on the Recall Language against Democratic Rep. Joel Sheltrown of West Branch did not pass a.k.a ruled unclear. No word on the exact vote count, but mark another one up for the good guys, or as our good friends at BFM say - another point for sanity! Stay tuned as we get more details...
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Mon Oct 29, 2007 at 16:23:12 PM EDT
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Late Monday afternoon, recall language was filed against two more Democratic state representatives, almost immediately following the rejection by the Macomb County Election Commission in the case against Rep. Steve Beida of Warren.
Marie Donigan of Royal Oak is extremely well-liked in her district, and as poster NorthernLib points out, she received over 62% of the vote in the 26th district. It is worth noting that Donigan is in Oakland County, whose Election Commission holds a Republican majority.
Joel Sheltrown of West Branch near the Cadillac area is also a bit of a surprise. While the 103rd District trends red, Sheltrown is a well-liked moderate Democrat who won with over 69% of the vote.
It is unclear why these two specific legislators were chosen, but Donigan's name had been rumored as being on the list of recalls back a couple months ago when it was first being drawn. There are also several questions as to why these recalls are just now being announced.
Stay tuned as we bring you the latest.
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Mon Oct 29, 2007 at 14:58:31 PM EDT
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From the House: Six budget bills have passed! This is everything except DHS (Dept. of Health and Human Services) which -- of course -- is a biggie. Read this AP article for more. They're planning a late night in the house tonight, so get your jammies and popcorn and stop in later for updates as they come in. Up next: A minimum of at least eight budget bills are expected to be voted out the House tonight. Sources are projecting a total of 10 budget bills in all. From the Senate: The Senate just passed the conference committee reports on History, Arts and Libraries (HAL), Dept. of Labor and Economic Growth (DLEG), and Military and Veterans Affairs. Up next: The State Police Budget. As of now, our sources inside the House report that there will be no layoffs of troopers, but two crime labs willl close, certainly effecting civil servants. For a continually updated list, click here for info from the Senate Fiscal Agency. (Warning - it's a .pdf and it will require Adobe to open.) The Senate is adjourned until 10 a.m. tomorrow morning. Watch House TV and Senate TV live. ~Liberal Lucy and Diane
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Mon Oct 29, 2007 at 11:52:27 AM EDT
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From the Detroit News: The Macomb County Election Commission today rejected recall petition language filed against state Rep. Steve Bieda, D-Warren.
The panel voted 2-1 to reject the language in the recall petition because there was not sufficient clarity.
This means that they cannot start collecting signatures on Bieda. Language must be approved before they can begin. This does not necessarily mean the recall is dead in Macomb though. They could appeal the decision, or submit new language and try again.
It'll be interesting to see what the effects are at the Wayne county hearing on Thursday.
More from the Secretary of State regarding recalls.
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