Conservative News, Firearms, Liberty, Michigan, Michigan Politics, Opinion, Philosophy

Grand Traverse County, Clous, and The Nutty Left

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The bat guano crazy left won one this time.  And it’s not a good look on local government.

TRAVERSE CITY — Grand Traverse County has settled a long-running lawsuit involving former Commissioner Ron Clous for $100,000, according to plaintiff attorney Blake Ringsmuth.

The settlement of the case likely came from a desire to end the nuisance suit and get back to the work they were supposedly elected to do.  However, the core of the lawsuit against Commissioner Ron Clous revolves around the claim that his display of a rifle during a virtual meeting had a “chilling effect” on free speech. Yet, the ensuing legal action itself arguably exerts a chilling effect on expressive conduct, particularly when it pertains to constitutionally protected rights.

The “chilling effect” refers to the inhibition or discouragement of legitimate exercise of natural and legal rights by the threat of legal sanction. In this case, Clous’s action—while perhaps ill-advised (and maybe a little funny at the time), was a form of expressive conduct. The lawsuit, and the subsequent $100,000 settlement, could deter public officials from engaging in similar expressions, fearing legal repercussions.

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Constitution, Economy, Liberty, Michigan, Michigan Politics, Opinion, Philosophy, Religious Freedom, Taxes

The Case Against Zoning Enabling in Michigan

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So .. In Lansing, there is great ballyhoo about Lansing “returning zoning power to the local governments.”

All well and fine .. but

There was a time when homes were built by families with sweat, timber, and willpower. Before the advent of bureaucratic overreach, people lived in homes they designed, worked in businesses they created, and adapted their communities through mutual interest and common sense. Today, we’re told we cannot build like our parents did. We’re trapped in a maze of restrictive zoning laws enabled by the Michigan Zoning Enabling Act (MZEA) of 2006—a law that stifles private property rights, innovation, and natural development.

As a real estate agent working in Northern Michigan, I see firsthand the impact of these constraints. Buyers are fighting for affordability while sellers—who must often become buyers again—face a new market skewed by government-imposed scarcity. My goal is to ensure both sides find the best value, despite a system that increasingly works against them.

Private Property Is a Natural Right

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All the Other Stuff, Conservative News, Michigan, Michigan Politics, Opinion

Harvard vs. the Feds

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You all should know by now, my disdain for government funded adult education, right?

Stop the presses: Harvard .. the crown jewel of smug, ivy-covered federal favoritism—is suing the government because it doesn’t like the strings attached to its free money.

Let that sink in.

The same Harvard that churns out regulatory drones faster than a PCR test lab at peak COVID… now wants federal dollars without federal oversight. And the Biden administration, doing its part to weaponize DEI bureaucracy like a rusty scythe, is suddenly being challenged by one of its own ideological darlings.

Delicious.

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All the Other Stuff, Democrats, Government Incompetence, Michigan, Michigan Politics, Opinion, Philosophy

Dodging the Bullet

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There’s a saying that the road to hell is paved with good intentions. In Lansing, they’re not just paving the road—they’re zoning it for mixed use, demanding affordability quotas, and handing out pamphlets on how to organize a tenant union.

Let’s talk about the so-called “Tenant Empowerment Package” and the other housing policy boondoggles our Democrat-led legislature has been salivating over. If they had succeeded in passing the full suite of 2023–2024 proposals, the rental housing market in Michigan would be a scorched field of “For Sale” signs and padlocked doors.

Fortunately, some of these landmines didn’t make it to detonation. We dodged a few bullets—but the gun is still loaded.

The Bill That Almost Was

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All the Other Stuff, Cronyism, Michigan, Opinion

The Federal Reserve

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You will hear people say “End the Fed!” or “Audit the Fed!”

It’s probably time.

A Creature of Convenience

The Federal Reserve—affectionately known as “the Fed” by economists and loathed by anyone who’s watched their savings devalue—was born in 1913 under the guise of stability. Market crashes and banking panics were frequent, and Congress, with the help of elite bankers, cooked up a hybrid beast. It would be part-government, part-private, entirely powerful, and almost totally unaccountable.

Why the Fed Exists (The Rationale)

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Michigan

🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸 BUY AMERICAN 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸

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Pay particular attention to the names mentioned.

If fire departments are smart, and responsible to taxpayers and their money, they’ll be ahead of the game with paying Trump’s retarded tariffs while still paying less for equipment from China, and having readily accessible parts available to keep their equipment in proper working order.

OABTW, Reagan was spot on.

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2026 Election

The Case for Mike Rogers for U.S. Senate in 2026

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Former U.S. Congressman Mike Rogers is running for U.S. Senate for the second consecutive election cycle and is angling hard for another Trump endorsement to clear the field. Rogers has hired Chris LaCivita, a political consultant who was the co-chair of the Trump campaign last year, as his senior adviser.

LaCivita became widely known after reports indicated that his front groups took $22 million from the Trump campaign throughout 2024, allegations that he is currently disputing in the courts. LaCivita also went on the war path during the campaign against the conservatives responsible for the ‘Project 2025’ think-tank that was widely demonized by Democrats.

Following Trump’s election, LaCivita has resumed his consulting work. One of the projects he is working on is booting Rep. Thomas Massie, the Congressman with the strongest pro-liberty constitutional conservative voting record, from office because he refused to vote in favor of a crippling debt hike.

Rogers has brought LaCivita on board to reinvent himself as a MAGA Republican despite Rogers’ history of supporting unconstitutional NSA Spying and the Patriot Act, being a ‘Never Trumper’ until the moment he started running for U.S. Senate in 2024, becoming a swamp lobbyist after cashing in on his Congressional connections, helping cover up Benghazi scandal to protect defense contractors, and supporting the Jan. 6 probe and inferring pro-Trump patriots were “criminals.”

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All the Other Stuff, Liberty, Michigan, Opinion, Philosophy

Teach A Man To Fish

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Big picture, long term.

Imagine you’re running a small fishing business. You’ve got nets, boats, a crew, and years of know-how passed down through generations. Then one day, imported fish starts showing up in your market — dirt cheap. Tastes okay. Looks the same. Your customers love the price. You can’t compete, so you cut costs. Maybe lay off a few folks. Eventually, you hang it up.

Now what?

Let’s zoom out. This isn’t just about fish — it’s about everything we make. Microchips, textiles, tools, technology, even baby formula. When goods from overseas flood the market at prices lower than domestic producers can match, it feels like a win for the consumer… at first.

But over time, we risk forgetting how to fish.

Wait — Isn’t That What Antitrust Law is For?

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