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Grand Rapids Pundit Forums » Recent Posts http://www.grpundit.com/forums/ Grand Rapids Pundit Forums » Recent Posts en-US Wed, 08 Feb 2012 21:11:27 +0000 http://bbpress.org/?v=1.0.3 <![CDATA[Search]]> q http://www.grpundit.com/forums/search.php kaixinde on "a never-ending source of fond" http://www.grpundit.com/forums/topic/a-never-ending-source-of-fond#post-810 Mon, 26 Dec 2011 20:52:47 +0000 kaixinde 810@http://www.grpundit.com/forums/ Interior lighting systems are available for practically every requirement to match every budget and decor.<a href="http://www.lamodetiffanys.com/">tiffany pas cher</a> , One sort of lighting that actually stands out is pendant lighting.<a href="http://www.sexyvictoriashop.com/">victoria secret sports</a> , Pendant lighting brings a little class to each environment.<a href="http://www.ghdstraightenerscollection.com/">buy ghd</a> , Let's see you skill with pendant lighting.<a href="http://www.cheapthomassaboonline.com/">charm necklaces</a> , Many people adore pendant lighting for the tinge of nostalgia it evokes. 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Parker endeavors to react to emergency purchase within days - not days. it is uncomplicated to determine why Parker may be the provider head within the manufacturing of Parker Tube Fittings. baloneys on "Grand Rapids Bus to nowhere 50 million dollar tax hike" http://www.grpundit.com/forums/topic/grand-rapids-bus-to-nowhere-50-million-dollar-tax-hike#post-584 Wed, 23 Mar 2011 16:31:38 +0000 baloneys 584@http://www.grpundit.com/forums/ <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qIr01qncpaY" rel="nofollow">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qIr01qncpaY</a> shows what we are going...nowhere baloneys on "Kent county, West Michigan The Rapid Transit 20 year tax hike" http://www.grpundit.com/forums/topic/kent-county-west-michigan-the-rapid-transit-20-year-tax-hike#post-583 Wed, 23 Mar 2011 16:27:44 +0000 baloneys 583@http://www.grpundit.com/forums/ PAID FOR BY KENT COUNTY FAMILIES FOR FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY – 600 BROADWAY AVE NW, STE 406, GRAND RAPIDS, MI 49504 VOTE NO MAY 3rd ON THE 31% BUS TAX INCREASE… AGAIN! Attention voters in Grand Rapids East Grand Rapids Walker Wyoming Kentwood Grandville You are being asked for a property tax increase of 31% for The Rapid’s bus system on May 3rd. That’s a $26 million tax increase – A $190 tax increase per household. Voters said NO to this tax increase in 2009, but the politicians didn’t get the message! Fast Facts on The Rapid bus system: The average Rapid bus operates 90% empty The Rapid loses $4.31 for each and every rider that uses the system The Rapid just spent over $30 million on a new garage so that their buses could be stored indoors The Rapid spent $250,000 on a piece of art for their headquarters The Rapid is giving their employees raises while most other government entities are cutting back The Director of The Rapid is one of the highest paid government employees in the county The proposed Rapid Silver Line would clog up Division Avenue during rush hour by closing one lane so that only the Rapid Silver Line bus could use it The Rapid Silver Line bus would actually run slower than the bus that currently runs nearly the same route Voters already said NO to a tax increase for the Rapid Silver Line bus in 2009 – but the politicians at The Rapid didn’t get the message! The Rapid needs to do a better job of spending the money it already has before asking for more! VOTE NO TUESDAY, MAY 3RD! Learn more at <a href="http://www.ITPWatch.org" rel="nofollow">http://www.ITPWatch.org</a> GRPundit on "Rapid Silver Line Bus Millage - Big Boondoggle!" http://www.grpundit.com/forums/topic/rapid-silver-line-bus-millage-big-boondoggle#post-19 Thu, 16 Apr 2009 18:41:34 +0000 GRPundit 19@http://www.grpundit.com/forums/ UPDATE: 2/25/2011 - For the latest updates on The Rapid's attempt at passing this boondoggle again in 2011 through a 31% property tax increase, please visit the <a href="http://www.watchtherapid.org">ITP Watch</a> web site. The ITP/Rapid transit agency is again asking taxpayers for a tax increase on Tuesday, May 5th. Once again, they are using an off-election date to try and get as few voters as possible. If you live in Grand Rapids, East Grand Rapids, Walker, Wyoming, Grandville, or Kentwood, you should vote no on May 5th. The new “silver line” that is proposed is what’s called a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) line. What’s that? Basically, they will cut off two of the four lanes on Division and squeeze regular traffic into one lane each way so that these new “rapid” buses get their own lanes. Did you think rush hour was bad before? If this passes, Division will be a traffic nightmare. Some common-sense reasons to vote no: This is a $70 million tax increase in the middle of the worst recession since the Great Depression - plus another $40 million in taxes that will be spent from the Federal and State governments - bringing the cost to over $110 million for buses There is already a bus line that has the exact same route The residents of Grandville, Walker, and East Grand Rapids will see absolutely no benefit for their increase in taxes How many people do you think live and work right along Division Avenue? This is another waste of money on a ineffecient and inconvenient fixed-line bus system As previously mentioned, the “Silver Line” will absolutely choke up traffic on Division during rush hours UPDATE: (4/16/09) Since this original post, I’ve had several people contact me with more information: The Rapid Silver Line will travel 9.8 miles from 60th Street to the Rapid Station near downtown. The total travel time is 36 minutes, which factors out to a whopping 16 miles per hour! Wow, Bus Rapid Transit, indeed! The pro-Silver Line web site names one source for their claim that this spending will result in a 400% return on investment. However, a quick search on the Internet reveals that this “source” is just a three page article with no data to back up the claim. The Rapid has supposedly done years of studying of this issue. Why don’t they publish any of that information on their web site? What do they have to hide? The Rapid has a history of not publishing data - they still refuse to publish their budget online. Anonymous on "River House Condos not doing so well..." http://www.grpundit.com/forums/topic/river-house-condos-not-doing-so-well#post-18 Tue, 17 Mar 2009 17:29:08 +0000 Anonymous 18@http://www.grpundit.com/forums/ It doesn't look like the new River House condo building is doing so well downtown. They are suing around 24 people to force them to close on the condos they put down payments on. Only 52 out of 200 condos have closed and people have moved in. Sounds similar to Icon on Bond, which is always dark when I drive by. Sounds like the condo bust has hit GR. <a href="http://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/index.ssf/2009/03/river_house_condo_developer_su.html" rel="nofollow">http://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/index.ssf/2009/03/river_house_condo_developer_su.html</a> GRPundit on "Fatboy Burgers is Back!!!" http://www.grpundit.com/forums/topic/fatboy-burgers-is-back#post-17 Tue, 17 Mar 2009 17:20:08 +0000 GRPundit 17@http://www.grpundit.com/forums/ Fatboy Burgers is back! Check out their web site: <a href="http://www.fatboyburgers.net" rel="nofollow">http://www.fatboyburgers.net</a> GRPundit on "Michigan unemployment hits 11.6%. Time to raise the gas tax?" http://www.grpundit.com/forums/topic/michigan-unemployment-hits-116-time-to-raise-the-gas-tax#post-16 Thu, 05 Mar 2009 17:31:01 +0000 GRPundit 16@http://www.grpundit.com/forums/ Today it was announced that Michigan’s unemployment rate hit 11.6%. What is governor Granholm’s reaction? She announces her support for an increase in gas taxes! Great idea! She has already succeeded in increasing the income tax by 12% and increasing business taxes by 22%. That seems to be working out really well. Not. Her insatiable appetite for more of your money won’t be quenched until no one in Michigan is left with a job. “In five years, you’re going to be blown away by the strength and diversity of Michigan’s transformed economy.” - Governor Granholm, State of the State address, January 25, 2006 (unemployment rate was 6.2%). GRPundit on "GM: Zombie Car Company" http://www.grpundit.com/forums/topic/gm-zombie-car-company#post-15 Fri, 27 Feb 2009 21:05:57 +0000 GRPundit 15@http://www.grpundit.com/forums/ Yesterday’s Wall Street Journal had possibly the most dire article I’ve ever read on a company’s viability. Unfortunately, the article wasn’t online, but here are some highlights: --- General Motors Corp. capped a dismal 2008 with a $9.6 billion loss in the fourth quarter, brining its loss for the year to $30.9 billion. … GM burned through $5.2 billion in cash during the fourth quarter… and $19 billion over the year… … GM is now subsisting on $13.4 billion in government bailout loans… [and is asking for] as much as $16.4 billion more… GM also said it needs $7.5 billion in loans from the Energy Department to build more fuel-efficient vehicles. … GM’s auditors must make a decision on the company’s “going concern” status by the end of March. … GM also reported a major reversal in the health of its pension funds. It said its U.S. pension commitments for hourly and salaried retirees are underfunded by $12.4 billion… In early 2008, the company said the pensions were overfunded by $18.8 billion. In addition, the earning report revealed a profound deterioration of GM’s once-booming operations outside the US. It reported a fourth-quarter loss of $1.9 billion in Europe, $917 million in Asia, and $181 million in Latin America. --- Wow. Just wow. General Motors is a dead company. GM’s net worth went from negative $39 billion at the end os 2007 to negative $86 billion at the end of 2008. GM sold 8.144 million cars worldwide in 2008, meaning that they lost $2333 per vehicle. As the article points out, GM now wants an additional $23.9 billion in loans. Those loans come from us, the US taxpayers. Folks, the math doesn’t work. There is no way GM can pay off these loans and build net worth into positive teritory. GM is a dead company that is being propped up with absolutely no chance of recovery. It’s like Weekend at Bernie’s, except this is the real-life destruction of wealth, with the blessing and aid of the politicians in Washington. We, the taxpayers, are getting absolutely screwed. We can debate the reasons for the death of GM, but the fact is that the continued life support of General Motors is irresponsible, destructive, and dangerous. Add the bailouts of GM and Chrysler ($17+ billion, so far) to the bailouts of banks ($750 billion), AIG ($150 billion), Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac ($400 billion), and we have the looting of the Treasury going on right before our eyes. The bill, so far, is already over $1.3 trillion. That’s just in the last five months. Yet, the looting continues. Change we can believe in, right? By the way, this isn’t a partisan issue. Both parties are destroying America. …And it’s probably too late to do anything about it. Are you prepared? StevePoling on "Grand Rapids networking?" http://www.grpundit.com/forums/topic/grand-rapids-networking#post-13 Mon, 06 Oct 2008 02:52:24 +0000 StevePoling 13@http://www.grpundit.com/forums/ Greetings all. I've looked enviously at what Cap'n Ed and the Powerline guys have going in Minneapolis where they've got the local dextrosphere networked to the extent that local activists, or just-plain-interested-ists can compare notes. Has anyone gotten around to putting together a list of blogs that are Grand Rapids or West Michigan based? If so, can anyone point me to it? Thanks in advance, Steve Rollnggrnade on "Term Limits: Leave them Alone!" http://www.grpundit.com/forums/topic/term-limits-leave-them-alone-1#post-12 Fri, 08 Aug 2008 16:51:13 +0000 Rollnggrnade 12@http://www.grpundit.com/forums/ It's not only experience that is lost with term limits; we citizens also lose a great measure of accountability for our legislators. If they know they'll never have to run for re-election, there is no incentive for them to make good on their campaign promises or serve their constituents. In reading through the Cato paper you're quoting by Patrick Basham (<a href="http://www.cato.org/pubs/pas/pa413.pdf)" rel="nofollow">http://www.cato.org/pubs/pas/pa413.pdf)</a>, the data backing the claims is really flimsy. Popularity: The only source for the "long term" popularity of term limits is a study done by two pro-term limits wonks (Gideon Doron and Michael Harris) that isn't published in any peer-reviewed scholarly journals. Assuming it's true that the public generally supports term limits, I see two reasons why that isn't relevant. 1. By that same rationale - the 70% of the public that supports the Reform Michigan Government Now amendment makes that good public policy. 2. The general public is woefully ignorant about how government operates (especially state government). It should be far more telling (as Basham notes) that people who do pay attention to politics (like journalists) oppose term limits. Competition: If competition is desired, campaign finance reform is a better solution because it helps water down the power of the two major parties so that independent or third-party candidates can get into the mix (whereas with the competition created by term limits - all it means is that you get competition in the primary process which is eliminated by the time the general election rolls around and the two most viable candidates are already determined). Diversity: The idea that term limits are to credit for more minority candidates for office is intellectually-dishonest, and ignores the fact that racial and sex prejudices have been on the decline for several decades and that across the board so that overall opportunities have increased. Basham does nothing in his study to control for this reality so that conclusion is weak at best. Seniority Systems: Term limits eliminate SOME seniority systems in legislatures - but they give power to various other interests (like lobbyists). Basham shrugs off the claims that seniority has benefits in complex legislative matters because it's incompatible with his libertarian worldview: "[...] To someone who thinks that less government is better governance, diminished legislative expertise if that is the effect of term limits) may be a good fact.118 'Viewed through that prism, the evidence accumulated to date suggests that the fears of critics are unwarranted. The critics’ claim that the legislative process takes many years to master is less an indictment of inexperienced legislators than of the legislative process. The workings of America’s state legislatures are far more complex than is necessary. Arguably, many of the states are better off without some of this vaunted experience.'" (p. 13). Power of Interest Groups: Michigan provides a great example of exactly what a crock Basham's paper is - our term limits most certainly have increased the power of interest groups; especially the anti-tax interest groups which wield tremendously disproportionate power over the legislature (as illustrated in our debacle of a budget process where legislators were petrified to cast any vote that might be seen as raising taxes - in spite of the need). Lower Taxes: Basham then uses an incredibly flimsy leap of logic to arrive at his claim that term limits lead to lower taxes by taking data about NATIONAL congress, and applying it to the state level - and then combining it with unsupported political stereotypes to come up with the utterly unsupported conclusion that taking legislators out of office more quickly will result in lower taxes. To further prove his point he cites a mere five examples of term-limited legislatures - only two of which actually lowered taxes. The fallacy of his claim was illustrated last year in Michigan's budget process as our term-limited legislature raised taxes. Your last paragraph is the most irresponsible portion of the entire post; NOTHING about what our legislature is doing right now relates to real, long-term, systemic changes. IT's ALL about short-term quick fixes and gimmicks (like selling off future tobacco settlement dollars and raising fees to hide the increases). It's as though you don't even follow our state's politics. GRPundit on "Volkswagen chooses Tennessee for new plant" http://www.grpundit.com/forums/topic/volkswagen-chooses-tennessee-for-new-plant#post-11 Thu, 17 Jul 2008 09:29:07 +0000 GRPundit 11@http://www.grpundit.com/forums/ Thanks for the comparisons of tax rates and federal pork rates. I think that is something to be considered as well. That info would make a good post. As for comments - that is not intentional. Thanks for pointing it out, I'll have to do some investigation. As for the new jobs - they really pale in comparison to the 400,000+ jobs lost in this state alone since 2001. Most of the job additions are on the West side of the state, so thankfully, we're somewhat insulated from the implosion of the SE Michigan. Rollnggrnade on "Volkswagen chooses Tennessee for new plant" http://www.grpundit.com/forums/topic/volkswagen-chooses-tennessee-for-new-plant#post-10 Wed, 16 Jul 2008 12:00:53 +0000 Rollnggrnade 10@http://www.grpundit.com/forums/ PS - is the inability to post comments on the actual blog post deliberate (in encouraging people to post on the forums), or is it a result of a bug in the recent upgrade to Wordpress? Rollnggrnade on "Volkswagen chooses Tennessee for new plant" http://www.grpundit.com/forums/topic/volkswagen-chooses-tennessee-for-new-plant#post-9 Wed, 16 Jul 2008 11:54:54 +0000 Rollnggrnade 9@http://www.grpundit.com/forums/ Nothing in the article says anything about Michigan's tax structure being problematic for Volkswagon. Quite the contrary; the reason VW chose Tennessee over Michigan is that we don't spend enough on the state: "The Chattanooga plant will have an initial annual capacity of 150,000 vehicles and will include body production, a paint shop and assembly operations, Volkswagen said. The Tennessee site was chosen over Alabama and Michigan because it has a better infrastructure, a good supplier base and a qualified workforce, the carmaker said." The list of state tax rates (which change favorably for Michigan if you apply federal taxes to the equation) compared to population growth isn't really helpful because population growth doesn't necessarily correlate with an improvement in a state's economy or overall quality of life. Even if it did, however, most of the 'low tax' states with high population growth are "welfare" states - meaning that they receive more federal funding than they pay in taxes - <a href="http://taxprof.typepad.com/taxprof_blog/2004/09/red_states_feed.html">so their economic development is being unfairly subsidized on the national level</a>: 1. D.C. ($6.17 per $1) 2. North Dakota ($2.03 per $1) 3. New Mexico ($1.89 per $1) 4. Mississippi ($1.84 per $1) 5. Alaska ($1.82 per $1) 6. West Virginia ($1.74 per $1) 7. Montana ($1.64 per $1) 8. Alabama ($1.61 per $1) 9. South Dakota ($1.59 per $1) 10. Arkansas ($1.53 per $1) Besides, there's no need to be a pessimist given all of the other jobs that are coming to Michigan: Perrigo plans expansion, including 400 new jobs Posted by Julia Bauer | The Grand Rapids Press July 15, 2008 10:00AM <a href="http://blog.mlive.com/grpress/2008/07/perrigo_plans_expansion_includ.html" rel="nofollow">http://blog.mlive.com/grpress/2008/07/perrigo_plans_expansion_includ.html</a> State lures new jobs with tax breaks Posted by Peter Luke | Press Bureau July 16, 2008 07:22AM <a href="http://www.woodtv.com/global/story.asp?s=8675625" rel="nofollow">http://www.woodtv.com/global/story.asp?s=8675625</a> 150 new jobs headed to Greenville Wood TV | Posted: July 15, 2008 07:07 AM <a href="http://www.woodtv.com/global/story.asp?s=8675625" rel="nofollow">http://www.woodtv.com/global/story.asp?s=8675625</a> Kalamazoo packaging plant expands, adds jobs Posted: July 15, 2008 01:02 PM <a href="http://www.woodtv.com/global/story.asp?s=8678111" rel="nofollow">http://www.woodtv.com/global/story.asp?s=8678111</a> Medical billing firm's jobs project in the works for Kalamazoo, Detroit Posted by Press News Service July 15, 2008 11:14AM <a href="http://blog.mlive.com/grpress/2008/07/medical_billing_firms_jobs_pro.html" rel="nofollow">http://blog.mlive.com/grpress/2008/07/medical_billing_firms_jobs_pro.html</a> 1,000 new jobs for West Michigan? Posted by Peter Luke and Cami Reister | The Grand Rapids Press June 28, 2008 00:09AM <a href="http://blog.mlive.com/grpress/2008/06/1000_new_jobs_for_west_michiga.html" rel="nofollow">http://blog.mlive.com/grpress/2008/06/1000_new_jobs_for_west_michiga.html</a> GRPundit on "Volkswagen chooses Tennessee for new plant" http://www.grpundit.com/forums/topic/volkswagen-chooses-tennessee-for-new-plant#post-6 Tue, 15 Jul 2008 12:20:08 +0000 GRPundit 6@http://www.grpundit.com/forums/ Today's GR Pundit posting compares tax burdens in individual states with population growth rates. Volkswagen chose not to build a factory in Michigan (as have many other businesses). When will Lansing fix the state's tax, regulatory, and education systems? How long will it be before Michigan is competitive again? GRPundit on "Unemployment jump" http://www.grpundit.com/forums/topic/unemployment-jump#post-5 Mon, 14 Jul 2008 10:31:00 +0000 GRPundit 5@http://www.grpundit.com/forums/ Michigan unemployment is at 8.5% now - higher than in France. What can be done to fix Michigan? Anonymous on "another government shutdown?" http://www.grpundit.com/forums/topic/another-government-shutdown#post-4 Tue, 22 Jan 2008 13:25:07 +0000 Anonymous 4@http://www.grpundit.com/forums/ When is our state government going to see the writing on the wall or they trying to nail the coffen closed?You dont see our Government not getting paid for this shutdown.If anything they will ask for a raise to offset their extra time off.Its projected that in 3 years 1.25 million people will have moved out of Michigan due to failing econemy and What are we doing to avoid that, another shutdown. GRPundit on "Term Limits: Leave them Alone!" http://www.grpundit.com/forums/topic/term-limits-leave-them-alone-1#post-3 Wed, 12 Sep 2007 10:41:18 +0000 GRPundit 3@http://www.grpundit.com/forums/ Last week saw a Grand Rapids Press article on legislators debating the extenion of the current state term limits. Members of the state House are limited to three terms of two years and members of the state Senate are limited to two four year terms. A proposal, which may appear on the ballot in January for the newly-moved primary, would extend those term limits to 12 years for Representatives, but not effect the limits on Senators. Some folks have even blamed the â€œinexperienceâ€ of legislators, due to terms limits, on the current budget morass. They say that lobbyists are running Lansing and that our legislators somehow donâ€™t know what theyâ€™re doing. Donâ€™t buy it. A study by the Cato institute has shown that there are numerous benefits to term limits: -Term limits remain popular with state electorates long after their introduction. -Term limits stimulate electoral competition in state legislative elections. -Term limits enable nontraditional candidates to run for seats in state legislatures. Female, Hispanic-American, and Asian-American candidates find it easier to enter term-limited legislatures than non-term-limited bodies. The record is more mixed for African Americans. -Term limits weaken seniority systems in state legislatures. -Term limits tend to weaken the leadership of a state legislature. -Term limits have not strengthened interest groups, state bureaucracies, or legislative staffs as predicted by critics of term limits. Some evidence suggests that term limits foster public policies compatible with limited government. Thereâ€™s even evidence that term limits lead to lower taxes in the long run. In other words, term limits foster a citizen-run government, not a government run by the political class. We need to protect that at all cost. The so-called arguments against term limits donâ€™t hold water. The current budget problem is a sign of the health of term limits and a citizen legislature. The very fact that the legislature and governor are fighting so long over the issue is good for the state. It forces a very sincere debate on some very important issues. Instead of focusing on quick fixes and budgetary gimmicks, they are finally looking at real, long-term, systemic changes to make sure that our state operates effectively and efficiently in the future. Long live term limits! GRPundit on "Welcome to the Grand Rapids Pundit Forums" http://www.grpundit.com/forums/topic/your-first-topic#post-1 Wed, 12 Sep 2007 10:22:35 +0000 GRPundit 1@http://www.grpundit.com/forums/ The GR Pundit forums have only three simple rules - 1) No personal attacks, 2) No logical fallacies, and 3) We determine what gets deleted. The point of the new GR Pundit forum is to be an open space for all points of view. No one will be deleted for simply having a different opinion from ours. We welcome all discussion about Grand Rapids, from politics, religion, food, development, and everything else. We welcome everyone, regardless of political views to point of view.