November 6 is less than a month away, but already the battle lines are drawn. Herewith are my personal endorsements for candidates and my recommendations for sundry ballot proposals that we face on the state and municipal levels.
President of the United States
Only Mitt Romney and his running mate, Paul Ryan, have what it takes to correct the wild fiscal imprudence and geostrategic incompetence of Team Obama. Whether it’s “leading from behind” — as Iran ticks closer to the Bomb — or taking over one-sixth of the U.S. economy with a one-size-fits-all approach to socialized medicine, Barack Obama (D) has been a miserable failure whose ego is outmatched only by his ham-handed management of the federal treasury. America deserves leaders like Romney and Ryan, men who understand what it takes to get Americans working again and how to keep our public finances sane. We need Mitt and Paul. Vote Romney/Ryan!
United States Senator
As far as senators go, Debbie Stabenow (D) hasn’t been bad. But she hasn’t been a leader, either. With the Senate in a state of mortal combat, Stabenow could have shown courage to resist the worst of Harry Reid’s bumbling machinations. Instead, she blithely sings to the majority leader’s hyperpartisan tune. We need someone who’s not just average, but someone above average — someone like Republican Pete Hoekstra, whose bipartisan leadership of the House Intelligence Committee and keen grasp of the issues we face as a nation make him the right man at the right time. Vote Pete Hoekstra!
United States Representative, 3rd District
Steve Pestka is a good guy. He’s a Democrat, but no one’s perfect, and he’s more of a centrist than most. Republican Justin Amash is a socially awkward acolyte of Ron Paul — someone who opposed defunding Planned Parenthood because it was “a bill of attainder.” (Do you see that? It’s the sight of a blogger’s eyes rolling.) Inasmuch as I’d love to have a solid Republican to support, we’re stuck with a libertarian in sheep’s clothing who’s been written off even among the GOP Congressional leadership. Endorsement goes to Steve Pestka.
Michigan Representative, 75th District
No endorsement. Neither candidate has done anything whatsoever to inform voters about his positions.
State Board of Education; Regents of the University of Michigan; Trustees of Michigan State University; Governors of Wayne State University
No endorsements. Radio silence from all the candidates.
Kent County Prosecuting Attorney
Republican William Forsyth is running unopposed, which makes sense because he’s been a stalwart who gets the job done. Vote for Forsyth.
Kent County Sheriff
The long-time sheriff, Lawrence Stelma, is up for re-election. I have no personal reason to oppose him, but there’s been a lot of talk among some locals about the need for a change. Democrat James Farris is endorsed instead; Farris was a deputy chief who was passed up for the top slot in the Grand Rapids Police Department. Some say it’s because he’s black. I don’t know about that, but I do know that people who are clued into local law enforcement say Farris has served with dignity and grace even when he was passed over. Time for a promotion to the sheriff’s office, methinks.
Kent County Clerk and Register of Deeds
This one’s easy; Republican Mary Hollinrake runs a clean and efficient operation and deserves re-election. Vote Hollinrake.
Kent County Treasurer
Like the clerk, Republican Kenneth Parrish is not flashy, but he is effective. Vote Parrish.
Kent County Drain Commissioner
Drain commissioner nod goes to Bill Byl, who’s been an able local public servant over the years.
Kent County Commissioner for the 17th District
No endorsements. Radio silence from all the candidates.
Judicial Elections; Grand Rapids Public School Board
None of these are contested elections at the local level, except the six-year term for the Kent County Probate Court. In that race, I endorse the non-partisan incumbents Patricia Gardner and G. Patrick Hillary for re-election.
For the Michigan Supreme Court’s non-partisan ballot, I endorse the re-election of Justice Stephen Markman and the election of Judge Colleen O’Brien for full eight-year terms, and I endorse Justice Brian Zahra for re-election to a partial term.
Michigan Ballot Proposals
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Vote YES on Proposal 1. The wording on this is sneaky; if you favor the Emergency Manager law — and you should; it keeps Detroit from totally collapsing — then you need to vote YES on this proposal to keep the law in place. This is a referendum to keep PA 4, which established the emergency-manager role for Michigan.
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Vote NO on Proposal 2. How clearly can I say it? Vote HELL NO to enshrining a constitutional right to unionize into the Michigan Constitution.
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Vote NO on Proposal 3. Support Prop 3 if you’re in favor of rolling blackouts, since this initiative, if passed, would require Michigan to get 25 percent of all its energy from renewable resources while capping rate increases to 1 percent per year. Gee, who pays for this Green-energy bonanza? Let me guess … the CFL bulb fairy?
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Vote NO on Proposal 4. The state constitution isn’t the place to enshrine new bureaucracies. This proposal would seek to create a home-care council to serve as a quasi-public labor union for home-care workers. Vote this nonsense off the island, posthaste.
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Vote NO on Proposal 5. Beware Geeks bearing gifts: This proposal looks good at first glance, but it’s a poisoned pill. The proposal would require a 2/3 vote to modify tax law. It also requires a 2/3 vote to reduce taxes. Better to staff the legislature with solid fiscal conservatives than to screw around with supermajorities.
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Vote NO on Proposal 6. Just say no to sour grapes. This bill would stymie Gov. Snyder’s necessary drive to get another bridge to Canada. Prop 6 is pushed by the guy who owns (and thereby profits from) the current Ambassador Bridge. Tell this yahoo that the state ballot isn’t a place to solidify his rent-seeking.
Grand Rapids Municipal Proposals
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Vote NO on Proposal I. This proposal, if adopted, would make the City Comptroller a position appointed by the City Manager instead of an elected job. No point in reducing the public’s influence on City Hall — particularly when the man in charge, who isn’t elected, leads a city with a weak mayoral structure.
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Vote NO on Proposal II. This basically legalizes pot in a big way — making it (at most) a $100 fine and darned difficult to prosecute.
Remember — it’s your civic duty to vote; it’s your moral duty to vote as I prefer. 🙂
5 comments
Here are a few things that I can never get a straight answer on from anybody on the right. Maybe you can explain them to me.
1. Mitt Romney claims Mormonism is Christianity. Now, when he was a young man, he avoided military service by going to France. While in France, he tried to convert French Catholics to Mormonism. Now, if Catholicism is Christianity, and Mormonism is Christianity, what exactly was Mitt trying to convert Catholics to?
2. Mitt Romney is a Bishop in the Mormon Church. Mormons believe that a tribe of Jews came over to the North American continent and became the people we know as Native Americans. They have tried to prove this scientifically, and failed. If Mitt has a leadership position in this church, what does that say about his faculties of reason and common sense?
3. Recently, Mitt Romney described how he comforted a dying young man and counseled him on what Mormons believe about the afterlife. Quoth Mitt: “He said, ‘Mitt, what’s next,'” Romney said. “He called me Brother Romney. What’s next? And I talked to him about what I believe is next.” Except he didn’t elaborate on what he believes. Here’s what Mormons believe about the afterlife. From Wikipedia: “The afterlife consists of three degrees or kingdoms of glory, called the Celestial Kingdom, theTerrestrial Kingdom, and the Telestial Kingdom. ” There’s also stuff in there about spirit wives and baptising Holocaust victims. Why doesn’t Mitt talk more openly about this stuff? It’s fascinating. I mean, Catholics believe some fascinating stuff, too, but they’ll talk openly about stuff like the Assumption and other supernatural occurrences. Mormons don’t want to talk about their religion’s beliefs. Seems kind of secretive.
I guess what I’m trying to say is that, given President Obama’s record as you describe it, Mitt Romney the draft dodging cult bishop is THE BEST the Republican party can come up with?
No answer yet? I thought so. Nobody on the right wants to talk about how Mitt Romney avoided military service by going to France and trying to convince Catholics that Jesus and Satan are brothers and live with their father Elohim on the planet Kolob.*
*Yes, this is what Mormons actually believe.
What’s to reply to? Uninformed religious bigotry? The best way to starve an Internet troll is to not feed it when it roars. J
So you’re saying that Mitt Romney did in fact serve in the military in VietNam and Mormons don’t believe in a planet named Kolob and they don’t think Israelites settled North America? Please tell me where I’m misinformed.
I’m saying I’m not going to get into a battle of points with you about Mormon theology. Romney’s religious beliefs are as irrelevant to me as are Obama’s. Hence why I’ve never trumpeted the whole Jeremiah Wright thing, even four years ago. A person’s private religious beliefs don’t affect his fitness for elective office; if the First Amendment means anything, it means that we shall not have sectarian litmus tests for political leaders. Dredging up the most weird-sounding aspects of Mormon belief and posting it as a “gotcha” moment is morally repugnant. You know better than to troll that low.