After viewing this, take a trip to this site and read a little on the lake which was removed.

The Grand Traverse County Republican Party has arranged a Meet & Greet with Congressman Dan Benishek.

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

7pm-8pm

Grand Traverse County

 Governmental Center

Lower Level-Cafeteria

400 Boardman Ave

Traverse City, MI

At the time it was TOP SECRET thus a reason to be using a northern most operational area that still had infrastructure.

While talking to the new TVC Airport director Kevin Kline today, he showed me this picture of a US Navy TDN-1 Drone being winched either aboard or off.  Note the power plant and the Park Place in the background.

Interesting history.

Not all launches were so successful apparently as can be seen at this  site (blog) that is dedicated to aircraft carriers and activities surrounding them.

How fitting it would be to have some measure of freedom be re-declared and promoted.  On Wednesday July 6th 2011, it will be.

I am presenting this resolution to the Grand Traverse County board of commissioners for approval.  It is merely a declaration of belief that workers ought not be trapped into a scheme of having to pay for union representation if they do not feel represented in order to keep their job.  It is a statement that we as Michigan workers are truly free, and third party interests in our employment are subservient to OUR wishes, not the other way around.

This is the resolution I am offering:

Whereas , we agree with President John F. Kennedy’s executive order regarding federal employees, that all persons “should have the right, freely and without fear of penalty, to form, join, or assist a labor organization,” and of equal importance, “or to refrain from any such activity.”

Whereas , to ensure individual freedom of choice, we believe that no person should be compelled, as a condition of employment, to: (1) refrain from voluntary membership or financial support of a labor organization, or (2) become or remain a member of a labor organization, or (3) pay any dues, fees, or assessments to a labor organization.

Whereas , we believe that the freedom to choose regarding union membership or financial support is a civil right, and that job discrimination on the basis of union membership or non-membership or financial support or nonsupport should be prohibited by law.

Whereas , in addition to being a matter of individual freedom and civil rights, those states that have enacted laws prohibiting the threat of being discriminated against or fired based on union affiliation have experienced dramatically higher job creation and income growth, a benefit Michigan can no longer afford to do without.

Whereas , over the last decade, Michigan suffered the biggest loss of jobs of any state in the nation, while the top five states for the creation of new private sector jobs over that same time were all states that protect employees’ individual freedom of choice regarding union membership and financial support.

Whereas , according to the U.S. Census Bureau, two-thirds of the states which guarantee employees individual freedom to choose regarding union membership and support have higher per capita income than do the citizens of Michigan.

Whereas , over the last half-century, eight of the top ten states with the highest average annual growth in income were such voluntary unionism states, while Michigan ranked 50th among the states.

Whereas , when adjusted for taxes and the cost of living, families in voluntary unionism states have been found to have over $2,000 more disposable income each year than in states such as Michigan, where employees face the threat of being discriminated against and fired if they choose not to join or financially support a labor organization.

Whereas , we conclude that in addition to protecting our citizens’ individual freedom and civil rights, passage of a state law guaranteeing voluntary unionism and prohibiting job discrimination based on union affiliation will also dramatically improve Michigan’s ability to attract and create new jobs and thus stimulate our economy.

Therefore be it resolved , that the Grand Traverse County board of commissioners hereby calls on Gov. Rick Snyder and the Legislature, and specifically Senator Howard Walker and Representative Wayne Schmidt, to propose and enact an Employee Freedom To Work Act that will safeguard our individual freedom and civil rights by guaranteeing that all persons in Michigan have the right, freely and without fear of penalty, to form, join, or assist a labor organization, or to refrain from any such activity in order to to acquire, keep or maintain employment.

Be it further resolved that a copy of this resolution shall be sent to Gov. Snyder, Sen. Walker, and Rep. Schmidt, and also to the boards of county commissioners of the other counties of the state, who we urge to join us in calling for the enactment of an Employee Freedom To Work Act for the people of Michigan.

Please join us on the 6th of July in the commission chambers at 7pm for the debate that surely will follow.

I think it is very good.  Great in fact!  I doubt the Rotary prefers to have this out in the open, but I certainly am ready to ask the questions.  This discussion needs to start.

How can the Rotary advocate big government, facilitate plans that wind up putting private property owners at odds with “regional planners”, and still expect to be viewed as a 501(c)(3) organization?  A charity has POSITIVE impact.  A perception of positive by some, while engaging the negatives of others is not at all something that is free of politics.  Fixing homes, feeding the poor, scholarships, providing education for self reliance, all charitable measures.

Creating an environment that can be (and often is) used to force land owners to capitulate to “visioning” plans they disagree with is quite opposite of (c)(3) consideration.

Per the IRS:

Charitable Organizations

If your organization is applying for recognition of exemption as a charitable organization, it must show that it is organized and operated for purposes that are beneficial to the public interest. Some examples of this type of organization are those organized for:

1. Relief of the poor, the distressed, or the underprivileged,
2. Advancement of religion,
3. Advancement of education or science,
4. Erection or maintenance of public buildings, monuments, or works,
5. Lessening the burdens of government,
6. Lessening of neighborhood tensions,
7. Elimination of prejudice and discrimination,
8. Defense of human and civil rights secured by law, and
9. Combating community deterioration and juvenile delinquency.

The fifth consideration alone is worthy of analysis.

I stated my concern two times with regard to recent activities by the Rotary and its grant making.  The letter that I wrote is available here.

The editorial today as usual reflects ignorance of cause and effect, and frankly overstates the positive effect the Rotary has on our community.  To say that we would be like every other depressed community with the absence of Rotary Charities is ludicrous.  This ignores the natural beauty of our area, and/or any other efforts that would be made in the absence of merely ONE affective organization in our midst.

To treat this (now politically engaged) organization as a sacred cow that must not be even looked upon with suspicion a keen eye, ever, is to ignore the history of man and the effect of money on what we are as human beings.

Imperfect and corruptible.

Today, I wrote the following to the good folks who will be deciding how the county districts will be comprised for the next ten years.  While not entirely engaged in their process, I am still interested to see what becomes of the arrangement, and whether the voter has more say, or less, in how their county is run.

Gentlemen and Ladies,

I have withheld any real comment on this issue because I trust all of those involved in the discussion, and planning of county districts have given sufficient consideration to quite a few issues outside of the political ramifications.

I have one suggestion that ought to be considered before taking a final vote on plans.

No plan should be approved that has fewer commission districts than currently established.

Consider these points:

1. A smaller number of districts creates a more sizable constituency.  The uniqueness of certain parts of the county is less likely to be properly represented.
2. Stretching the responsibilities by adding additional governmental units to each remaining district may affect their ability to represent or interface with those units.
3. For the same reasons a reduction of commissioners would result in committee seats being either left vacant or not properly populated because of either real life, or conflicting schedules within the committee structure.
4. OPEN MEETINGS – A smaller configuration for the board will result in OMA violations, OR reduced effectiveness of the board.

This last point in my view, is probably as important, or more so than the previous three.

Currently, a casual gathering of four commissioners (ie: at the end of a meeting) does not constitute a quorum.  Though sometimes information is exchanged that is beneficial to solving an issue (or issues), it is considered legal. A smaller board would make SOME of these discussions necessarily vacated.

Currently, A phone call or email to discuss different possibilities of a project with another commissioner can be seen as relatively benign if it is understood that it does not result in a chain of communications.  Occasionally, another commissioner might be included for expertise or some history.  A smaller board would reduce the threshold to a point where again, some solutions would not be discussed because to do so would require a potential OMA violation prior to a board meeting.

Ideas are born of discourse.  Communications are necessary, and limiting topical discussion to a few meetings a month by default would be unfortunate.

Jason Gillman
Grand Traverse County Board of Commissioners
District 1

cc: JasonGillman.com

The issue he raised was that there was not enough time to get his task done.

He had received a parking ticket while in taking care of county business.  His own ticket, and one on the vehicle of another visitor made him aware of the limited time that visitors had when using the specific parking spaces.  Those spaces with meters that have a 15 minute free time, and up to 30 minutes total by adding coin.

The meters on the opposite side of the lot allow up to Two hours.

The board voted 6-2 to remove the meters, as it seemed there was not even sufficient time for the people to perform their tasks in the county building.  It was an effort to take some of the pressure off those who would be arriving to already pay their taxes, or for licensing, etc., and take away some of the headaches that seem to come by having to deal with government.

It didn’t look so good as it was presented in the news however.

It looked like the commission reacted to Thomas’ ticket alone. And the feedback received does not show an entirely flattering perception of who we are as elected officials.

I voted along with 5 others to remove the meters, but I get it.

We will look a little differently tonight at this issue to be sure.