Pundits and pollsters seem to agree, this could be another tough year for Republicans here in Michigan, particularly in state House races.  What they don't tell you, and what the liberal media never reports, is that there are more than a handful of House districts across the state that could easily buck national trends. There are genuine pick-up opportunities for conservatives across Michigan.  

(Dan Tietema, far right, pictured with volunteers at Kent County GOP Headquarters.)

At the top of that list is Dan Tietema, a genuine conservative running in Grand Rapids' 75th House District against incumbent tax-hiker extraordinaire, Robert Dean.  

The Right Roots can make a serious difference for Dan.  Read on to learn more about him and about how you can get involved...

Industrial Policy: Plastech: Another MEGA "Winner"

Local Area Watch: The Cure Michigan Fraud

Outside Lansing: Stryker & Rockfeller Fndt. Fund Low-Level School Board Races in Detroit. Why?

The Western Right: Candidate Forum Report

(Former Detroit Public School students fleeing the district.)

Nearly seventeen-thousand kids left the Detroit Public Schools before the new semester started this month.  Seventeen-thousand.  That unbelievable number easily represents the largest single year dips in enrollment in the history of the school system and could probably go toe-to-toe with any other record of futility in any other public school district in any other city in any other state in the nation.  DPS thought they were preparing their parents, teachers and pocket-dwelling Detroit legislative caucus for the worst when they predicted six-thousand fewer kids would sit in homeroom but they were way off.  The Titanic just hit one whale of an iceberg.

And the lamentation begins.  From Detroit talk radio to the cities major newspapers to the blogosphere to the local barber shops and beauty salons and the assembly lines folks are trying to recover from the local news equivalent of a sucker-punch to the gut. `It's too bad.  It's sad.  It's tragic.  They're going to lose all sorts of per pupil funding.  Those poor kids.  What are we ever going to do?'

Call me a non-conformist but that hasn't been my reaction.  You want to know what my initial reaction was when I read the news that DPS enrolment had dropped to levels not seen in one-hundred years? "Good."  I sat here, read the devastating news and actually, audibly exclaimed "good!"  With an exclamation mark.  

Read on...

The following is a letter to the editor I had printed in Central Michigan Life, Central Michigan University's school rag. I wrote it in response to a previous letter to the editor. Also cross posted at Random Rants

Ban smoking in bars, restaurants, or any other private business? Absolutely not. Jeff Robinson's Sept. 17th letter couldn't be more wrong when he states that Mt. Pleasant should enact anti-smoking ordnances like New York City.

He claims that due to his major being Health Fitness, he has been made "very aware" of the dangers of smoking. Good for him, but I've known that smoking is bad since elementary school. It's also irrelevant to the argument. I've worked as a bouncer for a bar in Traverse City in the past, and I can tell you that alcohol can lead to fights. Should we ban alcohol from restaurants and bars? No.

So if smoking is bad for ones health, then why shouldn't the government ban it from restaurants and bars? It's quite simple, because restaurants and bars are private establishments. If one doesn't like the fact that an establishment allows smoking inside their premises, they certainly don't have to patronize it. Assuming a proprietor is competent, the smoking policy of an establishment will be more than aptly determined by the market. If a majority of patrons stopped going to a bar or restaurant because they allowed smoking, the owner is surely going to change the policy on it.

Thinking an establishment is public just because it invites the public is a flawed perception that unfortunately many people have. It is this perception that empowers people to advocate banning smoking in restaurants and bars despite the fact that a majority of it's patrons have no issues that prevent their continued support of these establishments. I could have told you this even if I wasn't a business major. However, like I mentioned, it's a flawed perception.

Blog of Bodnar: Presidential Debate LiveBlog: Instant Replay

The Khaki Elephant: John McCain Wins First Debate

Life with Mr. O: Obama v. McCain, Act I

Outside Lansing: Exclusive Analysis: Campaign Finance Cover-Up, Conflict of Interest, and Violations by MDP in RMGN

When he turned around with his food and set it down in a booth nearby, I couldn't help myself and asked, "Can you tell me what you mean by four more years of Bush?  I am just curious as to how you ended up where you are politically."

Read more...

Hello All,

This is an copy of a post I made at. "Blogs for John Mccain".  It is a response to a blog posted by Lane."Bornalivetruth.org Ad Challenges Obama on Abortion Related Votes". I have included the video's lane posted below (plus some others I found).  My wife "Infidel Granny" thought this was so powerful, I should post it as a blog both here and at my personal Blog "Federalist Fred Thompson and The Doctrine of Original Intent". Feel free to let me know what you think, Shane