RedState Action Alert: Dissect the Omnibus

Michigan's new budget patched up with aid from federal government
But the joke may be on the new Governor and dozens of new legislators who take office Jan. 1. As they work on the next State Budget, they'll have about $1.6 Billion less, mostly because Federal bucks disappear. Among the final actions were approval of a onetime, $316-million Federal boost for Public Schools, a Retirement incentive for State Employees and a $10-million State gift to the Detroit Institute of Arts. The extra Aid to Schools restores to all School Districts a minimum of $154 per...

Michigan lawmakers finishing state budget without tax hikes
But the joke may be on the new Governor and dozens of new legislators who take office Jan. 1. As they work on the next State Budget, theyll have about $1.6 Billion less, mostly because federal bucks disappear. Among the final actions were approval of a onetime, $316-million federal boost for public Schools, a Retirement incentive for State Employees and a $10-million State gift to the Detroit Institute of Arts. The extra aid to Schools restores to all School Districts a minimum of $154 per...

Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm signs budget bills into law on eve of new fiscal year
LANSING, MICH. — Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm has signed several Budget Bills into law that were submitted from the State Legislature. Granholm signed 10 Bills Thursday, including a Retirement incentive plan for State workers and several departmental Budgets. Lawmakers wrapped up the final key pieces of the next State Budget on Wednesday, beating a Budget-balancing deadline that coincides with the start of the new Fiscal Year Friday. Lawmakers erased a projected $484 million Deficit...

Assistant AG takes leave amid gay-bashing controversy (update: not suspension)
Source: The Detroit News Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated Assistant Attorney General Andrew Shirvell had been suspended. An assistant Attorney General who has attracted national attention for a Controversial blog that ridicules and denounces a University of Michigan Student leader for his Gay advocacy, religious beliefs and character has taken a personal leave following intense public scrutiny, a spokesman for Attorney General Mike Cox said today. Cox...

Assistant AG suspended over gay-bashing blog
Source: The Detroit News Attorney General Mike Cox changed his stance Thursday, suspending Andrew Shirvell after the assistant Attorney General attracted national attention for a Controversial blog that ridicules and denounces a University of Michigan Student leader for his Gay advocacy, religious beliefs and character. The suspension came a day after Cox told CNN he didn't intend to fire Shirvell, citing civil service rules that protect government employees from being "fired willy-nilly"...

Michigan assistant attorney general goes after Michigan student
Michigan assistant Attorney General goes after Michigan Student The lack of professionalism and maturity on behalf of this man is appalling. Andrew Shirvell, Michigan's assistant Attorney General, has been on what he calls a "political" campaign to wage war against University of Michigan in Ann Arbor Student assembly president Chris Armstrong.  Andrew Shirvell 

e.Republic
GOVERNING events foster education, collaboration and networking among Public and Private Sector partners across the states and localities. Each event focuses on the most critical case studies, lessons learned, challenges and opportunities for enhancing Public Sector excellence. Government Technology Executive Events are regional information technology conferences and forums held across the nation which assist the Public Sector and Private companies in creating real solutions for state and...

Market action/China/PIG debt/QE
As we look to a new Q, lets see how Q3 ended. The last 7 trading days since the FOMC laid the groundwork for more policy initiatives, the S&P 500 is up just 1.3 pts or .1%. Over the same time period however, crude is up by $6, Gasoline is up 7.5%, gold is up by $40, the CRB index is up 3%, the CRB RIND went to a record high and the $ index is down by almost 3%. PIG Debt is rallying sharply for a 2nd day with the Greek 2 yr yield below 8% for the 1st time since mid June and their 10 yr...

Michigan Asst. AG, Owner of Blog Targeting Gay Student, Takes Leave
By Ashby Jones One of the stranger stories we’ve ever read involving an assistant Attorney General took a turn on Friday, when Michigan’s assistant Attorney General, Andrew Shirvell, went on personal leave. The move comes after weeks of intense public scrutiny of Shirvell, who attracted a lot of attention for his personal blog, which repeatedly rips the University of Michigan’s Student president, Chris Armstrong, who is Openly Gay. Click here for the Detroit News story; ...

Detroit Public Schools may have smaller decrease in students
On Wednesday, the date all Michigan schools counted Students in order to determine funding, DPS counted 77,669 Students including 3,144 preschoolers, according to preliminary figures. But about 5,000 Students were not in class that day, DPS estimates showed. If most of those Students show up within the next 30 days with an excuse, district enrollment could hit 82,000, or nearly 80,000 not including preschool. That would mean DPS would log the smallest decrease in Students since at least 2003....

Michigan AG: FBI agents justified, won't face charges in fatal shooting of Detroit imam
AP Photo This undated file photo provided by Muslim Alliance of North America shows Imam Luqman Ameen Abdullah, imam of the Masjid Al-Haqq Mosque in Detroit. Share

Michigan assistant AG Andrew Shirvell takes leave after antigay blog
After Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox spent Wednesday night on CNN defending Shirvell's right to maintain the blog, his office said today that Shirvell's leave began Thursday and he'll face a disciplinary hearing when he returns. "Contrary to other reports, he has not been suspended," Cox spokeswoman Joy Yearout said this morning, after Cox's office denied to the Detroit Free Press on Thursday night that Shirvell's job status had changed. "He's taking a leave of absence. It was a personal...

Michigan’s Gay-Bashing Assistant AG Andrew Shirvell Takes Leave Of Absence
Michigan’s Assistant Attorney General Andrew Shirvell has gained national attention recently for his bizarre crusade to smear Chris Armstrong, an Openly Gay Student assembly president at the University of Michigan. Shirvell operates a website dedicated solely to attacking Armstong’s “radical Homosexual agenda” and has called the Student “Satan’s representative” and a “ privileged pervert .” Armstrong is even seeking a Restraining Order...

Michigan Assistant AG Taking Leave Of Absence After Attacking Gay Student On His Blog
Michigan Assistant Attorney General Andrew Shirvell will take a personal leave of absence amid much controversy over a series of blog posts attacking a gay University of Michigan Student. Shirvell has been blogging about University of Michigan Student body president Chris Armstrong since April, accusing Armstrong, who is gay, of having "a radical Homosexual Activist" aiming "to promote a very deeply radical agenda at the University of Michigan." The office of Michigan Attorney General Mike...

AG's office: Shirvell took leave of office on own accord, will be subject to disciplinary hearing upon return
Sellek told the Daily Friday afternoon that Shirvell took this leave on his own accord. Upon returning to his position, Shirvell will be subject to a disciplinary hearing with his employer, Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox, according to Sellek, who was unable to comment further regarding specific details or potential outcomes of the hearing. Cox, who previously defended Shirvell, told The Detroit News Thursday that he was wrong to stand by Shirvell and support his behavior toward Armstrong....

Michigan assistant AG Andrew Shirvell off job after antigay blog
After Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox spent Wednesday night on CNN defending Shirvell's right to maintain the blog, his office said today that Shirvell's leave began Thursday and he'll face a disciplinary hearing when he returns. "Contrary to other reports, he has not been suspended," Cox spokeswoman Joy Yearout said this morning, after Cox's office denied to the Detroit Free Press on Thursday night that Shirvell's job status had changed. "He's taking a leave of absence. It was a personal...

Obama’s Low-Cost Electric Car Batteries, Green Job Style :
Thank God the government is there to spend your money on the things that the Private Sector is too smart to consider : President Barack Obama celebrated the opening of an advanced battery plant in Michigan on Monday as a critical boost for Hybrid and Electric Cars and a success for his administration’s economic Stimulus program. [...] Despite the fanfare, the battery industry faces many hurdles. Gas-electric Hybrid Vehicles represent about 1 percent of new Vehicle sales, and many...

Budget again balanced with cowardly fixes
At least our Michigan lawmakers got the new Budget done without another one of those embarrassing and unnecessary all-night sessions leading up to the Oct. 1 deadline, but they still failed the Taxpayers of Michigan. While they avoided any shutdown of State Government, they made none of the truly difficult decisions that are necessary to rein in State spending, settling instead for a symbolic effort where true leadership was required. I'm sure all of Lansing is patting itself on the back for...

Defence budget chaotic - Osborne
Chancellor George Osborne has described the UK's defence Budget as "chaotic and disorganised". In a Daily Telegraph interview, Mr Osborne blames the previous Labour government for what he calls the "horrendous" situation at the MoD. The remarks follow a disagreement between Prime Minister David Cameron and Defence Secretary Liam Fox over plans to cut defence spending. Continue reading the main story The Spending Review: Making It Clear Mr Cameron has said his defence...

Avis Budget Group: AVIS BUDGET GROUP RESPONDS TO HERTZ'S "DOLLAR THRIFTY STOCKHOLDER STRATEGY"
  1. Avis Budget will continue to actively pursue the acquisition of Dollar Thrifty, including commencing an exchange offer at our recent offer price no later than 10 business days after the meeting.  Such offer will be subject only to the conditions in the Merger agreement previously provided (as adjusted for an exchange offer structure with a minimum tender condition, for modification of credit agreements, and to assure that Hertz honors the commitments made in its statement...

Pence: 2010 Ends with Massive Deficit, 2011 Begins with No Budget
“The American People want leaders who are more concerned about creating new Jobs than they are about campaigning to save their own Jobs.” Washington, DC - U.S. Congressman Mike Pence, Chairman of the House Republican Conference, released the following statement today, the final day of the Federal Government’s 2010 Fiscal Year: “Washington’s spending is out of control. This Year’s Deficit will exceed $1.3 Trillion and Democrats didn’t even propose a...

Obama's Budget Reduces Deficits More Then The GOP's "Pledge" Budget
Ezra Klein has a chart that shows that we do better with President Obama’s Budget than the one presented in the “Pledge to America.” Here’s how it was done. The Pledge to America Budget would mean $11.1 Trillion in Deficits over the next 10 years. By 2020, the federal Budget Deficit would be 6.3 percent of gross domestic product, the federal Debt would exceed 93 percent of GDP, and interest payments on the Debt would be more than $1 Trillion a year. The Budget...

2 accused of bilking inmates, their families
According to the 17-page indictment, the pair often pretended to be lawyers, or lied about having lawyers on their company staff, when they conned relatives of inmates across the country into giving them money to do appellate work on the inmates behalf. Charged in the indictment was John Wilson, 54, of Yale, who allegedly operated three businesses that sent direct mailings to inmates across the country, offering to conduct legal and appellate work on the inmates behalf. The indictment said...