#shadyschauer

Mark Schauer would 'drive' Michigan irresponsibly back to Lost Decade

By Darren Littell - Developing a responsible and commonsense budget is a daunting task. It requires a thoughtful and competent person to make the necessary and tough decisions. Unfortunately for Democratic gubernatorial candidate Mark Schauer, he is not that person.

As a member of the Legislature, he voted lock step with ex-Gov. Jennifer Granholm and passed budgets that cut funding for schools and vital services and increased taxes and fees on Michigan families.

One of those obnoxious fees Schauer supported: driver responsibility fees. In an attempt to balance the state budget, Schauer thought it was as easy as imposing fees on drivers.

The law that was supposed to create an incentive for individuals to drive in a responsible manner backfired and instead created a vicious cycle that hurt the pocket book of Michiganians. The regressive nature of the fee was particularly tough on low-income individuals who could not afford to pay.

In some cases, the law’s unintended consequences incentivized some to break additional laws just to get to work.

Perhaps driver responsibility fees didn’t seem like a big deal to Schauer ,who received a special tax break only available to legislators who lived at least 50 miles from the Capitol – Mark Schauer lived 57 miles away. According to reports, “Eligible lawmakers end up saving on average between $8,000 and $10,000 a year depending on their tax brackets.” Mark Schauer took the “driving” tax break every year as a member of the State House.

This was hardly Schauer’s first rodeo, he voted to increase fee and taxes over 40 times as a state legislator.

It is a very difficult undertaking to develop a responsible state budget. It’s not enough to only identify problems. One has to work with limited resources and work through a political and budgetary gauntlet.

Schauer and Michigan Democrats can attest to the difficulty. During their Lost Decade, they left Michigan with a $1.5 billion deficit and a Rainy Day Fund that was virtually gone. Detroit’s financial mismanagement was never properly addressed, and the only way to save the city was through a total financial restructuring. Rather than put in the work, they thought it’d be a much easier option to increase taxes and fees – easier, yes, but not within a million miles of being a viable solution.

Michigan Democrats are Tainted by Corruption by Darren Littell

From money laundering schemes to public corruption scandals, Michigan’s Lost Decade reads like something straight out of Hollywood.

Just as we thought we had turned the page and moved forward past that difficult period, ex-Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick is back in the news. Kwame Kilpatrick is the poster child for the corruption that helped create the Lost Decade, but he wasn’t the only dirty politician caught red-handed.

Kilpatrick’s former chief of staff was found guilty of accepting a bribe and was sentenced to more than a year in federal prison. He was released in 2011, and promptly found work – back in politics – with a guy named Gary Peters.

Yep, Gary Peters, Michigan’s Democratic U.S. Senate candidate, decided that Kwame Kilpatrick’s former chief of staff was the right man for a taxpayer-funded position in his congressional office after serving one year in federal prison for accepting bribes.

In 2009, state officials levied a fine of more than $200,000 against Mark Schauer for breaking the law. It was the result of a scheme Schauer cooked up in 2006 to skirt Michigan’s campaign finance laws by laundering money through a PAC he established. This year, his campaign has already admitted to breaking campaign laws once, and is under investigation for two more violations.

Mark Schauer, you will recall, is the Democratic candidate for Governor — no, seriously, he’s Michigan’s Democrat candidate for governor.

Godfrey Dillard raised a lot of eyebrows across Michigan when he said that as Secretary of State he “would be able to change and influence elections in the state.”

The job of the Secretary of State is to enforce our laws and ensure a fair and transparent election process. Dillard’s comments make it clear that he’s not interested in enforcing our laws, but rather to “change and influence” them as he sees fit.

This is a troubling pattern that gets worse when you consider these are the people running for office right now. The culture of corruption continues with ex-Michigan Supreme Court Justice Diane Hathaway, Wayne County Executive Bob Ficano, State Rep. Brian Banks and others.

Mark Schauer's Culture of Corruption

For the second time this year, the Mark Schauer/Lisa Brown campaign is caught in a PR firestorm from a complaint alleging the campaign of breaking Michigan campaign finance law by making illegal contributions to Lisa Brown.

According to the complaint, Schauer illegally contributed candidate-to-candidate contributions to Lisa Brown before she was his official lieutenant governor nominee.

In a bold attempt to help his hand-picked running mate, Schauer skirted Michigan’s law by supporting Brown’s candidacy through campaign paraphernalia (e.g. yard signs and other campaign ads).

“Until Lisa Brown becomes the official nominee, Schauer can’t spend funds on advocating her for lieutenant governor of Michigan,” said Eric Doster, campaign finance expert.

Before Brown was nominated on August 23, she was her own candidate under the law and forbidden from accepting donations from another candidate committee.

In an agonizing attempt to try and justify Mark Schauer’s complete disregard of the law, Schauer's spokesperson embarrassingly tried to spin the complaint by deflecting blame on others rather than accepting responsibility.

If found guilty, Mark Schauer faces a fine up to $1,000 or jail time up to 93 days.

This is not the first time Schauer's campaign has blatantly disregarded Michigan’s campaign finance law.

In 2009, Schauer was found guilty of breaking Michigan campaign finance and was awarded the biggest campaign finance violation in Michigan history.

Similarly, his Big Labor buddies, SEIU, were caught breaking Michigan’s campaign finance law and received the second-highest fine in Michigan history. Since 2008, Schauer has received $54,000 from SEIU.

The culture of corruption doesn't end with Schauer. Last month, Oakland County’s chief elections officer, Lisa Brown, paid a $300 fine for failing to adhere to the same laws she was elected to enforce.

This pattern of corruption is alarming. It seems to indicate that the Democrats’ hand-picked gubernatorial candidate believes he is above the law all candidates in Michigan are expected to adhere to.

Michigan families deserve a leader who will not skirt the rule of law to get ahead. We've seen Michigan suffer under the culture of corruption that prevailed during Gov. Jennifer Granholm's Lost Decade. We simply cannot afford to go back to catering to special interest groups for shortsighted political gain.

Michigan families need a leader with a proven record, credibility and conviction.

Schauer campaign: the law is "frivolous and meritless"

By Darren Littell - Michigan families recently saw yet another example of the culture of low character stemming from Mark Schauer’s campaign for governor. This latest example of delinquency reinforces the lengths Mark Schauer will go to in order to win – even if it means breaking the law.

Kim Jorns, executive director of the Michigan Republican Party, filed a complaint against Schauer’s running mate, Lisa Brown, last week for failing to form an official candidate committee 10 days after joining the ticket.

Brown’s “oversight on the law’s requirements turned heads, given her current role as Oakland County’s chief elections officer. Does Lisa Brown understand the law she was elected to enforce or did she purposely ignore the law?

In response to the allegation, the Schauer campaign called the complaint “frivolous and meritless.”

While it is understandable that political parties will have differing views on a variety of issues, there is a consensus that following the rule of law is neither frivolous nor meritless.

Democrats’ history of disregarding the rule of law is well documented. Democratic ally and donor, the Service Employees International Union, (SEIU) received the second-highest fine in Michigan history for breaking campaign finance law.

According to the Michigan’s Secretary of State Office, SEIU illegally funneled over $9 million dollars to two non-profit organizations to support the passage of a state proposal that would have required the Michigan health care workers to unionize.

In a blatant disregard for Michigan’s campaign finance law, SEIU’s contributions were not reported until after the proposal had been defeated in November 2012.

For their bold action to purposely conceal donations and failing to report in an appropriate manner, SEIU was handed down a fine somewhere north of $200,000.

However, the award for the biggest campaign finance violation was awarded to Mark Schauer in 2009 for breaking Michigan’s camping finance law for political gain.

In an effort to help Democratic state candidates get elected in 2006, Mark Schauer purposely skirted the law by accepting illegal campaign donations that were in excess of the $20,000 per-person legal limit – $187,000 which came from Schauer’s own campaign committee.

After it was all said and done, Mark Schauer admitted to 22 violations and was forced to pay a total of $208,250 – the largest in Michigan’s history.

SEIU and Schauer have had a cozy relationship for many years and they both seem to support each other’s willingness to break the law for short-term political gain.

Mark Schauer has made it clear that he will do and say anything to win – even if it means breaking the law.

Lisa Brown’s latest shenanigans are just another example of Democrats’ total lack of regard for the rule of law. It also begs the question of what else the Schauer/Brown campaign is hiding from Michigan families.

Michigan families need leaders that follow and respect the rule of law, not career politicians who believe they are above it. Schauer’s record is stained with shortsighted partisan choices that pander to special interest groups. If given the opportunity, Schauer will bring back the same environment that thrived during the Lost Decade.

Mark Schauer has little to show for his 17 years as a career politician. His “do as I say, not as I do” attitude has hurt Michigan families for years.

At a democratic meeting earlier this year, Mark Schauer was asked about his feelings toward voting in another party’s primary in order to undermine the system and elect a ‘weaker’ candidate. Schauer discouraged this ‘cross-ballot voting’ practice, saying, “I don’t recommend it.”

Michigan Democrat Party Chairman Lon Johnson and several other Democrat leaders have also discouraged their ranks from cross-ballot voting on different occasions.

Given Schauer’s comments on the issue, many were confused last week when he admitted he voted in Michigan’s 2012 GOP Presidential Primary. While it is not clear whom he backed, some speculate it was most likely Rick Santorum in an effort to undermine Michigan’s GOP primary voters because, he said, there was “nothing to vote for on the Democrat side.”

This begs the question; will Mark Schauer vote in the GOP primary August 5th because he is running unopposed on the Democrat side? Also, where are the Democrat officials who condemn this type of behavior and why aren’t they admonishing Mark Schauer for his antics?

When pressed, Schauer casually replied that he does not like to miss an opportunity to vote.

Unless it’s his job to vote.

In 2008, during Mark Schauer’s last year as a State Senator, he was criticized for missing more votes than all other lawmakers in his area of the state.

A year earlier Mark Schauer was kicked off the Campaign & Election Oversight Committee for skipping too many meetings.

Schauer’s tendency to skip out on the job he was elected to do didn’t stop in the state legislature. His first year in Congress, Schauer was caught leaving a Transportation and Infrastructure Committee hearing to attend a fundraiser with lobbyists and union bosses.

Schauer’s latest hypocrisy only compounds the credibility problem that has plagued him throughout his career. The few supporters that he’s managed to mislead are now having second thoughts about where he would lead Michigan if given the chance.

Mark Schauer has had ample time to prove himself to Michigan. Yet, he’s squandered that opportunity by dodging questions, refusing to reveal his plan and choosing special interests over Michigan families.

This latest example of Mark Schauer’s “do as I say not as I do” attitude was a hallmark of the Lost Decade, and it’s additional evidence that he would use the same playbook that brought us the Lost Decade if given the chance.

From the Detroit News - Michigan continues to move in the right direction through the efforts of Republicans across the state. Just a week ago, we saw Michigan’s unemployment rate drop to 7.7 percent, a drop of 6.5 percent since August 2009 under Democratic leadership.

To contrast that, Democratic candidate for governor Mark Schauer has now gone over 300 days without a plan of any kind for Michigan.

We often hear that the best predictor of the future is the past. When you look at Mark Schauer’s career as a state legislator and one-term Congressman, folks see a record of failure as well as someone whose ideas would hurt Michigan’s comeback.

Since May 2013, Schauer has failed to produce a plan on the important issues that resonate with Michigan families. Instead, his campaign strategy has consisted of dodging tough questions and criticizing Gov. Rick Snyder’s accomplishments.

During his 14-year career as a politician, Mark Schauer has presided over one of Michigan’s toughest economic periods as well as one of Washington’s biggest spending sprees.

As Senate Minority Leader, Schauer supported policies that led to higher unemployment, tax increases and more regulations that spiraled Michigan into the Lost Decade. As a Congressman, he supported trillions of dollars in failed legislation that increased the debt and expanded the size of the federal government — including President Barack Obama’s signature healthcare law.

In 2009, the Jackson Citizen Patriot described Schauer’s partisan ideologyby saying, “Schauer somehow lost centrist voters as a Congressman. He voted for Obamacare, cap-and-trade legislation and the stimulus, and his rhetoric tacked hard to the left.”

In 2007 he was kicked off the Campaign & Election Oversight Committee for skipping 4 of 9 meetings that year.

Now he’s at it again. In a recent interview, Mark Schauer demonstrated his ability to avoid answering questions by falling back on abstract rhetoric.

Gov. Snyder has made extensive progress repairing the damage of Mark Schauer’s Lost Decade in just a matter of three years.

Just last week, Michigan families received great news as the state’s unemployment rate for February fell to 7.7 percent, the lowest since May 2008.

Gov. Snyder has eliminated a $1 billion structural deficit, created over 250,000 private sectors jobs, brought businesses back to Michigan, increased funding for education by over $1 billion, created a transparent and accountable state government, and the list goes on.

Michiganians can see Gov. Snyder’s accomplishments on paper, but more importantly they can feel them. Personal income is on the rise, more and better opportunities are available to the point that Michiganians no longer have to split up or move out of state to thrive.

Michigan families deserve a leader with a proven record, credibility and conviction. Schauer has had ample time to make his case – Gov. Snyder released his plan in February of 2010. Where is Mark Schauer’s plan?

From the Detroit News - Obamacare has become frustratingly predictable. The Obama administration promised more than it can deliver and Michigan families are suffering because of those false promises. The newest negative report on Obamacare came out last week, this time it was by the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office. The report estimates that due to Obamacare, the labor force will lose the equivalent of 2 million full time employees by 2017 and more than 2.5 million by 2024.

The new CBO report estimates that the reduction in employees will come from a net decrease in workers’ hours. The CBO estimate claims that a portion of those hours lost will be tied to the new taxes under Obamacare.

The new projections add more hardship to families attempting to gain health care coverage. If increased taxes result in businesses having to cut hours, it not only means that families will be shut out of possible employer-based health care coverage, but it also means that families will be fighting to protect their jobs.

The possibility of lost jobs is already being felt here in Michigan. In west Michigan we have seen that new Obamacare regulations have resulted in lost hours for workers that have resulted in at least 1,000 fewer jobs being available.

What’s worse, both Gary Peters and Mark Schauer have made claims that one of the reasons they voted for Obamacare was because the law would help small businesses and create jobs. Well, less than two months into 2014 we have already seen Obamacare hurt Michigan employers, and now we have a CBO report that is claiming the number of lost jobs could be as high as 2 million in less than five years.

This newest report adds insult to injury. In Michigan, we have already seen individuals lose their health care, as well as people losing their jobs because of Obamacare regulations. Now, we have news that the jobs lost are going to be higher than originally projected. What makes this even worse is that Democrats Mark Schauer and Gary Peters will not stand with Michiganians to help them.

Mark Schauer and Gary Peters continue to ignore the demands to tell Michiganians if they are running on or from Obamacare. Not only will they not tell us where they stand, but they have not come out to apologize for the heartache that Obamacare has caused to 225,000 that have lost their health care coverage, the 1,000 jobs lost in western Michigan, the security risks associated with Healthcare.gov or the now unknown future consequences of the health care law.

From the Detroit News - In May 2013, Mark Schauer announced his campaign, now eight months in it is becoming apparent how wrong he is for Michigan. If you haven’t been keeping track, the past two months we have seen union bosses reject him, his fundraising dry up and Democratic insiders all but say, ‘Mark who?’

Union bosses know Mark Schauer isn’t the answer.

Less than a week ago UAW president Bob King, the biggest union boss in Michigan, asked Gretchen Whitmer to reconsider running for governor, even though Mark Schauer has been the presumptive Democratic nominee for months.

What’s worse for Mark Schauer is that while Bob King backed off his endorsement of Whitmer, he has passed up the opportunity to publicly state he will support Schauer for governor. The silver lining for Mark Schauer in all of this was union boss Bob King announcing he might endorse him in the spring. If Bob King waits until after the filing deadline to endorse, it’s another clear signal that Mark Schauer’s support isn’t even skin deep amongst his own party faithful.

Democratic insiders know Mark Schauer isn’t the answer.

In November 2013, Democratic insiders acknowledged that the base isn’t fired up for Mark Schauer, due in part to the fact that he doesn’t actually have a plan to keep Michigan moving forward. Mark Schauer’s meandering focus from one bad policy idea to the next is a painful reminder he has no plan, and one of many reasons independent voters don’t view him as a serious candidate for governor.

Michigan families know Mark Schauer isn’t the answer.

Mark Schauer’s lack of support from small and large dollar donors is more evidence Michigan families know Mark Schauer isn’t the answer. This month, Schauer announced he would seek public funding for his campaign.

That’s right, Mark Schauer, the man without a plan, without support from his base, without support from independents, and without support from even the big union bosses, will use taxpayer money to fund his campaign for governor.

It gets worse. The $990,000 Schauer will take in public financing is for hisuncontested primary election. If you want a peek into what kind of governor Schauer would be, all you need to know is that he’s taking taxpayer money to fund a political race he’s running against no one. Don’t look now, folks, but you can bet he’ll raid the public coffers for another $1.2 million in the fall when he actually has an opponent. And you can also bet he still won’t have a plan.