In this July newsletter:
- GOP Party leaders call for Unity-----in support of Donald Trump
- Notable Announcements
- Already a Serial Felon, Now Comes a Democrat Candidate with 3 Additional Felony Charges
- Follow the RNC Convention using Social Media
- Delegates from Michigan Prep for Convention in Cleveland
- Wayne Bradley Op-ed on straight party voting
- FAR Participates in Farmington Founders’ Day Parade
- Karen Faett profile: West Bloomfield Activist
- Michigan Property Taxes Remain Among the Highest is USA
- Democrat Rep. Brenda Lawrence “Votes for Us” in Washington
- News Links of Interest
- A Message from the Chairwoman
GOP Party leaders call for Unity-----in Support of Donald Trump
In a disappointing “publicity stunt”, several self promoting “leaders” inside the Michigan party decided to disavow the vote of Michigan’s primary voters regarding who will be nominated for president in Cleveland. Sadly, these “leaders” are exactly the types who would complain if all Republicans did not support their candidate-----had he or she won.
Frankly, these “leaders” can not have it both ways. They need to be reminded that “your candidate” doesn’t always win!. If you want the names of those involved, just contact Janine. This newsletter with give them NO further publicity.
Actual GOP leaders have been vocally in support of our presumptive nominee Donald J. Trump. Check out the MIGOP Chair’s thoughts about Trump here.
Check out The Detroit News article about statewide GOP leaders and Convention Delegates in support of the presumptive nominee here.
The open letter from Convention Delegates can be found here.
Janine Kateff, 14th District Chairwoman, has called for a joint conference call among
Congressional District chairs across Michigan to address this self defeating activity by certain “leaders”. Actions taken by District chairs will be clear as their process moves along.
Enough said. If your favorite candidate’s name is not Donald J. Trump, then your favorite lost. Our presumptive nominee is Donald J. Trump. The RNC Convention in Cleveland will nominate him to be the next president of the USA. If you want a Democrat elected, then ignore calls for UNITY. The time for clarity and unity is here, so get on board!
Notable Announcements:
- Due to the GOP National Convention (ok, and summer vacations) the 14th CD Executive Committee will NOT meet in July. See you all on August 18, same place and time!
- July 16: Farmington Area Republicans (FAR) at 9:30 a.m. walk in the Farmington Founder’s Day parade. See article below.:
- July 17 to 21: GOP National Convention in Cleveland; use the social media tools described below to stay connected
- July 18: Oakland County Young Republicans meeting features candidates for Oakland County Prosecutor Mike Goetz and for U. S. Congress (MI-9) Christopher Morse at 6:30 p.m. at Black Finn in Royal Oak. Email Shawn at [email protected] for details.
- July 24: Eastside Republican Club summer picnic from 1 to 4 p.m. at Patterson Park in Grosse Pointe Park; for information text or call Peggy at 313-505-3646
- August 9: Joint fundraiser for Supreme Court Justices Viviano and Larsen in Grosse Pointe Park; for information contact Anjali at 248-719-6209 or email [email protected]
- August 11: County Conventions
- August 18: 14th District Republican Committee next meeting will be on this date.
- August 26 - 27: MIGOP State Convention – Grand Rapids (see details below)
Already a Serial Felon, Now Comes a Democrat Candidate with 3 Additional Felony Charges
Detroit, a city run into the ground by Democrats for decades, keeps electing corrupt politicians like State Representative Brian Banks. He is a candidate for re-election (no, that is not a type) against our own Will Broman, candidate for Michigan House District 1.
Mr. Banks is an eight-time convicted felon who now faces three additional felony charges from Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette filed on June 28th. Mr. Banks is currently running for his third term in the 1st District, which includes a large part of Detroit. If you want to read more, check it out here.
But to really help the citizens of Detroit to elect candidate Will Broman contact him here http://williambroman.com/.Lets help Will get this done. The people of District 1 (which includes a portion of Northeast Detroit, Harper Woods, and Grosse Pointe Woods/Shores) deserve better elected representation. Let's help Will get elected. More on this evolving situation in future newsletters!
Follow the RNC Convention using Social Media
The most exciting political event in decades or maybe ever will start soon in Cleveland with the beginning of the RNC National Convention.
Not going? Don’t want your Convention “news” coming from MSNBC? Or even FOX News?
Then use these two sources for social media updates direct from the Convention. Your smart phone has a FREE app for coverage about the RNC Convention here.
Want a place to gather information about the Convention from a Michigan viewpoint? This Facebook is up and running and will have up to the minute breaking news right through the final gavel. Use this link for Michigan At RNC Convention on Facebook.
Delegates From Michigan Prep for Convention in Cleveland
The Michigan Delegation to the Convention will be staying at the Sheraton Suite Akron (which is technically in Cuyahoga Falls). While surprising, it is not as “bad” at the California Delegation which is staying at the Kalahari Resort in Sandusky (no, really, they are). Check out the hotel assignment for each delegation here.
Those in the Michigan Delegation who were elected to any of the various RNC Committees will be in Cleveland for those meetings from July 10th to July 13th. Learn more about the overall schedule here http://convention.gop/
Many from Michigan will be driven to Cleveland by a MIGOP chartered bus. Regardless of how Delegates arrive at the Sheraton, each day a MIGOP bus will transport the Delegation to and from the Convention site in downtown Cleveland. Convention events start on July 16th and continue through the acceptance speech on the evening of July 21st. The (likely exhausted) Delegation is expected to leave Cleveland on July 22nd.
Wayne Bradley Op-ed on straight party voting
Wayne Bradley, 14th CD Executive Committee member and MIGOP State Committee member, authored an op-ed column that recently appeared in The Detroit News. In it Wayne addresses what he labeled as “fears” about the elimination of straight party voting as being “overblown”. Read it all here.
On another exciting front, Wayne has returned to the radio air waves! His talk show format show can be heard on 910 AM (Superstation) every Sunday from noon to 2 p.m. Listen and call in to have your voice heard! Congrats Wayne! We are so very proud of the way you take on the difficult challenge of listening and re- directing democrats. You have your second calling on the radio waves! All the best!
FAR Participates in Farmington Founders’ Day Parade
“Farmington Area Republicans (FAR) are a long time supporter of the Farmington Founders’ Day event, which is an important community event”, said Bill Belcher FAR’s president. “Each year we participate and this year we will walk in the parade starting at 9:30 a.m. on July 16. We’d love to have more people from the 14th District join.us.” Check out details of the Farmington Founders’ Day events at http://foundersfestival.com/
To participate connect with Terry West, event coordinator for FAR, at [email protected] or at [email protected]. Or just show up and walk on July 16th!
Karen Faett profile: West Bloomfield Activist
Karen Faett remembers the day she put her Republican philosophy into action. It was not all good.
It was Oct. 9, 2008. John McCain had surrendered the State of Michigan and abandoned his campaign here.
Faett knew that would hurt U.S. Rep. Joe Knollenberg’s re-election campaign so she volunteered to help him. “I decided to go to Knollenberg’s office to help out with his campaign, notwithstanding the fact I had been feeling anxious and short of breath,” she recalls.
Later the same day she went to Henry Ford Hospital’s Emergency Department, which transferred her to another facility because its Doppler machine wasn’t working. That night she was diagnosed with a pulmonary embolism and admitted to St. Joseph Mercy Hospital.
“Although I hadn’t realized at the time my health problem was life-threatening, the point of it is the day I wanted to go to help out Congressman Knollenberg, I felt quite poorly, and felt angry that McCain had abandoned Michigan. I wanted to fight on and we must be willing to in this current election, which involves a presidential candidate who is not my first pick because he appears to lack knowledge of the constitution, which I believe is paramount for any presidential candidate.”
Thus, Faett’s activism came more than 20 years after she had identified herself as a Republican. She did so while in law school in 1985 because of her admiration for Ronald Reagan and the U.S. Supreme Court, “specifically William Rehnquist and Byron ‘Whizzer’ White.”
Faett says that after law school she was “disgusted by the process by which the Clarence Thomas confirmation process was being handled. I was appalled by the flagrant misrepresentation and attempt to destroy a qualified man, having already observed what had happened to Robert Bork, who would have been a fine a fine Supreme Court justice. I decided at that point that I would take efforts to ensure that qualified conservatives would be sitting on that bench.”
Today, Faett is among the 59 Michigan Delegates to the Republican National Convention July 18 to 21 in Cleveland. This follows extensive involvement in Republican organizations in Oakland County. She volunteered for Rocky Raczkowski’s Congressional campaign in 2010. In 2011, she joined the Greater West Bloomfield Republicans, ran for West Bloomfield School Board and lost.
“I got involved with the Oakland County Republican Party and became finance chair,” Faett says. “I was finance chair in 2013 when Donald Trump was the featured speaker for the Lincoln Day Dinner. I was an at-large member of the Oakland County GOP Executive Committee.”
“In 2014 I founded a conservative women’s organization focused on educating and empowering women, with an emphasis on providing information about human trafficking. Unfortunately, the organization did not succeed.”
Faett was born in New Jersey and is the daughter of Leonard and Elayne Leonetti. She grew up outside of Harrisburg, Pa. She has two sisters, Tammy Shatto and Lynda Leonetti.
“Lynda was a member of Teenage Republicans and is unique in that she is a conservative teacher.”
Faett holds a B.S. degree from Gannon University and is a 1988 cum laude graduate from Wayne Law School. She has been with the law firm Siemion Huckabay in Southfield since then.
Her practice is devoted to the defense of health care professionals.
In addition to the Supreme Court, Faett says her major interests are free market capitalism, national security and the need to reduce government regulation in the private sector.
“Personally, what I believe will grow the party is to have us focus more on the financial issues of our platform,” she says. “Everyone wants to put more of their money back in their pockets. We should focus on how Republican leadership would allow that. Right now, too many people, even those who are apolitical, are nervous about guns and too many Republican groups are perceived by those people as obsessed with our guns. While I certainly believe in our Second Amendment rights, I think we lose many potential supporters because of this.”
Reflecting back on the 2008 election, Faett says she thinks “the party frequently makes decisions with which I don’t agree. We need to do our best to overcome the differences, which at that time was a huge election given who was elected.”
Michigan Property Taxes Remain Among the Highest is USA
Many years after Proposal A promised to help address Michigan high property taxes and to reduce property tax burdens in the state, Michigan is still among the highest tax rates in the nation according to the Tax Foundation.
Thankfully we are not as high as property taxes in the northeastern states. However, Michigan is (unfortunately) ranked the highest in the Midwest and is far higher than most states in the southeast and south central US.
Remember this when you vote for local board spots in November! These officials affect your pocketbook directly!.
Learn more about the Tax Foundation’s findings here.
Democrat Rep. Brenda Lawrence “Votes for Us” in Washington
Your Democrat 14th Congressional District U.S. Representative Brenda Lawrence has been busy in Washington, D.C. Here is a recap of several of her recent and shocking votes. Her role in supporting the Democrat Party line and not Michigan values can be seen very clearly here. Her votes often go like this: you think of a logical idea/opinion and then she will vote the opposite way. After considering her positions, please feel free to call her office at 202-225-5802.
- HB 3340 passed with a vote of 239 to 179, with yet again Lawrence voting AGAINST. This makes the budget of the Financial Stability Oversight Council subject to Congressional approval. Now, the agency receives funding from assessments on the financial institutions that it oversees and can spend the money immediately without oversight. This give Congress the power to set the spending level of the Council.
- SB 1890 passed with a vote of 410 to 2, with our elected Representative Lawrence registering a “did not vote” (things are always busy in Washington). This allows owners of a trade secret to sue for damages and to stop dissemination of their trade secret if someone has stolen it. Seems pretty straight forward.
- HB 1206 passed with a vote of 254 to 170, with Lawrence voting AGAINST. This law imposes an IRS hiring freeze until it (the IRS) certifies that no current IRS employee is seriously delinquent in taxes owed to the U.S. Government. Really?
- HB 4885 passed with a vote of 245 to 179, with Lawrence (predictably) voting AGAINST. This requires that the IRS deposit services fees that it charges into the U.S. Treasury general fund. This would have the effect of prohibiting the IRS to use service fees for its own purposes, unless the Congress authorizes such spending.
News Links of Interest
-
Selfridge Airbase plans celebration for a century of military flying
-
Detroit (and Grand Rapids) housing leads the nation in growth
-
Detroit’s media revolution not televised, but may be podcasted
A Message from the Chairwoman
Dear 14th District Executive Committee Members, and fellow Republicans;
Happy Independence Day! July 4th! I hope you, your family and friends have a safe and memorable holiday!
Summer is “Pure Michigan” and I know we will all enjoy our beautiful state! To make sure that happens, no meeting will be held in July. OK, the RNC National Convention has a bit to do with it, but in any event our next meeting will be August 18. Enjoy summer in Michigan.
As we move closer to the RNC Convention I am concerned, yet hopeful, that hardworking and passionate Delegates will come together to support our presumptive Presidential Nominee.
I am concerned that some of our Michigan team of Delegates don’t see just how important it is that we win in November. The Supreme Court is probably at risk as we move forward.
We don’t always get what we want. Perhaps Mr. Trump wasn’t your first choice, but please take a look at what you are doing! You are undermining the very fiber of our party. We need to UNITE.
Think about this scenario: If, after the election is over and we aren’t holding the White House, how will you feel then? Just saying…..
All the best to the Precinct Delegates who are running in a contested race. I have personally spend a few hundred dollars, knocked on many doors, and done a lot of schlepping to hopefully win re-election on August 2. I know many of you are doing the same. I salute you for your passion and diligence, and hope you win your precinct delegate seat.
Candidates, my hat is tipped to you, too. Time, money, leg work, and you are to be saluted for your efforts. I hope to hear about many successes on August 2, 2016. From the School Board Seats through to our State Legislature, all the best to you!
The next time we will all come together will be at the County Conventions and State Conventions:
Thurs. August 11 - County Convention – elect delegates to the State Convention
Fri. August 26 – 27 State Convention – Grand Rapids - To elect GOP candidates to run for Statewide offices; to elect 16 Presidential Electors; and to elect candidates for 2 Supreme Court Justices, 2 State Board of Education members, and University Regents for U Mich, MSU and Wayne State
Whether “The Donald” was your #1 pick or your #17 pick (remember we started the primary process with 17 Republican candidates) it looks like the RNC Convention will have our candidate locked up on the first ballot. Donald J. Trump is the presumptive Republican candidate. We need to get behind him! He has an opportunity to rewrite the electoral college map and win!
The only way we all can stop the disastrous route our country is on is to elect our GOP candidate. Not voting will help the other side win. Not voting will ensure that Obama’s horrible “reign” will continue through Hillary.
At the 14th Executive Committee May meeting, Justice Myra Corrigan spoke about the issue of poverty in the USA. She emphasized that whoever wins the presidential race in November will need to address this crisis. The Justice generously provided copies of the booklet “Opportunity, Responsibility and Security” which lays out several ideas about this issue. We gave all the books at the last meeting. Thank You Justice Corrigan.
At our June meeting, the Executive Committee approved a resolution against the State Board of Education’s pending guidelines about, among other things, creating “open bathrooms” in our public schools. Those attending felt that prompt action was needed as the SBE is scheduled to vote on these guidelines in August.
We passed a RESOLUTION AGAINST THE LGBTQ GUIDELINES SET FORTH BY the MI STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION and ADVANCED by the OBAMA ADMINISTRATION. The resolution passed readily with only one nay vote. This resolution is available on the 14th CD's website.
This Democrat led push is about advancing an agenda rather than actually advancing the main issue---in this case improving education. It also highlights how important it is to elect Republicans to influential offices such as State Board of Education which will be on the ballot in November. Pay attention voters!
In a few days, your Michigan Delegation will be heading off to Cleveland for the Convention to nominate our next president. It will be exciting! I plan to post updates to the 14th’s Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/mi14gop/) or connect at the social media mentioned above. My first Convention was in Tampa in 2012. This one will be like none other I have a feeling. Wish us well and stay in touch!
No Meeting in July
Next 14th CD Meeting: August 18 at 6:00pm
Meeting location: Emagine Theatre
200 N. Main Street, Royal Oak, MI 48067
JOIN US!
All Republicans are welcome to attend this open meeting! Please join us with your ideas, energy and help to make us grow!
God’s Blessing to you and your ever precious family for a wonderful and safe summer.
Janine Kateff
14th District Chairwoman
email - [email protected]
Like our Facebook-https://www.facebook.com/mi14gop
website- 14cd.com
twitter - https://twitter.com/
586 917 6118
