↘️Despite #WhitmerWeedTax, Speaker Hall And House Republicans Score Huge Wins In Budget Fight

 

By Brandon Hall

(Email him at WestMIPolitics@Gmail.com)

As the clock struck midnight, Michigan didn't have a new budget passed, as required by the Constitution.

No budget? No problem! At least according to Governor Whitmer. By 3 am, before any services could be impacted, a temporary 1 week budget was passed by the legislature as the final details for this year get ironed out.

One of the biggest issues remaining: an immensely controversial wholesale marijuana tax increase.

And please, make no mistake: it's the #WhitmerWeedTax.  

Whitmer proposed it. Whitmer's insisting on it. Whitmer won in 2022. Whitmer controls the Democrat State Senate.

Speaker Hall's budget had no such weed tax. 

Speaker Of The House Matt Hall

If Republicans ran the Governor's office and State Senate, it wouldn't be happening.

But we don't---so it is.

The original tax proposal was 31%, and that is now down to 24%. 

Sources say it could go down to 10-20%, but that there will definitely be some sort of weed tax raise at the end of the day.

Michigan's marijuana industry has already been on shaky ground. Now, industry leaders say  Michigan will see significantly less out of state buyers, and up to 50,000 jobs could be on the line if the #WhitmerWeedTax goes into effect.

Hundreds of demonstrators gathered at the Capitol yesterday, demanding the Democrat Senate reject the increase.

Aside from the horrendous #WhitmerWeedTax, this is a FANTASTIC budget compared to recent years ️ 

Speaker Matt Hall, Appropriations Chair Ann Iatrow Bollin, Appropriations Vice Chair Matt Maddock, and the Michigan House Republicans are delivering a budget that: 

Eliminates billions in waste, fraud, and abuse 

Doesn't pay for fake, "ghost employees" 

Ends taxes on tips, and overtime 

 Requires transparency on all special projects

  Cuts government spending

Stay tuned for more details...

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Brandon Hall is a lifelong political nerd from Grand Haven, and is the Managing Editor of West Michigan Politics.

>>>Email him at WestMIPolitics@Gmail.com

Mike Duggan's Calculated Silence About What Happened To Charlie Is Sickening And Totally Unacceptable

By Brandon Hall

(Email him at WestMIPolitics@Gmail.com)

Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan's calculated silence on the assassination of Charlie Kirk is sickening, and totally unacceptable.

Duggan, running for Governor as an Independent, was the only candidate in the race who didn't issue a response to his public execution last month in Utah.

I certainly understand not wanting to rush right into a tragedy, instead waiting for the facts to come in, being respectful of the situation---so I waited patiently for Duggan's statement. Spoiler alert: the statement never came! 

I guarantee you a statement was drafted, just not released. Why?

Politically speaking, it was quite shocking to see Duggan miss a key moment to make inroads with Republicans, the group of voters he struggles with the most according to poll numbers.

If Duggan thinks he can win on just "moderates," he better wake the hell up quickly: the only way Duggan can get to that magic ~40% number is if he picks off some Trump Republican voters, especially in rural areas---his operation in the cities and suburbs alone might get him close, but won't be enough to deliver Duggan the win.

I have followed Mike Duggan for nearly 15 years, since I first heard he was going to be running for Mayor.

His historic write in campaign after getting thrown off the ballot was immensely impressive.

Though Detroit still has a long ways to go, especially outside of downtown and surrounding neighborhoods, anyone who has spent some time there the last decade has seen firsthand how successful many of Duggan's efforts have been. Rick Snyder laid the foundation with the bankruptcy, and Duggan has built greatly on that. (I still won't be going to a Detroit gas station anytime soon, though.)

To be totally honest, I really like the idea of a TRUE Independent Governor coming to Lansing, and giving a giant middle finger to both parties after decades of their BS. 

And the political nerd in me loves ruminating on just how historic an Independent campaign with a candidate who has Duggan's political acumen, name ID, and financial backing could turn out---we've never seen anything like it in Michigan history.  

But is Mr. Duggan truly Independent?

He says he left the Democrat Party because they became too extreme, I can believe that.

After all, Donald Trump was a Manhattan Democrat. Ronald Reagan was a Hollywood Democrat. 

Some of our best leaders in the Republican Party right now---Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr and Director Of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard for instance---are former Democrats.

 I was at least willing to give him a chance to be heard.

However, the only logical conclusion is that Duggan and his team purposefully calculated that a statement about Charlie might cost him support with some of the same members of the radical left that are allegedly why he left the party in the first place:  What other reason could there possibly be? Sorry, Mike: that dog don't hunt.

Like Fleetwood Mac said, "if you don't love me now, you wilI never love me again." If Duggan doesn't value Conservatives enough to bother even pretending to care right now as he's trying to earn votes, why the hell would he start magically caring about us in January 2027?

I was very "Duggan Curious." And I still have a lot of respect for Duggan's leadership skills, and political IQ.

If "Jumpin' John James" or Kevin Rinke hijacks the Republican nomination, I'll take another look, but right now, I'm swiping left on Mike Duggan.

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Brandon Hall is a lifelong political nerd from Grand Haven, and is the Managing Editor of West Michigan Politics.

>>>Email him at WestMIPolitics@Gmail.com