April 30, 2012: The Bay County Bulletin

OFFICIAL CALL TO THE BAY COUNTY REPUBLICAN CONVENTION: There shall be a meeting of the duly elected Precinct Delegates and the At-Large Delegates to the County Convention at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 3, 2012 in the old chambers of the Bay County Board of Commissioners on the second floor of the Bay County Building, 515 Center Avenue, Bay City. The purpose of this meeting shall be to elect Delegates and Alternates to the May 18 – 19, 2012 State Convention to be held at Cobo Center in the City of Detroit. The purpose of the State Convention is to elect delegates to the 2012 Republican National Convention, and to elect our National Committeeman and Committeewoman. Only Precinct Delegates elected at the August 3, 2010 Primary Election, the last recent Republican nominees for County and State Legislative offices, the Michigan Congressional Delegation, the Republican National Committeeman and National Committeewoman from Michigan and Michigan Republican Party Officers (see Rule 5C) where such person resides in the county in question and Precinct Delegates elected to permanently fill vacancies at all subsequent county conventions will be seated and considered eligible to vote at this convention.

Reps. Dave Camp and Eric Cantor
speak to media after a Republican
fundraiser at the H Hotel in Midland

CANTOR: SILICON VALLEY HAS NOTHING ON MIDLAND: Representative Eric Cantor, the Republican House majority leader from Virginia, compared the global reach of technology mecca Silicon Valley to Midland on Monday. "It’s ironic, you go to Silicon Valley, and they say if you live in Silicon Valley you wake up thinking globally," he told a gathering of about 300 Republicans in the ballroom of Midland's The H Hotel at a breakfast fundraiser. "I don’t think Silicon Valley has anything on Midland, Michigan." "The irony of a state that’s had such challenges and to have a community like this that is leading the global competition ... hats off to you." http://bit.ly/IcliUl

GOP builds national campaign network from its grass roots: The Republican Party over the next few weeks will open a series of local campaign offices in a half-dozen key swing states to help mobilize GOP voters this fall and catch up with President Obama's head start in campaign organization. Over the next two weeks, these "victory offices" opened jointly by the Republican National Committee and state GOP committees will develop and share voter contact information, grass-roots organizing and get-out-the-vote efforts with state party committees. By summer, the network will be at the service of the party's nominee, presumably former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney. http://usat.ly/IlLFXU

Belleman a finalist for Wisconsin position: Bay City Manager Robert Belleman is a finalist for the same position in Fond du Lac, Wis., according to their local newspaper. According to the Fond du Lac Reporter, Belleman is among five finalists for city manager, with interviews and a reception scheduled for May 11. Fond du Lac is a city of about 43,000 compared to Bay City's nearly 35,000. Fond du Lac's current city manager, Tom Herre, is retiring June 15. The salary for a new city manager has not been determined, but Herre made $121,303 and had a car allowance of $100 per month. Belleman's salary is $89,776. He could not be reached for comment this afternoon. http://bit.ly/KkIT0r

TRUSTEES REPORT SOCIAL SECURITY OUTLOOK WORSENING: The Medicare and Social Security trust funds are both on "unsustainable paths" — as they have been for years — and will be exhausted by 2024 and 2033, respectively, a trustee report (PDF) released Monday said. "The projections in this year's report are somewhat more pessimistic than last year's report," Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said. The 2024 date for depletion of the Medicare trust fund was the same as predicted last year, while trustees moved up the date for the Social Security fund running out by three years compared with last year. http://usat.ly/Ic7R2s

BIRTHWEEK: Monday: Stephen Harper (Conservative PM of Canada). Friday: George Will. Sunday: Willie Mays, Bob Seger, George Clooney.

Calvin Johnson beat out
Panthers QB Cam Newton
for the Madden NFL '13 cover.

MEGATRON ON MADDEN COVER: Fresh off a mega contract, Calvin "Megatron" Johnson has landed the coveted cover of "Madden NFL 13." The Detroit Lions wideout beat out second-year Panthers quarterback Cam Newton for the honor. The vote was announced Wednesday afternoon on "SportsNation" on ESPN2. Johnson, who won by garnering 52 percent of the more than 651,000 votes cast in the competition, said he was "shocked" by the decision. http://es.pn/ILiV82

LIONS PICK REIFF AT #23: The Detroit Lions addressed the offensive line in the first round of the NFL draft. With the 23rd pick in tonight's draft, the team took Iowa offensive lineman Riley Reiff. Reiff, 6-foot-5 3/4 and 313 pounds, was the first player from the Big Ten selected in tonight's draft. "Words can't describe how happy I am right now," Reiff said. "I'm super excited to be a Lion. I really can't put into words what I'm actually feeling but I'm excited. The Lions are a great team and it'll be great seasons ahead." http://on.freep.com/JEESZV

49ers pick Trenton Robinson in 6th round: The suspense is finally over for Bay City native Trenton Robinson. After a longer than expected wait, the former three-year starter at free safety for Michigan State saw his dream realized on Saturday when the San Francisco 49ers made him the 10th pick of the sixth round of the 2012 NFL Draft. "I'm very excited that they took a chance on me," Robinson said in a conference call with the 49ers. "I'm just really ready to get out there and work. My dream is here. I just don't even know how to feel except that I'm super excited to get out here and work and show them what I can do." Robinson becomes the first person from Bay City to be drafted into the NFL since 1973 when Jerry List was taken by the Oakland Raiders in the 11th round out of Nebraska. http://bit.ly/IIq2jx

Tigers Release Inge: Without any tears or spoken regrets, the newly released Brandon Inge told reporters this afternoon that he still loves having played for the Detroit Tigers and their fans and that he hopes to continue his career with another team. He received word of his release immediately after today’s game from general manager Dave Dombrowski, assistant general manager Al Avila and manager Jim Leyland in a meeting in Leyland’s clubhouse office. "I could kind of see how things were going," Inge, 34, said. “But there are no hard feelings whatsoever. This is my family. This is where I’ve been my whole career. I’ll miss the guys -- I will. ... My heart will always be in Detroit." http://on.freep.com/IozlGo

April 23, 2012: The Bay County Bulletin

Governor Rick Snyder visited troops
in Afghanistan along with the governors
of Rhode Island and South Dakota.

FROM THE TWITTERS: @onetoughnerd: Good news to report: #Michigan's unemployment rate dropped to 8.5% & total employment went up by 21,000 last month. #Michigan's unemployment rate is now a full two percentage points lower than it was a year ago #TheReinventionIsWorking

MICHIGAN'S 8.5% JOBLESS RATE HITS LOWEST LEVEL SINCE AUGUST '08: Michigan's March unemployment rate fell by three-tenths of a percentage point, down to 8.5 percent from the February rate of 8.8 percent and two full points below the same month last year. Payroll employment increased by 1,000 jobs, and total employment by 9,000, suggesting a gain in self-employed workers, according to data released this afternoon by the Michigan Department of Technology, Management & Budget. The number of jobless workers declined by 12,000 and the state labor force — everyone with a job or looking for one — climbed by 21,000. http://bit.ly/I5yzZn

JOE DAVIS FUNDRAISER: Commissioner Joe Davis is having a fundraiser on Thursday, April 26 at Webster House, 900 Fifth St., in Bay City from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Tickets start at $50; please mail a check payable to "Joe F. Davis for County Commissioner" to 900 N. Wenona St., Bay City, MI 48706.

SAGINAW COUNTY GOP PRECINCT DELEGATE TRAINING: Join the Saginaw GOP for a precinct delegate training session with pizza on Monday, April 30 at 6 p.m. at their headquarters, 3071 Bay Rd., Ste. 300, Saginaw. If you are currently a precinct delegate, a new precinct delegate, or aren't quite sure, attend this training session to learn how to make the most of your tenure as a precinct delegate.

Filing deadline is May 15: In order to be a candidate for precinct delegate, a person must file an Affidavit of Identity with the county clerk no later than 4 p.m. on Tuesday, May 15. The form must be notarized. The clerk has forms in her office.

Santos' move from Bangor Township to Saginaw city clerk 'a giant step up,' boss says: Earlier this week, Janet Santos announced her resignation as Bangor Township clerk to accept the position as clerk in Saginaw. Santos had served as Bangor Township's clerk since 2000. http://bit.ly/JO1EsU

HATCH FACES UTAH PRIMARY FIGHT: Sen. Orrin Hatch failed to clinch his party’s nomination at the state GOP convention Saturday, ensuring a June primary against state Sen. Dan Liljenquist. The six-term Republican incumbent fell just short of the 60 percent threshold necessary to skirt a June 26 face-off. On the second ballot, Hatch notched 59 percent of the vote to Liljenquist’s 41 percent. While Hatch avoided the fate of former Sen. Bob Bennett — who was denied the renomination in dramatic fashion at this convention two years ago — he now enters a two-month campaign that he would have liked to avoid. In the end, Hatch fell short by fewer than 50 votes from avoiding a fight into the summer. http://politi.co/IcRLsz

Romney raises more campaign cash in Michigan than Obama: Despite the credit President Barack Obama gets for helping turn around Michigan's signature auto industry, he trails the man he's likely to face in November -- Michigan-born Mitt Romney -- in campaign fund-raising in the state. At least for a few more days. A Free Press analysis of Federal Election Commission records shows that as of the end of February -- the most recent period for which data are available -- Obama had raised about $1.6 million in Michigan. http://on.freep.com/INzuUT

Legislators' agenda will test Snyder's leadership: Lawmakers return from their spring break Tuesday — and back into a tug of war with Gov. Rick Snyder over the state budget that started before their vacation. Snyder and the Legislature have agreed to get the budget done by June 1 — like last year when they delivered the fastest budget in three decades. But with a year's experience under their belts, Republican lawmakers are showing more independence. http://bit.ly/I1lSCr

State Representative Dave Agema
is challenging Saul Anuzis for re-election
to the RNC from Michigan.

Tea party activists recruit Agema for high profile Republican race against Anuzis: In his bid to beat Saul Anuzis for the Michigan Republican National Committeeman position, term-limited state Rep. Dave Agema said Tuesday he’s not going to engage in negative campaigning against the party veteran. The Grandville resident was not as demure in an email sent the same day announcing his candidacy and seeking support of conservatives. He initially takes a veiled approach vowing not to work as a "paid political consultant while in a party office" without naming Anuzis, who runs the Coast to Coast Strategies firm, has held the national post since 2010 and served four years as the state party chairman. Agema later writes about his opponent inviting him to support the National Popular Vote, an effort to get states to combine their electoral votes behind the presidential candidate who wins the most votes overall, without full disclosure of his interest. http://bit.ly/J5QcOs

HERITAGE GUIDE TO THE CONSTITUTION: The Heritage Guide to the Constitution is intended to provide a brief and accurate explanation of each clause of the Constitution as envisioned by the Framers and as applied in contemporary law. Its particular aim is to provide lawmakers with a means to defend their role and to fulfill their responsibilities in our constitutional order. Yet while the Guide will provide a reliable reference for lawmakers and policy-makers, and be especially useful for the trained jurist, it is written to be explanatory and educational, accessible and helpful for informed citizens and students of the Constitution generally. http://herit.ag/Y0x

BIRTHWEEK: Tuesday: Todd Jones. Wednesday: Sen. John Kyl (R-AZ), Al Pacino. Thursday: Frederick Law Olmsted (designer of Bay City's Carroll Park, NYC's Central Park and U.S. Capitol grounds) (h/t a duck in the pond), Carol Burnett. Friday: Ulysses S. Grant, Jack Klugman, Casey Kasem (h/t a long-distance dedication). Saturday: Nicklas Lidstrom, John Daly. Sunday: The Duke of Wellington, Duke Ellington, Jerry Seinfeld, Mike Babcock, @MattFrendewey.

Philip Humber pitched the
21st perfect game in MLB history
on Saturday in Seattle.

PERFECTION: White Sox's Humber throws perfect game: For only a few seconds Saturday, Philip Humber's perfect game bid was out of his hands. "Go get it," Humber said as catcher A.J. Pierzynski chased down an errant slider that pinch-hitter Brendan Ryan was ruled to have swung at. "Throw him out." As soon as Pierzynski retreated and completed his throw to first base to complete the 27th consecutive out, the latest chapter in Humber's amazing ascent was completed. http://trib.in/JyyC0T

Spirit’s Greg Gilbert OHL Coach of the Year: The Ontario Hockey League Tuesday announced that Saginaw Spirit Head Coach Greg Gilbert is the 2011-12 recipient of the Matt Leyden Trophy presented to the OHL Coach of the Year. Gilbert joined the Spirit midway through the 2011-12 campaign and in 36 games behind the bench earned a 20-10-1-5 record for 46 points helping the Spirit climb from ninth place in the OHL’s Western Conference standings with 28 points to a fifth place finish with 74 points. The sixth coach in club history, Gilbert becomes the first Matt Leyden Trophy winner in the Spirit’s 10-year history in Saginaw. "I am very honoured and humbled to be recognized with this award and this is something that I will always cherish," Gilbert said. "I have been fortunate to be involved with a great organization with a tremendous ownership group and supporting staff, and of course a lot of credit needs to go to the players who opened their minds with a willingness to learn and work hard." http://bit.ly/I2q3un

The Lions will have one
Monday Night Football game
on October 22 in Chicago.

LIONS SCORE FIVE NATIONALLY TELEVISED GAMES: The NFL has released its regular-season schedule and it declares the Lions must-see TV. The Lions will be featured in four prime-time games and five nationally-televised games (including Thanksgiving), the most allowed to any one team. The one drawback for Lions fans is three of those nationally-televised games are on the road (49ers, Bears and Packers) and the two at Ford Field aren’t until Week 12 (Thanksgiving) against the Texans and Week 16 against the Falcons. http://bit.ly/IVQlok

April 16, 2012: The Bay County Bulletin

JOE DAVIS FUNDRAISER: Commissioner Joe Davis is having a fundraiser on Thursday, April 26 at Webster House, 900 Fifth St., in Bay City from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Tickets start at $50; please mail a check payable to "Joe F. Davis for County Commissioner" to 909 N. Wenona St., Bay City, MI 48706.

SANTORUM BOWS OUT: Rick Santorum suspended his campaign for the White House on Tuesday, clearing the way for former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney to claim the Republican presidential nomination and end the primary season after three months and 37 contests. The former Pennsylvania senator told a news conference he had made the decision over the weekend with his family. Trailing far behind Mr. Romney in the delegate count, Mr. Santorum faced a growing chorus of calls from within his party to exit the race and allow Republicans to unify their forces for the November election. http://on.wsj.com/Hvgcm2

WSJ DELEGATE COUNT: Romney: 684. Santorum: 270. Gingrich: 136. Paul: 52. http://bit.ly/x8AjFP

COUNTDOWN: 113 days to primary, 204 days to general.

COUNTY CONVENTION: There shall be a meeting of the duly elected Precinct Delegates and the At-Large Delegates to the County Convention at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 3, 2012 in the old chambers of the Bay County Board of Commissioners on the second floor of the Bay County Building, 515 Center Avenue, Bay City. The purpose of this meeting shall be to elect Delegates and Alternates to the May 18 – 19, 2012 State Convention to be held at Cobo Center in the City of Detroit. The purpose of the State Convention is to elect delegates to the 2012 Republican National Convention, and to elect our National Committeeman and Committeewoman.

Proposed industrial district in Bangor Township could lure investments, spur riverfront development: Officials and business owners say that a stretch of property along the Saginaw River could jumpstart the local economy if it receives the green light to be developed as an industrial district. "This step is kind of a formality — the exciting part is when the companies start to move in," said Terry Watson, Bangor Township supervisor. "Once the property sees improvement, then it becomes much more valuable, and that's where it is a win for the township." http://bit.ly/IC8zLp

BAY COUNTY CHAMBER LUNCHEON: Johnson, Stamas say education needs reform and financial support: Education was highlighted by the final two speakers at today's State Legislative Luncheon, hosted by the Bay Area Chamber of Commerce at Bay Valley Resort & Conference Center. Rep. Joel Johnson, R-Clare, is working toward foundation grant equity for all schools that will be achieved over a three-year span. http://bit.ly/ImrGof

Brunner says Pure Michigan works, and airport needs a new name: Pure Michigan is working, said Rep. Charles Brunner, D-Bay City. Addressing the State Legislative Luncheon hosted by the Bay Area Chamber of Commerce at Bay Valley Resort & Conference Center, he said that throughout his 10 years in government, he has been required to make cuts. One investment that is proving worthwhile in Michigan is tourism, he said. Every dollar of the $14.2 million spent out of state on Pure Michigan brought $4.90 back to the state. http://bit.ly/HxJXPt

AMERICA'S DEBT BOMB WORSE THAN EUROPE: It has been said many times in recent months that we aren’t Greece. Now it will start to be said that we aren’t Spain. Both propositions are certainly true. (For one thing, Spain elected its socialist government in 2004, thus getting a head start on us.) But if we compare America’s debt crisis to Europe’s as a whole, how do we stack up? The Republicans on the Senate Budget Committee did the math and produced this graphic, which shows that the U.S. is now deeper in debt than the entire Eurozone, plus the United Kingdom. (The Democrats on the committee are too busy dodging their legal obligation to come up with a budget to produce anything.): http://bit.ly/HHXhSY

Motorcycle helmets now optional: Gov. Rick Snyder has signed into law a bill making motorcycle helmets optional. "While many motorcyclists will continue to wear helmets, those who choose not to deserve the latitude to make their own informed judgments," Snyder, a Republican, said in a news release Wednesday. Former Gov. Jennifer Granholm, a Democrat, twice vetoed similar legislation. http://on.freep.com/HEppUD

Snyder signs bills tightening lottery winners' eligibility standards: Gov. Rick Snyder has signed legislation aimed at ensuring lottery winnings and other assets are taken into account when determining eligibility for food stamp and other welfare programs. Snyder signed the bills Wednesday. They come after Michigan officials twice found out that lottery winners continued to use food stamps after collecting a jackpot http://bit.ly/IGe4I4

MICHIGAN'S UPTON DELIVERS GOP ADDRESS: House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton (R-MI) delivers this week's address on House Republicans' 'all-of-the-above' energy plan to address skyrocketing gas prices and help create jobs. We've passed several energy bills now stuck in the Democrat-controlled Senate. If the president and Senate democrats are serious about removing government barriers to energy production and job creation, they'll consider our bipartisan legislation. http://youtu.be/7Gna4XjXwJQ

DRINK: Obama paid lower tax rate than secretary: President Obama and first lady Michelle Obama had a combined income of $789,674 in 2011 but paid a lower tax rate than the president's secretary, who made less than $100,000, the White House confirmed Friday. The Obamas paid an effective rate of 20.5 percent. White House aides would not reveal presidential secretary Anita Breckenridge’s tax rate but confirmed it was higher than the first family's rate. Breckenridge earned $95,000 last year. The Obamas' rate is less than the 30 percent the president wants millionaires to pay under his proposed Buffett Rule. http://fxn.ws/IavyK2

CHASER: George W Bush enters debate as he criticises Barack Obama's 'Buffett Tax': George W Bush made his first intervention in the US presidential election campaign on Tuesday, calling for lower taxes as President Barack Obama said America's highest earners must pay more. During a rare public appearance in New York, the former president said: "If you raise taxes on the so-called rich, you're really raising taxes on the job creators." http://tgr.ph/HxVqTt

Snyder talks EMs, mammoths in online videos: In case you wondered, the governor's favorite prehistoric animal is the wooly mammoth. Gov. Rick Snyder made the revelation Thursday on the first of a series of question-and-answer videos on YouTube called #AskGovSnyder. http://bit.ly/HEpJ5P

BIRTHWEEK: Monday: Pope Benedict XVI. Tuesday: Ryan Raburn. Wednesday: Miguel Cabrera, Paul W. Smith. Friday: Rep. Dan Benishek, M.D. Saturday: Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II (h/t the corgis), Tony Danza (h/t Louie De Palma), Matthew Bierlein. Sunday: Jack Nicholson.

Tigers owner Mike Ilitch driven to rebuild Detroit: Michael Prather walks unevenly down Montcalm Street past Comerica Park, where the Detroit Tigers will play in a few hours. He holds a whiskey bottle, clumsily covered by a brown paper bag, in his right hand. He requests handouts with his left. Prather, 54, who says he's an unemployed general laborer, is wearing a stained black sweatshirt. His gray paints are torn. The reek of alcohol is overpowered only by the stench of his clothing. "I know I don't look so good, and the city don't look good, either," Prather says. "But things will be better. They got to. There are good people trying to make this city better. The man over there, the one that runs the Tigers and our hockey team, he's trying. He's trying real hard. You got to admire that man." http://usat.ly/HBEWZG

Spirit eliminated from OHL playoffs with 5-3 loss to London in Game 6: The 2011-12 Saginaw Spirit waved their sticks goodbye to a thunderous applause from the home crowd, vanquished by a 5-3 loss to the London Knights but quickly able to look at the big picture. This team made it exactly as far as last year's team did: to Game 6 of the Western Conference semifinals, as far as any team in the franchise's 10-year history. But this team did it after looking dead in the water halfway through the season, going through a coaching change, a roster makeover and rallying to a fifth place finish and to the second round of the playoffs. http://bit.ly/ItnzVe

SAAD OHL’S MOST SPORTSMANLIKE PLAYER: The Ontario Hockey League Thursday announced that Brandon Saad of the Saginaw Spirit is the 2011-12 recipient of the William Hanley Trophy awarded to the OHL’s Most Sportsmanlike Player. Saad, a 19-year-old from Gibsonia, PA, scored 34 goals and 42 assists for 76 points in just 44 games while recording just 38 penalty minutes in his second OHL season with the Spirit. He becomes the second member of the Spirit to win the award following current Tampa Bay Lightning forward Tom Pyatt who received the honour in 2006-07. http://bit.ly/HygR17

April 9, 2012: The Bay County Bulletin

MEETING THURSDAY: The next Bay County GOP meeting is this Thursday, April 12, at 7 p.m. at Midland St. Jack's, 604 E. Midland St., Bay City. We will be pleased to be joined by Tom Wassa, candidate for Congress.

TRIFECTA: Romney wins WI, DC, MD: Mitt Romney cruised to victories Tuesday in Wisconsin, Maryland and the District of Columbia, adding to his widening delegate lead over the rest of the Republican presidential field. Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum trailed the G.O.P. front-runner by a wide margin in Maryland and several thousand votes in Wisconsin, after he failed to get on the ballot in the nation's capital. Ron Paul and Newt Gingrich lagged far behind in all three primaries. http://on.wsj.com/HOcAps

DETROIT CITY COUNCIL APPROVES CONSENT AGREEMENT IN 5-4 VOTE: After weeks of meetings, rallies, and court battles, the Detroit City Council voted Wednesday evening to approve a consent agreement with the State of Michigan, thus potentially warding off the threat of an emergency manager to oversee the city's finances. Read the consent agreement.

Under the consent agreement, a financial advisory board whose members would be appointed by Governor Rick Snyder, Mayor Dave Bing and the City Council would advise and review all fiscal matters. The governor would appoint three members, the state treasurer would appoint one, the mayor would appoint two and the City Council would appoint two.

The 5-4 vote today came just 24 hours before Mr. Snyder’s deadline for appointing an emergency manager, who would have broad powers to cut union contracts, oversee budgets and cancel contracts with city vendors, among other powers. http://on.freep.com/H9COVc

COLUMN: EMERGENCY FINANCIAL MANAGERS PROVIDE HELP, not hurt for struggling Michigan cities: The only problem with Michigan’s controversial emergency financial manager law is that it cannot be applied to the budgeting/spending dysfunction of the federal government. The law -- in the news across the state last week with pending takeovers in the city of Detroit (where it was being resisted) and Muskegon Heights schools (where it was requested by the school board months ago) and a second go-round of state-enforced fiscal responsibility in Flint -- would make a positive difference in Washington, D.C. It would be no problem if the two political parties couldn’t work things out to balance the U.S. budget and live within our nation’s means. We’d just appoint a qualified, common-sense administrator with sweeping powers and no ax to grind to get the job done, and I bet we wouldn’t be spending more than we take in before too long. http://bit.ly/I5FJBL

APRIL FOOLS: U.S. now has world's highest corporate tax rate: As of April 1, the U.S. corporate tax rate of 39.2 percent claimed the world’s top spot, edging out Japan which recently lowered its rate from 39.5 percent to 36.8 percent. (The U.S. rate includes the 35 percent federal rate plus the average rate the states add on.) That’s well above the 25 percent average of other developed nations. Heritage’s Curtis Dubay explains the impact on companies based in the United States: http://herit.ag/yiv

THE DAY AFTER OBAMACARE: A deregulated health-care and health-insurance market can work. We can at least start by removing the obvious elephants in the room: all the legislation, regulation and interventions that needlessly keep prices up, keep competition and innovation out, shelter people from the economic consequences of their decisions, and prevent the emergence of real insurance that follows you from job to job and from health to illness and back. http://on.wsj.com/H9YTXw

Appeals court fires back at Obama's comments on health care case: "[A] federal appeals court apparently is calling the president's bluff -- ordering the Justice Department to answer by Thursday whether the Obama Administration believes that the courts have the right to strike down a federal law, according to a lawyer who was in the courtroom. The order, by a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit, appears to be in direct response to the president's comments yesterday about the Supreme Court's review of the health care law." http ://cbsn.ws/HHRMmt

Henninger: The Supreme Court Lands in Oz: Another possible explanation occurs. It's in one of the grandest moments in "The Wizard of Oz," when the Wizard, fumbling at the controls inside his throne room, shouts to Dorothy and the others: "Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain." Barack Obama, a wizard of another kind, has been trying with fulminations and denunciations to keep anyone from attempting what a law professor might call discovery of what the president actually has done in the past three years. We already know, for instance, that the stimulus's $825 billion went up the chimney. What else? http://on.wsj.com/I0AEWh

OBAMA'S LAW: 'it's judicial empathy if the Supreme Court agrees with me, judicial activism if it does not': On Monday, President Obama warned that any attempt by the Supreme Court to strike down the individual healthcare mandate would be “judicial activism” of the very worst kind. “I am confident that the Supreme Court will not take what would be an unprecedented, extraordinary step of overturning a law that was passed by a strong majority of a democratically elected Congress,” he said. In fact, the Supreme Court does that a lot – that’s sort of the point of judicial review. But for the uninitiated, it could sound like the Pres has embraced the noble, ordinarily conservative critique of judicial activism. Is Barack Obama a Newt Gingrich in sheep’s clothing? http://tgr.ph/HaMmSq


MICHIGAN MAY CHANGE CONCEALED CARRY LAW: People with concealed weapons permits could carry handguns in more public places if they get additional training under provisions of a measure a Michigan Senate committee approved last Thursday. The bill that would change parts of the state’s concealed weapons law advances to the Senate floor after winning approval from the Natural Resources, Environment and Great Lakes Committee. http://on.lsj.com/GTLFw0


BIRTHWEEK: Tuesday: John Madden. Friday: Thomas Jefferson. Sunday: Leonardo da Vinci, Joe Davis (the English snooker player, not the county commissioner).

MIKE WALLACE PASSES AWAY AGED 93: Mike Wallace, the CBS reporter who became one of the nation’s best-known broadcast journalists as an interrogator of the famous and infamous on “60 Minutes,” died on Saturday. He was 93. A reporter with the presence of a performer, Mr. Wallace went head to head with chiefs of state, celebrities and con artists for more than 50 years, living for the moment when “you forget the lights, the cameras, everything else, and you’re really talking to each other,” he said in an interview with The New York Times videotaped in July 2006. http://nyti.ms/HpzmF7

OPENING DAY—VERLANDER BRILLIANT, A-JAX WALKS OFF: Justin Verlander was brilliant on the mound and Prince Fielder drove in a key run with his bat. Still, after a rare slip by Jose Valverde, the Detroit Tigers were all tied with Boston in the bottom of the ninth. Up stepped Austin Jackson -- Detroit's strikeout-prone leadoff man -- needing only a little poke through the infield to win the game. Jackson delivered, hitting a sharp groundball past third with the bases loaded to give the Tigers a 3-2 win over the Red Sox in Thursday's opener. http://es.pn/HhWc1B

OH HOW 'SWEEP' IT IS: Alex Avila's two-run homer with two outs in the bottom of the 11th inning gave the Detroit Tigers a stunning 13-12 victory over Boston on Sunday, leaving the Red Sox winless in three games under new manager Bobby Valentine. Detroit trailed 10-7 when Miguel Cabrera tied the game with a three-run shot off Alfredo Aceves in the ninth. Boston then scored twice in the 11th, but Mark Melancon (0-2) couldn't hold the lead. Cabrera and Prince Fielder singled before a wild pitch sent Cabrera to third and Delmon Young's sacrifice fly cut the margin in half. Avila followed with a drive to right and Cody Ross tried to make a leaping catch, but the ball appeared to hit a restraining gate just above the wall before caroming back onto the field. http://es.pn/Hq2f48

Tigers’ Verlander Setting Expectations Ever Higher: "My goal is to be a better pitcher," Verlander said last week in a telephone interview. "And its very possible I could be a better pitcher and stll not have numbers as good as last year. I'm just trying to pitch to the best of my ability, and the best way to one-up last year is to win the World Series." http://nyti.ms/HjOxFE

April 2, 2012: The Bay County Bulletin

In an attempt to save some time, I thought I'd try something a little different. If you don't already receive it, I highly recommend that you subscribe to Mike Allen's "Playbook" from POLITICO, after which today's Bulletin is patterned.

8.8 AND 5.2: Michigan jobless rate drops to 8 percent: Michigan's unemployment rate continues its downward trend, dropping to 8.8 percent in February. State officials say total employment rose by 22,000 in February, and unemployed dropped by 8,000. http://goo.gl/Eo3iT

Michigan's 2011 personal income growth strongest in more than a decade: Personal income in Michigan last year grew at the strongest rate in more than a decade, providing another substantial indicator of Michigan's rebounding economy, Gov. Rick Snyder said today. The state's personal income growth rate is the strongest since 2000, according to 2011 figures released by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA). Michigan's improvement also is the best among the Great Lakes states. Read statement.

VOTING TUESDAY: Maryland, Wisconsin, and D.C. vote on Tuesday. Close to 100 delegates will be bound by those primaries. RCP polling data shows Romney +7.5 in Wisconsin, and by +17 in Maryland.

Paul Ryan says 'game over' if Mitt wins WI: “I think Rick [Santorum] would need something like 82 percent of the rest of the delegates, and that’s just not going to happen," Ryan, a vice presidential short-lister who recently endorsed Romney, said on CNN's "State of the Union." http://politi.co/HAQlWS

Finley: The nerd must get tougher: Rick Snyder must be prepared to do this week the thing he has said too emphatically and too often he doesn't want to do: Appoint an emergency manager for Detroit. The governor has allowed the process of crafting a financial rescue plan for the city to get away from him. So going into this critical week, none of the three parties involved in the negotiations have agreed to anything. A deal, as Snyder keeps assuring us, is not near. Nor will it be until the governor gets mean. http://goo.gl/75E9m

FULL-COURT PRESS: Nevertheless, the prospect for the mandate looked much bleaker after the hearing than before it. It had seemed possible that Messrs Kennedy and Roberts might side with the four justices appointed by Democrats. Some even mused that Antonin Scalia, the court’s most vocal conservative, might support the mandate; in 2005 he agreed that Congress could regulate the growing of marijuana for personal medical use. Such hopes were dampened. Mr Roberts was relatively even-handed. Mr Scalia was sceptical. Mr Kennedy’s comments were particularly damning. “The government is saying that the federal government has a duty to tell the individual citizen that it must act…” he observed, “and that changes the relationship of the federal government to the individual in a very fundamental way.” Most Americans seem to agree. http://econ.st/HC9mJE

Hoekstra's GOP rivals line up for fight in primary: Former U.S. Rep. Pete Hoekstra's attempt to ignore his Republican U.S. Senate primary opponents and focus a campaign on incumbent Democrat Debbie Stabenow has only emboldened his closest rivals. Clark Durant, who trails Hoekstra in the polls but is amassing a competitive campaign war chest, seized on Hoekstra's campaign slogan of "Pete Spend It Not" and branded him "Pete Spends A Lot" in a recent television ad highlighting Hoekstra's votes to raise the national debt ceiling and supporting the $700 billion bank bailout. http://goo.gl/NKtzW

YOUNG AND RESTLESS: After voting for “hope” and “change” in 2008, many young people are disillusioned with President Obama: Visit any college campus today, and you are likely to sense a lack of passion and energy for Obama. It’s far from clear that he can reproduce the unusually strong turnout among younger voters that he sparked in 2008 or match the 66 percent performance level he achieved then. http://bit.ly/H7kWJP

OLBERMANN OUT AT CURRENT TV: Current TV has fired Keith Olbermann, citing a lack of “respect” and “collegiality” in its relationship with him, following months of open warfare between Olbermann and Current executives in the press. He will be replaced by Eliot Spitzer, the former New York governor who had been a frequent guest on “Countdown” since its earliest days on Current — and whose own show on CNN was canceled last year. http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0312/74686.html

GIFFORDS KEEPS CAMPAIGN MONEY, PROMPTING TALK OF A POSSIBLE COMEBACK: Since her resignation from Congress, Gabrielle Giffords has not returned the money in her campaign account, leaving the door open for another Congressional run. http://nyti.ms/HadPi9

BIRTHWEEK: Tuesday: Helmut Kohl. Wednesday: Craig T. Nelson, Sen. Richard Lugar (R-IN). Thursday: Colin Powell. Friday: John Ratzenberger

OPENING DAY: ESPN’s multiplatform coverage of Major League Baseball’s Opening Week will begin with a full slate of MLB-focused programming on Wednesday, April 4, leading into ESPN’s exclusive national telecast of Opening Night - defending Champion Cardinals at new-look Marlins - at 7 p.m. ET. In total, ESPN and ESPN2 will combine to televise five games in three days Opening Week. Dan Shulman, Orel Hershiser, Terry Francona and Buster Olney will be on the call in Detroit on ESPN2. http://es.pn/H1bA5k

Opening Day in the D: Justin Verlander (3-2, 3.22 ERA, 42 K career v. BOS) v. Jon Lester (0-2, 5.89 ERA, 17K career v. DET). Saturday: Doug Fister v. Clay Buchholz at 4:05 p.m. Sunday: Max Scherzer v. Josh Beckett at 1:05 p.m.