There is a Difference Between "Change" and "Reform"

All throughout his campaign for President, and ever since he was elected, Mr. Obama has spoken about hope and change. The assumption was that the change would be for the better. But is change what America really wanted out of Washington, or was reform perhaps a better descriptor?

What is the difference between change and reform? I was reading a great book the other day, "Liberty and Tyranny" by Mark Levin. He quoted the legendary member of parliament, Edmund Burke who said this,

"There is a manifest, marked distinction, which ill men with ill designs, or weak men incapable of any designs, will constantly be confounding,--that is, a marked distinction between change and reformation. The former alters the substance of the objects themselves, and gets rid of all their essential good as well as of all the accidental evil annexed to them. Change is novelty; and whether it is to operate any one of the effects of reformation at all, or whether it may not contradict the very principle upon which reformation is desired, cannot be known beforehand. Reform is not change in the substance or in the primary modification of the object, but a direct application of a remedy to the grievance complained of. So far as that is removed, all is sure. It stops there; and if it fails, the substance which underwent the operation, at the very worst, is but where it was."

Edmund Burke had it exactly right. So could it be that when he talked about change, Mr. Obama was either an "ill man with ill designs, or a weak man incapable of any designs?" Looking back over the last 21 months, it sure would seem that we were served one or the other. My guess would be the former.

I think the voters across the country were looking for reform two years ago. They didn't get it. This year, they are hungrier for reformation than they have been in a long time, perhaps going back to 1773. They don't want to change Washington, they want to throw the incumbents out and reform it. I guess we will see in 25 days.

I recommend "Liberty and Tyranny" by Mark Levin.

AG Candidate David Leyton: Lies to his own clients?

If David Leyton wants to be the next Michigan Attorney General, his background needs to be closely examined. A recent story about Leyton has gone largely unreported by the mainstream press. Looks like a pretty major deal. Here is a posting from Saul Anuzis, National GOP Committeeman:
Leyton Lies to Families of Murder Victims AND Clients: Sued for Malpractice, Settles
By Saul Anuzis
Posted on Fri Oct 08, 2010 at 07:44:56 AM EST

This morning Lansing insider publication Gongwer reported that Democratic Attorney General candidate David Leyton, a former trial attorney, recently settled a malpractice lawsuit brought against him by a former client. Gongwer reports:

The settlement, filed in 2003, was the result of Mr. Leyton's representation of an automobile crash victim's family. Vanessa Beck sued Mr. Leyton after he urged her to sign a waiver that then released two of the three potential defendants in her lawsuit from liability. The waiver was part of a settlement with the driver of the vehicle that struck Ronald Beck's motorcycle, killing him.

"David Leyton wants to be the state's top attorney, but he isn't talented enough to be late-night TV's top ambulance chaser," said Michigan Republican Party Communications Director Jennifer Hoff. "Even small mistakes from the attorney general ruin lives. How can we trust Leyton with the job when he can't read the key parts of legal documents, let alone the fine print?"

Taking a look at the actual suit and the settlement, there's more to the story than Gongwer reports. Leyton settled the suit for over $50,000 after being accused of `misrepresenting the true nature and full legal consequences' of the settlement he coaxed his clients into.

Is there anyone this guy won't lie to to get a settlement?

David Leyton lied to his clients as a trial lawyer and he lied to the families of murder victims as a prosecutor in Flint. Why on earth would Michigan voters believe a single word Leyton says as a candidate for Attorney General?"

Vanessa Beck clearly isn't the only one. Dan and Debbie McIntosh recently appeared on Flint Talk Radio and presented transcripts proving they were lied to by Leyton, the Genesee County Prosecutor, and tricked into signing off on a plea bargain for one of three of their son's killers.

Leyton promised the family he would prosecute two others involved in their son's slaying if they agreed to the plea but after obtaining the McIntosh's consent later declined to bring the charges he'd promised.

Jen Hoff is right- We can't trust David Leyton.

Who Will Be the Next Majority Leader?

As I opined in my newsletter, the Senate Majority Leader will likely be the most powerful Republican in the legislative branch next year. It looks like it will either be Randy Richardville (L) or John Proos (R). It is important that you are informed about who is running for the job and who may actually win it. You need to know the voting records of the two individuals vying for this position. So, to review the voting records of Proos and Richardville by category click on the links below:
Proos on: taxes, education, economic development, labor.
Richardville on: taxes, education, economic development, labor.

"Thank God for the support from the federal government..." House Speaker Andy Dillon

Lawmakers passed a "balanced" budget just before a looming October 1st shutdown. But just how courageous was the legislature? Did they really squeeze the budget? Consider, it was balanced with over $1 billion in federal one-time money. So really, the budget is still $1 billion out of balance.

Of note is the fact that $316 million of that federal money was earmarked for public education. Ironically, US Senator Tom Coburn just released a report showing over $2.3 billion of pork in federal education funding.

When is the legislature going to grow a spine and do what needs to be done? The next governor, likely businessman Rick Snyder, will have his work cut out for him as he inherits a looming budget that is at least $1 billion out of whack.