DelMarVa's Premier Source for News, Opinion, Analysis, and Human Interest Contact Publisher Joe Albero at alberobutzo@wmconnect.com or 410-430-5349
Thursday, April 14, 2016
Governor Larry Hogan Signs 106 Bills Into Law
ANNAPOLIS, MD – Governor Larry Hogan today was joined by Senate President Mike Miller and Speaker of the House Michael Busch for a bill signing ceremony at the State House in Annapolis, which included a number of bills aimed at improving the quality of life for people with disabilities. In total, the governor signed 106 bills into law.
“I am proud to sign bills that demonstrate our administration’s commitment to creating opportunities and improving the lives of those who need it most,” said Governor Hogan. “These important pieces of legislation will help a wide range of Marylanders, and I want to thank the legislature for working with us to support these common sense initiatives.”
Among those bills signed today are HB 431, which will provide a new option for people with disabilities and their families to save for the future and SB 147, which will strengthen the Ethan Saylor Alliance for Self-Advocates as Educators by monitoring the implementation of a police community training program.
Additional bills signed today include:
HB 454 – State Employees – Merit Increases in Salary – Allows for merit increases for law enforcement agencies that negotiated with the Department of Budget & Management prior to December 31, 2015.
HB 596 – State Department of Education – Hearing Aid Loan Bank Program – Age of Eligibility – Alters the age of eligibility from under 3 years to under 18 years of age to participate in the Hearing Aid Loan Bank Program in the State Department of Education.
SB 99 – Department of Disabilities – Assistive Technology Loan Program – Board of Directors – Alters the membership of the Assistive Technology Loan Board to reduce vacancies and to retain members who develop subject matter expertise.
SB 785 – Foster Youth Summer Internship Program – Continues a program, administered by the Department of Human Resources, to provide foster youth with training and experience through internships in agencies within the Executive Branch of state government.
HB 1503 – Adult Education – GED Testing Fee – Exemption for Homeless Youth – Exempts a homeless youth from paying general equivalency development testing fees if the individual has had a consistent presence in the state for at least one year before applying to take the GED test.
Wednesday, April 13, 2016
WHAT REALLY HAPPENED TO THE REPUBLICAN VOTERS IN COLORADO
Many people in and outside of Colorado can’t believe the voting debacle which took place in the Republican Party State Assembly this weekend. The first thing you need to understand is we’re not living under a Democracy anymore whether it’s in the country or within the party which is supposed to be a supporter of Constitutional rights.
You’ll also have to understand, I’ve had to weed out a lot of lies and information that has been put forth to peel down to the truth.
Back in December, I had decided to really get involved with the Republican party on the local level because there were a lot of rumors of voter fraud and corruption within the party itself. I figured I had nothing to lose since I’ve been a lifelong Republican and support Conservative ideas.
I suspected our vote didn’t really count and wanted to verify people’s claims as well. So I went to the December meeting of the La Plata County Republican Central Committee and volunteered to be a Precinct Captain.
It never occurred to me I wouldn’t be able to cast a vote for my presidential candidate, Donald Trump. Who would have thought Colorado GOP State Republican board members would underhandedly take away our right to vote.
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You’ll also have to understand, I’ve had to weed out a lot of lies and information that has been put forth to peel down to the truth.
Back in December, I had decided to really get involved with the Republican party on the local level because there were a lot of rumors of voter fraud and corruption within the party itself. I figured I had nothing to lose since I’ve been a lifelong Republican and support Conservative ideas.
I suspected our vote didn’t really count and wanted to verify people’s claims as well. So I went to the December meeting of the La Plata County Republican Central Committee and volunteered to be a Precinct Captain.
It never occurred to me I wouldn’t be able to cast a vote for my presidential candidate, Donald Trump. Who would have thought Colorado GOP State Republican board members would underhandedly take away our right to vote.
More
BOOM! Trump Holds 66% Favorable Rating in New York - Leads Hillary Clinton by 19 Points in Empire State
Donald Trump holds a 66% favorable rating in New York and leads Republican candidates by nearly 30 points in the latest Liberty Opinion Research survey.
Donald Trump 52%
John Kasich 23%
Ted Cruz 19%
Not sure 6%
NET TRUMP: +29%
Donald Trump holds a 66% favorable rating in the Empire State.
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Donald Trump 52%
John Kasich 23%
Ted Cruz 19%
Not sure 6%
NET TRUMP: +29%
Donald Trump holds a 66% favorable rating in the Empire State.
More
Victims of Illegal Alien Crime on 'Sham' Colorado Cruz Win: This Is 'Third World Tyranny'
The American victims who have lost their children to illegal alien crime denounced “voterless victory” in Colorado.
The victims who endorsed Donald Trump said that they were appalled by the state GOP’s attempt to “silence” the American people. “The arrangement in Colorado is a sham. I can’t really call it an election. Ted Cruz is not for Americans,” said Cruz constituent Laura Wilkerson. “He is as bought and paid for as Hillary Clinton.”
“This needs to be a wake up call for Americans,” said Texas resident Dan Golvach. “We have been sleep walking into a third world tyranny with the two main parties. This also shows you who Ted Cruz has crawled into bed with politically speaking… He’s nothing more than a poster boy for the plutocrats. I have no use for him or the plutocrat media complex that has been pushing these type of candidates on us.”
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The victims who endorsed Donald Trump said that they were appalled by the state GOP’s attempt to “silence” the American people. “The arrangement in Colorado is a sham. I can’t really call it an election. Ted Cruz is not for Americans,” said Cruz constituent Laura Wilkerson. “He is as bought and paid for as Hillary Clinton.”
“This needs to be a wake up call for Americans,” said Texas resident Dan Golvach. “We have been sleep walking into a third world tyranny with the two main parties. This also shows you who Ted Cruz has crawled into bed with politically speaking… He’s nothing more than a poster boy for the plutocrats. I have no use for him or the plutocrat media complex that has been pushing these type of candidates on us.”
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Subject: Cruz: Drudge is an attack site for Trump's campaign
The Drudge Report headlines whatever the Trump campaign is pushing, Ted Cruz said on Monday.
The Texas senator was speaking to conservative radio host Mike Slater when he was asked what he thought about the conservative aggregation site, particularly their “anti-Christian headlines.”
“In about the past month the Drudge Report has basically become the attack site for the Donald Trump campaign. And so every day they have the latest Trump attack. They’re directed at me,” Cruz said. “By all appearances, Roger Stone now decides what’s on Drudge, and most days they have a six-month-old article that is some attack on me, and it’s — whatever the Trump campaign is pushing that day will be the banner headline on Drudge.”
Cruz also lamented the website's lack of primary and caucus coverage.
“By the way, they no longer cover news,” Cruz said. “When we win a state, suddenly the state doesn’t matter. You know Colorado — there was no red siren on Drudge when we won all 34 delegates in Colorado. That wasn’t news, because — I mean listen, that’s fine. If people want to get on the ‘Trump train,’ they can.”
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The Texas senator was speaking to conservative radio host Mike Slater when he was asked what he thought about the conservative aggregation site, particularly their “anti-Christian headlines.”
“In about the past month the Drudge Report has basically become the attack site for the Donald Trump campaign. And so every day they have the latest Trump attack. They’re directed at me,” Cruz said. “By all appearances, Roger Stone now decides what’s on Drudge, and most days they have a six-month-old article that is some attack on me, and it’s — whatever the Trump campaign is pushing that day will be the banner headline on Drudge.”
Cruz also lamented the website's lack of primary and caucus coverage.
“By the way, they no longer cover news,” Cruz said. “When we win a state, suddenly the state doesn’t matter. You know Colorado — there was no red siren on Drudge when we won all 34 delegates in Colorado. That wasn’t news, because — I mean listen, that’s fine. If people want to get on the ‘Trump train,’ they can.”
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Former CO GOP Chair: Message We're Sending Is "Your Vote Doesn't Matter And Your Voice Doesn't Count"
Former Colorado state Republican party chairman Ryan Call talked to Laura Ingraham today to explain the delegation-selection process works and how it "cuts out any semblance of democracy or the popular will." Call said the statewide convention that chooses the delegates reinforces all the worst stereotypes of the party.
"The very time we should be opening up our doors and being more open and transparent, and welcoming people into our Party, we’ve essentially made the decision to close it off and make it more cumbersome and more difficult. And, to prevent the ability of people to have their voice heard in this process. You’re reinforcing all of the very worst stereotypes about the Party and I, frankly, am very concerned about the way voters are going to feel," Call told Ingraham.
Transcript, via Laura Ingraham Show:
Ingraham: The August 25th announcement that they would no longer do the presidential preference poll at their caucus, my spidey-senses went up when that happened. Was I correct to, at the time, note that this was a sign that they were not going to be bound by the people of Colorado selecting Trump. If that was a risk, they wanted to cut that off at the pass in August. Am I correct in stating that?
Call: That’s exactly right. While the caucus votes we’ve held in previous elections in 2008 and 2012 were always straw polls, they didn’t bind or allocate the delegations. They at least were a snapshot into where voter sentiment is in the state of Colorado, and the decision by the state Republican Party to cancel that vote taken in connection with the caucus really did cut out any semblance of democracy or the popular will in connection with the delegate election event. It became an entire party insiders game with getting delegates to go to county assemblies in the state convention. While Colorado has over a million registered Republican voters, the only votes that really counted were that of the 3,900 delegates that gathered down in Colorado Springs.
"The very time we should be opening up our doors and being more open and transparent, and welcoming people into our Party, we’ve essentially made the decision to close it off and make it more cumbersome and more difficult. And, to prevent the ability of people to have their voice heard in this process. You’re reinforcing all of the very worst stereotypes about the Party and I, frankly, am very concerned about the way voters are going to feel," Call told Ingraham.
Transcript, via Laura Ingraham Show:
Ingraham: The August 25th announcement that they would no longer do the presidential preference poll at their caucus, my spidey-senses went up when that happened. Was I correct to, at the time, note that this was a sign that they were not going to be bound by the people of Colorado selecting Trump. If that was a risk, they wanted to cut that off at the pass in August. Am I correct in stating that?
Call: That’s exactly right. While the caucus votes we’ve held in previous elections in 2008 and 2012 were always straw polls, they didn’t bind or allocate the delegations. They at least were a snapshot into where voter sentiment is in the state of Colorado, and the decision by the state Republican Party to cancel that vote taken in connection with the caucus really did cut out any semblance of democracy or the popular will in connection with the delegate election event. It became an entire party insiders game with getting delegates to go to county assemblies in the state convention. While Colorado has over a million registered Republican voters, the only votes that really counted were that of the 3,900 delegates that gathered down in Colorado Springs.
Movement to unseat Reince Priebus as RNC emerges after Cruz Colorado “Shenanigans”
A grassroots movement to unseat RNC chair Reince Priebus is growing in light of the “brokered convention” scandals and his support of the Colorado Delegate Scandal.
Priebus has been an ineffective RNC chairperson, presiding over the disastrous 2012 election which Obama won a landslide over Romney, and the Republican Party lost a chance of winning the Senate.
Now with the Colorado movement showing Reince’s true colors, a facebook and twitter campaign to remove the RNC chair from power has emerged:
But why would voters want to rid themselves of Priebus? Here is why many Trump fans hate the RNC head, who appears to be saying one thing, while doing something else:
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Priebus has been an ineffective RNC chairperson, presiding over the disastrous 2012 election which Obama won a landslide over Romney, and the Republican Party lost a chance of winning the Senate.
Now with the Colorado movement showing Reince’s true colors, a facebook and twitter campaign to remove the RNC chair from power has emerged:
But why would voters want to rid themselves of Priebus? Here is why many Trump fans hate the RNC head, who appears to be saying one thing, while doing something else:
More
The Pros And Cons Of Globalization
A story in the Washington Post said “20 years ago globalization was pitched as a strategy that would raise all boats in poor and rich countries alike. In the U.S. and Europe consumers would have their pick of inexpensive items made by people thousands of miles away whose pay was much lower than theirs. And in time trade barriers would drop to support even more multinationals expansion and economic gains while geo political cooperation would flourish.”
There is no question that globalization has been a good thing for many developing countries who now have access to our markets and can export cheap goods. Globalization has also been good for Multi-national corporations and Wall Street. But globalization has not been good for working people (blue or white collar) and has led to the continuing deindustrialization of America.
Globalization is a complicated issue. It is necessary to evaluate the pros and cons before drawing any conclusions.
Pros
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There is no question that globalization has been a good thing for many developing countries who now have access to our markets and can export cheap goods. Globalization has also been good for Multi-national corporations and Wall Street. But globalization has not been good for working people (blue or white collar) and has led to the continuing deindustrialization of America.
Globalization is a complicated issue. It is necessary to evaluate the pros and cons before drawing any conclusions.
Pros
More
Dow Climbs 150 Points As Soaring Oil Revs Up Energy Stocks
U.S. stocks climbed Tuesday as oil futures were on track to close at their highest levels of 2016, which was giving a lift to energy shares.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 154 points, or 0.9% to 17,710.23.
The S&P 500 index was up 15.74 points, or 0.8%, at 2,057.75, after slipping into the red about an hour into the day's trading action. Gains in the broad-market index were led by a 2.9% rise in energy stocks and a 0.5% rise in health care.
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The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 154 points, or 0.9% to 17,710.23.
The S&P 500 index was up 15.74 points, or 0.8%, at 2,057.75, after slipping into the red about an hour into the day's trading action. Gains in the broad-market index were led by a 2.9% rise in energy stocks and a 0.5% rise in health care.
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IRS chief: Agency encourages illegal immigrant theft of SSNs to file tax returns
The IRS is struggling to ensure that illegal immigrants are able to illegally use Social Security numbers for legitimate purposes, the agency's head told senators on Tuesday, without allowing the numbers to be used for "bad" reasons.
IRS Commissioner John Koskinen made the statement in response to a question from Sen. Dan Coats, R-Ind., during a session of the Senate Finance Committee about why the IRS appears to be collaborating with taxpayers who file tax returns using fraudulent information. Coats said that his staff had discovered the practice after looking into agency procedures.
"What we learned is that ... the IRS continues to process tax returns with false W-2 information and issue refunds as if they were routine tax returns, and say that's not really our job," Coats said. "We also learned the IRS ignores notifications from the Social Security Administration that a name does not match a Social Security number, and you use your own system to determine whether a number is valid."
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IRS Commissioner John Koskinen made the statement in response to a question from Sen. Dan Coats, R-Ind., during a session of the Senate Finance Committee about why the IRS appears to be collaborating with taxpayers who file tax returns using fraudulent information. Coats said that his staff had discovered the practice after looking into agency procedures.
"What we learned is that ... the IRS continues to process tax returns with false W-2 information and issue refunds as if they were routine tax returns, and say that's not really our job," Coats said. "We also learned the IRS ignores notifications from the Social Security Administration that a name does not match a Social Security number, and you use your own system to determine whether a number is valid."
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Subject: Bibles Being Removed From Missing Man Tributes at VA Clinics and Military Bases
It really takes a special kind of low-life to desecrate a military display honoring prisoners of war and those missing in action.
Over the past several months the Military Religious Freedom Foundation has waged a campaign to have Bibles removed from “Missing Man” displays located on federal property. They claim the inclusion of the Bible is a violation of federal law.
So far at least three VA medical clinics and one Air Force base have complied with the MRFF’s demands to cleanse the displays of the Good Book.
I have been reporting on this religious cleansing for the past two years – and now a group of conservative organizations is preparing to fight back against the MRFF.
Fox News has exclusively obtained a letter sent to Robert McDonald, secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs – urging him to reinstate the Bible to the Missing Man displays.
“The removal of the Bible not only violates the integrity of these displays, but insults those returned POWs who gained daily strength from their faith in the prisons of our enemies,” they wrote. “When a governmental agency such as the VA removes any part of the display, it is a grave insult to the nation’s veterans who often gather together to honor those who have not returned, while also interfering with the message being expressed.”
The letter was signed by representatives from Family Research Council, American Family Association, First Liberty Institute, Chaplain Alliance for Religious Liberty, Center for Military Readiness, Freedom Alliance, Liberty Counsel, Alliance Defending Freedom, Freedom X, Judicial Watch, LION Associates, Military-Veterans Advocacy, Stand Up America US and the International Conference of Evangelical Chaplain Endorsers.
Secretary McDonald did not return my telephone calls or emails.
“There is definitely an all-out assault on the Christian faith within our military today,” said Lt. Gen. (Ret.) William Boykin, executive vice president of the Family Research Council and one of the signers.
More here
Over the past several months the Military Religious Freedom Foundation has waged a campaign to have Bibles removed from “Missing Man” displays located on federal property. They claim the inclusion of the Bible is a violation of federal law.
So far at least three VA medical clinics and one Air Force base have complied with the MRFF’s demands to cleanse the displays of the Good Book.
I have been reporting on this religious cleansing for the past two years – and now a group of conservative organizations is preparing to fight back against the MRFF.
Fox News has exclusively obtained a letter sent to Robert McDonald, secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs – urging him to reinstate the Bible to the Missing Man displays.
“The removal of the Bible not only violates the integrity of these displays, but insults those returned POWs who gained daily strength from their faith in the prisons of our enemies,” they wrote. “When a governmental agency such as the VA removes any part of the display, it is a grave insult to the nation’s veterans who often gather together to honor those who have not returned, while also interfering with the message being expressed.”
The letter was signed by representatives from Family Research Council, American Family Association, First Liberty Institute, Chaplain Alliance for Religious Liberty, Center for Military Readiness, Freedom Alliance, Liberty Counsel, Alliance Defending Freedom, Freedom X, Judicial Watch, LION Associates, Military-Veterans Advocacy, Stand Up America US and the International Conference of Evangelical Chaplain Endorsers.
Secretary McDonald did not return my telephone calls or emails.
“There is definitely an all-out assault on the Christian faith within our military today,” said Lt. Gen. (Ret.) William Boykin, executive vice president of the Family Research Council and one of the signers.
More here
Grassley Won't Relent on Obama Court Nominee, Despite Breakfast
The chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Chuck Grassley, said he remained firm that President Barack Obama’s nominee to the U.S. Supreme Court would not receive a confirmation hearing or a vote, after a breakfast meeting Tuesday that Grassley’s office called "pleasant."
Grassley, an Iowa Republican, avoided reporters after the hour-long breakfast with federal appeals court judge Merrick Garland, Obama’s nominee, by exiting the Senate dining room via a back hallway. His office later issued a statement saying that the meeting was cordial and that Grassley "thanked Judge Garland for his service."
Garland offered reporters a smile but no comment as he walked past them after the meeting.
Carrie Severino, chief counsel of the Judicial Crisis Network, a conservative legal group, praised Grassley’s handling of the nomination in a statement issued after the meeting.
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Grassley, an Iowa Republican, avoided reporters after the hour-long breakfast with federal appeals court judge Merrick Garland, Obama’s nominee, by exiting the Senate dining room via a back hallway. His office later issued a statement saying that the meeting was cordial and that Grassley "thanked Judge Garland for his service."
Garland offered reporters a smile but no comment as he walked past them after the meeting.
Carrie Severino, chief counsel of the Judicial Crisis Network, a conservative legal group, praised Grassley’s handling of the nomination in a statement issued after the meeting.
More
Rep. Brat: Syrian Refugees Have NOT Been Vetted for National Security
(CNSNews.com) -- Rep. Dave Brat (R-Va.) says that “a gaping hole in our national security apparatus” means that Syrian refugees “have not been vetted” before they are resettled in the United States.
“Of course the major problem there is that they have not been vetted in terms of national security,” Brat told CNSNews.com. “We just want to [send a] message to the American people that the issue has not yet been resolved."
“ISIS has made it very clear in their documents that their intent and their goal is to bring radicalized folks from around the world in through the southern border and to use the refugee program to do so,” Brat warned.
“And so when your enemy tells you what their plan is in writing, it seems that at a minimum we should be vetting folks.
"And so we’re asking the American people to weigh in to their leaders to make sure that we don’t let this go unnoticed,” he told CNSNews.
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“Of course the major problem there is that they have not been vetted in terms of national security,” Brat told CNSNews.com. “We just want to [send a] message to the American people that the issue has not yet been resolved."
“ISIS has made it very clear in their documents that their intent and their goal is to bring radicalized folks from around the world in through the southern border and to use the refugee program to do so,” Brat warned.
“And so when your enemy tells you what their plan is in writing, it seems that at a minimum we should be vetting folks.
"And so we’re asking the American people to weigh in to their leaders to make sure that we don’t let this go unnoticed,” he told CNSNews.
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Obama Admin Advised Against Calling Iranian Missile Tests Deal 'Violation'
Obama administration lawyers are advising officials against describing recent Iranian ballistic missile tests as a violation of the United Nations resolution governing the recently implemented nuclear agreement with Iran, according to multiple U.S. officials and sources familiar with the situation who spoke to the Washington Free Beacon.
The decision has created friction with Congress and inside the administration itself, with officials and lawmakers citing previous statements from the administration declaring that such missile launches would be considered a violation.
That stance was walked back after U.N. Security Council members such as Russia said it does not consider the latest Iranian tests a violation of the resolution. A recent letter signed by U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Samantha Power called the tests “inconsistent” with the resolution.
Congress is now pursuing an inquiry into what lawmakers describe as the Obama administration’s efforts to mislead lawmakers about the terms of the nuclear deal.
More here
The decision has created friction with Congress and inside the administration itself, with officials and lawmakers citing previous statements from the administration declaring that such missile launches would be considered a violation.
That stance was walked back after U.N. Security Council members such as Russia said it does not consider the latest Iranian tests a violation of the resolution. A recent letter signed by U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Samantha Power called the tests “inconsistent” with the resolution.
Congress is now pursuing an inquiry into what lawmakers describe as the Obama administration’s efforts to mislead lawmakers about the terms of the nuclear deal.
More here
A Three-Star Marine Corps General Is Running for Congress
Retired U.S. Marine Corps Lt. Gen. Jack Bergman announced Tuesday that he is officially running for Congress in Michigan.
Bergman said during the Ron Jolly Show that he was pursuing the Republican nomination in northern Michigan’s First Congressional District after securing 2,000 petition signatures to place his name on the August primary ballot.
“I felt it was time for me to step up and put some rudder into this ship known as the United States and put it back on course,” he told the Detroit News Tuesday.
Bergman served as a military aviator, flying as a helicopter pilot during the Vietnam War, and served as the commanding general of Marine Forces Reserve and Marine Forces North. He retired from the service as a three-star lieutenant general.
Bergman also worked as a pilot for Northwest Airlines and runs a medical equipment business.
In February, Bergman told the Detroit News that he intended to run for the seat as a fiscal conservative “who emphasizes education and using the Constitution as the model for developing “good policies and programs that work.”
More here
Bergman said during the Ron Jolly Show that he was pursuing the Republican nomination in northern Michigan’s First Congressional District after securing 2,000 petition signatures to place his name on the August primary ballot.
“I felt it was time for me to step up and put some rudder into this ship known as the United States and put it back on course,” he told the Detroit News Tuesday.
Bergman served as a military aviator, flying as a helicopter pilot during the Vietnam War, and served as the commanding general of Marine Forces Reserve and Marine Forces North. He retired from the service as a three-star lieutenant general.
Bergman also worked as a pilot for Northwest Airlines and runs a medical equipment business.
In February, Bergman told the Detroit News that he intended to run for the seat as a fiscal conservative “who emphasizes education and using the Constitution as the model for developing “good policies and programs that work.”
More here
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