Forget It Jake, It's Detroit

The Detroit News:  Ex-cons, deadbeats oversee Detroit agency fleeced in $19M alleged fraud

A public health network in Detroit that federal prosecutors said was swindled out of at least $18.8 million is overseen by a politically connected board dominated by members with long histories of financial problems, bankruptcy and convictions for drug and alcohol-related crimes, public records show.

Because of course it is.  It is the D, run by the (D).

Meanwhile, in another example of corruption, Abdu El-Sayed has been getting a $9,000 consultancy gig from the Wayne County Health Department (Basically Detroit and the Democrats control Wayne County) - while he's off campaigning for Senate, and I'm sure he's doing nine grand a month worth of work for them while campaigning.

Cheaper Without Insurance

In yet a further example of how our current healthcare system, that has been bastardized by decades of government intervention, I was prescribed a new prescription.

Not happy about needing to take it, but fine, I will do so.

I go to buy it and see Costco has it for $150 so I have the doctor send the script there.

I then get a notice from Costco Pharmacy that it is ready and the cost is $300.

I call and ask why the price difference, as their site still shows it as $150, and the reason is they originally billed it through my insurance and the price with insurance is $300.

If you don't have or don't use insurance the price is $150.

This makes no sense.  It makes absolutely no sense as my insurance passes along the entire $300 to me as an out-of-pocket expense.

So I had them reprocess it to the non-insurance rate and saved $150. 

The exact same drug has multiple prices, in the same store, I can bet the Medicare/Medicaid price is even less. 

Even better the published "Usual and Customary price" for the prescription without insurance is $1,800.  

No, none of that makes any sense. 

Adding to the joys of healthcare, it is about to be open enrollment season and the current plan I have, acquired last year, is no longer being offered. 

While it was more expensive and had a higher deductible than the grandfathered plan that I had until Obamacare forced its sunset (so much for if you like your plan you can keep your plan), so I was paying just about twice as much for less, this was a annoyingly expensive yet workable replacement.

It's now being replaced by a plan with both a higher monthly cost and a higher deductible, so I'm going to be paying even more for even less.

Obamacare was designed to destroy the American heath system to eventually force everyone into a government controlled and run healthcare system, after years of other less destructive bouts of government intervention, and that plan is going along just swimmingly. 

Yes, You Still Need To Do The Form 1 / Form 4 In Michigan

The ATFE has announced they are no longer enforcing the rules regarding Suppressors/SBRs/SBSs based on the Court cases ruling them unconstitutional as there is no longer a tax being collected on those items, thanks to the Republicans and President Trump.

 That unfortunately does not mean you no longer need a Form 1 or Form 4 for your NFA items in Michigan, and I've been advising my clients of that accordingly.

Michigan law requires that "A person who possesses a short-barreled shotgun or short-barreled rifle that is greater than 26 inches in length under this section shall possess a copy of the federal registration" and the same goes for suppressors.

The Michigan State Police has just issued their latest opinion in: Legal Update No. 173 (10/2026) that confirms that Michigan law is unaffected by the ATFE ruling.and does indeed required federal registration for lawful possession in this state in addition to complying with Michigan law for firearms under 26 inches in length.

Until Michigan law changes, and that is not going to occur in a favorable manner under a Democrat governor.

Elections have consequences, so do get out and vote in this mid-term election for governor and attorney general and don't forget to vote for Rogers for Senate.

Two Different Services This Weekend.

Saturday, I went to a Bar Mitzvah for a friend's kid. 

On heading to the Synagogue, the most notable changes from the norm was the synagogue's security checking the occupants of all the vehicles as they drove up the driveway to enter the Synagogue grounds.

Then after parking area, there are new concrete "Diversity Barriers"  around the synagogue to prevent vehicle attacks such as occurred at Temple Israel.

Sad that this is the new normal.  

Aside from that it was an enjoyable and joyous event, a good service, and the Bar Mitzvah boy did great. 

Today, I was invited and attended the baptism of a child of some good friends in Dexter, Michigan.  The friends were on the adoption waiting list for quite some time and were luckily able to adopt a child who had been abandoned by her mother at birth. Both the parents and child are lucky and blessed to have found each other. They received a child to love, and she received two of the best and loving parents that anyone could ask for. Now that she is a one-year-old, it was time for her baptism into the Catholic Church.

We arrived at the Church a bit early before the mass, and met and congratulated the parents and were seated with the family, which was very nice of them.

It was an interesitng service and the first baptism I've attended. All involved including the kid did great and it was a very nice service and ceremony.

Then, we went back to their place after that and a birthday party for the kid was held. 

A very busy and rather religious weekend. 

Australian Anti-Israel Politician Gets Bit By The Crocodile

You feed the crocodile in the hope that it will eat you last. But sometimes hope fails and it doesn't wait 'til the end to snap at you - especially in the case of Progressive Green Crocodiles.

Tablet: Oct. 20: Aussie Anti-Israel Extremist Runs Over Local MP

On Monday, Australian independent MP Helen Haines was deliberately struck twice by a vehicle outside her office in Wangaratta, Victoria, and she lost a leg in the attack, according to Reuters. Haines, a former nurse and midwife, mother of three, and anti-corruption advocate, was allegedly attacked by Brendan Nugent, driving a Toyota Land Cruiser.

jns.org: Australian politician loses both legs after car-ramming attack

An account linked to Nugent contained posts on domestic and foreign policy issues, including Israel and Gaza. He reportedly accused Israel of genocide, described his position as “anti-Zionist” rather than antisemitic and criticized Australian and U.S. officials over their support for Israel.

 Nugent, being a typical violent progressive leftist was apparently also big on being an enviro-greenie, and had posted he agreed with Haines on that point.

Nugent, according to ABC News, is a longtime campaigner for environmental causes who has also posted extensively about politics, particularly with regard to Australian policy on Israel, on social media. He and Haines follow each other on X, and in 2019, he replied to a post she published by describing her as a “politician who takes climate change seriously.”

The Times of Israel: Man who allegedly drove into Australian lawmaker said to post online about Gaza

In May 2024, the account responded to Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong writing: “You have not been clear on anything other than giving israel impunity to kill thousands of children.”

. . .

In an undated statement on Haines’s website, she said she is “appalled by the ongoing loss of life in Gaza” and called for an immediate ceasefire and increased international pressure on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu while also condemning Hamas.

She ended up losing both legs in the deliberate vehicle attack, likely for being insufficiently progressive enough for the attacker's taste in regards to Hamsa.

Such Greenie-on-Greenie violence is certainly reprehensible, but a not atypical nor unexpected end of a progressive purity spiral.

The whole situation has resulted in an anti-Israel progressive politician no longer having a leg to stand on. 

Ferry Flight Return

We got a call that the work had been done. So again Eric and I volunteered to go to Flint and bring the planed back.

It was a beautiful day for a short ferry flight to bring the planes back to Pontiac after getting some avionic improvements in Flint.

All the work was done including protected avionic master switches to prevent pilots from inadvertently turning it off in rough air as the switch is close to the GPS screen and two pilots did manage to hit the switch so we wanted to prevent that from happening again.

Fall colors look great from the air.

Entered the downwind to 27R and then made a great crosswind landing.

A nice quick flight followed by a great landing.

Funny How That "Experiment" Only Went One Way

A fake polling organization was caught faking polling data that directly has influenced the Midterm elections.

The fake poling data all just so happened to be tilted in favor of progressive Democrats, including Abdul El-Sayed here in Michigan, and in Texas, Mississippi, Georgia, Maine and Ohio.

When caught, the company now says it was all just a "social experiment" to show how easily it is to put junk data in polling aggregators reports.

All of the junk and manipulated data just happened to be in 100% in favor of progressive Democrats. Funny how that works, eh?

The Washington Times: Bogus polling firm admits to fake numbers favoring Democrats, claims ‘experimental project’

If you really believe that Wedgewood Polling's actions was a social experiment and not an operation to influence public opinion and help the Democrats, and especially progressive Democrats . . .

Well, if you do, you have the words "Gullible Idiot"  written on your ceiling - and you just looked up to check, didn't you? 

Dawn Maintenance Flight

A quick flight this morning to take the planes to the Avionics shop in Flint to get some work done.

Got to the airport while it was still dark, did the preflight on the Archer and Eric came out and did his preflight on the Dakota.

 By the time the preflight was complete, dawn was breaking and it was a beautiful morning to fly.  Dawn was good as the landing light on the Archer is currently INOP pending a replacement, so it would have sucked to land without it. 

Winds were calm, with some light mist at ground level.

Took off and headed to Flint VFR.

Talked to Great Lakes Approach once out of Pontiac's airspace, got the squawk code and  was first told to enter a downwind for Runway 18.

This then got changed to enter a base turn Runway 27 - oh, and to watch out for the mower at the end of the runway.

There was still a good layer of mist at Flint so making out the airport from the sky was harder than it should have been,  as the runways and environs were all covered looked fuzzy and hard to see, but I found it and I got lined up on the runway nicely and did a nice approach. Yes there was indeed a mowing machine right at the runway arrival end.  I then did a well-nigh perfect landing.

Taxi'd to the avionics shop and shut down the plane, met up with Eric and the avionics guy and went over the issues to be addressed, and then we got a ride back to Pontiac from Eric's wife who had driven up in her truck.

As usual, driving is more dangerous than flying. We almost got sideswiped by an idiot in the left lane who decided to try and merge into the side of the truck. Then once warned off by the horn, the driver then proceeded to have his right tires over the line for a couple miles and still not get out of the left lane. 

With any luck, the avionics will be updated in a couple days and we will have to pick them up and return them to Pontiac.

That 0.5 and a truly excellent landing and a great way to start a day.

Gangster Government, Much, Senator?

Senator Elissa Slotkin (D) just made a public threat against young people  considering working for the Trump administration:

New York Post: Sen. Slotkin urges Dems to use prosecution to make young people afraid to serve in Trump admin

Slotkin (D-Mich.), a former CIA analyst, contended that Democrats must “go after” and make examples out of officials in President Trump’s orbit who engage in corruption to send a message to young people who may want to join the administration.

“I want young people coming out of school to say, ‘Should I go work for the Trump administration? That sounds fun, I might get an opportunity,’” Slotkin mused at a University of Chicago event last week that has since gone viral. 

“I want them to be like, ‘Lord, that might be buying myself a ton of problems I don’t want, and so let me avoid participating in that,’” the senator went on. “I want that deterrence message sent.” 

Surely using prosecution as a political weapon could never come back to haunt anyone?

Senator Slotkin now states she is being criticized for this intimidation because she's a woman.

No, Senator. The problem is the message itself: threatening people with “a ton of problems” to discourage them from working for an administration you oppose.

That's playing with fire.