Saginaw GOP Voices...

Let's End the Confusion

Admittedly, many Republicans are less than enthusiastic about any one of the Republican candidates running for president.  We are confused about this candidate's position on immigration, or that candidate's past position on abortion.  We are concerned that neither of these candidates represents our vision or memories of Ronald Reagan.  Even trusted talk radio hosts disparage these guys.  Let's stop chasing ghosts and get behind our candidates.  The reality is this; if we were to awaken the day after the Inauguration in 2008 and any one of our Republican candidates (except for Ron Paul) was President, we would be absolutely thrilled!  The  alternative is  unconscionable.

As a reminder to those who feel their particular Republican polemic is not being served by our current candidates, I offer Michigan as a perfect example of the consequences of Democratic "leadership."  Just yesterday, state Republican party chair Saul Anuzis was in town with the Michigan Taxpayer's Check.  The Michigan Taxpayer's Check is a visual example of what the Granholm/Democrat tax increases will cost.  For every second, the check registers an additional $39 to Michigan taxpayers.  You can imagine what this check would look like if Hillary or Obama gets into the White House.   

Michigan Backs Romney

Congratulations to Mitt Romney!  He won yesterday's Michigan primary convincingly over rivals John McCain and Mike Huckabee.  Despite this victory, the race for the Republican nomination is still very much up in the air.  I don't think we'll get a clearer picture until and after Super Tuesday on February 5th.  My thanks to all the volunteers on the various campaigns for their hard work and dedicated spirit.   

Saginaw County GOP Annual Report

Despite a somewhat tumultuous conclusion, 2007 was a pretty good year for the Saginaw County GOP. My thanks go to my fellow officers, Vice Chair Helene Wiltse, Treasurer Joel Wilson and Secretary Donald Milne. Without their hard work, encouragement and advice, the past year would have seemed much longer. I also wish to thank our Executive Committee members for their enthusiasm, friendship and patience. As Chair, I will try and live up to your collective aspirations. 

Although we begin the New Year with less money in the bank than when we started, we had our best year since 2000. We raised more money and had bigger donors in comparison to anytime within the last seven years; not bad for a non-election year. I regret that we didn’t raise more money from the second membership mailing in August, despite having budgeted for it, but we underestimated its cost and subsequent revenue. Nevertheless, it was still the right thing to do and future mailings will benefit from having updated records. 

There will be much to do in 2008. We will do what we can to refill our coffers, and help to retain our Republican seats in Saginaw County, the Michigan Legislature, the U.S. Congress and the White House. Any additional gains we may derive from the work that lay ahead will be additional blessings to those we already share. Thanks again for all of your hard work and I look forward to working for you in 2008. 

Tim Kelly, Chairman