The AAPs will not participate in MI4CS

Dear AA Patriot,

Our votes have been tallied. We had 2 yes votes and 1 no at our meeting. We had 4 no votes and 3 yeses online. We have tied with me not yet voting. I vote no. Why?

I'm torn as the rest of our voters on this issue. On the one hand, I would like us to have input into this process and I hate to have us lose our opportunity to impact the Senatorial race in MI.

On the other hand, the lack of proportional voting and the lack of transparency in MI4CS really stick in my craw. MI4CS, without good reason in my opinion, has disenfranchised huge numbers of tea party members by neither allowing all interested individual TP members to vote individually nor by assigning more voting members to our larger TPs. Further, MI4CS violates transparency and openness standards, which I personally think are essential to maintaining the good name of TPs, by not disclosing the participating TPs. Another point of contention is that, although TPs were asked to participate in MI4CS, we were not asked to participate in establishing the rules under which MI4CS operates nor were answers about operational procedures easy to obtain.

Further, there are questions, concerns, and even allegations of unequal treatment of candidates. One candidate has withdrawn from participation in MI4CS; another is threatening law suits. One of the founders has now resigned and is working full-time for a candidate which raises questions about his intentions from the beginning.

Such considerations have given me great pause as I have considered how to vote. Yet, as is becoming clear to us as we try to become politically active, politics is a messy and complicated business. I believe leader Cindy Gamrat and the District MI4CS Representatives are good, well-intentioned people and I think that it is a worthy enterprise to try to gather consensus among the TPs. This is the first attempt of MI4CS in Michigan and it's understandable that there are still things that need to be improved.

What tipped the balance for me? In the end, it was the small number of people who wanted us to participate. The vast majority of our members—even of our more active members—failed to vote. They didn't care enough for us to participate to register a vote.

Given that the active voters were divided and I am equally conflicted and so few voters wish to go forward with MI4CS, I have chosen to vote no on participation. Hopefully, better plans will be made in future years.

I wish to thank all of you who shared opinions, voted, met with us, and counted votes.

Bill
wwbigler@gmail.com
734-995-2038