by: John Clore | 3/3/2025 at 7:13 AM
Michigan’s Legislature: A Full-Time Scam on Taxpayers
LANSING, MI. Michigan’s full-time legislature has done little to nothing to improve the lives of its citizens, yet lawmakers continue to collect six-figure salaries, enjoy taxpayer-funded perks, and waste millions of dollars each year. Rather than holding corrupt agencies accountable, our legislators spend their time creating more laws, adding more restrictions, and expanding government oversight on Michigan citizens—all while failing to address real issues like fraud, corruption, and waste.
And it gets worse. Instead of working for the people, many legislators are engaging in extramarital affairs with fellow lawmakers and staffers, covering up corruption, and now even facing criminal investigations.
It’s time to end Michigan’s full-time legislature and transition to a part-time system—just like many other successful states have already done. By eliminating unnecessary legislative bloat, Michiganders could save hundreds of millions of dollars annually while ensuring that career politicians no longer have the luxury of turning Lansing into their personal playground.
Other States Thrive with Part-Time Legislatures—Why Can’t Michigan?
Many states operate efficiently with part-time legislatures, proving that government doesn’t need to be a full-time cash grab for politicians.
Examples of States with Part-Time Legislatures:
- Texas: Meets every other year for 140 days, ensuring that lawmakers focus on critical issues rather than creating unnecessary laws.
- Florida: Meets for 60 days per year, cutting down on government overreach while allowing citizens to hold their lawmakers accountable.
- Nevada: Meets every other year for 120 days, preventing legislators from wasting taxpayer money on pointless regulations and bloated budgets.
- Montana, North Dakota, and Wyoming: These states only meet every other year, keeping government lean, efficient, and cost-effective.
Meanwhile, Michigan legislators are in Lansing all year, yet nothing ever gets done. Instead, they are rubbing elbows with lobbyists, expanding government power, and failing to investigate fraud within state agencies.
How Much Could Michigan Save?
Michigan’s full-time legislature costs taxpayers over $100 million per year when you factor in salaries, benefits, staffing, office expenses, and unnecessary bureaucracy. A switch to a part-time system could save hundreds of millions of dollars over a decade, while forcing legislators to actually work for the people—not themselves.
No Accountability, No Backbone: Michigan’s Broken Legislature
Michigan’s government is a well-oiled corruption machine, and our legislators have no interest in stopping it.
- Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s FBI-Staged Kidnapping Plot: It has been proven in court that the FBI orchestrated Whitmer’s kidnapping scheme using paid informants, yet Michigan lawmakers have done NOTHING to investigate this shocking abuse of power.
- The COVID-19 Nursing Home Cover-Up: The Michigan Auditor General discovered that Whitmer lied about COVID-19 nursing home deaths by 30%, yet the legislature took zero action to hold her accountable.
- FOIA Transparency Initiative Blocked by Lawmakers: Michigan’s executive and legislative branches are EXEMPT from public records requests, one of the few states in America that allows this kind of government secrecy. When I created the Transparency Initiative to expand FOIA under Act 442 of 1976, not a single legislator supported it.
- Rep. Steve Carra told me it would be a waste of time for grassroots activists to push for transparency.
- Senator Jonathan Lindsey personally promised me he would help circulate petitions—but he lied and did nothing.
Sex, Scandals, and the Lansing Circus
It’s no secret that Lansing is a cesspool of corruption, but the extramarital affairs and criminal activity among legislators add yet another layer of dysfunction to the mess.
- Lawmakers sleeping with staffers while their constituents struggle.
- Secret affairs between legislators that compromise their ability to act independently.
- Cover-ups and backroom deals to protect reputations rather than serve the people.
Michigan Rep. Neil Friske Arrested, Facing Potential Sexual Assault Charges (June 21, 2024)
As if Lansing’s scandals weren’t bad enough, Michigan Rep. Neil Friske was arrested early Friday morning, June 21, 2024, and was facing potential sexual assault charges.
Friske, a Republican from Charlevoix, was taken into custody at 2:45 a.m. in Lansing after police responded to a report of shots fired. Upon arrival, officers not only investigated the firearm incident but also uncovered a potential sexual assault case involving a stripper who worked at De Javu.
Friske was arrested for a felony-level offense.
This is just another example of how Michigan’s full-time legislators continue to disgrace the people they were elected to serve.
Michigan: A State Where Corruption Thrives
Without transparency and accountability, Michigan’s government is ripe for corruption, and legislators love it that way.
- Freeloading Legislators in Lansing: These so-called “representatives” are not working for the people, they are playing politics, collecting massive paychecks, and doing favors for lobbyists.
- Lack of Investigations: When fraud and corruption are exposed, Michigan lawmakers refuse to investigate or hold anyone accountable.
- Government Secrecy: Michigan is one of the few states in America that exempts both its executive and legislative branches from public records requests, meaning corrupt politicians operate in the dark, unchecked by the people they claim to serve.
It’s Time to Cut Michigan’s Full-Time Legislature
Michiganders are suffering while their legislators live off taxpayer money, create endless red tape, and refuse to challenge corruption. If other states can successfully govern with part-time legislatures, why is Michigan still funding this circus?
A part-time legislature would:
✅ Save hundreds of millions of dollars
✅ Reduce government overreach
✅ Limit legislative corruption
✅ Force politicians to work real jobs like the rest of us
✅ Hold government accountable by eliminating career politicians
The People of Michigan Deserve Better
Enough is enough. Michigan’s full-time legislature is a massive waste of money, and the only people benefiting are the corrupt politicians in Lansing. It’s time to demand change, cut the waste, and hold our government accountable.
The people of Michigan work hard every day—why should our legislators be paid six-figure salaries to do nothing but legislate against our freedoms, have affairs, and commit crimes?