Tesla’s take on auto dealer association’s purchase of Michigan legislators
October 16, 2014 A Raw Deal in Michigan By The Tesla Motors Team On October 1, the Michigan Automobile Dealers Association succeeded in passing a bill that is harmful to consumers. The bill, HB5606,...
View ArticleSampling of reactions on Twitter to anti-Tesla law in Michigan (updated)
As a side note, when reviewing all the tweets posted about the question, I have seen only 3 in favor of the legislature’s bill. nicolasrisso @elonmusk Rick Snyder @onetoughnerd is smart guy and (I...
View ArticleTesla quote of the day 2
The forces aligned against disruptive ways of satisfying consumer demand have gotten, in the space of a couple days, an amendment into a bill that passed both houses and is sitting on the governor’s...
View ArticleDecision day for Rick Snyder: Snyder signs bill banning Tesla sales in Michigan
Here is Snyder’s statement regarding the bill: @onetoughnerd Legal? Hune counts the Mi. Auto Dealers as one of his top financial contributors & his wife’s firm lobbies for the dealers — Grant Gerke...
View ArticleWho gains from Snyder’s signature
The big winners are car dealers, of course. And the big loser is the purchasing public. Check out this article from Vox, written by Timothy B Lee. Excerpt: The main supporters of these laws are auto...
View ArticleTesla bill quote of the day
Just man up and compete. – Billionaire Dan Gilbert on Michigan’s anti-Tesla Motors law. Watch the video here.
View ArticleWall Street Journal calls out Rick Snyder
In an op-ed yesterday (pay wall), the Wall Street Journal called out Rick Snyder for “embracing the car dealer cartel.” Excerpt: Republican Michigan Governor Rick Snyder ’s re-election race against...
View ArticleTownhall: Anti-Tesla bill bad for Michigan
Townhall.com, a relatively conservative publication, is now dissing Governor Rick Snyder for caving in to the auto dealer lobby. Excerpt: The original focus of House Bill 5606 was on determining how...
View ArticleTesla ban quote of the day
Usually we think of politicians on the left as being the major proponents of protectionist policies. But Snyder is a Republican, as are the governors of almost all the states that have barred Tesla’s...
View ArticleWhen is an endorsement not an endorsement?
An endorsement is not an endorsement when it is made on “the narrowest of margins.” The Detroit Free Press has endorsed Rick Snyder in the upcoming gubernatorial election. However, the endorsement is...
View ArticleOp-Ed: Snyder signing anti-Tesla bill is a head-scratcher
Nancy Kaffer, a Detroit Free Press columnist, questions why exactly Rick Snyder signed the anti-Tesla legislation banning Tesla Motors sales in Michigan. Excerpt: It’s a strange look for Michigan’s...
View ArticleMichigan man adds White House petition to allow direct auto sales
This is pretty nifty. PC Mag has identified a petition on the White House website to end bans on direct vehicle sales: Travis Cochran of Ravenna, Mich. on Friday created a new petition on...
View ArticleWhite cop, black citizen
In Pontiac, Michigan, on Thanksgiving, a black man was walking down the street in daylight. He had his hands in his pockets. Then he is stopped and questioned by a cop who said that he was stopped...
View ArticleState of Michigan “wins” Luddite nomination
This is too good. From The Detroit Free Press: The state of Michigan is the, uh, honored recipient of the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation‘s first Luddite Awards for its efforts to...
View ArticleElon Musk quote of the day
Asked by a reporter whether Tesla would consider building an assembly plant in Michigan, where Tesla is barred from selling cars or operating showrooms under recently enacted legislation, Musk said:...
View ArticleFTC urges Michigan to drop Tesla sales ban (updated)
Via The Detroit News: The Federal Trade Commission on Monday strongly urged the Michigan state legislature to reconsider its ban on Tesla Motors and other automakers from directly selling vehicles to...
View ArticleAn outrageous auto insurance scam
The Intercept is reporting on a growing scam regarding automobile insurance, with a special focus on Michigan. Fake “insurance salesmen” sell automobile insurance policies to people who don’t know they...
View ArticleArmed shopper shoots at shoplifters
In Auburn Hills, about 10 miles from my home, a shopper at a Home Depot yesterday opened fire on a vehicle in the parking lot that she believed was being driven by shoplifters. This was the middle of...
View ArticleUpdate on Home Depot vigilante shooting
Click here to view a story in which a Home Depot customer pulled a gun in the parking lot and shot at a fleeing shoplifter. Now, the authorities in Michigan have taken action, against the shooter: On...
View ArticleTesla lawsuit against Michigan triggers comments
Daniel Howes, writing in the Detroit News: The surprise isn’t that Tesla Motors Inc. is suing Gov. Rick Snyder and the state for the right to sell its cars directly to consumers. It’s that it took this...
View Article