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Tuinstra For Dorr Township Trustee

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John W. Tuinstra 

E-mail:   rebuilder777@yahoo.com

Vote,  November 8, 2016 General Election

Hi, I’m your neighbor, and I’d like to continue serving you as a
Township Trustee in Dorr, Michigan.

I’ve been a precinct delegate many times before, and a Township Trustee, and this time I am running for Dorr Township Trustee as well as a precinct delegate. So, I thought I’d do my patriotic duty and share a little of my history, values, etc.

Resident

  • Of Allegan County, 64 years,
  • Of Dorr Township, 28 years

Political Experience

  • Precinct Delegate 20 years, Delegate to State Convention many times.
  • Collected signatures in the neighborhood and beyond, on petitions for the One-Man-One-Woman ballot question and several other petitions.
  • Former Member of Executive Committee, Allegan County Republican Party
  • Acquainted with many elected officials, and have done campaign work for many conservative causes and candidates
  • Former Field Campaign Manager of Proposal A to End Tax Funding for Abortion
  • Testified in State Legislature committees many times
  • Wrote amended and substitute wording for bills on parental rights.
  • Worked with Representative Yonker on legislation regarding Library Board pay, on the wording and testifying in Committee.
  • Lobbied in Lansing and Washington D.C many times on many issues, with parental rights the most frequent.
  • Member Dorr Township Board, and Secretary of Dorr Downtown Development Authority

Community Involvement

  • Active for 30-plus years in several community service organizations.
  • Four-term President of Right To Life of North Allegan County
  • Current President of Citizens For Parental Rights and CPR-PAC (9 years)
  • Working as a Counselor at Renewed Hope an all-volunteer, free, health clinic in Allegan (7 years)

Education

  • College: Western Michigan University; Kalamazoo, MI,  Bachelor of Science Degree in Industrial Education and Master of Arts Degree in Industrial Education
  • Seminary: Grand Rapids Theological Seminary (Cornerstone University) Grand Rapids, MI,  Master’s Degree in Counseling (and Theology) May 2010
  • Additional: Approximately 30 college credits at 9 different colleges,numerous teacher In-Service training sessions.
  • Extensive study on origin science (Creation/Evolution)
  • Also Attended: School of Hard Knocks, Allegan, Kent, and Tuscola Counties

Work Experience

  • Farm work as a kid, chasing cows, picking corn, topping onions
  • Auto Salvage and Recycling, during my teen years
  • Concrete Construction and Truck Driving, 4 years, during college
  • Auto Mechanic, 4 years (Certified Master Auto, Truck, Motorcycle, & Recreational Vehicle Mechanic)
  • Public School Teacher 33 Years
  • Builder, 4 years

 

My Voting Record and Performance as Your Townshhip Trustee – 2012-2016

  • Voted “NO” on unnecessary spending more than anyone else on the Township Board. With the exception of Patty Senneker, I voted “NO” on unnecessary spending more than the rest of the Board combined !
  • Wrote a policy on Rules of Order and persuaded a majority of the Board to pass it.
  • Wrote many policies for the benefit of the public and initiated the first system for organizing, publishing and storing Board policies.
  • Negotiated with Grand Elk Railroad to end the overnight parking of running locomotives near the homes in Moline.
  • Conducted a survey of randomly selected voters to determine whether they wanted their tax dollars spent on roads or on a digital yard sign. Sent a letter to those folks informing them of the outcome. (Then sent a letter of explanation and included reimbursement (from my own wallet) for my apparent error on postage.
  • Mowed the lawn repeatedly (without extra pay) at the new addition to the North Park when we were without a maintenance person.
  • Cleared sidewalks (without extra pay) with the rented skid-steer loader when the snow was 5 feet deep.
  • Repaired the previous maintenance vehicle (without extra pay) to make it sell at a higher value.
  • Privately and publicly confronted the clerk and supervisor for unauthorized spending.
  • Voted “NO” (alone) on the sale of the property at 14th and 18th St for a loss of $40,000 and a loss of our Yard Waste location. (We are very soon facing a situation of having to pay for yard-waste disposal.
  • With permission form the committee chair, solicited a multitude of bidders for the roof replacement over the Fire Department, saving the township money. (I also actually read the specifications and found that competing materials were acceptable, and got a verbal public statement from the “engineer” that competing materials were acceptable, though he was the wholesaler for his preferred brand of the material.)
  • Intervened in the planned demolition of part of the purchased north park property by making a phone call to request a 3-day delay until the Township Board could could consider the issue.
  • Found multiple errors in proposed revisions of ordinances, and after much discussion, persuaded the Board to postpone a vote on these.

Family:
My children are probably my best credentials. All are happily married and proud parents, Yes, I’m proud of all 4 of them, and their spouses. (8 college degrees, with 3 more in progress, cum laude, magna cum laude, summa cum laude, full ride college scholarships, did research in schizophrenia, nursing degree, psychology degrees, Bible college, home-schoolers, business owners, teachers, builders, multi-lingual, good-looking, well rounded, the usual stuff that parents brag about, and in this case…ALL TRUE.)
And the grandkids…well, of course, they are among the most handsome and brilliant on the planet, in my unbiased opinion, that is. (One grandaughter co-authored and self-published a 215 page book at age 13, and received a Special Tribute from her State Representative in 2014.)

Church Involvement
Active for many years in teaching and leadership roles, as Sunday School Teacher and Superintendent, and many times as Chairman of the Board, Lay Leader, and Delegate to Conference. Currently a member of Calvary Church of Wayland.

Other Skills and Interests
Origin science (creation/evolution), computer skills, photography, home improvement,
and mechanical engineering.

Thoughts on Local Government
1. Records on every cent of income and expense should be available by internet to the people of the township.  (Note: I have proposed this and the motion received no support from the other current  trustees who are running for reelection.)
2. Services or products needed should be advertised on the Township web-site and volunteers work should be strongly encouraged.
3. Possible conflicts of interest should be publicly acknowledged. Generally speaking, an elected or appointed official should not be acting on behalf of the citizens in a transaction with a relative or business associate.
4. Expenses over $5000 should be advertised for bids, with preset specifications, with sealed bids opened during a meeting open to the public. Purchases over $500 should have at least 3 price-checks before purchase. (Note: I have proposed these and the motion received no support from the other current  trustees who are running for reelection.)
5. Decisions on spending over $10000 should be advertised to the citizens several weeks with an invitation for input on the decision.

Values, Ideas, Platform

1. 100% Pro-Life, Life is sacred, and 57 million unborn children have been lost to abortion. Unfortunately over 90 % of women requesting abortions in Michigan are unmarried. Sexual morality and committed marriages could save a lot of lives.I have lobbied on these issues repeatedly in Lansing and Washington D.C. and was Field Campaign Manager for North Allegan County for 2 Ballot Questions on these issues.
2. 100% Pro-Family (the Judeo- Christian model) I have worked on reform of Child Protective Service law, actively working for passage of the Parental Rights Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. I have lobbied on these issues repeatedly in Lansing visiting with well over 50 lawmakers on these, and have attended many court hearings in support of parents. 
3. 100% Pro-Traditional-Marriage  Collected signature for the Michigan On-Man-One-Woman Marrige Amendment to Michigan’s Constitution. (Of all the homes I visited in Dorr, only a few refused to sign the petition.)Worked against gay-rights candidates in Allegan County, publishing the most accurate and thorough documentation concerning one candidate.
4. Economy: Over the last 200 years, America has become the most productive country in the history of mankind, due to the free-market capitalism and a widespread sharing of Judeo-Christian values and morals. Fundamentally, businesses produce products and services, and businesses provide jobs. If we are going to restore jobs, and a healthy economy, we are going to have to reduce taxes and simplify regulations so businesses will want to return to Michigan and to America. There must also be a reform in protecting the value of the dollar, rather than the continued inflationary printing of money by the Fed and the Treasury.
5. Environment: Our children and grandchildren have to live on this planet, so we need to take care of it. We all know too many people who have been sick or died from cancer, and protecting the environment will reduce cancer and other illnesses. But Nature is not our mother, and we don’t need to worship the ground we walk on.
5. Government: Less is better. The Federal government should not be doing what the states can do for themselves, and the states should not be doing what the local units can do for themselves. Local spending is much easier for citizens to supervise and control, and far less wasteful. Referenda, recalls, and initiatives are one of the great advantages of our Michigan Constitution. We need the same at the Federal level. A Convention of the States would be a great help, and regardless of what comes out of the Convention, there is no danger of recklessness since any amendment would need ratification by 38 state Legislatures. We need term limits and a balanced budget requirement at the Federal level like we have at the state level. The Federal government should stick to the enumerated powers in the Constitution as Amendment 10 requires.
6. Transparency in government is essential to promote integrity. Records for every cent of government spending should be posted on-line for easy inspection by the citizens. The founders of our nation said in the Constitution… “a regular Statement and Account of the Receipts and Expenditures of all public Money shall be published from time to time.”
7. Gun Control – 2nd Amendment. Every sane law-abiding adult should be free to own a gun and protect life, family, and property, but must also be responsible for the safe storage and use of guns. Convenient trigger locks will help prevent accidents, and access by children.
8. Health care expenses should be covered by insurance in the same way that car insurance and home insurance are. People should choose their own provider and shop for savings and quality, just like we do for everything else. Lawsuits are driving health care costs up and need to be limited so we aren’t paying $3 million for a spilled cup of coffee. We need more competition, so 95% of health insurance policies in this state are not handled by just two companies.
9. Unemployment benefits should be paid into and paid out of an individual account for each person, and should shift into a retirement account if not used during working years. Benefits should be paid out in a way that encourages and rewards people to find work. There are well written plans for a privatized alternative to Social Security and this would provide a better return on investment for young people entering the workforce, without reducing the promised benefit for those who retire under the current program.
10. Illegal aliens are illegal and should receive no jobs, no licenses, and no chance to vote, no welfare, no free education, no Social Security, no freebies, and no benefits. (Maybe a free map and compass.) This would eliminate the expense to law-abiding citizens for law-enforcement and prosecution of illegals. There is a process for legal visits and citizenship and my Brazilian daughter-in-law has followed them successfully, with a joyous ceremony a few months ago. .

11. Origins: Creation, Intelligent Design, or Evolution? I have read 25,000 pages on this topic, attended seminars, watched many hours of video, and written two brief (and as yet unpublished) books on the topic. The theory of evolution starts with the idea that …. from nothing, for no reason, BANG, stuff came into existence. Then billions of accidents happened and thinking humans came into existence. I’d prefer to think that photosynthesis, blood clotting, sexual reproduction, and those little adenosine-triphosphate-synthase  motors between the semi-permeable membranes of the mytochondria in your cells were designed. Science may not point out the identity of the designer, but of the five major religions in the world, only three have a theory of origins, and those three all go back to the book of Genesis. In God We Trust –“right on the money”.

12. Ethics in government: Elected officials are public servants, not public masters. Elected officials work for and are paid by the citizens. Citizens (as a group) are the employer, and have every right to know what their employees are doing and to expect an honest report of their activities

Many of the above values and ideas do not apply directly to Township Government. But I would rather tell you who I am than try to fool you into thinking I’m something I’m not, and then have you be disappointed and angry after you vote for me. If we share the same values, we are likely to prefer the same choices, even in township government.

Thanks for taking the time to consider a candidate carefully.

Paid for by John Tuinstra for Dorr Township Trustee, 1720 142nd Ave, Dorr, MI 49323