Political News and Commentary with the Right Perspective. NAVIGATION
  • Front Page
  • News
  • Multimedia
  • Tags
  • RSS Feed


  • Your New Scoop Site

    Welcome to Scoop!

    To help you figure things out, there is a Scoop Admin Guide which can hopefully answer most of your questions.

    Some tips:

    • Most of the layout is changed in "Blocks", found in the admin tools menu
    • Features can be turned on and off, and configured, in "Site Controls" in the admin tools menu
    • Stories have an "edit" link right beside the "Full Story" link on an index page, and right beside the "Post a Comment" link on the full story page. They can also be edited by clicking the story title in the "Story List" admin tool
    • Boxes are what allow you to write new features for Scoop; they require a knowledge of the perl programming language to work with effectively, although you can often make small changes without knowing much perl. If you would like a feature added but cannot program it yourself, ScoopHost does custom Scoop programming as one of its services.
    • If you aren't sure where to look for a particular feature or piece of display, try the "Search Admin Tools" link in the admin tools menu.

    For support, questions, and general help with Scoop, email support@scoophost.com

    ScoopHost.com is currently running Scoop version Undeterminable from .

    Tag: Irene Kepler

    Democratic House staffer and Macomb County Commissioner arrested after DUI, hit and run


    By Nick, Section News
    Posted on Mon Feb 02, 2009 at 02:06:51 PM EST
    Tags: Irene Kepler, Macomb County Commission, DUI, House, Senate, intern, Haugh, Andy Dillon (all tags)

    Nobody is perfect.  Lord knows I'm not.  Alcohol may not be my particular vice but darn it all if I don't have plenty of others.  Ask my brothers and sisters and friends; they'll tell you.

    That said, when one aspires to public service one necessarily sets oneself on a pedestal and voluntarily offers to live by a higher standard.  That's why the slightest personal foibles in elected officials draw such intense scrutiny.  And, frankly, they should.  

    If you're going to make heavy taxpayer funded bank and have run for and won a position where you don't only influence laws, ordinances and public policy but you help write them, darn it all, you'd better live by them.

    Late last year Representative Kevin Green was arrested for DUI.  The man was stripped of two committee assignments by Democratic Speaker Andy Dillon and was marginalized in what had to that point been a spirited pursuit of his own caucus's top leadership position.  He became the poster boy for irresponsible public servants in Michigan and the consequences that can and should befall them.  

    Andy Dillon was right in how he handled the Green situation.  Frankly, I wouldn't have minded if he'd gone a little further.  We'll see now, though, how Democrats in the legislature and in Macomb County handle one of their own in an even more serious situation.

    The Macomb Daily reports that Macomb County Commissioner Irene Kepler (D-Roseville) was yanked from her car by police early this morning after stopping on the side of the road to make an intoxicated cell phone call.

    According to the Ivory Tower she had earlier been the offending party in a hit and run collision.

    In addition to her $34,000 a year salary courtesy of Macomb County residents, Kepler is employed as a staffer in Democratic Representative Harold Haugh's legislative office.  She is also a former intern with Democratic Senator Mickey Switalski and was named the Democrat's State of Michigan Legislative Intern of the Year.

    Consistency would seem to demand Representative Haugh and House leadership take immediate action to send an entirely unambiguous signal that their staff is also held to the highest standards.  They represent their bosses in the district and at the HOB.  

    Haugh would certainly be mortified if his staffer attended a public meeting while intoxicated.  Zero doubt what would happen to any legislative employee who showed up to work drunk.  How much more serious that his staff are pounding vodka, getting behind the wheel of a car, committing hit and run offenses and then getting booked on DUI?  

    No one's probably going to die if Kepler shows up to the Rep's next Coffee Hour with booze on her breath but drunk driving claims thousands of lives every year.  

    We'll see how the Democrats handle her situation in the House.  Suppose we'll also have to wait and see how things go at the Macomb County Commission.  No one there to punish the woman or to say enough is enough.  She's on her own.  

    Will also be interesting to see the reaction from the regressisphere.  Last fall with the Green arrest, Michigan Liberal led the righteous outrage brigade, with my Off the Record sparring partner and very good friend </snark> Liberal Lucy carrying the "shame on you" banner herself.  

    She wrote:

    ...When there's a repeated violation of that trust, by not just one, or two, but three different lawmakers, it makes it difficult for us, the tax-paying public to continue to uphold that trust and belief.

    The public cannot be expected to maintain that trust and have faith that our government is truly working for us when a group of elected officials not only breaks the laws, but seemingly goes out of their way to flaunt their ability to do so.

    Ball's in the Democrat's court.  Lets hope they do the right thing, that Miss Kepler gets the help she needs and then be thankful that no one was seriously injured as a result of her actions this morning.

    (4 comments) Comments >>

    Advertise on RightMichigan.com

    Login

    Make a new account

    Username:
    Password:
    Tweet along with RightMichigan by
    following us on Twitter HERE!

    External Feeds

    Metro/State News RSS from The Detroit News
    + Craig: Cushingberry tried twice to elude police, was given preferential treatment
    + Detroit police arrest man suspected of burning women with blowtorch
    + Fouts rips video as 'scurrilous,' defends Chicago trip with secretary
    + Wind, winter weather hammer state from Mackinac Bridge to southeast Mich.
    + Detroit Cass Tech QB Campbell expected to be released from custody Friday
    + New water rates range from -16% to +14%; see change by community
    + Detroit's bankruptcy gets controversial turn in new Honda ad
    + Royal Oak Twp., Highland Park in financial emergency, review panels find
    + Grosse Ile Twp. leads list of Michigan's 10 safest cities
    + Wayne Co. sex crimes backlog grows after funding feud idles Internet Crime Unit
    + Judge upholds 41-60 year sentence of man guilty in Detroit firefighter's death
    + Detroit man robbed, shot in alley on west side
    + Fire at Detroit motel forces evacuation of guests
    + Survivors recount Syrian war toll at Bloomfield Hills event
    + Blacks slain in Michigan at 3rd-highest rate in US

    Politics RSS from The Detroit News
    + Apologetic Agema admits errors but won't resign
    + Snyder: Reform 'dumb' rules to allow more immigrants to work in Detroit
    + GOP leaders shorten presidential nominating season
    + Dems: Another 12,600 Michiganians lose extended jobless benefits
    + Mike Huckabee's comments on birth control gift for Dems
    + Granholm to co-chair pro-Clinton PAC for president
    + Republican panel approves tougher penalties for unauthorized early primary states
    + Michigan seeks visas to lure immigrants to Detroit
    + Peters raises $1M-plus for third straight quarter in Senate bid
    + Bill would let lawyers opt out of Michigan state bar
    + Michigan lawmakers launch more bills against sex trade
    + Balanced budget amendment initiative gets a jumpstart
    + Feds subpoena Christie's campaign, GOP
    + Poll: At Obama's 5-year point, few see a turnaround
    + Obama to release 2015 budget March 4

    create account | faq | search