Colbeck Supports Funding for Veterans Affairs Agency

Agency will serve to connect veterans with services and benefits.

State Sen. Patrick Colbeck, R-Canton, Chair of the Senate Appropriations  Subcommittee on State Police and Military Affairs, voted to approve funding for the new MI Veterans Affairs Agency, according to a news release from Colbeck's office. The legislation appropriating $3 million for creation of the new agency passed the Senate on a 30-5 vote. The agency will help to better connect eligible veterans with their benefits and significantly improve customer service. “This new Agency will finally cut through some of the red tape and delays and help our Veterans get the benefits they earned and deserve in a more timely manner,” Colbeck said. “There are many state and federal programs and services available to our Veterans. Unfortunately, these …

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Plymouth Resident Receives Award at Michigan Capitol

Leonard Sanford of Plymouth earns award in 2013 Michigan Protection & Advocacy Service essay contest

Submitted by Lucas McConnell On Feb. 26, Michigan Protection & Advocacy Service, Inc. (MPAS) held its annual legislative reception in the Capitol rotunda where the organization recognized MPAS’ 2013 Essay Contest winners, including first place winner Leonard Sanford of Plymouth. In addition to the luncheon, the winners of MPAS’ annual essay contest had lunch and photos taken with their legislators, visited the House floor and were recognized during the House session. Following the reception, the winners were recognized during the MPAS board meeting. “It was a pleasure getting to meet Leonard and hear his story. He is an incredibly dynamic young man,” said Sen. Patrick Colbeck, R-Canton. The winners of the 2013 essay contest were: The essay…

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Sen. Patrick Colbeck: Avoiding the Obamacare Bait and Switch

State Senator: Health care legislation 'has resulted in objectionable infringements on religious liberty.'

  On June 6, 2009, President Obama unleashed his plan for a government-run healthcare system that would “lower costs, improve quality and coverage, and also protect consumer choice.” Today as a direct result of the passage of the Affordable Care Act, commonly known as “Obamacare,” we are seeing more taxes taken out of our middle class paychecks and the prospect of skyrocketing insurance premiums in 2014. We are seeing that “quality” is decreasing as access to the care for which you are eligible becomes a function of your age and political affiliations not your needs. We are seeing that the administration’s idea of “consumer choice” is really a case of “my way or the highway.”  At least 1,231 organizations have successfully applied for …

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Sen. Patrick Colbeck Offers Office Hours Feb. 14 in Plymouth

Colbeck to meet with constituents Feb. 14 colat Plymouth District Library.

Sen. Patrick Colbeck, R-Canton, has invited the public to his office hours 7-8 p.m. on Feb. 14 at Plymouth District Library in Plymouth.  Colbeck will be on hand to answer questions and respond to concerns any residents of his district may have, according to a news release from Colbeck's office. No appointment is necessary, as the office hours will be an opportunity for local residents to meet with their state senator to address issues related to state government.  For more information or to contact Colbeck, visit www.senatorpatrickcolbeck.com or call 734-335-0673.

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Plymouth Pastor Delivers Invocation Before State Senate Session

Brad Cannon is pastor at Solid Rock Bible Church in Plymouth.

Sen. Patrick Colbeck, R-Canton, welcomes Pastor Brad Cannon, left, to the Michigan State Capitol in Lansing this week. Cannon, who delivered the invocation before a Senate session, is the pastor at Solid Rock Bible Church in Plymouth. Colbeck represents the 7th State Senate district, which includes Plymouth, Plymouth Township, Canton Township, Northville and Northville Township. — Submitted by Sen. Patrick Colbeck's office

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Sen. Pat Colbeck Lauds Gov. Snyder's State of the State Speech

The state senator says "Michigan is headed on the right track."

State Sen. Pat Colbeck praised Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder for his State of the State speech on Wednesday night. “It was very good to talk about a Michigan where we’ve got an economy that is getting healthier by the day,” Colbeck said. “We are the sixth-fastest growing economy in the United States. And we’ve added over 110,000 jobs since we took office in January 2011. “Michigan is headed on the right track,” he said. “It was really good to hear what the governor had to say, and it was good to be able talk about an upbeat message. “We still have too many people without jobs, and we’re working hard to make sure that we increase the number of jobs available to our citizens in the upcoming year,” said Colbeck, who represents the seventh …

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Letters to the Editor

State Sen. Colbeck: The Truth About Proposal 4 in Michigan

In this Letter to the Editor, Sen. Patrick Colbeck (R-Canton) writes about what he says are misleading ads about Proposal 4.

- Submitted by the Office of State Sen. Patrick Colbeck (R-Canton), who represents Plymouth and Canton. We’ve all seen the ads claiming all of the wonderful benefits that passage that Proposal 4 would yield. They say that if Proposal 4 passes, the state would be able to provide training for in-home care workers, create a registry of workers who pass background checks and provide financial services to patients. Here’s what you are not being told. We can do all of these wonderful things RIGHT NOW! In 2004, the Michigan Quality Community Care Council (MQCCC) was formed to do just that. In 2005, the MQCCC recognized the Service Employee International Union (SEIU) as the bargaining union for home healthcare aides. These aides are typically …

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Sen. Patrick Colbeck: In Search of the Truth

State Senator's Op-Ed: 'Nowhere is the need for truth more evident than in proposed changes to the Michigan Constitution this November.'

By Sen. Patrick Colbeck In a world full of access to more information than ever before, it is remarkable that the information we most need is often the hardest to find – the truth.  The truth was very important to our Founding Fathers: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness…” Why is the truth hard to find today?  Perhaps it is apathy. There are many other pleasures in life to pursue. Why spend precious time dwelling on the search for the truth regarding the issues of the day? Perhaps it is simply the volume of information. Most of us are inundated with information from …

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Colbeck Plans Town Hall in Canton for Affordable Care Act

State Senator from Canton plans discussion for divisive health care bill.

State Sen. Patrick Colbeck (R-Canton) will hold a town hall meeting Tuesday in Canton to discuss the impact of the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (House Resolution 3590) crafted by President Barack Obama, recently upheld as constitutional by the United States Supreme Court, and how it affects the state of Michigan and residents. The forum will run 7-9 p.m. Tuesday in the banquet and conference center at the Summit on the Park, 46000 Summit Parkway in Canton. Colbeck opposed passage of the health care bill and said the federal healthcare law requires most adults not covered by an employer or government-sponsored insurance plan to maintain health insurance coverage or pay a penalty, commonly referred to as the individual …

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Mad Hatter

1:29 pm on Sunday, July 22, 2012

actually, most Republicans came out against it because they listened to their constituents, as they are supposed to. face it, the majority of Americans tend to have conservative roots and don't want more gov't programs that are going to end up overspending and underperforming. we tend to want to take care of ourselves and have those in gov't screw up as little as possible for us. remember, …   more ›

Former Minnesota Gov. Pawlenty Addresses Wayne County Republicans

Former presidential candidate speaks at Wayne 11th Congressional District to party leaders from Plymouth, Canton, Northville and Livonia.

After a long, often-heated Republican presidential primary campaign cycle, former Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R-Minnesota), who briefly sought the GOP nomination, said the party needs to come together and focus its energy on defeating President Barack Obama. “I remind people when the Red Wings, or the Lions or the Pistons go out and practice with their teammates, they don’t purposely take other teammates out at the knees,” Pawlenty said, speaking Thursday to Wayne County Republicans at the Italian-American Banquet Center in Livonia. “They don’t purposely go hit somebody in the mouth and knock their teeth out during practice. They save that for Sunday.” Sunday, of course, meaning the general election cycle. Pawlenty was a guest speaker at the …

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