"Dwhite - Powered by Caffeine, Daft Punk, and Corgis" (Dwhite95)
10/21/2014 at 22:10 • Filed to: None
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"Dwhite - Powered by Caffeine, Daft Punk, and Corgis" (Dwhite95)
10/21/2014 at 22:10 • Filed to: None | 6
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I know everyone is pissed that this happened, but I think there's a misunderstanding on what happened to some degree. I'm posting this as a Tesla fan, let's look at the timeline and some facts:
The Legislature passed a bill unanimously in the state senate (38-0) and almost unanimously in the house (106-1).
This bill updates wording on an already existing law that bans direct selling in Michigan.
The argument is that a couple of state reps added language in the bill that was anti Tesla.
Tesla sees this as an opportunity to drum up support against the bill and in support of their right to sell in Michigan.
Here is what is important to know:
BEFORE THIS BILL, DIRECT SELLING WAS ALREADY ILLEGAL IN MICHIGAN. This bill just clarifies that in a sense. TESLA WAS ALREADY AWARE OF THIS.
In an interview, a Tesla spokesman said, "Tesla's only request, O'Connell said, is that the issue be debated in public and "in the light of the day."
Gov. Snyder addresses this in !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! [1] he released after signing the bill.
Tesla's request is that this be debated in the light of day. Now here is where I am asking you to look away from the negatives and misleading information being mentioned and bring to light a positive. In the video, Snyder states: "Given all the concerns mentioned by people, I'm also putting a letter [to the legislature] with my bill signing saying that I will be open, and actually encourage discussion to make sure Michigan is viewed as a state that is open to products and services from all over the globe. And I hope they'll take up that concern and have a discussion in the future about what could be the best answers for Michigan's citizens."
To put it simply: The state already bans direct selling of cars in Michigan before this bill, since that was the case, and since this bill had almost unanimous support in the legislature, he signed it.
After signing it, he addresses the issue that Tesla and others have with the law in general by calling on the legislature to take up discussion on the law in general. This is a direct quote from the Governor's press release: "Calls for healthy, open discussion on potential changes to business model".
This means that he is calling on the state legislature to discuss the law overall and in doing that also allowing Tesla a chance to get in on the discussion. Because of this, what is important is that if you live in Michigan, you also encourage the legislature to discuss this issue as well.
After Gov. Snyder signed the bill, Tesla said they weren't sure if they would sue because, and this is a direct quote: !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! [2]
TL;DR: Whether this bill was signed or not, direct selling would still be against the law in Michigan. Snyder signed it because the bill had almost unanimous support in the legislature, not necessarily because he believes direct selling is bad. Snyder calls on the legislature to have open discussion on the overall law in order to make sure that Michigan is open to products and services from all over the globe.
So while dead for now, it very well may not be dead for long. Snyder is to much of a business man to just kill these without giving the other side a shot.
ly2v8-Brian
> Dwhite - Powered by Caffeine, Daft Punk, and Corgis
10/21/2014 at 22:19 |
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That refreshing feeling of a non-Kneejerk reaction. There needs to be more of that.
jariten1781
> Dwhite - Powered by Caffeine, Daft Punk, and Corgis
10/21/2014 at 22:28 |
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This is exactly what happened in NJ though there it was a Motor Vehicle Commission clarifying the no direct sales rule rather than the legislature, but safe diff.
Tesla is better at playing the whining game than they are at the lobbying game.
You can tell a Finn but you can't tell him much
> Dwhite - Powered by Caffeine, Daft Punk, and Corgis
10/21/2014 at 23:01 |
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I regret that I have only one star to give you. I pointed this out on the FP article and thankfully didn't get spammed with hateful replies. Sometimes it's good to be grey.
Deucenberg
> ly2v8-Brian
10/21/2014 at 23:30 |
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I really loved the knee-jerk reactions calling for the governor's head and sticking the blame solely to Michigan Republicans, when what the governor has done and said seems entirely reasonable and Michigan Democrats are equally to blame as every single one of them voted for the bill. But hey, most people don't read much past a headline let alone research things for themselves.
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ly2v8-Brian
> Deucenberg
10/21/2014 at 23:52 |
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I know I agree with you. I was pointing out it was a breath of fresh air to not see a kneejerk reaction.
BJS
> Dwhite - Powered by Caffeine, Daft Punk, and Corgis
10/24/2014 at 12:33 |
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Doesn't really matter if they can't sell directly, they just have a third party deliver it to your house.
