[nfbmi-talk] i'm not kidding here

joe harcz Comcast joeharcz at comcast.net
Wed Mar 7 23:17:04 UTC 2012


Dear Mr. Farmer,
We might need a U.S. and Michigan Attorney General's ruling on such recent purges of information as those you suggest don't you think.
 Regardless we might also need some court actions which you will surely lose, but don't forget the federal civil rights ramifications here as you've violated
my civil rights and again those of my class over and over again on these accounts using your abuses of State law...I certainly will be asking several attorney's
at law about this issue as you present it as well as those within the Michigan attorney General's office. And if that is not enough I'm going for personal
actions against yourself and others in this sordid affair.
I've already sent both your ludicrous e-mail here and the cc's of these   principles in law involved have gone viral, aka the internet.
Best thing I can figure here for yourself and others involved is to be as open, transparent and  well.. transparent and not to continue to obfiscate...
 as you are as possible...otherwise ...well you know follow the laws of this land and not try to snow and mess with a man who is blind just because he is
blind.
That sort of thing can get folks like yourself in a whole lot of trouble and it sure can get the ones you are covering for in more trouble.
Say have you heard of "spoliation"?
Well I'm sure the feds and the Michigan A.G. have heard of that term.
Now, Mr. Farmer when you go to Federal Court are you certain that you wish to report that those cited actually destroyed electronic records as you've suggested
herein?
and are you sure as FOIA officer for the LARA personnel whom have violated state and federal laws here as you've suggested: namely Hilfiger, Zimmer, Atwood,
Cannon, et al  that you, Mr. Farmer wishes to fall upon his sword to protect them in these regards?
Or do you wish for me to pay your sorry behind quadzillions in personal funds for public records that should be made public in the first instance? Let me
tell you sir the only one paying for anything in these regards will be yourself in court orders and that goes to the scofflaws you are covering for too.
I'm really getting pretty tired of dealing with pathetic public officials here like yourself who is supposed to make public records accessable and who because
of my blindness and poverty preys upon me in such a vicious manner that is most ludicrous and a violation of civil and Constitutional rights upon its very
face.
and  I think it is a matter of federal investigation and again there are issues of spoliation of records that are criminal in nature involved here.
The choices for you, Mr. Farmer are whether or not you are going to remit required documents to this citizen and to the public or whether or not you risk
criminal charges.
For suborning spoliation by other means is indeed a criminal offense as are spoliation of anything or aiding and abetting in same.
Now this said I'm formally requesting right now from you Mr. Farmer any directive from the likes of Hilfiger, Arwood, Zimmer or anyone at LARA or any other
agency of government to deny me access to these records  by any means including those aforementioned.
Moreover, these documents and requests will be going to federal and state over site committees of both Parties, and again will become viral so-to-speak.
My requests for information in all of these regards have and will continue to go to all sorts of media and to all sorts of legal and other resources.
Moreover, once again as you've continued to prey upon my poverty and my blindness you, sir have made yourself liable to 1983 actions for your personal abuses
of my very civil rights established and codified under both the First Amendment on several grounds, and Article V of the 14th Amendment "due process and
equal protection" clause as defined under the ADA and the Rehabilitation Act, Section 504.
In short you make yourself culpable to actions and to damages and awards personally by acting in such a fashion depriving myself and my class of fundamental
civil rights protections knowingly. Thus the best resort is to give up the information as requested and not to engage in any other further civil rights
or allegedly criminal activities including what amounts to a bullying cover up of events here sir.
Most sincerely and With Litigation and Damages in Mind,
Paul Joseph Harcz, Jr.
cc: Richard Bernstein, Esq.
cc: senator John Gleason
cc: MCBCommissiniors
cc: Tom Quasarno, Michigan Attorney General's Office
cc: Michigan Attorney General
cc: Senator Debbie Stabenow
cc: Office for Civil Rights U.S. department of Ed.
cc: Michigan ACLU
cc: U.S. Department of Justice
cc: several media outlets
cc: several State of Michigan Legislators of Both Parties
 Message -----
Block quote start
From:
Farmer, Mel (LARA)
To:
'joe harcz Comcast'
Cc:
Haynes, Carla (LARA)
;
Cannon, Patrick (LARA)
Sent: Wednesday, March 07, 2012 1:57 PM
Subject: RE: FOIA

Mr. Harcz, for your information, the records retention policies you refer to are applicable for hard copy records, not PC emails. PC emails are routinely
purged by employees, or the DTMB controlled system that automatically deletes emails not purposely saved. This is routinely done to maintain bandwith capacity
on the state’s internet system.

Thusly, without DTMB first performing a search for and retrieval of all purged emails of the 9 employees indicated in my response, the Department will not
be able to review and determine whether any of them may responsive to your February 29, 2012 request.

From: joe harcz Comcast [mailto:joeharcz at comcast.net]
Sent: Wednesday, March 07, 2012 11:31 AM
To: Farmer, Mel (LARA)
Subject: Re: FOIA

March  7, 2012

Dear Mr. Farmer,

I am writing today to note one element of your ludicrous response here.That is your allusion to records that have been and may have been "purged" related
to this FOIA and related laws request.

We have state and federal issues at stake here. We have several laws at issue and now hundreds of millions of funds at stake.

Now I ask you this: "What documents have been purged"?

By the way how does this all jive with requirements for document retention under various laws and how might this all jive in lay terms with the "False Statements
Act"?

There needs to be and will be a Federal investigation of this issue sir.

Sincerely,

Paul Joseph Harcz, Jr.

Block quote start

----- Original Message -----

From:
Farmer, Mel (LARA)

To:
'joe harcz Comcast'

Cc:
Cannon, Patrick (LARA)
;
Haynes, Carla (LARA)
;
Burton, Diane (LARA)

Sent: Tuesday, March 06, 2012 11:59 AM

Subject: FW: FOIA

March 6, 2012

Mr. Paul Joseph Harcz, Jr.

E-mail:
joeharcz at comcast.net

1365 E. Mt. Morris Rd.

Mt. Morris, MI 48458

Re:  Executive Order 2012-2 Email Records Request

Dear Mr. Harcz:

This notice is in response to your February 29, 2012 email request to me for copies of existing, nonexempt public records you describe as:

“…any e-mail correspondence between any personnel within the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs during the past two months relative
to any transfers in fact or in the powers and duties of the Michigan Commission for the Blind including its board that went into Executive Order No. 2012-2.”

 Please be informed that the Department is processing this request under the state’s Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), MCL 15.231 et seq.

Pursuant to MCL 15.235, Section 5(2)(a) of the state’s FOIA ,your request is granted as to existing, nonexempt records in the possession of the Department
falling within the scope of your request; and subject to the payment of processing fees assessed per MCL 15.234 of the FOIA.

MCL 234, Section 4(1) of the state’s FOIA provides that a public body may charge a fee for public record search, including costs, for the search, examination,
review, and the deletion and separation of exempt from nonexempt information. The Department has determined that no Michigan Commission for the Blind staff
have any records related to this particular request. The Department has also determined that at least nine executive level employees will have to be drawn
away from their respective duties and assignments for an average of one hour each to search for, locate, and retrieve email records from December 29, 2011
through February 29, 2012 to determine if they are responsive to your request; and to examine and review the responsive records for possible statutory
exemptions from public disclosure. Further, as it is possible that some emails responsive to this request may have been purged during the timeframe of
this request, the Department requested that the Michigan Department of Technology, Management and Budget (DTMB) provide an estimate of costs to search
for and retrieve purged records that may be responsive to this request. The DTMB estimate (see attached) is $745,416.00 .

The Department’s   estimated costs to process this request, based on the hourly wages ($62.34 /hr, including fringe benefits) of the lowest paid Department
employee ( State Division Office Administrator  17)capable of performing the necessary tasks to comply with your request, including the waiver of $20.00,
is   $541.06 .This  estimated processing cost is based on the following calculations:

--9 employees X 9 hours = 9 hours

--9 hours X $62.34/hour = $561.06

--$561.06 - $20.00 indigency waiver = $541.06

The combined DTMB and Department estimated costs to process this particular request is $745,957.06, including the indigency waiver of $20.00.

For the abovementioned reasons and pursuant to MCL 14.234, Section 4(3) of the state’s FOIA, the Department has determined that failure to charge a fee
in this particular instance would result in unreasonably high costs and undue financial and administrative burdens to the Department.

In order for the Department to continue the processing of this particular request, based on the above and pursuant to MCL 15.234, Section 4(2) of the state’s
FOIA, the Department requires a good faith deposit payment $372, 978.53 (50% of the $ 745,957.06 estimated cost)

 which includes the $20.00 fee waiver per MCL 15.234, Section 4(1) of the FOIA. See the attached FOIA invoice illustrating payment instructions

After receipt of the good faith deposit of $372,978.53 and upon completing the processing of your request, the Department will notify you in writing of
any balance due and payable (or owed you) before copies of the requested records are forwarded to you; explain any statutory basis for any claimed exemptions;
and inform you of your remedial rights.

Sincerely,

Melvin Farmer, Jr.

Central FOIA Coordinator

Attachment

                                                                          DEPARTMENT OF LICENSING AND REGULATORY AFFAIRS

                                                                                 FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT INVOICE

NAME AND ADDRESS OF REQUESTER:

Mr. Paul Joseph Harcz, Jr.

E-mail:  joeharcz at comcast.com

1365 E. Mt. Morris Road

Mt. Morris, MI  48458

REQUEST RECEIVED:  February 29, 2012

TYPE OF REQUEST:  Email

REQUEST PARTIALLY DENIED:  No

EXEMPT INFORMATION WITHHELD/REDACTED:  To be determined

EXTENDED RESPONSE NOTICE ISSUED:  No

REQUESTED INFORMATION WILL BE:  Emailed/Invoiced For Partial Payment

ACCOUNT CODE:  MCB Index:  36200    PCA:      11343

DLARA CONTACT:  Melvin Farmer, Central FOIA Coordinator

(517) 373-0194

Ottawa Building, 4th Floor, 611 W. Ottawa, Lansing, MI  48909

The FOIA provides that the department may charge a fee to comply with requests for public records.  The processing fee is composed of hourly wages and benefit
costs of the lowest paid employee(s) capable of processing the request; the duplication of records at assessed costs per page; mailing costs; and other
related special costs.  Prior to searching and copying requested records, the department may request full payment or 50% of the estimated costs exceeding
$50.00 with the balance required before mailing the records.  Assessed costs are related to your request for:

Copies of E-MAIL CORRESPONDENCE OF ALL DEPARTMENT EMPLOYEES RELATED TO EXECUTIVE

ORDER 2012-2  FROM DECEMBER 29, 2011 THROUGH FEBRUARY 29, 2012.

INVOICE CALCULATIONS/INSTRUCTIONS

LABOR COST ESTIMATE

--Search/Review: Hours: 9 hrs. x Hourly Rate: $62.34 =                                         $561.06

POSTAGE (estimate):                                                                                                            --

DUPLICATING:  Number of Pages times Copying Rate of $.25                             --

OTHER (overtime, audio tapes, discs, photos, security, etc.):                   $745,416.00

SUBTOTAL:                                                                                                                      $745,977.06

Less waived indigency offset:                                                                                  $           20.00

INVOICE TOTAL:                                                                                                             $745,957.06

DEPOSIT*                                                                                                                         $372,978.53

REMAINING AMOUNT TO BE PAID:                                                                      $372,978.53

Make check or money order payable to:

STATE OF MICHIGAN

Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs

Office Services Mailroom

7150 Harris Drive, PO Box 30015

Lansing, MI  48909

PLEASE RETURN/REFER TO ORIGINAL COPY OF THIS INVOICE WITH YOUR PAYMENT

*Please note that if a deposit is requested, the indicated amount is an estimate of the cost of complying with your request.  The actual cost may vary somewhat

  from this amount.

DTMB ATTACHMENT

 From: Surapaneni, Ramakrishna (DTMB)
 Sent: Monday, March 05, 2012 4:23 PM
 To: Sparks-Boak, Dorinda (DTMB)
 Subject: RE: FOIA

Dorinda

Estimate without Governor’s email accounts

Approximately 56 days backups to restore

Number of stores to restore around 6

Number mailboxes = 9 estimate ( 9 clients in 6 stores)

Number of stores to restore 56 X 6 = 336

Cost 6 stores to restore per date = 2218.50

Total estimated cost (2218.50 X 336) = $745416.00

Ram

R Surapaneni

State of Michigan – DTMB

From: Sparks-Boak, Dorinda (DTMB)
Sent: Monday, March 05, 2012 8:23 AM
To: Surapaneni, Ramakrishna (DTMB)
Subject: RE: FOIA

Roughly 9 or so:

Steven Hilfinger

Steve Arwood

Mike Zimmer

Melanie Brown

Diane Burton

Karen Towne

MCB Director Cannon

MCB Commissioners??? – No names given here

Governor’s E-mail??

From: Surapaneni, Ramakrishna (DTMB)
Sent: Monday, March 05, 2012 8:20 AM
To: Sparks-Boak, Dorinda (DTMB)
Subject: RE: FOIA

Dorinda

Can you provide number of email accounts and their names to estimate cost for FOIA?. We do not have access to their archives(.pst files).   Ram

R Surapaneni

State of Michigan – DTMB”

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