Posted by
JDW on Tuesday, July 29, 2008 10:13:07 PM
I read with amusement the article in the Grand Rapids Press showing how well the people of Michigan seem to admire the new proposal to: "Reform Michigan Government Now". It seems the voters of Michigan are getting lazy. This proposal is billed as being neutral; but, if you look at the backing it seems to leave little doubt as to what these backers are trying to accomplish.
One of the organizations promoting this bill is the UAW. Their regional web site had a 35 page Power point presentation titled "Changing the rules of politics in Michigan to help Democrats." That page is gone now but I found it is featured on the web site of the Mackinac Center if you want to still check this out. In a nutshell the presentaion laments that "....the Democrats have not controlled all branches of the MI government in 25 years."
I don't have a problem with changing our government; but, one of the great founding ideas of our country is -- we can change government through the ballot box. This proposal wants to go around the ballot box because Democrats can't convince voters to go their way. One can argue we have to many judges. Doesn't it seem coincidental most of the judges that would be eliminated through this proposal would be the ones who: were appointed by a Republican Governor? those who would retire if their pay was cut? Who would appoint the next judges? Oh, a DEMOCRATIC governor!!
If the Democrats get control of the different branches of government this year; then, in 2010 when a new census occurs they can redraw voting districts so that they will always be in power and have courts to back it up if challenged.
I wrote "we are getting lazy" because we are the ones electing these people. Are we being the "useful idiots" to accomplish a certain someone's agenda? The Wall Street Journal had an article stating "The top 10 states losing jobs have high taxes with closed shop rules and the top 10 states gainig jobs have low taxes with right to work laws". The voters of MI have elected people that have/are raising taxes during a recession. If we want to reform our government let's do it at the ballot box this year. Never re-elect anyone.
Is John Stryker trying to do to Michigan what he helped do to Colorado??
John Witherspoon 1776
Nothing is more certain than that a general profligacy and corruption of manners make a people ripe for destruction. A good form of government may hold the rotten materials together for some time, but beyond a certain pitch, even the best constitution will be ineffectual, and slavery must ensue.