House Republicans say they have a new poll of 600 Michigan residents that shows a clear majority favoring big budget cuts over any tax increases to balance the 2010 budget.
Polls are tricky things, though, especially when it comes to how questions are asked.
The GOP didn’t release the whole poll, only a PowerPoint summary. On the key issue, the PowerPoint lists this option given to respondents:
“Republicans in the state legislature who say the state simply cannot raise taxes during an economic recession and that government needs to make serious spending cuts in order to balance the state budget. ..or... Governor Granholm and Democrats in the legislature who say the state cannot afford to continue to cut spending and that it needs to raise taxes in order to continue to pay for critical programs like education, health care and funding for local governments.”
On this question, it was 61 percent to 33 percent for the GOP position. OK.
But what if the question had been: “Do you favor the GOP cuts-only approach, even if it means your local mayor or supervisor assures you that it will lead to reductions in police forces or services?”
I suspect you would get a different percentage.
Is that hypothetical unfair? Perhaps. However, the local governments are saying that revenue-sharing cuts under the GOP plan would drive them to cut people. And public safety usually is the biggest part of any local government’s budget.
I do credit legislative Republicans for sticking to their guns. They’ve managed to get House Speaker Andy Dillon, D-Redford Township, to all but surrender. And it seems the House Democratic Caucus might not be far behind him.
For her part, Gov. Jennifer Granholm seems detached from it all.
Are the 21 Republicans in the Michigan Senate the equivalent of Spartans in the movie “300,” using their discipline to wield power far beyond their own numbers against a more numerous, but undisciplined, opponent?
