And so it begins... Recalls!

Recall procedures have been announced or begun against 21 House and Senate members a day after legislators passed two tax hikes which helped balance the 2007/08 budget.

The only area legislators on that list are Sen. Valde Garcia (R-Howell), Rep. Chris Ward (R-Brighton) and Rep. Dick Ball (R- Bennington Twp.). No area Democrats were targeted, though 13 of the 21 names on the list are Democrats.

Ball is the odd name on that list, because he voted for neither the income nor the sales taxes. Garcia was a driving force behind the sales tax, though he didn't vote for the income tax. Ward backed the income tax but declined to endorse the sales tax.

The list may expand - in fact my colleague Derek Melot recently suggested on his blog that the list be expanded to the entire legislature.

While that might be a little extreme (OK, a lot extreme) the anger we're hearing from voters is palpable. Some people are furious that there were any tax hikes at all, some mad about Democratic concessions on teacher health pooling.

Most of the rage, however, is directed at the whole lot of them for not passing ANYTHING until AFTER the state shut down. I'm putting that in all caps for emphasis, and to remind people that we've known this would be an issue ALL YEAR!

Not all of our legislators missed the boat, however. Rep. Rick Jones filled my e-mail inbox this summer reminding me that he was at the Capitol during the House's summer vacation and demanding that legislators get back to work. Rep. Bauer told me in every conversation we had this year that key legislators didn't have a true sense of urgency on this problem and that she was really concerned that this was going to drag on far too close to the deadline.

When you go to the voting booth next November, remember how you feel right now. Ask yourself if your representative did enough to solve this situation. If they did, then consider pulling the lever for them. If not, tell them to find another line of work.

You have a chance to voice your support or opposition to what your legislator has been doing since January. It may come in November, 2008, or it may come before. I suggest that when that chance comes, you use it.

Comments

[JRS]

While I'm not happy about the situation I honestly don't know if it is all that important in the long run that it would influence the way I would vote for someone. I shall reserve judgement on that for the time being.

[Lucy]

Has anyone bothered to examine how much these recalls and their subsequent elections would cost the state for something that's amounted to $300 or so dollars a year to a person making $40-$50K a year?

Really, where's the fiscal responsibility in that decision?

[matt]

Paying taxes is a responsibility that I take very seriously and I applaud my representative and senator for voting for the increases - they also voted for appropriate cuts in wasteful spending. A better use of both time and money would be a drive to drop Michigan's absurd term limits. That is probably the number one reason we have so many problems in state government today. Now the legislature is a bunch of newbies that are easy prey for special interest lobbyists.

[JR Bell]

Wonderful, legislators, like French aristocrats, say to the teachers "let them reveal their health data". This from people who work for 6 years and get lifetime coverage from age 55, no deductible, no co-pays. Even with Democratic legislators reforms they still would pay half of any worker and his family. What hypocrisy? What Republican can in good conscience say with a straight face "I'm entitled to this!!" What's good for the goose is good for the gander. Slash the health care giveaway entitlement for incompetent legislators.

[Tamarack]

where are you getting this info that public school employees can get full medical with less than 30 yrs of service - who is not doing their homework here???? Not even vested until after 10 and can't collect anything until 60 without major penalites - come on now.....you is scamming who here???

[Dave]

The blogger wrote "Ask yourself if your representative did enough to solve this situation. "

Perhaps the reporters of the state could help us out a little, by asking each and every legislator the right questions.
Questions such as:

What did you do in in April, May, June, July, August, and September to move the process along?

What concessions did you offer to the opposition to move the process along?

Did you follow the party line on the budget after it was introduced, or did you have ideas of your own on what the budget should be? Did you introduce these ideas in session? Why or WHY NOT?

Do you feel any responsibility for the inaction on the budget until it was too late to finish it on time?

Since the budget is the MAIN responsibility of the legislature, and it was not done by the deadline, please justify how you feel you earned your pay? (Especially since a vast majority of us would be out of a job for failure to do it).

These are the type of questions that you reporters SHOULD be asking, and demanding answers for. Why don't you ask them?

I also feel insulted by the reporting that the legislators COULD NOT AGREE........sorry, but we KNOW that they COULD agree.......but first they have to WANT to reach an agreement.

I consider the unwillingness to reach a budget agreement ON TIME a WILLFUL NEGLECT of their CONSTITUTIONAL duty.

[Dirk]

I find all the screaming the anti-tax groups are doing more than a little hypocritical. They were the ones that precipitated this crisis by removing Michigan's business tax structure without replacing it. There is a small fanatical fringe group at the center of this that wants government to simply cease to exist. They are cold, heartless, extremely selfish, and are bad for the state in the long run. Most people recognize the need for education funding, school lunch programs for the poor, police services, courts, etc. If you follow the logic of the anti-tax zealots to its conclusion, the resulting situation would not be acceptable to most Michigan residents. Apparently, the Republican Party in Michigan is being led around by the nose by this extremely vocal minority. We elected these people to use good judgment. Nobody in the legislature is blameless at this point, but those Republicans that voted against the final bills Monday morning are, in my opinion, particularly guilty of not doing their jobs.

[Dirk]

I find all the screaming the anti-tax groups are doing more than a little hypocritical. They were the ones that precipitated this crisis by removing Michigan's business tax structure without replacing it. There is a small fanatical fringe group at the center of this that wants government to simply cease to exist. They are cold, heartless, extremely selfish, and are bad for the state in the long run. Most people recognize the need for education funding, school lunch programs for the poor, police services, courts, etc. If you follow the logic of the anti-tax zealots to its conclusion, the resulting situation would not be acceptable to most Michigan residents. Apparently, the Republican Party in Michigan is being led around by the nose by this extremely vocal minority. We elected these people to use good judgment. Nobody in the legislature is blameless at this point, but those Republicans that voted against the final bills Monday morning are, in my opinion, particularly guilty of not doing their jobs.

[shiningknight]

Recall, beginning with granholm! Don't ask the citizens of this state about the cost of a recall...ask the dems, the teachers union, and school boards about fiscal responsibility and the cost of the 'special' elections for which the education industry is so famous. Let's get this show on the road and kick these irresponsible politicians out. Maybe when they understand the outrage of their constituents, they'll fear the small business owners and hard working individuals of this once fine state more than they fear the education industry.

[have had enough]

The first name on any recall list should be Mike Bishop! Without a doubt, one of the most selfish, pompous individuals I have ever seen in a political position. The only thing this person should "demand" is some integrity of which he is completely lacking. He obviously learned a long time ago about politics. The less you do, the more you are rewarded.

[Schwing]

Quote"Has anyone bothered to examine how much these recalls and their subsequent elections would cost the state for something that's amounted to $300 or so dollars a year to a person making $40-$50K a year?"

Thats $300 or so in addition to the thousands they already take.