LSJ Blogs: Capitol Journal by Scott Davis

Smokers cough up misgivings about new "fire-safe" cigs

Smokers have a remarkable ability to put up with a lot.

Threat of lung cancer? No problem. Light me up, buddy!

Fiery death in bed? Nothing to worry about. Hey, pass that paper plate, so I can use it for an ash tray.

That’s why it’s surprising that a number of smokers now are grumbling about a new state law, effective Friday, that requires cigarettes sold in stores to have the Fire Safe Cigarette Label. The “fire-safe” cigarettes contain additional bands of paper that act as a sort of “fire wall” when smokers leave them unattended; they self-extinguish within a few seconds. Officials say that reduces the number of fires caused by unattended cigs.

But smokers say they are upset about how quickly the cigarettes burn out, and they complain that the taste is different.

On this front, Michigan isn’t exactly blazing a trail. Most tobacco companies have produced fire-safe cigarettes for years, and Michigan is the next-to-last state to adopt the new standard. And who knows how many lives will now be saved.

So forgive me if my heart doesn’t go out to smokers who are slightly inconvenienced by having a cigarette fizzle out prematurely. If smokers are really incensed and can’t stomach the thought of having to buy “fire-safe” cigs, I have an idea that can only bring them good health and a better life.

Just kick the damn habit.

Hoekstra: Under fire for fundraising letter

U.S. Rep. Peter Hoekstra is taking heat from critics who say he is trying to cash in on a climate of fear within days of an attempted terrorist attack at Detroit Metro.

In a recent fundraising letter, the Holland Republican blasted President Obama and his anti-terrorism policies and said a new approach is needed.

“This threat is real,” Hoekstra said in a recent CBS-TV news interview. “We need to be on the offense.”

Some Democrats, including political consultant James Carville, blasted Hoekstra for  trying to raise money from the near-tragedy last weekend, in which a Nigerian man apparently tried to blow up a plane.

“It was shameful that Republicans like Mr. Hoekstra would attempt to play politics with our national security at all,” Democratic National Committee spokesman Hari Sevugan said. “But raising money off it is beyond the pale.”

John Truscott, spokesoman for Hoekstra, told the Grand Rapids Press that the congressman was merely asking Obama to be more forthcoming with the American people.

“The congressman will continue to be critical of the (Obama) administration’s lack of transparency,” Truscott said. “The congressman doesn’t shrink away from controversial issues.”

One FOIA request and a whopping pricetag -- $7 million

Freedom’s just another word for another $1 million left to pay.

Maybe that’s what Janis Joplin would sing today, with the Mackinac Center for Public Policy’s recent complaints about obtaining information through the Freedom of Information Act from the state of  Michigan.

Last week, the center complained that the state had missed legal deadlines in responding to its requests for information about federal homeland security grants, but then went on to describe the state’s pricetag for an earlier much wider request for grant information.

            Center officials said state officials calculated it would cost nearly $7 million to copy 2,045,783 pages – at 36 cents a page – and $6.1 million for “search, examination and deletion” of documents. The center downsized its request to documents that will cost about $14,000 to obtain.

"Michigan residents lose when freedom of information is not all that free.” “Exorbitant fees and missed deadlines undermine the law and create a perception of obstruction,” said Kathy Hoekstra, a spokeswoman for the center. “

Shakeup in Cherry's staff

A shakeup is underway in the office of Lt. Gov. John Cherry Jr. as he prepares his likely bid to become Michigan’s next governor.

Leslee Fritz, who now heads the state’s Economic Recovery Office, will become Cherry’s chief of staff, and campaign manager Jason Ellenberg is leaving his position, Gongwer News reported today. Ellenberg’s replacement has not been named.

Campaign spokesman Chris DeWitt said the campaign is merely transitioning to the next phase, and campaign staff changes are common.

"I'm not going to go into all the details, but it was felt it was time for a change,” DeWitt said.

Cherry has not yet officially announced he is running in the 2010 election, but his campaign will presumably launch early next year.

Pruning pomp: Cutting the First Gentleman's allowance

State Rep. Rick Jones is not sure how many dollars might be saved, but he’s looking to mothball the taxpayer-funded office of First Gentleman Daniel Mulhern.

With meat cleaver in hand, the Grand Ledge Republican is going after the budget of Gov. Jennifer Granholm’s hubby to save money in light of the state’ ongoing budget crisis. He recently introduced legislation to close the office.

But Jones admits he is not sure how much money goes into Mulhern’s office and staff salaries. In the past, the governor’s office, which oversees Mulhern’s office, has been reluctant to provide staff budget information.

"At a time when our school districts are facing severe budget cuts, it's frankly unconscionable that the state is still funding an office and staff for the governor's spouse," said Jones. "When the budget is in shambles, pencils and paper always trumps pomp and circumstance."

Michigan: This joint is rockin'

The marijuana business is blooming in the State Capitol.

Newly released statistics show that the state Department of Community Health registered 5,873 patients as medical marijuana users between April 6 and Nov. 30; in that time, the department has denied 1,867 applications, mostly due to incomplete application or missing documentation.

That’s falling short of the 50,000 people statewide that medical marijuana advocates expected would be smoking the green herb within two years of the April 2009 launch of the program.

But with thousands of state residents embracing medical marijuana, it appears that the once illicit drug is gaining traction as a credible source of medical relief.

Digital bullying: Whitmer tackles the threat

The rising threat of  “cyberbullying” and “sexting” will go under the microscope under a proposal by state Sen. Gretchen Whitmer, D-East Lansing.

Whitmer today is asking Senate and House committees to investigate ways to protect young from these forms of digital abuse – in which teen-agers can be subjected to abusive comments on such sites as Facebook or sexual pictures sent by acquaintances.

Whitmer noted that half of 14 to 24-year olds have experienced some sort of digital abuse, and nearly a third have either sent or received nude photos on their cell phone or online, according to a recent poll by the Associated Press and MTV. In January, authorities investigated reports of sixth graders in DeWitt who shared explicit photos by cell phone.

 Whitmer, who serves on the Senate Judiciary and Education committees, is working on legislation that would provide additional safeguards, aid for parents to take a more active role and guidelines for schools and law enforcement to handle these situations.

 “As a mother of two girls, the emerging danger of digital abuse sickens me, but also strengthens my resolve to tackle the problem head on,” Whitmer said.

Digital abuse, of course, is a problem that every parent should be concerned about. It will be interesting to see how the state addresses the threat without trampling free speech on the Internet.

Thomas Jefferson a liberal? Not exactly

Both modern liberals and conservatives tend to claim Thomas Jefferson as one of their own. Conservatives see him as a founding father who believed firmly in limited government, and liberals see him as an early architect of many of today’s freedoms and the wall between government and religion.

But Charles Ballard, a Michigan State University economics professor, noted Thursday during a state budget forum that Jefferson doesn’t really fit into either a liberal or conservative mold. Jefferson was a young man in his 20s when the British Stamp Act and the Boston Massacre enflamed the colonists against King George III.

It was this environment that shaped Jefferson into a young revolutionary thirsting for deep social change – hardly the kind of traditional conservative who favors the status quo. And Ballard said Jefferson began to see government as merely a tool of oppression – not as a means of accomplishing positive social change, as many liberals now do.

So liberals and conservatives out there, hands off Jefferson. Save the ideological over-simplifications for today’s political debates on healthcare and global warming.

Time will tell whether liberals and conservatives engage in wishful revisionism of Barack Obama and Sarah Palin in 200 years.

Car insurance reform goes around track once again

Even as state lawmakers struggle to scrape together a few bucks for schools in Michigan, the war over car insurance rates continues in the State Legislature.

This week, House Democrats announced a plan to cut auto insurance rates and place more restrictions on insurance companies – a move that companies say would drive up costs for motorists.

Once again, Democrats contend that companies are discriminating against Detroit drivers, charging them overly high rates that force to go without insurance altogether. Companies respond that they merely charge according to the actual risk in an urban community, and lowering those rates will result in higher premiums for other drivers.

Democrats point out the fact that Michigan rates are the second-highest in the nation, but companies note that state-mandated coverage is better than in most states. The Democratic package would prohibit insurance companies from using drivers' level of education, their occupations and personal credit ratings to set rates and give the state insurance commissioner more power over rate increases.

Most likely, this package will hit a few roadblocks in the Republican-controlled Senate.