LSJ Blogs: Capitol Journal by Scott Davis

Michigan's roads are among nation's worst

A new ranking placing Michigan’s roads among the nation’s worst is fueling efforts by paving contractors to restore road funding in the state.

Overdrive Magazine, a national trucking magazine, has ranked Michigan roads the second worst in the nation, behind Pennsylvania. Florida was ranked as having the best roads, according to the annual survey of truck owner-operators.

"Until the Legislature steps up and provides adequate funding to repair our crumbling infrastructure, national groups and publications will keep sending the same message to businesses and job creators across America - stay off Michigan's roads,” said Mike Nystrom, executive vice president of the Michigan Infrastructure and Transportation Association and co-chair of the Michigan Transportation Team.

The association, whose members include road paving companies, are among those who have advocated raising revenues to fund road repair in Michigan. Under proposed cuts, the state stands to lose hundreds of millions of dollars next fiscal year in matching federal transportation dollars.

Michigan Republicans try to overturn new healthcare mandate

As Attorney General Mike Cox battles newly passed healthcare reform on the national stage, Republicans in the state House and Senate are trying to push through constitutional amendments guaranteeing Michiganians the right to choose whether to buy health insurance.

Billing it as a states’ rights issue, Republicans say state residents should not be compelled to buy insurance, as stipulated in the new law. Amendments also would prevent people from being fined for paying directly for healthcare services.

State Sen. Valde Garcia, R-Marion Township, said the health legislation lays down a unique mandate for Americans to buy insurance – quite unlike Michigan’s requirement that all motorists buy car insurance.

Driving, he says, is a choice that people make, and the purchase of car insurance results from that choice. But people will have no choice in buying health insurance.

That argument seems flawed, in that people really have no choice but to drive in this society. America is far behind other developed countries in its investment in public transportation, and many medium-size and smaller cities have transportation systems akin to 19^th century agrarian societies.

Among most people, you drive, take a taxi – or walk. If you can afford a car, there’s really no choice but to buy or lease one.

Once you remove that argument, both car insurance and health insurance mandates are nearly the same. Both are designed to spread risk among large groups of people.

It’s not the most efficient way to provide healthcare, as it continues to rely on insurance companies as middle men that will continue to rake in large profits. But it’s better than the system we are leaving behind.

Bernero jumps into escalating healthcare fray

In Michigan, it seems the post healthcare reform skirmish is quickly becoming uglier than the actual battle over healthcare during the past year.

Already Michigan Democratic congressmen who supported reform – Rep. Mark Schauer and Rep. Bart Stupak – have reported receiving threats tinged with violence, and several national political leaders – both Democrats and Republicans – have urged their followers to maintain a civil tone in this year’s election season.

On Wednesday, Lansing Mayor Virg Bernero, a Democratic candidate for governor, jumped into the fray, blasting state Attorney General Mike Cox, Republican candidate for governor, for joining a federal lawsuit to block implementation of healthcare reform.

Bernero, a supporter of healthcare reform, contends Cox’s action will embolden extremists who already have made racial slurs and death threats against elected officials who support reform,

“He knows perfectly well that there is no legal merit whatsoever to his claims,” Bernero said. “He is simply playing to the irrational fears of the far right wing of the Republican Party to boost his bid for governor.”

Cox is now in a scuffle with Democratic Gov. Jennifer Granholm over whether he can defy her on reform and use his office to fight the measure. Cox contends he merely wants to join the lawsuit to represent the large numbers of Michigan residents who fear the national legislation will jeopardize their own health care.

Granholm tells Cox to end his war on healthcare

Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox is waging war on newly passed national health reform, but Democratic Gov. Jennifer Granholm is telling him he must switch sides.

Granholm, who supports healthcare reform, said the Republican attorney general has no business representing the state as he joins a federal lawsuit filed against the reform measure by more than 12 Republican attorneys general.

These Republicans contend that Congress exceeded their federal authoring by mandating extensive changes in health insurance nationwide.

Instead, Granholm said in a letter Wednesday Cox must represent her office and the state of Michigan by joining the lawsuit as a party supporting healthcare reform.

Meanwhile, although Cox has said in the past he works for the governor, his staff now maintains he is well within his authority to join the federal lawsuit as an opponent of the measure.

The long knives are out for Stupak

The post-healthcare bill bloodbath is getting underway in Michigan.

Wielding bright, shiny long knives, members of the Tea Party Express are vowing to target U.S. Rep. Bart Stupak, a conservative Democrat in Northern Michigan, for defeat this fall, for his last-minute change of heart in approving healthcare reform.

Stupak, as you recall, suffered some indignity on the House floor last weekend when a Republican congressman hurled a “Baby Killer!” in his direction (though the Republican congressman later claimed the comment wasn’t directed at Stupak).

Expect to hear more invective as the campaign swings into high gear. Tea Party members aren’t known for keeping their emotions in check. The Tea Party Express vows to hold more rallies in Stupak's district this year than any other district nationwide

“He sold out the American people and voted for that awful health care bill, so now we're going to repay the favor and vote him out of office," said Joe Wierzbicki, coordinator of the Tea Party Express and a Michigan native.

Signs of splintering union support in Dem primary

A few cracks are developing in Lansing Mayor Virg Bernero's effort to lock up union support in his bid to become governor.

Though United Auto Workers has been expected to endorse Bernero for weeks, an endorsement has yet to be made, and Thursday the Michigan Building and Construction Trades Council, which represents nearly 100,000 workers, endorsed Bernero’s chief Democratic rival for the job – House Speaker Andy Dillon.

Most unions were expected to go with Bernero because Dillon last year ruffled the feathers of public employees with a reform proposal to pool health insurance. But ultimately, many unions may decide to go with the Democratic candidate who has the best chance to prevail against a Republican in November.

Porky Pig, reach for the sky!

Run for the hills! It’s the feral pig invasion!

So goes the battle cry for legislation, approved Tuesday by the House, that allows anyone with a hunting or concealed weapon permit to shoot feral swine running loose on public or private land.

Feral swine have been a problem in the state for years, mostly in northern Michigan, but State Rep. Barb Byrum, D-Onondaga, contends the problem may be migrating into mid-Michigan as well. She sponsored the legislation.

“Farmers throughout Ingham County are at risk of these giant pigs destroying their crops and livestock,” Byrum said. “Agriculture is a bright spot in our economy right now, and we have to do everything we can to protect our farms. We need to prevent these animals from running unchecked and devastating our farmers’ livelihoods.”

A friend of mine, an avid outsdoorman who lives in Ingham County, says he has never once seen these animals in the county, or heard of a sighting, but this blog has no doubt they’re out there.

So pack that pistol, and beware of those mangy critters. You hear?

One reform: Keep term limits, but expand terms

 Rep. Mark Meadows, an East Lansing Democrat, is proposing to lengthen House and Senate terms to address a complaint that’s increasingly being leveled at state lawmakers.

The complaint? Many lawmakers are too inexperienced, and simply don’t have a clue what’s going on.

Those concerns have steadily risen since voters enacted term limits in 1993, which over the years have led to experienced veteran lawmakers being replaced by junior lawmakers.

While many of the junior lawmakers are smart and well-intentioned, Meadows has argued it takes time to learn the nuances and mechanics of legislation and government. In these days of fiscal crisis, it’s time the state does not have.

Meadows is proposing that voters change the state constitution to lengthen single House terms to four years and Senate terms to six years. Current term limits for the governor, attorney general and secretary of state — two four-year terms each — would not change under the proposal.

Under the proposal, candidates for attorney general and secretary of state also would be chosen through primary elections instead of at state conventions.

There are many state lawmakers – both Democratic and Republican – who share Meadows concerns, which suggests the proposal may have a decent chance of being placed on the ballot.

However, voters may need some convincing. Many of them blame lawmakers for the trouble the state is in right now, and keeping them around longer may not sit well with them.

Prusi: No Dem support to chop employee raises

The chances of Republican Senate Majority Leader Mike Bishop to rescind scheduled pay increases for unionized state employees appear to be dimming.

Senate Minority Leader Mike Prusi, D-Ishpeming, said Tuesday that he expected none of the 16 Senate Democrats to support the measure, and Bishop needs all 22 Senate Republicans on board – and four Democrats – to obtain the two-thirds majority to pass the measure, Gongwer News reported.

In recent days, Bishop has been meeting with Senate Democrats to gauge support for measure, but apparently has not been making much headway.

Bishop is hoping to rescind the 3 percent pay increase for unionized employees, which is effective Oct. 1. That would save the state $48 million next year while it struggles with a fiscal crisis.

Bishop says he intends to take a vote anyway on the measure, as early as today.