Monday, September 24, 2007

Dillon : "This is what we've been hoping for for weeks"



Somebody needs to tell me this statement was taken out of context.


Andy Dillon was hoping the state government would shut down? Andy Dillon was hoping he wouldn't have to make the hard decisions, therefore turning over control to the Republicans? Andy Dillon was hoping to paint the Democrats as weak, spineless, ineffectual cowards who stood by the side of the road while our state was destroyed?


Is that what Andy Dillon was hoping for? Is that what the Speaker calls success?


In the end, Andy deferred to the Republicans.


Michigan's budget pressure intensified even as the House late Sunday night sent an income tax increase bill to a House-Senate committee to work out a deal.



Each chamber will name three lawmakers to forge agreement on the size of the tax hike as soon as today. House Democrats favor an increase from 3.9 percent to 4.6 percent, while Senate Republicans have said they prefer a 4.3 percent rate.


"This is what we've been hoping for for weeks," said House Speaker Andy Dillon, D-Redford Township.


If that is true, then why didn't you do this weeks ago? What was stopping you?


It appears the Dillon wants to take this to a crisis so he and the House Democrats don't have to take any responsibility. Better to run and hide in Andy's book, let the state close down, and let the Republicans take control. That is your Democratic House leadership. When the Republicans put a gun to the figurative head of this state, Andy waved the white flag and surrendered.


Dillon is looking for bipartisan cover from people who would do this- vote for utter destruction and death, yes death, according to Sen. Liz Brater. Andy chose to negotiate people's lives on rather than stand up and do the right thing.


Hey, what's a few people lost, right Mr. Dillon? Who cares about public safety, the poor, the elderly, the kids, and the people who take care of them? Which on this list are you willing to sacrifice in your cowardice?


Keep in mind, this is just the short list. If you saw the details, it would turn your stomach.


Closing three prison buildings, the Southern Michigan Correctional Facility and Charles Egeler Reception Center in Jacksonville, and the Riverside Correctional Facility in Ionia.


Shuttering 25 Secretary of State branch offices.


Forgoing Granholm-recommended increases of 2.5 percent each for public schools and funding of Michigan's 15 public universities.


Slashing $207 million from the Department of Human Services budget, including savings of $11.8 million from closure of the Maxey boys training center at Wetmore Lake.


Savings of $7.6 million from 19-perecent worth of cuts in the Attorney General office, resulting in 107 layoffs.


Cuts of $117 million in Community Health Department spending, knocking 35,000 people off Medicaid programs.


This is what Andy was hoping for, going deep into the hole so he could avoid the responsibility of raising the revenue to save people's lives.


Governor Granholm might as well just play this as having an opposition legislature from here on out. There is no point in having a worthless majority that surrenders in the face of the hard decisions, that would sacrifice others in some convoluted game to save their own jobs. If that is the case, they will never, ever, get anything done, because they will always be afraid of the pink pig.


Progressives in Michigan, we need to vote these guys out. Let's start with Speaker Dillon, shall we?