Today, Andy Dillon goes beyond the simple House press release and calls out the Senate Republicans in an op-ed for the News- the place where it needs to be seen the most.
First, he points out the fiscal problem with the Senate Republican plan-
The Senate plan proposes significant changes to the Michigan Business Tax -- which was signed into law in July -- but replaces only $400 million in revenue per year, leaving a more than $300 million hole in the state budget in 2009 and 2010.
In addition, the plan has a sunset date of 2011, after which there will be a gaping hole of more than $700 million in the state budget.
This plan ignores the reality that Michigan will be in dire straits again in just a few years if it goes into effect. It shows a complete lack of foresight and planning, and is nothing more than a short-term fix that will have long-term repercussions for the people of Michigan.
And then a beautiful segue into the irresponsible nature of it all-
Interestingly enough, when the plan sunsets in 2011, 17 of 21 Republicans in the Senate will be ineligible to run for office again because of term limits. The very people who created the problem are punting it to their successors, showing a stunning display of irresponsible and partisan leadership.
This is the same mentality that led Michigan straight into the fiscal crisis that House Democrats have been trying to resolve all year long. It is unacceptable that the Senate Republicans have knocked the current budget out of balance and set Michigan up to fall into a giant black hole in 2011, when they won't be around to deal with the consequences.
Of course. Does the name John Engler ring a bell?
I'll go the Speaker one better - this is simply a continuation of the pattern that Senate Republicans have followed all year long, and that is one of delay and obstruction.
Who skipped out on meetings? Who insisted on vacations? Who tried to drive a wedge between the House and Governor Granholm? Who flat-out lied about a budget deal? Who ignored all the other legislation and issues and used the budget as an excuse? Who did everything they could to drag out this process with endless requests for continuations? The press likes to gloss over this and lump them all in the same category of ineptitude, but some people been paying attention. You can't sum it up better than this next statement- follow over the flip for the answer...
Take it away, Markos.
In his first Inaugural Address, Ronald Reagan remarked that "government is not the solution to our problem; government is the problem." While the quip has provided Republicans with a cheap slogan for two decades, the philosophy behind it is beginning to box them in. If they govern effectively, they invalidate their own antigovernment ideology. And when you elect people who believe that government won't work, you shouldn't be surprised when government stops working.
Inevitably the Republicans are going to cry "you're just being partisan!", like they somehow aren't, or something, to which I would say, "hell yes, I'm being partisan, because that is where the problem originates". We've got the record. So bring it. It's just another excuse to avoid dealing with the failure of the Republican anti-government philosophy.
And here is why I’ve yelled so much about all of this during the year- the consequences have been dire as far as public opinion goes, and I knew it was coming. Because the press ignores the obvious problem and fails to point out the nuance, this week a new poll from EPIC is going to show some horrible numbers on approval ratings for all involved. The Republicans have dragged down the entire state government with their obstruction, and I believe that is exactly what they wanted to have happen.
They need things to be bad going into the election next year. It’s all they have. They don’t know how to make government work, they don’t have any solid plans for moving our economy forward except “cut taxes”- and that hasn’t worked, it won't work, and they know it. So, they turn to simple destruction and will use that as a campaign issue. I guarantee they will point to the perceived failure in Lansing and paint the Democrats as the reason- they are already doing that. So much for the “partisan” complaint.
It’s up to the House to call them out on it, and stop this public perception NOW, before it really is too late. Dillon is off to a good start here- keep it up, Andy.
The future of this state depends on it.