690 Days until election day.
This is the last issue of our “Articles of Interest” commentary or clips for this holiday season. I’m going to take a break and join the rest of you and enjoy the season with my family and friends.
"Michigan Matters'' airs on CBS Detroit on Saturday at 11:30 a.m. and then isrepeated on Channel 50 at 9:30 a.m. Sunday
Michigan Matters is hosted by Detroit Free Press Columnist Carol Cain and the Michigan Matters Panel stars Oakland Couny Executive L. Brooks Patterson, Denise Ilitch, CEO of Ilitch Enterprises, and Derrick Miller, Chief Information Officer of the City of Detroit.
Patterson, Ilitch, Miller and Cain weigh in at the end of the show with their "Final Viewpoint'' on an issue. Patterson took off in his viewpoint that airs this weekend on Michigan Democratic Party Chair Mark Brewer's trip to China and delivers his viewpoint, as only Patterson can.
Merry Christmas and/or Happy Holidays to all!!!
Saul Anuzis
STATE STORIES
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061215/AUTO01/612150415
Friday, December 15, 2006
Carmakers win trade battle
Lifting of steel tariffs could mean bigger profits
David Shepardson / Detroit News Washington Bureau
WASHINGTON -- Automakers won a surprise victory Thursday as the U.S. International Trade Commission lifted most of the 13-year-old tariffs on imports of a high-grade steel used in cars -- a move that should boost ailing Detroit automakers by lowering prices. In a 4-2 vote, the commission lifted tariffs on flat-rolled corrosion-resistant steel from Canada, France, Australia and Japan, but sided with the steel industry and kept them on imports from South Korea and Germany for another five years.
In an unusual display of solidarity, General Motors Corp., Ford Motor Co., DaimlerChrysler AG, Toyota Motor Corp., Nissan Motor Co. and Honda Motor Co. jointly worked to end the duties, which they argued had cost them more than $3 billion since 2003.
http://www.battlecreekenquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061214/NEWS01/612140320
Eaton axes 30 jobs in Galesburg
Robert Warner
GALESBURG — Anticipation of a downshift in heavy truck sales in 2007 turned into 30 layoffs Tuesday at Eaton Corp.'s truck component division.
Company spokesman Don Alles said the industry expects a 40 percent drop in 2007 truck sales, thanks to new U.S. Environmental Protection Agency engine emission rules that will add about $10,000 to prices.
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061215/OPINION03/612150310/1008/OPINION01
Mark Gaffney: Labor voices
Three-part agenda needed for recovery
Health care costs, diverse economy, worker training should be priorities
N ow that the elections are over and our governor and legislators are looking to the next session, it's time for Michigan's working families to weigh in with our advice. There are three overwhelming issues for our state; health care costs and availability; diversifying our economy; and worker education and retraining leading to full employment.
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061215/OPINION03/612150362/1322/AUTO04
Daniel Howes
Cobo deal requires grand compromise
F or a guy who says he can't veto plans to expand Detroit's Cobo Center, Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson has an awful lot of people worrying about what he thinks.
His Wayne County counterpart, Bob Ficano, asked the CEO of an international construction firm based in Detroit, Walbridge Aldinger Co., to take Patterson's objections to last year's Cobo expansion plan, answer them and see if there's a workable plan in there.
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061215/OPINION01/612150316/1008
Friday, December 15, 2006
Did governor hide budget overruns to aid campaign?
The Detroit News
GOP state lawmakers suspect politics in the Granholm administration's failure to inform them of departmental overspending until after this year's election. They're right to do so.
The departments of Human Services, Corrections and state police all spent more money -- adding up to more than $50 million -- than they were allotted in the 2005-06 budget year, which ended in September.
http://www.thetimesherald.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061214/NEWS01/612140303/1002
Area businesses see benefit from tax repeal, for now
By NICOLE GERRING
The loss of Michigan's Single Business Tax could turn into a gain - at least temporarily - for many local businesses.
The Legislature plans to sidestep how to replace the $1.9 billion in revenue lost to the tax repeal during its final session today.
http://www.mlive.com/news/fljournal/index.ssf?/base/news-40/11661096083050.xml&coll=5
Storage fee adds insult to injury for crash victim
FLINT
THE FLINT JOURNAL FIRST EDITION
Thursday, December 14, 2006
By Bryn Mickle
bmickle@flintjournal.com • 810.766.6383
FLINT - A fatal crash last week cost a Flint man several broken bones and the life of his third cousin.
Now, a local towing company is demanding more than $300 for what's left of the man's wrecked pickup truck.
Gerald Persails, 63, had just dropped off his fiancee at work Dec. 6 when an oncoming pickup slid out of control on Fenton Road in Fenton Township and slammed into his 1990 GMC Sierra one-ton pickup.
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061215/OPINION01/612150314/1008
Friday, December 15, 2006
Credit our airport for cutting landing fees
28 percent reduction benefits passengers and airlines
I t's too seldom that we get the opportunity to praise government for acting efficiently and in the best interest of taxpayers. So we don't want to neglect congratulating the Metro Airport authority for cutting landing fees by 28 percent.
These fees are charged by the airport to airlines on a per-passenger basis. The money raised helps cover the cost of operating the airport.
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061215/OPINION01/612150342/1069
IN OUR OPINION: All state taxes in need of change
December 15, 2006
The state's budget is crumbling so rapidly that Gov. Jennifer Granholm may have to take her second-term oath of office with cutting knife in hand. More importantly, she needs to issue a challenge in her Jan. 1 inaugural to revamp the state's entire tax structure, which now has a built-in annual deficit.
A business-tax rewrite already tops the 2007 agenda. But the best possible restructuring of that tax surely requires rewriting other taxes as well. A complete overhaul of all taxes probably would require voter approval because constitutional changes would be involved. Isn't 2007 the year to try, with no statewide elections on tap?
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061215/POLITICS/612150426/1022
Friday, December 15, 2006
Gov, GOP reach deal on welfare
Bill places four-year restriction on state cash assistance with fifth year possible if justified.
Gary Heinlein / The Detroit News
LANSING -- Republican lawmakers and Democratic Gov. Jennifer Granholm struck a deal Thursday to limit Michigan welfare recipients to four years of cash assistance, with exceptions for certain people.
Lawmakers passed the legislation Thursday night and it appeared Granholm was ready to sign it.
Granholm spokeswoman Liz Boyd confirmed that a deal had been reached.
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061215/NEWS99/61215001
Welfare reform caps Legislature's lame duck session
December 15, 2006
LANSING -- Welfare recipients would be limited to four years of cash benefits during their lifetimes unless they're deemed unemployable under legislation approved overnight as the lawmakers wrapped up their lame-duck session with a furious day of bill-passing.
Gov. Jennifer Granholm said she would sign the bills, which provide for exceptions to the welfare cutoff. She vetoed similar legislation earlier this year, saying it did not allow exceptions for people who could not work because of disabilities or illnesses.
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061215/NEWS06/612150445/1008/NEWS
4-year limit on welfare wins approval
Granholm satisfied with compromise
December 15, 2006
LANSING -- An agreement to put a 4-year limit on cash welfare benefits was approved Thursday night, as the Legislature wrapped up its lame-duck session with a furious day of bill-passing.
Republicans had sought a strict time limit on how long people could collect welfare for the past two years. They said the limit would encourage people to find work and break the cycle of dependency.
Lawmakers, governor agree to limit welfare benefits
12/15/2006, 1:54 a.m. ET
By DAVID EGGERT
The Associated Press
LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Republican lawmakers and Democratic Gov. Jennifer Granholm struck a deal Thursday to limit Michigan welfare recipients to four years of cash assistance, with exceptions for certain people.
The agreement ends a nearly two-year push by the GOP to make changes to the state's welfare system. Granholm vetoed a similar effort a year ago, but the new legislation includes more exceptions to stop recipients from getting kicked off welfare.
http://www.lsj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061214/NEWS01/612140364/1001/news
Published December 14, 2006
[ From Lansing State Journal ]
Holland case may lead to changes at agency
Ombudsman no longer would report to governor
By Jack Kresnak
Special to the State Journal
Lawmakers who reviewed a report Wednesday on Ricky Holland's death also saw progress on a proposal they say would remove political overtones from investigations into such cases.
The state Senate approved a package of bills that moves authority over the Office of the Children's Ombudsman from the executive to the legislative branch.
The bills, which already passed the House, are designed to fix a perceived conflict of interest in having the ombudsman - who is appointed by the governor with legislative approval - investigate another arm of the executive branch, the Department of Human Services.
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061215/OPINION01/612150345/1069
State must admit poor prison care
December 15, 2006
An upcoming review of health care in Michigan prisons must be thorough, rigorous and fair. The state made a good start last week by awarding a one-year, $400,000 contract for the review to the well-regarded National Commission on Correctional Health Care of Chicago. Its work begins early next year.
For the investigation to bear fruit, however, the Department of Corrections must keep an open mind, insisting, among other things, that investigators include interviews with prisoner advocates and inmates. The Legislature, which has been shamefully silent on this issue, could help by holding hearings.
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061215/OPINION01/612150308/1008
Friday, December 15, 2006
State Dem chairman's China trip is fraught with ironies
To: Mark Brewer
Chairman, Michigan Democratic Party
From: Frank Beckmann
Dear Mark,
N i hao! I must admit to doing a complete double take at receiving the news this week about your current visit to China.
Of all the people I never expected to spend his tourism dollars in China, your name would top the list, even if you are called "chairman."
http://www.mlive.com/news/bctimes/index.ssf?/base/news-1/1166112902154570.xml&coll=4
Michigan wolverine should befriend, not fight, China dragon
Thursday, December 14, 2006
For a clue to Michigan's future, look to the Far East.
It could be in China.
That economic dragon - the one that politicians this past year made responsible for all of the misery besetting Michigan manufacturers and their employees - should be our next best friend.
http://www.mlive.com/news/kzgazette/index.ssf?/base/columns-2/1166113640168610.xml&coll=7
Time to talk about constitutional overhaul
Thursday, December 14, 2006
Is it time for a new Michigan Constitution? Citizens for Michigan, a broad panel of former and current officials and state policy analysts, have recommended a list of 63 changes to the 43-year-old constitution, which many view as in need of an overhaul.
Every 16 years, Michigan voters are asked to decide whether it's time for a constitutional convention to rewrite the state's governing document. Voters will be asked the question again in 2010.
http://hometownlife.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061214/NEWS19/612140761/1036
Land outlines plans for future elections at clerks' meeting
By Alyson Iott
Michigan Secretary of State Terri Lynn Land offered a glimpse of Michigan elections yet to come during her talk at the Webster Township Hall last Wednesday afternoon.
The Washtenaw County Municipal and Township Clerks Association hosted Land at its Dec. 5 meeting, led by Salem Township Clerk David Trent, who chairs the association.
http://www.mlive.com/columns/aanews/index.ssf?/base/news-1/116611086746840.xml&coll=2
Michigan's voting system a wise choice Officials consider requiring paper trail
Thursday, December 14, 2006
Terri Lynn Land is looking pretty smart these days.
Michigan's Secretary of State, re-elected this November to a second term, made a crucial decision when she chose optical scanning as the system for use in Michigan elections. The Nov. 7 general election was the first time in Michigan's history when voters statewide used this type of equipment, and while there were glitches, the process was relatively smooth.
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061215/NEWS99/612150411
Parties aim for primary in 2008
Deal would put state in spotlight
December 15, 2006
For the first time since 1992, top leaders from both major political parties in Michigan are close to a deal to hold a full-blown presidential primary election that could lead to broader voter participation.
It would be held in early February 2008, and could put Michigan in position to become a key state in selecting the nominee for either the Democrats or Republicans, or both.
http://www.mlive.com/news/fljournal/index.ssf?/base/news-40/11661096023050.xml&coll=5
MCC hopes to snare Dem superstar for lecture series
FLINT
THE FLINT JOURNAL FIRST EDITION
Thursday, December 14, 2006
By Beata Mostafavi
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER
Obama fever has hit the Flint area.
Organizers of the Ballenger Lecture Series at Mott Community College are making a strong pitch for U.S. Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., the rising political superstar and potential 2008 presidential candidate, to come to Flint.
That includes creating a list of "compelling arguments" for a visit that will be sent to Obama's Washington office, said Ron Winters, a member of the lecture series committee. Michigan is an early presidential primary state, and Genesee County is "part of the force" that picks whom the state's Democrats back as a presidential nominee.
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061215/OPINION02/612150340/1070
BECCA ROTHSCHILD: Senator should leave Neff alone
December 15, 2006
Janet Neff is getting cheated out of a job simply because she attended a friend's party.
This happens to be a job for which Neff is eminently qualified and one where her services are much needed.
Neff is a judge on the Michigan Court of Appeals. She was nominated this year to a seat on the U.S. District Court for Western Michigan. But in 2002, Neff's neighbor of 26 years in East Grand Rapids, whose daughters she says are "practically and in spirit, older sisters to my daughter," decided to commit her life to another woman. Neff attended the ceremony, read a homily, joined the celebration of a significant moment in her friend's life.
http://www.themorningsun.com/stories/121506/loc_baerren001.shtml
PUBLISHED: Friday, December 15, 2006
Opinion: The governor and net neutrality
By ERIC BAERREN
Sun Columnist
Net neutrality, boiled down, is the idea that when you surf the Internet, where you wind up isn't influenced by the people you pay for access to the Internet, and also that they don't charge you extra for access to certain sites (some sites might still charge a subscription, but that's between you and the site, not a middleman gatekeeper).
The telecommunications companies, which scored a legislative victory this week in revamping cable franchises, oppose net neutrality for a number of reasons. On the surface, they say they're subsidizing Web giants like Google. Down deeper, there is the very real possibility that they want to harness the Internet, and see it turned into a cash cow along the lines of cable television.
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061215/POLITICS/612150341/1022
Friday, December 15, 2006
Around Metro Detroit: Capitol Report
Governor signs billboard reform legislation
Gary Heinlein / The Detroit News
LANSING -- Gov. Jennifer Granholm signed legislation Thursday prohibiting permits for new billboards in Michigan and requiring owners to care for the 14,000 large signs that already line the highways.
Her signature completed a year of work by lawmakers and at least three years of effort by Sen. Tom George, R-Texas Twp., to put limits on sign proliferation. The law takes effect immediately.
Bill shielding police statements heads to Granholm
12/14/2006, 5:09 p.m. ET
By DAVID EGGERT
The Associated Press
LANSING, Mich. (AP) — The state House voted unanimously Thursday to send Gov. Jennifer Granholm a bill that would keep involuntary statements made by police officers from appearing in the media.
The bill would make confidential the involuntary answers given by law enforcement officers involved in internal affairs investigations. Their employers can threaten them with firing if they don't answer investigators' questions.
A spokeswoman wouldn't say whether Graham supports the legislation, though news organizations that oppose the bill expect her to sign it.
http://www.mlive.com/news/kzgazette/index.ssf?/base/news-20/1166113417168610.xml&coll=7
Sturgis schools chief named state superintendent of year
Thursday, December 14, 2006
By Jef Rietsma
Special to the Gazette
STURGIS -- Good luck finding a better Christmas present for Rob Olsen.
The superintendent of Sturgis Public Schools has been named the state's Superintendent of the Year for 2007 by the Michigan Association of School Administrators.
The honor, announced this week, comes a month after the 57-year-old Olsen was named Regional Superintendent of the Year.
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2006612150442
Detroit schools dump 3 tech deals
Coleman back in running despite role in controversy
December 15, 2006
In a political flip-flop that stirred emotions Thursday night, the Detroit school board voted to rescind three of four controversial technology contracts and agreed to give Superintendent William F. Coleman III -- who was at the center of the storm over the $58-million deal -- an interview for his own position.
The board voted 6-5 to make Coleman a finalist in its search for a permanent superintendent of Detroit Public Schools, putting him in the running against four candidates from smaller districts, including David Snead, a former Detroit superintendent.
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061215/NEWS01/612150322/1003/NEWS
Students thankful for early holiday gift: Free computers
December 15, 2006
The 30 children in Thoris Marie Walton's fourth-grade class at Detroit's Fairbanks Elementary get homework every single night.
Now they won't have any excuses for not being able to research a project or e-mail the teacher with questions.
Every kid in the class got a free Dell desktop computer Thursday -- plus a printer and speakers, donated by the nearby Plymouth United Church of Christ. Since 2002, the church had given away 60 computers to students with good grades -- but this year, the congregation decided to give them to the class taught by Walton, a church deacon.
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061215/OPINION02/612150348/1070
ROCHELLE RILEY: DPS needs to start over to serve students better
December 15, 2006
When you're hiring a captain for the Titanic -- and the ship is already sinking -- what qualities do you want?
That Titanic description is one I heard repeatedly about the Detroit Public Schools' superintendent search. What experience and mettle do you need to improve abysmal test scores and 60% graduation rates in a district where budget crises rise as student population shrinks?
"All they're looking for is God," said Charlie Anderson, executive director of Communities in Schools, a nonprofit that has spent millions filling in the gaps in students' lives. "We're asking people to do everything and be everything. We need somebody with not only the education skills ... but who understands community ... who understands finance. We're asking a lot, so God'll do."
http://www.mlive.com/news/grpress/index.ssf?/base/news-2/116611147672650.xml&coll=6
School closings sensible step
Thursday, December 14, 2006
The Grand Rapids Board of Education can't continue to squander resources on underused buildings, when there isn't enough money to spend on the central purpose of the schools, improving student achievement. Parents, students and faculty should keep that in mind when recommendations for school closings are made next week. The specific choices have to be justified toward a goal of greater efficiency, savings and academic progress.
People affected by the recommendations will understandably be emotional and anxious. That's why it is crucial that Superintendent Bernard Taylor and his staff articulate a clear, well thought out plan that lets parents know what they are gaining as well as losing. The board has to make multiple opportunities available for the public to respond. To its credit, the board already has done a good job seeking comment through recent public hearings and advisory committees.
http://www.mlive.com/news/jacitpat/index.ssf?/base/news-1/1166114181210250.xml&coll=3
Central Registry: Let schools look
Thursday, December 14, 2006
Lawmakers who thought they rid Michigan schools of sexual predators last year should think again.
The state Department of Human Services has a confidential list of 317,000 people suspected of neglect, or physical or sexual abuse of a child.
People's names are placed on the list, called the Central Registry, by state social workers who believe these individuals have committed a crime against a child -- even if the person hasn't been convicted or even arrested. In some cases an abused child was too young to testify, the child did not want to testify against a parent or once-trusted adult or there was not enough evidence to file criminal charges. Nevertheless, the state places the names of these alleged abusers on a list to limit their contact with children.
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061215/NEWS06/612150327/1008/NEWS
Cox warns universities not to dawdle on Proposal 2
Colleges have sought more time
December 15, 2006
LANSING -- Attorney General Mike Cox said Thursday he will vigorously fight lawsuits challenging the anti-affirmative action constitutional amendment voters approved Nov. 7, and he opposes granting state universities more time to comply.
Cox said requests filed earlier this week by the University of Michigan, Wayne State University and Michigan State University to win federal court approval of delays in Proposal 2's effective date appeared to be a delaying tactic designed to undermine the amendment altogether.
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061215/POLITICS/612150369/1022
Friday, December 15, 2006
Cox to fight Proposal 2 delays
Mike Cox plans to fight delays implementing Proposal 2; move may oppose Granholm.
Mark Hornbeck / Detroit News Lansing Bureau
LANSING -- Attorney General Mike Cox announced Thursday he will defend the Proposal 2 affirmative action ban in federal court on two fronts.
The move may again put Cox and Gov. Jennifer Granholm on opposing sides of the issue. The governor has requested a separate legal team to represent her position, which is still undetermined. During the campaign season, Granholm opposed Proposal 2, while Cox supported it.
Cox said he has filed a motion to intervene in two lawsuits:
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061215/SCHOOLS/612150388/1022/POLITICS
Friday, December 15, 2006
Anti-affirmative action crusader moving on
California activist plans to look at nine states for campaigns similar to his success in Michigan.
Leslie Fulbright / San Francisco Chronicle
Ward Connerly, the anti-affirmative action crusader who helped persuade voters to ban race and gender from consideration in public hiring, contracting and school admissions in Michigan, California and Washington, said he is exploring moves into nine other states.
The former University of California regent, whose campaign first saw success in 1996 with Proposition 209 in California, seems to be following through on his oft-repeated promise that he will persist until affirmative action is banned nationwide.
http://www.opinionjournal.com/taste/?id=110009387
The Racial Runaround
The University of Michigan isn't accepting voters' rejection of affirmative action.
Friday, December 15, 2006 12:01 a.m. EST
On Nov. 7, voters in Michigan passed Proposition 2, which prohibits state and local government from discriminating against or giving preferential treatment to--in the language of the ballot--"groups or individuals based on their race, gender, ethnicity or national origin for public employment, education or contracting purposes."
The new law is supposed to take effect on Dec. 22. But it seems that affirmative action is not over yet. University of Michigan President Mary Sue Coleman apparently believes that the democratic process is valid only when the voters agree with her.
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061215/SCHOOLS/612150325/1022/POLITICS
Friday, December 15, 2006
Bill Clinton to do U-M address
Mark Hicks / The Detroit News
ANN ARBOR -- Former President Bill Clinton has been selected to deliver the commencement address at the University of Michigan, school officials announced Thursday.
"President Clinton is a thoughtful and captivating speaker with tremendous insight into the global challenges of our time," U-M President Sue Coleman said in a statement.
"We are thrilled that the Class of 2007 will conclude its time at the university with a commencement address from such a prominent world leader."
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061215/NEWS01/612150378/1003/NEWS
Wayne County official's bank records sought
County looks into mayor's father in nonprofit lawsuit
December 15, 2006
A Wayne County judge will hear arguments today on whether Bernard Kilpatrick, chairman of the board that oversees mental health services in the county and father of Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, should be forced to release his bank records.
Wayne County officials want the documents as part of the county's lawsuit against Metro Emergency Services, a nonprofit that operates a homeless shelter run by Bernard Kilpatrick's former business associate Jon Rutherford. That shelter received a $22.7-million contract from the Detroit-Wayne County Community Mental Health Agency to provide mental health services from 2000 to 2002, money the county alleges was misspent.
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061215/LIFESTYLE04/612150412
Friday, December 15, 2006
Merry Hanukkah
Holidays put Jewish-Christian parents to test
Kim Kozlowski / The Detroit News
Lauren and Jerod Morton's relationship almost never got off the ground.
"It took me eight months to convince him to go out with me when he found out I was Jewish," Lauren Morton said. "He didn't think it would work."
Jerod Morton, a Christian, eventually came around and the couple married six years ago.
For interfaith couples like the Mortons, religious observances can be complicated, especially as 72,000 Metro Detroit Jews begin the eight-day celebration of Hanukkah at sundown today and Christians prepare to celebrate Christmas on Dec. 25.
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061215/NEWS03/612150421/1005/NEWS
Area singer to light up Hanukkah for Bushes
December 15, 2006
Since he was 4, Andrew Appel has known he wanted to be a performer.
From the plays he directed and performed in at summer camps, to the songs he sang during his days in Berkley High School's choir, the 20-year-old says performing arts have been in his veins.
But, he says, all of that training never could prepare him for one of his biggest performances -- in front of President George W. Bush and the first lady, Laura Bush.
http://www.mlive.com/news/grpress/index.ssf?/base/news-33/116611145472650.xml&coll=6
Meijer donation to troops not so silly
Thursday, December 14, 2006
By Mary Radigan
The Grand Rapids Press
Who would have thought something so serious could get help from something so silly?
Kevin Matthews, morning radio host for WLAV-FM, is pulling some strings -- Silly String, that is -- with the help of Meijer Inc., to help the war effort in Iraq.
Meijer is going to add 6,000 cans of Magic String to a New Jersey mother's effort to send the product to her son and other troops.
http://www.mlive.com/news/kzgazette/index.ssf?/base/news-20/1166113403168610.xml&coll=7
Likes father, likes son Soldier on leave from Iraq is thrilled to meet his little boy for the first time
Thursday, December 14, 2006
By Paula M. Davis
pdavis@kalamazoogazette.com 388-8583
U.S. Army Sgt. Rob Brodhagen walked off a plane, into the airport terminal and for the first time laid eyes on ``all he's been talking about.''
Held by his wife, Kelli, was their 2-month-old son, Hunter.
On Wednesday afternoon, the 26-year-old Mattawan man came home from a tour in Iraq and was met by his family at the Kalamazoo/Battle Creek International Airport.
NATIONAL STORIES
http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=MmY1MTQyMTk0Yjk2ZDNmZmVmNmNkNjY4ODExMGM5NWE
December 14, 2006 5:00 AM
A Primary Factor
Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney in an exclusive pre-Christmas 2006 interview.
An NRO Q&A
It seemed that the second the 2006 elections were over we were onto 2008, and already the campaign seems to be in full swing — even before some of the potential candidates have set up official exploratory committees. And among the most talked about on the Republican side is Mitt Romney, who is just about to finish his term as governor of Massachusetts. He agreed to be e-interviewed by National Review Online Editor Kathryn Lopez (who — full disclosure — has some pro-Romney tendencies). The full interview — in which he addresses Iraq, gay marriage, abortion, religion, and more, appears below.
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061215/POLITICS/612150389/1022
Friday, December 15, 2006
McCain calls for more troops
Military leaders in Iraq consider adding up to 35,000 more soldiers to U.S. force, senator says.
Thomas Wagner / Detroit News wire reports
BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Sen. John McCain said on Thursday that U.S. military commanders were discussing the possibility of adding from five to 10 more U.S. combat brigades -- a maximum of about 35,000 troops -- to "bring the situation under control" while Iraq's divided political leaders seek solutions to the worsening bloodshed here.
After talks in Baghdad with Gen. George W. Casey Jr. and other top American generals, the Arizona Republican said a substantial U.S. troop increase was one of the strategy changes the generals were considering as they reviewed what he called "a steadily deteriorating situation."
http://www.opinionjournal.com/columnists/pnoonan/?id=110009388
'The Man From Nowhere'
What does Barack Obama believe in?
BY PEGGY NOONAN
Friday, December 15, 2006 12:01 a.m. EST
We are getting very excited. Barack Obama is brilliant, eloquent and fresh. He is "exciting" (David Brooks), "charming" (Bob Schieffer), "my favorite guy" (Oprah Winfrey), has "charisma" (Donna Brazile), and should run now for president (George Will). Our political and media establishments, on the rebound from bad history, are sounding like Marlene Dietrich in her little top hat. Falling in luff again, vot am I to do, vot am I to do, kont hellllllp eet.
Well, down from your tippy toes, establishment.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/J/JOHNSON?SITE=MIDTN&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
Dec 15, 5:24 AM EST
Sen. Johnson recovering after surgery
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Democratic Sen. Tim Johnson was recovering without complications from emergency brain surgery to repair bleeding in his brain.
Family and colleagues were encouraged by his progress Thursday, yet doctors said it was too early to say whether further surgery would be required.
Johnson suffered a brain hemorrhage Wednesday that was caused by a rare and sometimes fatal condition. His illness came just weeks before Democrats are to take control of the Senate by a one-seat margin.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/14/AR2006121400379.html
Democratic Sen. Johnson in Stable Condition After Brain Surgery
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, December 15, 2006; Page A01
Sen. Tim Johnson (D-S.D.) was in stable condition yesterday after emergency brain surgery, prompting optimism among family and friends and at least temporarily stanching speculation that the Democrats' narrow control of the next Senate might be in jeopardy.
But Capitol aides predicted tough negotiations between the two parties early next month over the rules for organizing the new Senate, particularly those that would address the possibility that a Democratic seat could be vacated because of illness or death.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/14/AR2006121401797.html
Experts Optimistic About Senator's Recovery
By David Brown
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, December 15, 2006; Page A04
The experience of other people who have suffered bleeding from arteriovenous malformations inside the brain suggests that Sen. Tim Johnson (D-S.D.), who underwent emergency surgery for that condition Wednesday night, has at least a 50-50 chance of full recovery.
The 59-year-old senator may need another operation or other procedure to completely defuse the abnormal tangle of blood vessels inside his head that he was born with. But statistics suggest that his chance of suffering another bleeding episode in the near future is less than 10 percent and that his brain function is likely to improve from now on.
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061215/POLITICS/612150402/1022
Friday, December 15, 2006
Senate ponders future
Lawmakers downplay talk of shift in power after Johnson's successful surgery.
Margaret Talev / Scripps Howard News Service
WASHINGTON -- With control of the Senate potentially hanging in the balance, Democratic Sen. Tim Johnson showed signs of recovering Thursday from emergency surgery to relieve bleeding in his brain.
As Johnson, 59, lay in the critical care unit less than three miles from Capitol Hill, senior lawmakers sought to downplay talk of a possible shift in power in the Senate. Still, Johnson's health underscored the Democrats' tenuous hold on the chamber in the two-year congressional session that begins in early January.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/J/JOHNSON_MUNDT?SITE=MIDTN&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
Dec 15, 3:11 AM EST
S.D. recalls last empty Senate seat
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) -- As Washington is riveted by the potential political fallout from Sen. Tim Johnson's brain surgery, some people in South Dakota remember when one of its Senate seats sat empty for three years.
On Nov. 23, 1969, GOP Sen. Karl Mundt of South Dakota had a debilitating stroke. He later endured months of speech and physical therapy at his Washington home.
Mundt's wife, Mary, refused to vacate the seat despite pressure from the state's Republicans. The move would have left Gov. Frank Farrar, a fellow Republican, to appoint someone to complete Mundt's term.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/14/AR2006121401571.html
In the 83rd Congress, a Senate in Constant Turmoil
By Al Kamen
Friday, December 15, 2006; Page A33
Sen. Tim Johnson's sudden illness has consumed the political class the past two days. Everyone is talking about what happens if the South Dakota Democrat leaves the Senate and is replaced by a Republican to create a 50-50 split. Democrats and Republicans alike are rushing out statements saying the standard "our thoughts and prayers are with him." That is, at a minimum, half true.
But the unsettled situation pales when compared with the bizarre 83rd Congress in 1953 and 1954, during which nine of the then-96 senators died, including one who committed suicide, and one resigned.
http://www.mlive.com/news/bctimes/index.ssf?/base/news-8/1166112913154570.xml&coll=4
Go green for Christmas
Thursday, December 14, 2006
By JEFF KART
TIMES WRITER
Congress has adjourned for the year and left something green in Christmas stockings.
Lawmakers recently passed one-year extensions to federal energy tax credits due to expire at the end of 2007.
That means more incentives for developers to erect windmills in the Thumb and construct new energy-efficient homes and commercial buildings in the Bay City area, said John Sarver, a supervisor with the Michigan Energy Office in Lansing.
Dec 14, 11:30 PM EST
FDA to assess antibiotic linked to woes
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Federal health officials said Thursday they would ask outside experts whether the benefits of an antibiotic linked to rare reports of severe liver problems, including several deaths, outweigh its risks.
A Food and Drug Administration review found 13 reports of liver failure in patients treated with the drug, Ketek, through September. Doctors have prescribed the antibiotic, made by France's Sanofi-Aventis SA, more than 5.6 million times in the United States since the FDA approved it in 2004 to treat respiratory tract infections, bronchitis, sinusitis and community-acquired pneumonia.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/M/MEDIA_USE?SITE=MIDTN&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
Dec 15, 12:51 AM EST
Report: Americans media use rising
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Americans spend more time watching TV, listening to the radio, surfing the Internet and reading newspapers than anything else except breathing.
In fact, media use has risen every year since the start of the decade, helped by faster and easier ways to get information and entertainment, according to statistics in a new government report.
Next year, Americans are projected to spend more than 9 1/2 hours a day with the media, though hours spent doing two things at once, such as watching TV and using the Internet, are counted twice in the report.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/15/opinion/15fri4.html
I’ll Take ‘Pork Barrel’ for $400,000
Published: December 15, 2006
This is what happens when governments hide their money under a rock: On the eve of what is supposed to be a new day in Albany, another New York state senator has been indicted, this time charged with diverting to his own pocket more than $400,000 in state money that he earmarked for charities in his district.
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061215/POLITICS/612150377/1022
Friday, December 15, 2006
Feds ban melting of pennies, nickels
U.S. Mint officials are worried rising metal prices are prompting some to liquefy coins.
Martin Crutsinger / Associated Press
WASHINGTON -- Given rising metal prices, the pennies and nickels in your pocket are worth more melted down than their face value -- and that has the government worried.
U.S. Mint officials said this week they were putting into place rules prohibiting the melting down of 1-cent and 5-cent coins. The rules also limit the number of coins that can be shipped out of the country.
"We are taking this action because the nation needs its coinage for commerce.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/14/AR2006121401722.html
Pentagon Papers Revisited
The Bush administration's ever-expanding war on the First Amendment
Friday, December 15, 2006; Page A34
NO ADMINISTRATION likes leaks. But not since the Nixon administration has the government so aggressively sought to crack down -- not just on leakers, but on reporters and others who obtain leaked material. In the latest manifestation of its disregard for First Amendment principles, the administration has used -- misused, to be more precise -- a grand jury subpoena to retrieve "any and all copies" of a document, marked "secret," obtained by the American Civil Liberties Union. The ACLU's request that a federal judge quash the subpoena should be granted.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/15/opinion/15fri1.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
A Gag on Free Speech
Published: December 15, 2006
The Bush administration is trampling on the First Amendment and well-established criminal law by trying to use a subpoena to force the American Civil Liberties Union to hand over a classified document in its possession. The dispute is shrouded in secrecy, and very little has been made public about the document, but we do not need to know what’s in it to know what’s at stake: if the government prevails, it will have engaged in prior restraint — almost always a serious infringement on free speech — and it could start using subpoenas to block reporting on matters of vital public concern.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/14/AR2006121400756.html
Pelosi Looks to Boost Oversight of Intelligence and Ethics
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, December 15, 2006; Page A08
House Speaker-elect Nancy Pelosi announced yesterday that she will create a new panel within the Appropriations Committee to oversee the nation's intelligence agencies and a House task force to examine establishing an outside ethics panel.
The twin moves demonstrated the delicate balance that Pelosi (D-Calif.) is trying to strike to maintain her political power while fulfilling the promises of the Democrats' successful 2006 campaign. Both decisions fall short of recommendations coming from the bipartisan commission that examined the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, and from ethics groups. But they go well beyond what Republicans were willing to do while they controlled Congress and beyond even what some Democrats were anticipating in recent weeks.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/B/BORDER_SECURITY?SITE=MIDTN&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
Dec 15, 1:14 AM EST
GAO: Part of border program not doing well
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Homeland Security officials believe it will take five to 10 years to develop the technology needed to implement the exit portion of a border security plan without major disruptions, according to congressional investigators.
In a report released Thursday, the Government Accountability Office concluded that the entry portion of the Visitor and Immigration Status Indicator Technology program, known as US-VISIT, has been installed at most of the nation's land borders with minimal disruption.
The entry portion of the program includes biometric features such as digital scans of fingerprints to identify foreign visitors to the U.S. Congress required the program following the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, to keep terrorists from entering the country.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/14/AR2006121401552.html
DISPATCH FROM THE IMMIGRATION WARS
Texas Official's Report Ignites a New Border Conflict
By Darryl Fears
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, December 15, 2006; Page A02
It is a Texas showdown, a war of words over illegal immigration at the border.
State Comptroller Carole Keeton Strayhorn fired the first shot with a recent report that, for some, says the unthinkable: Illegal immigrants not only pay their fair share in taxes, but they are also good for the economy.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/R/RAIL_SECURITY?SITE=MIDTN&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
Dec 15, 6:22 AM EST
Government proposes rail security plan
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Bush administration's plan to prevent terrorist attacks on trains ran into immediate criticism from Democratic lawmakers who say it's too little, too late.
The Homeland Security proposal, to be announced Friday, would require freight and passenger rail systems to inspect rail cars and keep them in secure areas when not in use.
Democrats, set to take control of Congress next month, said they'd file bills to require tighter security for railroads.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/F/FBI_TERROR?SITE=MIDTN&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
Dec 15, 3:36 AM EST
FBI: Cleric's illness may spark attack
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The health of terrorist cleric Omar Abdel-Rahman, known as the Blind Sheik, is deteriorating - renewing fears that his death in prison could trigger an attack on the United States, officials said Thursday.
There is no credible indication that an attack on the U.S. is imminent, said several law enforcement officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the situation.
In a two-page bulletin, dated Dec. 8, the FBI reported to federal intelligence officials that Abdel-Rahman had been rushed from prison to a Missouri hospital two days earlier for a blood transfusion. There, doctors discovered a tumor on his liver, according to the bulletin, which was described to The Associated Press by a law enforcement official.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/14/AR2006121401726.html
When Disaster Strikes
Will the Washington region be ready?
Friday, December 15, 2006; Page A34
IMAGINE THAT a terrorist introduces the plague into downtown Washington, or that a nasty strain of bird flu flies in from Southeast Asia. How well is the region prepared to cope with thousands of casualties and prevent the spread of lethal contagions? Not very, according to a report from the Trust for America's Health, a private watchdog group that rated every state and the District on readiness to respond to a public health crisis.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/14/AR2006121401364.html
A War Bush Wouldn't Pay For
Friday, December 15, 2006; Page A35
Believe it or not, winning the war in Iraq was never the Bush administration's highest priority. Saving its tax cuts was more important. That was once spoken of as a moral problem. Now it's a practical barrier to a successful outcome.
Until recently President Bush's refusal to scale back any of his tax cuts was discussed as the question of shared sacrifice: How could we ask so much from a courageous group of Americans fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan but not ask even the wealthiest of their fellow citizens to part with a few extra dollars to support an endeavor supposedly central to our nation's security? On the contrary, even after we committed to war in Iraq, the administration pushed for yet more tax cuts in dividends and capital gains.
http://www.opinionjournal.com/editorial/feature.html?id=110009392
Panned in Baghdad
Iraqis reject the Baker-Hamilton report.
Friday, December 15, 2006 12:01 a.m. EST
Iraq Study Group Chairmen Jim Baker and Lee Hamilton have spent the past week defending their report against withering criticism here in the U.S. But the more revealing reaction has been from Iraq itself: "Unrealistic," "inappropriate" and "very dangerous" are among the kinder words used by Iraq's leaders to describe the ISG's work.
Consider Jalal Talabani. A secular-minded Kurd who has probably done more than any other leader to reach out across the country's sectarian divides, Iraq's President is no doubt sympathetic to the report's calls for "national reconciliation." But he reacted strongly to the ISG's suggestion that American support for his democratically elected government be conditioned on its meeting U.S.-determined "milestones" toward that goal. That, he said, was an "insult to the people of Iraq."
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_IRAQ?SITE=MIDTN&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
Dec 15, 6:21 AM EST
Army moves to reduce strain on troops
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Army, strained by unrelenting violence in Iraq and operations in Afghanistan and elsewhere, is considering ways it can speed up the creation of two combat brigades while shifting personnel and equipment from other military units.
Under the plan being developed, the new brigades could be formed next year and be ready to be sent to Iraq in 2008, defense officials told The Associated Press. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because the plans were not final.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/14/AR2006121400803.html
General Says Army Will Need To Grow
Iraq and Afghanistan Are Straining the Force, Chief of Staff Warns
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, December 15, 2006; Page A01
Warning that the active-duty Army "will break" under the strain of today's war-zone rotations, the nation's top Army general yesterday called for expanding the force by 7,000 or more soldiers a year and lifting Pentagon restrictions on involuntary call-ups of Army National Guard and Army Reserve troops.
Gen. Peter J. Schoomaker, the Army's chief of staff, issued his most dire assessment yet of the toll of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan on the nation's main ground force. At one point, he banged his hand on a House committee-room table, saying the continuation of today's Pentagon policies is "not right."
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_SYRIA?SITE=MIDTN&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
Dec 14, 10:18 PM EST
White House: Syrian visits hurt progress
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The White House said Thursday that trips to Syria by U.S. lawmakers are a public relations victory for a government that is thwarting democratic reform in the Middle East.
The Bush administration has tried to discourage lawmakers from going to Syria, White House press secretary Tony Snow said. "We think it's inappropriate."
Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., emerged from a meeting with Syrian President Bashar Assad in Damascus on Wednesday, saying Assad was willing to help control the Iraq-Syrian border. Nelson said he viewed Assad's remarks as "a crack in the door for discussions to continue. I approach this with realism, not optimism."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/14/AR2006121401893.html
Rice Rejects Overture To Iran And Syria
By Glenn Kessler and Robin Wright
Washington Post Staff Writers
Friday, December 15, 2006; Page A01
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice yesterday rejected a bipartisan panel's recommendation that the United States seek the help of Syria and Iran in Iraq, saying the "compensation" required by any deal might be too high. She argued that neither country should need incentives to foster stability in Iraq.
"If they have an interest in a stable Iraq, they will do it anyway," Rice said in a wide-ranging interview with Washington Post reporters and editors. She said she did not want to trade away Lebanese sovereignty to Syria or allow Iran to obtain a nuclear weapon as a price for peace in Iraq.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/15/opinion/15fri3.html
Rogues and Fools
Published: December 15, 2006
This week’s conference in Iran of Holocaust deniers and racists was, predictably, a circus of Holocaust denial and racism argued by discredited scholars and even the former Ku Klux Klan leader, David Duke. But one should never underestimate the political power of these vicious ideas, even among supposedly respectable people across the Middle East and beyond.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/14/AR2006121401721.html
A Tough Beginning
Mexico's Felipe Calderón starts his presidency by enforcing the rule of law.
Friday, December 15, 2006; Page A34
WHEN FELIPE Calderón took office as Mexican president two weeks ago, the dominant question was whether he would be able to govern the country. Having won election by a razor-thin margin, he faced a virtual insurrection on the part of the leftist populist he defeated, plus a separate standoff with militants attempting to overthrow an unpopular state governor and escalating violence by drug traffickers. It wasn't even clear that he would manage to take the oath of office, since opposition militants vowed to physically block him from entering Congress.
Fortunately Mr. Calderón has opened his presidency with aggressiveness and skill. He outmaneuvered the congressional dissidents at his swearing-in; five days later, he ordered the arrest of one of the main leaders of the violent protests in Oaxaca state. Next came a raid on the offices of Oaxaca state police and prosecutors, who had failed to act against those who shot and killed some of the anti-government protesters.
http://www.spectator.org/dsp_article.asp?art_id=10754
The Current Crisis
Jeane Kirkpatrick, RIP
By R. Emmett Tyrrell, Jr.
Published 12/14/2006 12:08:56 AM
WASHINGTON -- It was at Jeane Kirkpatrick's funeral this week that I finally heard of some good achieved by the United Nations midst all its dithering and graft. According to Jeane's pastor, during her momentous tenure as our UN ambassador Jeane was so wobbled by the international body's cynicism and moral emptiness that she forsook years of atheism and became a person of faith. Mind you, she had always had an abundance of secular faith before President Ronald Reagan tapped her for the UN. Her faith in the American way of life, its freedom, democracy, and equality, was as ardent as it was intelligently conceived.
MIRS Capitol Capsule, Thursday, December 14, 2006
John Reurink (517) 482-2125
U's Get $500M In Likely Dead Capital Outlay Bill
The Legislature put $500 million in college and university infrastructure projects into the pipeline for this fiscal year, but the celebration may be short lived. The final budget bill of the 2005-06 session is being sent to Gov. Jennifer GRANHOLM without the money needed to balance out three state departments that overspent their budgets last year by $47 million.
For that reason or for others, sources tell MIRS the governor is expected to veto the bill. Because the bill was not approved by either chamber of the Legislature until early Friday morning, administration officials were not available for comment.
SB 1081, the Capital Outlay bill for Fiscal Year (FY) 2007, puts the state on the hook for as many as $200 million in university projects, twice what the governor recommended. But the bill includes all of the higher education infrastructure projects the governor wanted except $1.1 million for classroom technology and environmental renovations at Monroe Community College.
The proposed Grand Valley State University library that Senate Majority Leader Ken SIKKEMA (R-Wyoming) wanted was included in the bill. Other university projects outside of the governor's recommendation that made the budget went to Ferris State University's Center for Collaborative Health Education ($17.8 million), Michigan State University's Nursing Building ($18 million), Saginaw Valley State University's Nursing Building and $20 million in renovations at the University of Michigan-Flint.
The community college projects outside of the governor's recommendation that made the budget were a $1.95 million student center remodeling project at Bay de Noc Community College and a $3 million expansion at Montcalm Community College.
The Capital Outlay budget wasn't declared a Christmas Tree by Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Shirley JOHNSON (R-Troy), however. Unlike the Senate version of a week ago that called for a meaty $679 million in state bond spending, the final budget bill calls for only $375 million in state bond spending, only $14 million more than the governor's original proposal.
The compromise version of the bill included cuts to some of the governor's other original recommendations to compensate for $100 million more spent on the universities.
SB 1081, sponsored by Sen. Mike PRUSI (D-Ishpeming), would put into motion the governor's proposed program to let local governments tap into state bonding money for economic development -driven projects. But the Legislature set aside only $75 million, not the $100 million Granholm wanted, and tacked on 18 suggested local projects the money could be spent on.
The governor also had wanted $13 million more for the expansion of a "Transportation Campus" in Wayne County. That didn't make the budget and neither did $50 million in "Phase III facility renovation projects" the Department of Management Budget (DMB) wanted.
Another $20 million in state park improvements didn't make the budget as the governor wanted, but a $7.2 million expansion to the Michigan State Police's (MSP) Lansing lab and a $6.4 million expansion to the MSP's Marquette Forensics Science lab — which the House wanted — did make it into the legislation.
Another $350,000 was spent in FY 2007 for a school building security mapping project so the police would know where they're going inside schools in case of hazardous material scares, terrorism or some other emergency.
Also, a provision that the Department of Transportation (MDOT) not spend money on a new Detroit River International Crossing made the budget. The budget sets aside money for an e-inspector food safety program and money for improved helmets for National Guard troops deployed in combat zones.
The Senate approved the bill, 28-5, with Sens. Nancy CASSIS (R-Novi), Laura TOY, Dennis OLSHOVE (D-Warren), Mark SCHAUER (D-Battle Creek) and Mickey SWITALSKI (D-Roseville) voting no.
The House approved the conference report, 71-32.
Cox To Defend Prop 2 Against U's, Gov If Necessary
Attorney General Mike COX today announced that he's going to federal court to defend the voter-approved Michigan Civil Rights Initiative (MCRI) against challenges from opponents including the state's major universities.
The Attorney General said the will of voters could be thwarted by a federal action filed by the anti-MCRI group, BAMN (By Any Means Necessary) as well as by cross-claims filed by the state's big three research universities, Michigan State University, Wayne State University and the University of Michigan.
Cox said cross appeals filed by the universities in the BAMN federal case "seek to delay indefinitely the implementation of Proposal 2."
"Quite simply, my goal is to present a vigorous defense of the constitutionality of Proposal 2, which is what attorneys general of this state have always done in order to defend what the people have put, through amendment, in their constitution," Cox said.
In comments in a speech immediately following enactment of Proposal 2, University of Michigan President Mary Sue COLEMAN indicated that she'd seek legal challenges to overturn Proposal 2.
"I believe there are serious questions as to whether this initiative is lawful, particularly as it pertains to higher education," Coleman said. "I have asked our attorneys for their full and undivided support in defending diversity at the University of Michigan. I will immediately begin exploring legal action concerning this initiative."
Since that time, some of the rhetoric has died down with the universities claiming they're only seeking a restraining order to delay implementation beyond the current academic year, but Cox said the university's legal filings show their intent.
"Upon close examination of the legal arguments that are in the actual pleadings and briefs filed in this matter, the universities put forth broad claims that frankly undermine the notion that they are simply looking for temporary relief," Cox added.
He remarked that in their brief, the universities argue there is a long line of U.S. Supreme Court rulings that uphold the autonomy of institutions of higher learning and that that autonomy is based in the First Amendment.
"In short, they are trying to preserve the status quo," Cox said. "The selection of students goes to the very heart of Section 1, the very first paragraph of the amendment some two million people voted for. Quite simply … their cross claim is an attempt to indefinitely delay enactment of Proposal 2."
Cox said his foray into the legal matter was "triggered" by a Gov. Jennifer GRANHOLM office request that he name independent counsel to represent the governor's viewpoint in the constitutional challenge to Proposal 2.
Recall that the AG's staff represented both sides of the debate when Cox and Granholm differed over whether Proposal 2 from 2004 (defining marriage as between one-man and one-woman) limited the ability of state and local units of government to extend same-sex health care benefits.
"That counsel will be an independent team of assistant attorney generals from my office," Cox remarked.
Granholm Press Secretary Liz BOYD said nobody should jump to conclusions about whether the governor will enter the legal battle to overturn the voter-approved Propsal 2.
"No one should draw any conclusions about how we will be proceeding legally based upon this request," said Boyd, who noted that originally Cox had responded to the governor's request by asking for more information. Before that information could be supplied, he promptly granted the request for independent counsel. "We just started talking to legal counsel and we'll obviously have more to say about this in the days to come."
The first hearing in the case occurs next Tuesday.
Lifetime Welfare Limit Deal Reached
During the final session days (Thursday & Friday) of 2006, the GOP-controlled Legislature and the Gov. Jennifer GRANHOLM administration reached agreement on a welfare reform package that establishes a four-year lifetime limit for a healthy welfare recipient, but gives the Department of Human Services (DHS) the power to draft exceptions through the administrative rules process.
The deal (embodied in HB 6580, HB 6587, SB 1500 and SB 1501) involves the coverage limits and sanctions Republicans have been advocating for, but with expanded exceptions and language giving a great deal of flexibility to how the administration can apply the reforms.
After the deal was struck the legislation passed overwhelmingly in both the Senate and the House.
"I think this really will help the state move forward," said Rep. Chris KOLB (D-Ann Arbor), the top point person for House Democrats on the issue. "It sets limits but also has enough exemptions to allow families to keep moving toward independence. It takes the best from what other states are doing and puts it all together."
Kolb's counterpart, outgoing House Speaker Pro Tem Jerry KOOIMAN (R-Grand Rapids), agreed.
"We're really moving the state forward with what we're doing tonight," Kooiman said. "We still have the lifetime limits, but we've provided additional exemptions. We're giving the administration additional flexibility in how they implement the rules, but are holding them accountable by requiring more reporting."
"Chris Kolb really stuck his neck out to work this out," Kooiman added. "He really did everything he could to help put this agreement together."
The welfare reform package will require a family self-sufficiency plan to help guide families on the pathway to a better life and impose sanctions for those who do not adhere to their plan.
The package provides exemptions for those who are mentally, emotionally or physically disabled and includes a provision that will encourage recipients to increase their hours and seek higher paying jobs by allowing them to keep more of the money they earn.
It stops the 48-month lifetime limit clock for those who are working and adhering to their family self-sufficiency plan.
"I'm excited about the prospect of moving individuals toward self-sufficiency," said Sen. Bill HARDIMAN (R-Kentwood), the issue's point person in Senate. "Welfare was never meant to be a permanent condition and we need to break the cycle of dependency. We understand everyone needs a little help now and then so this package provides that while helping get recipients on their way to self-sufficiency."
In the Senate, HB 6580, the main bill that set the lifetime limits, passed on 27-9 vote with Sens. Ray BASHAM (D-Taylor), Liz BRATER (D-Ann Arbor), Deb CHERRY (D-Burton), Irma CLARK-COLEMAN (D-Detroit), Burton LELAND (D-Detroit), Martha G. SCOTT (D-Highland Park), Gretchen WHITMER (D-East Lansing) and Buzz THOMAS voting no. The same bill passed the House 103-0.
Illegals Banned From Loans Under Bills
Illegal immigrants would be banned from taking out public housing loans or receiving financial assistance for college under a package of bills that moved to the governor's desk today.
The flagship bill, HB 5300, the House approved today says only U.S. citizens or those in the United States legally could qualify for help from the Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSDHA). Other bills make the same conditions apply to winning the Merit Scholarship, nursing scholarships and other higher education-based awards.
HB 5300 passed, 79-27. Support for most of the rest of the bills was in the low 80s. Opposition remained in the low 20s. Rep. Steve TOBOCMAN (D-Detroit) urged members to oppose the legislation on the basis that it needs more work.
"This would prevent people who are in the United States legally, but temporarily not citizens from buying homes and paying taxes in Michigan," Tobocman said.
Rep. Bob GOSSELIN (R-Troy), the primary sponsor of the package, told House members the legislation passed by "about 97-3" initially, but they were being asked to vote a second time because the Senate broke one of the tie bars.
Sticker Falls Off Item Reform Bill
A measure that would significantly change Michigan's item pricing law was not taken up today by the Senate and is therefore dead until the next legislative session.
Many Democrats expressed surprise when the bill, HB 4636 sponsored by Rep. Dave HILDENBRAND (R-Lowell), was brought up by Republicans and passed in the House on Nov. 29. The reason the move was so hard to understand was because Gov. Jennifer GRANHOLM has consistently opposed the bill, and polling overwhelmingly supports her position.
Initially, retailers wanted the bill to move despite it not having a future with the current administration. But once the bill was in the Senate, some Michigan-based retailers asked the bill be stalled, supposedly to keep the peace with the governor's office.
HB 4636 relaxes the state's item pricing law to allow stores to stop price tagging every item on the shelf if the item has a UPC code that can be scanned at a nearby scanner.
Michigan is the only state in the country that still requires "item pricing" for every item in the store. The new perimeters would not apply to food or non-prescription medication, which would still need to be tagged. Hildenbrand said he will introduce the same bill next year.
November Revenues Down — $54M Off The Mark
If you're seeking joyful tidings, don't look to find them in the Senate Fiscal Agency's (SFA) monthly revenue report for November of this year.
The SFA is reporting today that the state's take on its major General Fund (GF) and School Aid Fund (SAF) earmarked taxes for November was down a slight 0.4 percent from a year ago — missing revenue estimates by $54 million.
In total, the state collected $1.76 billion in November. While collections on the income, use, tobacco, state education, and casino taxes showed gains, those gains were offset by losses in the state's sales, single business, insurance, real estate transfer, and severance taxes. Other taxes also saw declines in the revenue generated from November 2005. Those taxes include the beer, wine, liquor, industrial facilities, utility property and estates taxes, along with tax-related penalty and interest payments.
The SFA warns however, that the 0.4 percent decline doesn't reflect "the true weakness in November's tax collections."
"A large increase in State education tax receipts was due to a shift in the timing of collections which pushed more collections into November," concluded the SFA monthly revenue report. “Excluding receipts from the State education tax reveals that tax collections were actually down 4.5 percent in November.
In addition, November tax receipts fell short of SFA's estimate by $54.4 million.
Income tax receipts reached $499.3 million in November, an increase of 1.3 percent from November 2005. Gross collections (withholding, quarterly and annual payments) were up 2.3 percent to $523.7 million. Some of this gain in gross receipts was offset by an increase in income tax refunds, which rose to $24.4 million in November from the year-ago level of $19 million.
Sales tax receipts dropped 6.7 percent in November to $519.3 million. While a decline of this magnitude would typically be attributable to a non-economic shift in the timing of payments from one month to the next, the SFA noted such a timing issue occurs when a month ends on a weekend. November did not end on a weekend.
The last time the state's sales tax revenues dropped that much from month-to-month, was December 2000. The overall drop in sales tax proceeds also occurred despite a jump in sales tax receipts from the sale of autos - which was up 2.8 percent. The increase in auto-sale related sales tax marks the second month in a row of such increases after declines were recorded in 36 of the last 38 months. Sales tax collections from all other taxable retail sales fell 7.6 percent in November.
Proceeds from the Single Business Tax reached $104.4 million, down 14.6 percent from a year ago. Using the three-month moving average to help smooth the volatile monthly pattern for single business tax collections showed that collections for the three months ending in November were down 4.9 percent. November was the fourth month in a row where business taxes fell below their year-ago level.
The state's education tax receipts reached $295.3 million, a jump of 26.7 percent. It is estimated that this strong increase was due to fluctuations in the timing of monthly collections this year compared with last year and does not, the SFA noted, reflect actual growth in the revenue being generated by this tax.
The real estate transfer tax hit $19.7 million in November, down 28.1 percent from a year ago. This marked the seventh consecutive month, and the ninth time in the last 12 months that real estate transfer tax collections declined from their year-ago level. This downward slide in real estate transfer tax receipts reflects the current downturn in the housing market.
Watered-Down Timber Bill Gets OK
The Department of Natural Resources (DNR) would report to the Legislature how many acres of state forest could be used by the timber industry under a conference committee report that cleared the Senate, 29-8, and the House, 98-8, this afternoon. The bill is now on its way to the governor's desk.
While the legislation was significantly scaled down from its original form, HB 5453, was opposed by a cadre of Democrats on the basis that it would require the DNR to put staff time and resources into putting together a report without giving the cash-strapped department the money to pay for it.
Sponsored by Rep. Tom CASPERSON (R-Escanaba), the bill originally called on the DNR to look at 10 percent of the state's forests each year to figure out how many trees should be chopped down for the good of the forest. Eighteen months after the department has conducted the analysis, any acre of trees the DNR has labeled as being OK to be cut would be put up for sale.
Environmentalists criticized the bill, saying that it would put in jeopardy Michigan's eco-system, which they claim is the most diverse system east of the Pacific Northwest. Even under its diluted form, Sen. Liz BRATER (D-Ann Arbor) slammed the bill for asking the DNR to spend out of a special pot of money that is expected to be $14 million in deficit next year.
She argued that with the price of timber falling, the fiscal outlook for this "Forest Development Fund" is bleak.
The timber industry has wanted greater access to the state forests, arguing that the excessive restrictions on harvesting is creating a 10-year delay on the time a parcel is approved for harvesting and the time it's allowed to be cut. Michigan's forests allegedly are growing at a rate of about twice that of the harvest and the excess capacity could generate more jobs for the state's workforce.
SOCC To Meet In Odd Years
The constitutionally established body charged with setting the salaries of state officials would meet every odd year as opposed to even year under legislation sent to the governor today.
HB 4918, sponsored by Rep. Chris WARD (R-Brighton), and HB 4919, sponsored by Rep. Mary WATERS (D-Detroit) irons out the differences between state law and a 2002 constitutional amendment that makes it harder for lawmakers to give themselves a pay hike.
The State Officers' Compensation Commission (SOCC), the body constitutionally required to set pay rates for state officials has been urging the Legislature to change the law for more than two years (See "Senate Pledges Action On Guv's Pay Cut Request," 12/22/04).
Without this legislation, SOCC's legal counsel has urged that its authority to set salaries has been "thrown into legal limbo" because the Constitution and state law are inconsistent on three points. For one, the Constitutional amendment of 2002 calls on SOCC to set the salaries of the Attorney General and Secretary of State. State law does not.
The Constitutional amendment says the Legislature must approve SOCC's salary recommendations, as presented, by a majority vote or they won't take effect. The current law still mentions the old system, where the Legislature must disapprove SOCC's recommendation by a two-thirds vote or else they go into effect (which is how lawmakers snuck through the infamous 38 percent pay increase of 2001).
And the amendment says SOCC's approved salary changes take effect two years after they've been recommended. Currently, a SOCC change made today conceivably wouldn't take effect until Jan. 1, 2009. The law reads that, under this scenario, the effect would take effect on Feb. 1, 2007.
ID Theft Notification Bill Off To Gov
Any government agency or private business would be required to inform their constituents or customers of a database security breach as soon as reasonably possible under legislation headed to the governor today.
SB 0309, sponsored by Sen. Shirley JOHNSON (R-Troy), specifies that any entity that didn't inform the potentially impacted public of a breach would face a 30-day, $1,000 misdemeanor and would have to pay a $1,000 civil fine to the impacted customer. The bill passed both chambers without a single no vote.
Prison Named After Former Senator
The Ionia Maximum Correctional Facility in Ionia will be renamed the Jack WELBORN Correctional Facility in honor of the former state Senator under a bill the Legislature sent to the governor today.
SB 0102, sponsored by Sen. Alan CROPSEY (R-DeWitt), was a memorial to the former Senate Corrections Appropriations Subcommittee chair, who is credited with playing a major role in finding legislative and administrative solutions to crowding and unsafe conditions within the state's prison system.
The bill passed 104-2 in the House and unanimously in the Senate.
Veteran Lawmakers Say Goodbye
In his goodbye speech to the Legislature, Senate Majority Leader Ken SIKKEMA (R-Wyoming) told elected officials to always remember that "we are stewards" of the people who elected us and that the institution remains a body of insight on issues, values and of careful debate.
"We don't have legacies. Some presidents, a few governors have legacies. We don't have legacies," said Sikkema, a 20-year veteran of the Legislature. "We can have teaching moments where we set an example by what we do … I hope that if I've had any teaching moments that I've put into action it's that our opportunity for progress comes if we work together … And if you pledge to find that common ground, you will make Michigan a better place for the future."
Term-limited Sen. Bev HAMMERSTROM (R-Temperance) highlighted the fact that the Senate featured a record 12 female senators and how that mix gives state government a much-needed perspective. She also said her first session as a legislator, the session of split leadership was her favorite because it forced Republicans and Democrats to work together.
She said her second-favorite session was her lame-duck session because the swing-seat senator could "march to the freedom you have and do what is right for the people of Michigan" as opposed to worrying about casting politically safe votes.
In a moment of humor, the rather short Hammerstrom noted that as she hands the Senate Majority Floor Leader chair to the rather tall Sen. Alan CROPSEY (R-DeWitt), "I hope someone will tell you there's a stool down here (near her speaker stand) that you won't need."
In classic fashion, term-limited Senate Appropriations Chairman Shirley JOHNSON (R-Troy) noted that she hired one of her staffers because he knew what "Rocky Mountain Oysters" were. In honor of that, she supplied the chamber with Rocky Mountain oysters, which gave Johnson no shortage of humorous material.
In his goodbye remarks, Sen. Mike GOSCHKA (R-Brant) was personal with his remarks, extending complementary remarks about individual senators and staffers. After going around the chamber, he said, "I am a better person for having worked with you and having known you. God is good and I'm a better because all of you."
Cord Blood Bills Headed To Governor's Desk
Today, on unanimous votes, the House passed a pair of bills (SB 1353 and SB 1354) that allocate $5 million in 21st Century Job Fund money for helping with the collection, distribution of and education about cord blood stem cell research.
Some pro-choice members have made mild protests over the fact that the Legislature does not favor embryonic stem cell research, however today they weren't irked enough to withhold support for the legislation.
Cord blood comes from umbilical cords and is used to treat about 70 different diseases. Cord blood cells are not extracted from embryos. Earlier in the day the legislation had unanimously in the Senate.
GONGWER- Volume #45, Report #239 --Thursday, December 14, 2006
Larry Lee (517) 482-3500
WELFARE REFORMS HEAD TO GOVERNOR
After multiple attempts by Republicans to implement a life time limit on cash assistance and provide sanctions for those able-bodied adults unable to meet work requirements, the Legislature approved a package of bills that do just that while at the same time enacting the exemptions and clock stoppers Democrats insisted were needed to protect vulnerable families in the state.
Governor Jennifer Granholm is expected to sign the package of HB 6580
Rep. Jerry Kooiman (R-Grand Rapids) said the package "moves Michigan way down the field" in terms of welfare reforms.
"I think it's going to be good not just for taxpayers but it's going to be good for our people that do need the system," he said. "I believe very strongly that we need accountability."
Rep. Chris Kolb (D-Ann Arbor) said the legislation gives individuals the tools to be successful in cooperation with the current jobs, education and training program (JET) while at the same time dealing with those people who have not been moving toward self-sufficiency.
Asked how the administration was persuaded to go from waiting to add reforms until after JET was fully implemented and reviewed to adding the initiated reforms at this time, Mr. Kolb said the measures move JET forward and that they were simply good public policy.
"We believe all the safeguards are there so no family and no children that need it will be removed from assistance," he said.
Members in the Senate also spoke in support of the package, with Sen. Bill Hardiman (R-Kentwood) saying that it will help not only those people in their first jobs but those who will be getting better jobs.
Under the package, the sunset on current Work First requirements would be extended to March 31, 2007.
The 48-month lifetime limit would also not be retroactive, with the first recipients being placed under the system at the earliest of April 1, 2007 and the rest coming under the limit once JET is rolled out statewide, which is mandated to occur by September 30, 2007. The legislation defines a family sufficiency plan and stipulates that the clock will stop when a person is exempt from work requirements, when they are working and in compliance with state standards and when a recipient's county unemployment rate is 25 percent above the state average for the month prior.
A person could be exempted from work requirements if they are caring for a child three months or younger or when the individual or a relative the individual is caring for becomes temporarily or permanently disabled, either physically or mentally, and has medical documentation to show this. The Department of Human Services would also be allowed to promulgate rules granting exemptions further for extenuating circumstances.
There would be a 90-day sanction for the first two violations of work requirements and a one-year sanction for the third, however recipients would also be able to have their first sanction terminated if they can show within 10 days of the first violation that they are meeting their work requirements.
Cash assistance recipients would also have an increasing earned income disregard from $200 plus 20 percent to not more than 67 percent of a person's earned income by September 30, 2010.
The lifetime limit also comes with a 12-month extension clause if a person faces barriers to employment, such as the local labor market, problems with child care or transportation or if the state for some reason cannot meet its obligation to the education and training services its required to provide.
There will also be more legislative oversight in the process with county-by-county reports to lawmakers.
During its marathon final session day, the House also completed action on several bills, sending the following to the governor's desk:
ò Petition forms would come in the standard 8 1/2 by 11-inch sheet and would come with more descriptions and warnings for people who sign them starting January 31, 2008 under HB 4328
ò Legislation aimed at providing tax breaks for farm property held in production for at least 20 years, essentially a farm preservation measure, was approved as the House concurred in Senate amendments, 95-11. With the fraud allegations involved in Proposal 2, which bans affirmative action in state universities an government, Democrats said they would like to see the legislation take on a more comprehensive approach, but added that more could be done next term.
ò While Rep. Leon Drolet (R-Clinton Township) raised some concern that HB 4455
ò Bills putting citizenship requirements on a series of state scholarships and loans was approved on divided votes. The chamber concurred with the Senate in moving HB 5300
ò The state would offer tax incentives on a sliding scale for movie productions filmed in Michigan under HB 5204
ò DCH would establish local or regional single point of entry facilities for long-term care under HB 5389
ò The Department of Natural Resources would report to the Legislature on the progress of factor limits in the sale of timber in state forestlands under HB 5453
ò The House also sent along HB 6004
ò HB 6323
ò Secondhand and junk dealers would also be regulated under HB 6599
CONTINUING SALES TAX DECLINE HURT NOVEMBER REVENUES
Another drop in the state's sales tax revenues meant that tax revenues for November were down slightly compared to November of 2005, according to the Senate Fiscal Agency. The news comes after the state found itself not meeting revenue estimates in the 2005-06 fiscal year and with November being the first month revenues accrue to the 2006-07 fiscal year.
The sales tax drop came both despites nearly a full week of the Christmas holiday shopping period in the month, and despite an increase in sales taxes collected from motor vehicle sales. More worrisome from a technical standpoint, the drop was not attributable to the month ending on a weekend and marks the first time in nearly six years that sales tax revenues declined by such a significant amount when a month ended during a business day.
Also declining during the month were collections from the Single Business Tax, insurance, real estate transfer and oil and gas severance taxes.
The income tax, use, tobacco tax, state education property tax and casino tax all reported higher collections.
The state netted a total of $1.76 billion in November, down .4 percent from the same time a year ago.
The sales tax, now the state's largest tax, collected $519.3 million during the month, a decline of 6.7 percent. While such a decline could be attributable in a month that ends on a weekend (when collections are delayed) last month ended on a Thursday. The last time the state saw such a decline in the sales tax when the month ended during a weekday was in December 2000.
And the decline came even though collections from motor vehicle sales were up by 2.8 percent to $52.2 million. After 36 consecutive months of decline, it was the second month in a row sales taxes from vehicle sales increased.
Sales taxes on all other merchandise fell by 7.6 percent during the month, netting $67.1 million.
Perhaps as a hopeful indicator, the state's income tax collections were up by 1.3 percent, netting $499.3 million. Gross collections were actually up by 2.3 percent from the year before, but refunds also increased during the month over November 2005.
The SBT raised $104.4 million during November, down 14.6 percent. The companion insurance tax was down 25.3 percent, netting just $20.1 million. The real estate transfer tax was down 28.1 percent from November 2005, collecting $20.1 million. And the oil and natural gas severance tax was down a whopping 50.5 percent, collecting just $5 million.
On the plus side for the state, the use tax brought in 4.5 percent more over November 2005, netting $114.7 million. The state education property tax was up 26.7 percent from November 2005, raising $295.3 million. The tobacco tax was up just 1 percent from the year before, raising $97.4 million, and the casino wagering tax was up by 3.6 percent to bring in $25.6 million.
COX TO DEFEND CIVIL RIGHTS INITIATIVE
Attorney General Mike Cox is hoping to join the lawsuit over the Michigan Civil Rights Initiative, the recently-adopted constitutional amendment prohibiting affirmative action programs in the state. He could potentially be the only party in the action defending the amendment.
By Any Means Necessary, a group that had opposed Proposal 2006-2 when it was on the ballot, has challenged the measure in federal court, arguing it violates the U.S. Constitution.
The lawsuit names as defendants Governor Jennifer Granholm, Michigan State University, the University of Michigan and Wayne State University. Ms. Granholm opposed the measure on the ballot, as did the university officials. The universities recently filed a motion to have the measure delayed for a year if it is upheld.
Mr. Cox, one of the few elected officials to back the measure on the ballot, argued Thursday it was now his role to defend it.
"My goal is to present a vigorous defense of the constitutionality of Proposal 2," he said. "That is what the attorney general has always done to uphold the will of the people."
Mr. Cox said he had provided Ms. Granholm with her own counsel, at her request, so the two would be able to argue diverging positions without conflict.
Granholm press secretary Liz Boyd said Ms. Granholm asked for separate legal counsel on Monday. "We wanted to avoid any serious potential for conflict between our office and the attorney general, particularly given the attorney general's vocal support for Proposal 2 before the election," she said.
But she said there were no guarantees the two officials would diverge in how they interpreted the amendment. "You can draw no conclusions on what this request means on any of the legal action surrounding Proposal 2," Ms. Boyd said.
Mr. Cox said, in fact, that it was Ms. Granholm's request for counsel that led him to file to intervene in the case.
He also said the filings the universities have made to date, while purporting to seek only a temporary delay of implementation of the proposal, leave the door open for them to later seek to have it overturned.
Leaders as all three major universities have said they would work within the new law, but Mr. Cox said the argument the universities made in their briefs seeking the temporary delay, that they have the right to select their students, could also be used to overturn the amendment.
OVERSPENDING BY DEPARTMENTS NOT NEW PHENOMENA, MEMO SAYS
In only one of the last 15 fiscal years has no state department overspent its allocated budget, a memo from the Senate Fiscal Agency says.
The memo was written on December 1 after the administration of Governor Jennifer Granholm notified state legislative leaders of overspending by the Departments of Community Health, Human Services and State Police that amounted to $69.1 million.
The overspending was the focus of a hearing by the House Appropriations Committee on Wednesday, where administration officials were blasted for not notifying the Legislature earlier of the overspending. Both House and Senate Republican leaders have said they were disinclined to pass proposals to help cover the overspending.
But the SFA memo shows that in the last 15 fiscal years only in the 2002-03 fiscal year did no department overspend its allocated budget.
The $69.1 million overspent is the largest amount state departments have overshot their budgets by since the 1991-92 fiscal year when 11 state departments overspent by $70.6 million.
The memo said that in recent years the state has in fact done a better job of controlling departmental overspending due "to the level of financial oversight imposed on state spending" by the departments and coordinated by the Office of State Budget.
The three departments that reported overspending during the 2005-06 fiscal year was the first time in seven years that three departments had overspent. In three of those years - 1999-2000, 2000-01 and 2003-04 - two departments overspent by $6.3 million, $31.5 million and $22.8 million respectively; in two years - 2001-02 and 2004-5 - only one department overspent by $1.5 million and $8.1 million respectively.
The memo did not identify the departments that overspent.
In the 1994-95 fiscal year, almost all the state's departments - a total of 17 - overspent their budgets, for a total of $39.9 million.
COX TO HEAD MC CAIN MICHIGAN CAMPAIGN
Attorney General Mike Cox is joining the presidential campaign of Arizona U.S. Sen. John McCain, acting as the Michigan chair of his exploratory effort and as its national chair of law enforcement.
The move is the latest in the early jockeying for what is now a crowded field of possible aspirants for the GOP nomination in 2008 when President George W. Bush ends his two-term run.
Mr. McCain is one of three GOP candidates who have taken formal steps toward running, while Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney - who political observers say is poised to mount the strongest challenge to him in Michigan - are among those who are still in the exploratory stage.
In August, Mr. Romney announced his Michigan leadership team, including House Speaker Rep. Craig DeRoche (R-Novi) as co-chair.
Mr. McCain won the state's convention votes in 2000, and Mr. Romney has been a frequent visitor to his native state where the family name still has some resonance from the gubernatorial tenure of his father George in 1963-68 and the party nomination of his mother Lenore for the U.S. Senate.
"I look forward to helping Senator McCain win Michigan again and recruit law enforcement across the country to support him should he decide to run for president," Mr. Cox said. He added he admires the senator for his "integrity and straight talk."
Mr. Cox told reporters he would not be running the campaign, but would be working to raise awareness of it, as well as doing some fundraising. "I'll do whatever he needs to get done to become the next president of the United States," he said.
"He's a great American senator and a great American hero," Mr. Cox said.
Mr. Cox, elected in November to a second term, is Michigan's first Republican attorney general in 48 years.
In a statement, Mr. McCain said, "Attorney General Mike Cox is one of our nation's preeminent crime fighters and an up-and-coming political leader."
Kansas Sen. Sam Brownback and former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani have also announced plans to seek the GOP nomination.
Others taking a serious look at seeking the nomination include former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich, Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, New York Governor George Pataki, former Wisconsin Governor Tommy Thompson, Colorado U.S. Rep. Tom Tancredo, Nebraska U.S. Sen. Chuck Hagel, and California U.S. Rep. Duncan Hunter.
State Republicans are planning to return to a primary to select candidate delegates in 2008, and are zeroing in on February 5, 2008 to hold the election. Democrats also are planning to hold a primary that day, making Michigan a key early test for candidates in both parties.
Party Chair Saul Anuzis, who beat back an attempt by forces aligned with Mr. McCain to replace him in part because of support he garnered from a number of quarters including Mr. Cox, is supporting a "semi-open" primary favored by Mr. McCain. He had earlier been supporting a closed primary where voters would have to publicly declare their party affiliation. Michigan does not currently have a party registration system.
The system and the date are supported by Democratic Party Chair Mark Brewer, and both will urge the Legislature to act next year to create the primary.
In the semi-open primary, voters would have to choose which party's ballot they would use before entering the voting booth; when parties used primaries in past presidential elections, voters had access to both party's ballots, but could only cast votes in one. National Democrats require presidential candidate convention delegates to be chosen in a closed primary, where voters declare their affiliation, or in a caucus.
Local clerks have indicated some objection both to the semi-open primary system and to the date selected, noting that the date was not one of those provided under the state's consolidated elections system "We know the voters will not like the idea of having to choose a Republican or a Democrat ballot, but we also need to focus on the date issue," said Bay City Clerk Dana Muscott, chair of the Michigan Association of Municipal Clerks CEO Committee, in an email to fellow clerks.
BILLBOARD LIMITS SIGNED BY GRANHOLM
The state will be barred from issuing new billboard permits under two bills signed Thursday by Governor Jennifer Granholm, who said the package will ensure that the state's natural beauty is not further obscured by the outdoor signs. Billboard owners who do not properly maintain their sites - where permits will still be issued to cut back vegetation - will face new penalties under the bills.
The state has some 14,000 billboards along its highways and streets, and 1,200 permits have been issued at sites where no signs have yet been erected.
The new laws (SB 567
"Michigan is blessed with beautiful scenery - fields and forests, lakes, streams and hills," Ms. Granholm said on signing the bills. "This legislation will ensure we don't lose that beauty in a mountain of roadside advertisements."
The Department of Transportation could not issue new permits after January 1. The bills also provide a consistent process across the state to determine appropriate maintenance of billboard sites, increase penalties for failure to maintain sites, and streamlines the administrative process to deter illegal advertising.
