650 Days until election day.
President Bush delivered his State of the Union address last night. The President laid out an aggressive plan for his domestic agenda as well as explained the challenges at hand with the war of terror and Iraq. While he insisted that America could not afford to fail, he also warned the Iraqi government that “our commitment is not open-ended.”
The Democrats seem to make an issue of the President’s plan to get the job done in Iraq and bring our troops home. He has offered a specific plan to secure Baghdad and turn it over to the Iraqis. For no other reason than partisan politics, the Democrats were trying to make the point that the President’s plan wasn’t a good one but offered nothing more that a slight re-statement of what the President has said are our goals. Politicizing the war is dangerous…I hope the Democrats support our troops and not just play politics the war on terror.
The challenging part for Michigan was when the President called for greater fuel efficiency for cars and for taxes on health care benefits over $15,000 for families. Obviously, anytime you set arbitrary standards on the auto industry you run the risk of causing unintended negative consequences on our automakers. While we all support the need to reduce our dependency on foreign oil, want to see a continuation of better fuel efficiency in cars and support the concept of any alternative fuels as well as more domestic oil supplies…we have to be careful not to create a situation that could hurt our domestic auto industry.
Congressmen Joe Knollenberg, Thaddeus McCotter, Mike Rogers and Candice Miller were quick to respond to the President’s proposals and guaranteed that Michigan’s legislators would be moving very cautiously on any of these proposals and they would oppose anything that hurt our citizens or job providers.
I was encouraged to hear the President address the need for a guest worker program, strengthening our borders and a commitment to deal with illegal immigrants that did NOT include amnesty. I believe most Americans support legal immigration and understand the need to incorporate all those who come here into the American way of life…what has been referred to as patriotic immigration. What that doesn’t mean is amnesty for those who illegally came to this country that would allow them citizenship. It makes no sense when one of the unique qualities of this country is the fact that our society is based on the rule of law and that somehow we would forego that basic principle and allow someone’s first act to be a crime on their way to citizenship.
Overall the President did a very good job making his case to the American people. The other historical moment was when the President turned and said “Madam Speaker” as for the first time the State of the Union was opened by the first female Speaker of the House. It is clear he is ready and willing to work with a bi-partisan Congress to get things done. Both on style and substance, I think this was one of the President’s best performances.
Here's what the D.C. press is saying about Thaddeus McCotter these days. From the Washington political Roll Call newspaper:
Rep. Thaddeus McCotter (Mich.). When McCotter won the Republican Policy Committee chairmanship, he became the unlikeliest backbencher to catapult to leadership in the 110th Congress. By his own admission, the third-term lawmaker harbors no great ambitions beyond the Policy Committee, where he has the freedom to stretch his legislative legs. Cerebral and quick-witted, McCotter wants to revamp how Republicans view the Policy Committee and make it the ideas center for Republicans working to reclaim their "party of ideas" mantra. McCotter also is one of the House GOP's strongest advocates for widening the net and allowing more rank-and-file Members to be a part of the legislative process - a different approach from the top-down style minted by former Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Texas). He already has begun holding informal listening sessions with rank-and-file Members to gauge their positions on certain policy matters, and as an ally of Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio), he will play a key role in redefining the GOP brand.
Senator Sam Brownback was the first Republican to make it official this weekend, he is running for President. Senator Brownback formally announced in his home state of Kansas that he would be a candidate for President. The Senator has been in Michigan several times, talking to Republican activists about his plans and goals. He has been very well received, but is considered a long shot by most as he starts his bid. Senator Brownback will be joining Michigan Republicans at our state convention in Grand Rapids February 9th and 10th.
We have links to all the potential Republican Presidential web pages on our blog.
Saul Anuzis
STATE STORIES
Senate GOP leader: Businesses should get tax cut
1/23/2007, 6:41 p.m. ET
By DAVID EGGERT
The Associated Press
LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Senate Majority Leader Mike Bishop on Tuesday criticized suggestions that Michigan raise taxes to alleviate a potential $800 million budget deficit and added that the state's next business tax should bring in less revenue.
The Rochester Republican said he opposes Democratic Gov. Jennifer Granholm's stance on a replacement for the Single Business Tax, which expires at year's end and generates $1.9 billion a year. She has said the state must replace all the money or face deep cuts to education, health care and other services.
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070124/OPINION01/701240342/1008
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
New business tax should be simple, clear
Don't use replacement for Single Business Tax for a tax increase
The Detroit News
E xperts from the Tax Foundation are meeting with state lawmakers this week and are offering some good advice on a new state business tax. The hated Single Business Tax will expire at the end of this year.
The tax analysts offer some sound general principles for a replacement tax. Among these principles: Any new business tax should be simple, transparent, and promote economic growth.
http://www.mlive.com/news/aanews/index.ssf?/base/news-21/116956710271900.xml&coll=2
After Pfizer: What's next
Whatever is coming after facility closes, effect will be huge
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
BY JENNY RODE
News Business Reporter
Pfizer Inc.'s stunning announcement Monday that it will close its Ann Arbor facilities by the end of next year left its employees and the community wondering: What happens next?
The move by the world's largest drug company and Ann Arbor's largest private-sector employer eliminates 2,160 local jobs, some as early as mid-2007.
http://www.mlive.com/news/kzgazette/index.ssf?/base/news-21/1169569449209510.xml&coll=7
Fewer scientists, more anxiety
Sunday, January 23, 2007
By Kathy Jessup
kjessup@kalamazoogazette.com 388-8590
Pfizer Inc.'s two major downtown Kalamazoo facilities could become a cavern of empty laboratories and offices by the end of 2008, but its manufacturing plant in Portage will continue to hum.
Plans announced Monday by the drug giant could eliminate 250 jobs from its downtown sites, leaving fewer than 150 pharmaceutical employees working in facilities in the central city, which boasted of 1,200 jobs four years ago.
Local Pfizer officials said there are no plans to demolish Buildings 300 and 267, located on either side of Portage Street. Instead, Pfizer said it will ``explore options ... including outsourcing, sale or spinoff'' of drug-safety and metabolism research currently conducted there.
http://www.mlive.com/columns/aanews/index.ssf?/base/news-1/116956688871900.xml&coll=2
We'll be staggering to absorb Pfizer's jolt Loss of bedrock makes leadership crucial
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
Shocking - there's just no other way to say it.
Pfizer Inc.'s news that the drugmaker is closing its large Ann Arbor research operation is shocking. If our community needed a jolt to remind us that our economic future is as tenuous as the rest of Michigan's, we got that on Monday.
More than a jolt - the news feels like a body blow to our region's self-image, and we'll be staggering for a while to absorb the impact.
http://www.mlive.com/news/kzgazette/index.ssf?/base/columns-2/1169569460209510.xml&coll=7
We must make our own opportunities
Sunday, January 23, 2007
When Pfizer Inc. announced Monday it would eliminate 2,400 jobs in Michigan, closing its research site in Ann Arbor and eliminating all drug safety and metabolism research jobs in downtown Kalamazoo, the feelings of shock and loss were almost palpable.
Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm got it right. This decision is ``a punch to the gut.''
It's yet another blow to our beautiful, beleaguered Great Lakes state.
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070124/COL04/701240324/1007/NEWS05
No rescue for Pfizer is good thing
January 24, 2007
Two years ago this week, in an announcement that attracted international attention, Cardiff University psychologist Cliff Arnall claimed he'd proved that Jan. 24 -- or the Monday that falls nearest that date -- is the most depressing day of the year.
Oh, man! Did he nail that one, or what?
http://www.mlive.com/news/grpress/index.ssf?/base/news-34/116955991998380.xml&coll=6
Can Grand Rapids profit from Pfizer's pain?
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
By Pat Shellenbarger
The Grand Rapids Press
Pharmaceutical giant Pfizer's decision to close research facilities in Ann Arbor and Kalamazoo is a "punch to the gut" for Michigan, Gov. Jennifer Granholm said, but its impact on Grand Rapids may be minimal.
Former Pfizer researchers may, in fact, create a talent pool for the city's emerging medical research and biotech sector, some observers suggested.
"Pfizer's presence brought some prestige to the state that's hard to replace," said Steve Heacock, chief administrative officer of the Van Andel Institute, a key player in Grand Rapids' growing medical corridor.
Potential appointment of lawmaker facing charges sparks criticism
1/23/2007, 6:20 p.m. ET
By TIM MARTIN
The Associated Press
LANSING, Mich. (AP) — A state representative potentially in line to head the powerful House Appropriations Committee shouldn't get the job because he's facing felony charges for not filing campaign finance statements, the head of the state GOP has said.
Rep. George Cushingberry Jr., D-Detroit, could officially be named chairman of the committee as early as Wednesday. Cushingberry, who served eight years in the House before term limits and rejoined the House in 2004, is a lawyer with substantial experience on the appropriations panel, which oversees the state budget.
http://www.nilesstar.com/articles/2007/01/23/news/ndnews3.txt
Jelinek backs off from his school funding proposal
By ANDY HAMILTON / Niles Daily Star
Tuesday, January 23, 2007 10:27 AM EST
NILES - School officials will have to wait to hear Sen. Ron Jelinek's plan for financing school infrastructure improvements.
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Jelinek, R-Three Oaks, said last August before the primary elections he would present in early 2007 bills to ease the ways in which schools secure funding for capital improvements. However, when asked about the plans Monday night in Niles, Jelinek said he was delaying the announcement because of the financial burdens now facing lawmakers in Lansing.
http://www.mlive.com/news/bctimes/index.ssf?/base/news-8/1169568967196240.xml&coll=4
School leaders pleased with MEAP test scores
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
By PATTI BRANDT
TIMES WRITER
Michigan released its MEAP scores on Monday and most districts across Bay County are pleased with how area students scored.
In the Essexville-Hampton district, students scored above the state average on every test in grades 3-9 except for the fifth-grade writing test, said John Mertz, assistant superintendent.
In the Bay City district, overall math and reading scores have improved from last year and science scores are consistently high, said Superintendent Carolyn C. Wierda.
http://www.mlive.com/news/fljournal/index.ssf?/base/news-41/116956561417180.xml&coll=5
MEAP scores up
Results improve in most area districts; Flint worse than last year
GENESEE COUNTY
THE FLINT JOURNAL FIRST EDITION
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
By Bob Wheaton
bwheaton@flintjournal.com • 810.766.6375
Local school districts mirrored a statewide trend that saw students improve on most of the state standardized tests given in October to third- through ninth-graders.
But the Flint School District did worse than the year before on a majority of the Michigan Educational Assessment Program tests.
And the Montrose School District achieved a rarity - every one of its more than 100 third-graders passed the math portion of the MEAP.
http://www.mlive.com/news/muchronicle/index.ssf?/base/news-10/116956713192040.xml&coll=8
Tri-Valley awaits its fate after improving MEAPs
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
By Teresa Taylor Williamsand Lynn Moore
CHRONICLE STAFF WRITERS WITH WIRE REPORTS
Its future dependent on standardized test scores, Tri-Valley Academy of Arts & Academics showed improvement in recently released Michigan Educational Assessment Program tests.
But students still lag behind statewide averages, and it's unclear whether their performance on MEAP tests administered this fall will be enough to keep the Muskegon charter school open.
GVSU Director of Charter Schools Ed Richardson said he expects to make a recommendation about Tri-Valley's fate Feb. 9.
http://www.mlive.com/news/kzgazette/index.ssf?/base/columns-2/1169569476209510.xml&coll=7
Falling gasoline prices:Good news that can hurt us
Sunday, January 23, 2007
Last summer, when the price of gasoline was soaring to more than $3 a gallon, who would have guessed that by the following January, people would be paying under $2 a gallon at the pump?
The low prices that started appearing at gas stations around town last week bring with them a couple of pieces of good news.
Motorists who last year were paying astronomical commuting costs are getting a break in their pocketbooks.
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070124/NEWS06/701240436/1008
EMU getting new science complex
January 24, 2007
Eastern Michigan University is building a new, $100-million science complex.
It will be the largest construction project in the university's history. The project includes a $26.7-million renovation of the existing 180,000-square-foot Mark Jefferson science complex and $73.3 million to build a new, 151,000-square-foot facility that will connect with the existing science building.
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070124/NEWS01/701240360/1003
$50-million grant could offer city a bright spot
But community center needs millions more
January 24, 2007
In an area where more than half the population lives below the poverty line, a gleaming new community center -- a vast structure that would serve as a town square for embattled neighborhoods on Detroit's east side -- is the promise offered by a $98-million program announced Tuesday.
Now, it comes down to raising the money.
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070124/NEWS06/701240312/1001/BUSINESS05
Cox plays coy about 2010
January 24, 2007
Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox smiled and demurred when asked Tuesday about his political aspirations down the road -- say, whether he planned to run for governor in 2010 at the end of his second term.
But he was a little less shy, in a delayed year-end interview with the Free Press, about discussing his demonstration of political savvy in 2006. Especially his endorsement, almost alone among the Republican hierarchy, of the Proposal 2 limit on affirmative action. Proposal 2 passed, he noted with some satisfaction, with about 58% of the vote.
http://www.lsj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070124/OPINION02/701240324/1087/opinion
Published January 24, 2007
[ From Lansing State Journal ]
State Sen. John Gleason: New state law makes it easier to donate organs
Another year is here, and many of us have made New Year's resolutions to make our lives better, whether it's eating healthier or spending more time with family. Now imagine if you made a resolution that would not only make you feel better, but could actually save another life.
By giving the gift of a life-saving organ, you can do just that.
As of Dec. 1, 2006, there were 3,147 individuals on the waiting list for an organ transplant, according to Gift of Life Michigan. Just as midnight on Dec. 31 lets us start anew, donating an organ allows recipients to have their own second chance at life.
http://www.mlive.com/news/bctimes/index.ssf?/base/news-8/1169568906196240.xml&coll=4
Midland man ready to spread Al Gore's message
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
By JEFF KART
TIMES WRITER
MIDLAND - If you want to talk with Al Gore about global warming but don't have his phone number, a Midland man may be the next best thing.
Pete Sinclair, 53, spent three days in Nashville earlier this month with Gore, the former vice president whose campaign to build awareness about climate change was documented in the 2006 film, ''An Inconvenient Truth.''
Sinclair was trained along with 1,000 others to deliver Gore's message about the science behind global warming and the urgency for Americans to act.
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070124/NEWS05/701240420/1007
She'll keep veil in new hearing
January 24, 2007
Ginnnah Muhammad, the Muslim who lost her small-claims case in Hamtramck's 31st District Court in October because she refused a judge's order to remove her veil while testifying, has been granted a new hearing.
The judge's decision triggered international reaction, particularly in Britain, where debate rages about whether wearing the veil is a statement of separation.
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070124/POLITICS/701240421
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
Bush plan to cost Big 3
He wants tougher fuel rules, more ethanol use
Gordon Trowbridge and David Shepardson / Detroit News Washington Bureau
WASHINGTON -- President Bush called Tuesday night for a dramatic increase in auto fuel efficiency standards, a step long-dreaded by an already battered auto industry.
Increased auto mileage was part of Bush's call for an overall 20 percent reduction in America's use of gasoline before 2017 -- primarily through the expanded use of ethanol and other alternative fuels.
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070124/AUTO02/701240347/1022
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
Daniel Howes: Washington pushes Big Three to change
Bipartisan plans for fuel efficiency, energy independence mean Detroit must move fast.
E very day of every week, Detroit's automakers theoretically push to become more competitive, to build the cars and trucks Americans want, to rescue themselves from financial oblivion -- in effect, to chart their own future.
But this week is different, at least in the nation's capital. This week, coastal Democrats led by new House Speaker Nancy Pelosi are vying with the Bush Administration for bragging rights on who's pushing Detroit Auto hardest on fuel efficiency and alternative technologies and who's serious about delivering national energy independence.
Michigan reaction to President Bush's State of the Union address
1/24/2007, 12:10 a.m. ET
The Associated Press
AP) — Reaction from members of Michigan's congressional delegation and Gov. Jennifer Granholm to President Bush's State of the Union address.
___
"Although the president has finally recognized the importance of alternative energy sources and the reality of global warming, his plan is still not up to the task. We need nothing less than a comprehensive initiative to create leap-ahead energy technologies, to produce a large number of vehicles that can run on alternative fuels, and to level the playing field for our domestic manufacturers." — Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich.
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070124/POLITICS/701240427/1022
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
Michigan leaders weigh in on speech
Deb Price / Detroit News Washington Bureau
David Cole, chairman of the Center for Automotive Research:
"On health care, the president's comments were, in my judgment, quite positive. Anything that encourages health care coverage is helpful. Today, the cost of providing care to the uncovered is at least partially added to those that provide coverage. No income or payroll tax on the first $15,000 of income for those with health coverage is important as are deductions for those not covered and any effort to reduce the overall cost of health care is good for the industry
"On energy, I think what we heard is good news. Electric power generation is very important to the industry in that affordable and reliable power is critical to manufacturing and the potential role of plug-hybrids. Battery research is critical, particularly related to lithium technology which is on the threshold of having a huge positive impact. Biofuels as well, are on a role with emphasis on cellulosic ethanol production. This could have a major impact on our future energy supply. The auto industry is highly supportive of both measures. They will support the goal of 35B gallons of renewable fuels by 2017 and I think we can achieve this."
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070123/POLITICS/701230464
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
Bush's ideas get mixed reaction in Michigan
Deb Price / The Detroit News
Beyond his call for greater auto fuel efficiency, President Bush's State of the Union proposals would broadly impact Michigan by expanding agricultural markets, improving the math and science skills of the next generation of workers, and taxing the health benefits of workers with excellent plans.
Health plan hurts state
U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., warned that Michigan would be disproportionately hurt by the president's idea to tax their health care benefits -- like their wages -- and then give a standard tax deduction of $7,500 for individuals and $15,000 for families. "There are 160,000 people (in Michigan) with excellent health insurance plans who for the first time would end up paying taxes on them. People have given up wage increases in order to get good health care and now they will be taxed," Stabenow said.
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070124/NEWS06/701240428/1008
Metro Detroiters react
January 24, 2007
Coit Cook Ford III
Hometown: Detroit
Age: 42
Occupation: Consultant
On Iraq: "How do you get where Iraq is the major issue in the country and it's 28 minutes into the speech without mentioning it? It's no longer an argument about weapons of mass destruction. It was about redefining the priorities to help the president build a bipartisan solution. He talks about a surge in troops, but my word for it is trickle. You can't cure a hemorrhage with a Band-Aid. We're always coming back to the same thing. There were insufficient numbers of troops at the beginning and the numbers are still insufficient."
http://www.mlive.com/news/grpress/index.ssf?/base/news-34/116956740492150.xml&coll=6
Locals look to Bush's speech for reform
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
By Ted Roelofs
The Grand Rapids Press
As proud owner of a gas-efficient Toyota Prius, Mary Hefferan needs no persuasion on the value of fuel efficiency.
After all, she gets up to 47 miles per gallon as she commutes from her northern Kent County home to her job at Steelcase Corporate Development Center at the other end of the county.
"I find it embarrassing when I read about other countries and how much fuel we use compared to them," said Hefferan, 44. She bought her gas-electric car in July 2005. Her husband, Jim, followed suit a few months later.
http://www.mlive.com/news/kzgazette/index.ssf?/base/news-21/1169569415209510.xml&coll=7
Lawton Marine slain in Iraq was devoted to family
Sunday, January 23, 2007
By Paula M. Davis
pdavis@kalamazoogazette.com 388-858
Pilar Castillo has many fond memories of her younger brother, Luis Jose Castillo.
A recent one involved a July going-away party for him at an amusement park when he decided to bungee jump. Pilar Castillo said she couldn't believe he did it.
But that was characteristic of her brother: daring, fun, driven, one who follows through on promises.
NATIONAL STORIES
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070124/POLITICS/701240419/1022
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
Speech highlights
While President Bush urged Congress not to fight proposed troop build-up in Iraq, his State of the Union address Tuesday emphasized domestic issues
AUTOS/ENERGY
· Slash gasoline consumption by up to 20 percent by 2017, primarily by increasing the amount of ethanol and other alternative fuels the federal government mandates must be produced.
· Give federal officials authority to raise auto fuel mileage standards, allowing automakers to trade or "bank" credits among models.
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070123/POLITICS/701230458/1022
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
Excerpts from President Bush's State of the Union address
Associated Press
Excerpts from President Bush's State of the Union address on Tuesday as prepared for delivery:
On the new Democratic Congress:
"Some in this chamber are new to the House and Senate -- and I congratulate the Democratic majority. Congress has changed, but our responsibilities have not. ... We are not the first to come here with government divided and uncertainty in the air. Like many before us, we can work through our differences, and achieve big things for the American people."
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070124/POLITICS/701240418/1022
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
State of the Union Notebook
Bush says Pelosi's dad would have been proud
WASHINGTON -- President Bush took note of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's historic elevation to become the first female leader of the House, remarking that her late father, former congressman Thomas D'Alesandro Jr. of Baltimore, Md., would have been proud.
"Tonight," the president continued, "I have the high privilege and distinct honor of my own, as the first president to begin the State of the Union message " with these words: 'Madam Speaker.'
Pelosi, seated behind Bush, nodded her appreciation as loud, bipartisan applause reverberated in the chamber.
Jan 24, 12:58 AM EST
Bush: Pelosi's dad would have been proud
WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Bush took note of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's historic elevation to become the first female leader of the House, remarking that her father, a former congressman, would have been proud.
Departing from his prepared remarks, Bush said: "Tonight, I have the high privilege and distinct honor of my own, as the first president to begin the State of the Union message with these words: `Madam Speaker.'"
"In his day the late Congressman Thomas D'Alesandro Jr. from Baltimore, Md., saw Presidents Roosevelt and Truman," Bush said.
Jan 23, 11:44 PM EST
Wife: Johnson 'touched' by Bush remarks
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Ailing Sen. Tim Johnson watched the State of the Union address from his rehabilitation unit at George Washington University Hospital, his wife said after the speech Tuesday night.
President Bush noted Johnson's absence. "Two members of the House and Senate are not with us tonight," the president said, "and we pray for the recovery and speedy return of Sen. Tim Johnson and Congressman Charlie Norwood."
In a statement, Barb Johnson said her husband "was very touched by the president's recognition."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content//article/2007/01/23/AR2007012301632.html
THE AGENDA
Bush Adopts Some Priorities Of Congressional Democrats
By Jonathan Weisman and Michael A. Fletcher
Washington Post Staff Writers
Wednesday, January 24, 2007; Page A14
In an overture to the new majority in Congress, President Bush strayed into Democratic territory last night with proposals on health insurance, gasoline efficiency and even the first real tax increase of his presidency.
Rhetorically, the shift was remarkable. The language he used to sell his health plan dwelled on the plight of the uninsured and on a tax on the well-to-do, a pitch that Republicans have dismissed as class warfare. His energy plan asked for new authority to raise automotive fuel-efficiency standards, a regular theme of the Democratic Party's liberal wing.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/23/AR2007012301727.html
State of Troubles
A weakened President Bush addresses the nation.
Wednesday, January 24, 2007; Page A22
PRESIDENT BUSH offered the usual assurances last night about the healthy state of the union, but the state of his presidency has never been worse. He faces a Democratic majority in both chambers of Congress and a public increasingly unhappy about the war in Iraq and disenchanted with his leadership. By the time he delivers next year's State of the Union address, the primaries will be underway, and Mr. Bush's relevance will be fading. If he is to have a final chance to shape policy, this is it.
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070124/POLITICS/701240417/1022
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
Odds stacked against Bush
Problems all stem from the same reality: The public has lost confidence in war policy.
Dan Balz / Washington Post
WASHINGTON -- President Bush used his State of the Union address Tuesday night to try to revive his presidency against what may be the greatest odds any chief executive has faced in a generation.
Other presidents have faced difficult moments and others have been dealt electoral setbacks, but few have faced the combination of obstacles that confront this White House. Bush arrived at the Capitol at his lowest point in public-opinion polls, confronted by new Democratic majorities in the House and Senate and facing lame-duck status as attention turns rapidly toward a 2008 presidential campaign that will choose his successor.
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070124/OPINION01/701240326/1069
State of the Union faces stiff challenges
January 24, 2007
Facing more Democrats in Congress, including several who seek to replace him in two years, President George W. Bush issued a confident State of the Union address Tuesday, every bit the commander in chief.
Although he revisited some of the same tired cliches about taking the battle to the enemy, his call not to fail Iraq was stirring: "Every one of us wishes that this war were over and won. Yet it would not be like us to leave our promises unkept, our friends abandoned, and our own security at risk."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/24/AR2007012400024.html
Cheney and Pelosi Do the Two-Party Two-Step
By Dana Milbank
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, January 24, 2007; Page A01
Fellow Americans, the state of our union is wobbly.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Vice President Cheney, sitting in the customary place behind President Bush as he addressed the nation from the House chamber last night, resembled nothing so much as a seesaw.
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070123/POLITICS/701230465/1022
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
Text of President Bush's State of the Union address
Associated Press
The text of President Bush's State of the Union address, as prepared for delivery, as provided by the White House:
Madam Speaker, Vice President Cheney, Members of Congress, distinguished guests and fellow citizens:
This rite of custom brings us together at a defining hour -- when decisions are hard and courage is tested. We enter the year 2007 with large endeavors underway, and others that are ours to begin. In all of this, much is asked of us. We must have the will to face difficult challenges and determined enemies -- and the wisdom to face them together.
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070124/POLITICS/701240361/1022
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
Democrats seek new direction
Freshman senator tells president that diplomacy and withdrawal formula are needed in Iraq war.
Laurie Kellman / Associated Press
WASHINGTON -- Democrats blistered President Bush's war policy Tuesday night, challenging him to redeem the nation's credibility -- and his own -- with an immediate shift toward a diplomatic end to the bloody conflict in Iraq.
"The president took us into this war recklessly," the Democrats' chosen messenger, Sen. Jim Webb of Virginia, said in response to Bush's State of the Union address Tuesday evening. "We are now, as a nation, held hostage to the predictable -- and predicted -- disarray that has followed."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/23/AR2007012301080.html
THE DEMOCRATIC RESPONSE
Va.'s Webb Offers a Blunt Challenge to Bush
Va. Senator Urges Change in Direction for Economy, Iraq War
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, January 24, 2007; Page A12
Sen. James Webb (D-Va.) delivered a forceful nine-minute response to President Bush's State of the Union address last night, promising an aggressive challenge to Bush's Iraq and economic policies from the newly empowered Democratic majority in Congress.
Speaking live from a historic Capitol Hill meeting room, Webb displayed the same blunt manner that won over Virginia voters in November and later generated headlines after a face-to-face exchange with Bush at the White House.
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070123/POLITICS/701230462/1022
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
Democratic response to State of Union
Associated Press
Democratic response of Sen. Jim Webb, D-Va., to President Bush's State of the Union address Tuesday, as prepared for delivery and provided by his office:
Good evening.
I'm Sen. Jim Webb, from Virginia, where this year we will celebrate the 400th anniversary of the settlement of Jamestown -- an event that marked the first step in the long journey that has made us the greatest and most prosperous nation on earth.
It would not be possible in this short amount of time to actually rebut the president's message, nor would it be useful. Let me simply say that we in the Democratic Party hope that this administration is serious about improving education and health care for all Americans, and addressing such domestic priorities as restoring the vitality of New Orleans.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/S/STATE_OF_UNION_SCENE?SITE=MIDTN&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
Jan 24, 12:22 AM EST
Bush speaks in hive of '08 contenders
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Whenever a president's words wash over a crowd in Congress, it's a safe bet many in the chamber picture themselves in his position and think they could do better if only they had the chance.
What distinguished the crowd assembled for President Bush on Tuesday night was the sheer number of lawmakers reaching for that chance.
Not willing to let Bush have the first word and then gamely react, the presidential candidates were in motion all day, playing off his State of the Union themes in their own I-can-do-better way.
http://washingtontimes.com/op-ed/20070122-093343-7243r.htm
The field so far
By Tod Lindberg
January 23, 2007
Several strands of conventional wisdom are gathering into an early narrative line on the 2008 presidential race. That being the case, it's not too early to start picking them apart.
The story so far: The entry of the charisma-drenched Barack Obama into the Democratic presidential race has overturned Hillary Rodham Clinton's presumptive smooth sailing to the nomination, and the Clinton people are running scared. Mrs. Clinton is also taking on water among Democratic primary voters for her failure to come out in opposition to the Iraq war. Her position has been dangerously anti-anti-war. Meanwhile, on the Republican side, front-runner John McCain is at a moment of high peril because of his poll-contrary support for President Bush's Iraq surge, and the long-term political prospects of Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice have also been an Iraq casualty.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/23/AR2007012302016.html
Some 2008 Contenders Disagree, Politely
By Shailagh Murray and Anne E. Kornblut
Washington Post Staff Writers
Wednesday, January 24, 2007; Page A15
President Bush's audience at the Capitol last night included at least 10 Republicans and Democrats who hope to succeed him, and their response to his State of the Union address ranged from enthusiastic to tepid.
The most generous was Sen. John McCain of Arizona, a leading contender for the GOP nomination and Bush's chief defender on the Iraq war, including the administration's latest plan to deploy an additional 21,500 troops.
http://desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070123/NEWS/70123001/1001/NEWS
2 IA Republican activists sign up with John McCain
ASSOCIATED PRESS
January 23, 2007
Arizona Sen. John McCain has enlisted the support of two key Iowa activists as he prepares for Iowa’s precinct caucuses next January, which will open the presidential nominating season.
Ed Failor Jr. and Karen Slifka will both back McCain as senior advisers.
Failor is a top executive of Iowans for Tax Relief, which runs the state’s largest political action committee and is a major force in Iowa Republican politics.
http://www.boston.com/news/local/politics/primarysource/2007/01/hastert_endorse.html
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
Hastert endorses Romney
Former US House Speaker Dennis Hastert, of Illinois announced his support for former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, a continued sign that Romney is building credibility in Washington.
Hastert is probably the most prominent current member of Congress to announce his support for Romney.
Also on Tuesday the Capitol Hill newspaper Roll Call reported that US House Republican Leader John Boehner is leaning to support Romney.
http://www.nysun.com/article/47201
McCain Sees the Light
New York Sun Editorial
January 23, 2007
It may have taken an upcoming presidential race to make Senator McCain believe in the First Amendment again, but whatever the reason, we're glad to have him back on our side. Mr. McCain's epiphany came during debate on the new "ethics" bill the Senate passed earlier this month. Mr. McCain and the Republicans — joined by seven Democrats for free speech — voted down a provision that would have redefined the word "lobbyist" to include groups like politically active churches, direct mail companies, small nonprofit organizations, and even bloggers.
Romney calls for anti-apartheid-like sanctions against Iran
By Glen Johnson, AP Political Writer | January 23, 2007
BOSTON --Republican Mitt Romney called for economic sanctions against Iran "at least as severe" as those imposed on South Africa during its apartheid era, in an effort to isolate the Central Asian nation and convince it to give up its pursuit of a nuclear weapon.
Addressing a security conference in Israel, the former Massachusetts governor and potential 2008 presidential contender also urged states to divest in Iran, to seek the indictment of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on genocide charges, while also making it clear that pursuing nuclear weapons "can also be a source of peril" for Iran.
http://www.mlive.com/columns/aanews/index.ssf?/base/news-1/116956705471900.xml&coll=2
Voters ready for vision, strength
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
Barack Obama made no history last week. Other African-Americans have run for president. And Hillary Clinton is on a trail blazed by other women.
Yet magazine covers and an endless parade of commentators are obsessed with identity politics. ''Is America Ready?'' blares the Newsweek headline. Perhaps the reason for this level of attention is that Obama and Clinton seem better positioned to win the presidency than any of these predecessors. Still, commentary on the race or gender of a candidate is not what will interest most voters in the end.
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/opinion/16522376.htm
Posted on Tue, Jan. 23, 2007
Can Clinton, Obama win White House?
As much as I respect Hillary Clinton, I just can't support her for president. It doesn't feel right. Think of it this way: If there were a big-stakes national lottery drawn once every four years and a husband-and-wife combo won three out of five drawings, you would think that something was fishy.
Maybe there wasn't any cheating going on, but it just seems unfair and wrong. I feel the same about the father-and-son twosome also winning three out of five drawings. It doesn't smell right.
http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1581666,00.html
Can Obama Count on the Black Vote?
There is no doubt that Barack Obama can appeal to white audiences —witness the huge crowds of people the presidential contender has drawn in Iowa and New Hampshire, or his best-selling book. But one of the many unknowns about Obama is how black activists and voters will respond to a different kind of candidacy for an African-American hopeful. Jesse Jackson's focus on the underclass and poverty didn't win him the Democratic nomination in 1988, but Obama would surely like to win the 90% of the black vote in most states that Jackson did.
http://www.suntimes.com/news/politics/224588,CST-NWS-ohill23.article
Obama praises Hillary, won't discuss VP spot
January 23, 2007
BY FRAN SPIELMAN City Hall Reporter
Sen. Barack Obama on Monday refused to rule in or out the possibility that he might end up on a 2008 Democratic ticket with Hillary Clinton.
At a news conference called to endorse Mayor Daley for re-election, Obama was asked whether he would consider becoming Clinton's running-mate, or vice-versa.
"That's too speculative at this point," he said.
Instead, Obama reveled in the strong field of Democratic presidential candidates he and Clinton are about to join and the "terrific debate" they will have about America's future.
http://www.hillnews.com/thehill/export/TheHill/News/Frontpage/012307/trade.html
January 23, 2007
Democrats vow to trade applause for substance
President Bush, used to endless standing ovations during his previous State of the Union addresses, will face a Democratic majority for the first time tonight, and the opposition party said he will have to earn his applause this time around.
"In my judgment, [the president] will not get the automatic enthusiastic" approval that he has grown accustomed to, said Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.). Colleague Evan Bayh (D-Ind.) predicted there would be less applause and more listening tonight.
http://www.opinionjournal.com/columnists/pdupont/?id=110009567
A Spending Sham
"Pay as you go" is a sneaky way of making government bigger.
BY PETE DU PONT
Wednesday, January 24, 2007 12:01 a.m. EST
A fresh new Congress has come to Washington, run by a different party, with different leadership and very different ideas. The new House adopted tougher ethics rules for its members and hopes to get America out of the antiterrorism effort in Iraq; it voted to raise the minimum wage and reduce the interest rates on student loans; and it wants to roll back tax deductions for oil companies and force drug makers to reduce Medicare prescription drug prices.
But the most important goal of the new Democratic congressional majority is establishing a liberal national economic policy: bigger government and higher taxes. Spend more even than the Republicans have been spending (an annual 7.2% increase during the Bush years), and raise rather than lower tax rates.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/23/AR2007012301737.html
Locked in Squalor
Immigrant detention centers don't meet basic standards.
Wednesday, January 24, 2007; Page A22
NO MATTER your position in the debate over immigration policy, you no doubt agree that the United States ought to treat those accused of violating immigration law humanely. As it happens, so does U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), which for years has had guidelines on the books governing the treatment of detainees (about 27,500 of whom are locked in its facilities every night). And, according to the agency's spokesman, ICE is very good at meeting its standards.
Jan 24, 2:22 AM EST
Bush reintroduces school voucher plan
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Bush administration is calling on Congress to make changes to the No Child Left Behind Law, including placing more emphasis on science and giving poor students private school vouchers.
The White House outlined its proposed changes Tuesday, and the Education Department was to release a detailed plan Wednesday.
The plan will include a proposal to push states to develop standards and tests linked to what high school graduates should know and be able to do, according to an administration official who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the detailed proposal had not yet been released.
Bush seeks sharp cutback in gasoline consumption
1/24/2007, 5:26 a.m. ET
By KEN THOMAS
The Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Bush has asked Congress to help the nation reduce its gasoline consumption during the next ten years, outlining an energy plan that would seek increased fuel economy standards from the auto industry.
"It is in our vital interest to diversify America's energy supply — and the way forward is through technology," Bush said Tuesday night in his State of the Union address before Congress.
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070124/OPINION01/701240337/1008
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
President's fuel economy program must be realistic
The Detroit News
President George W. Bush delivered a State of the Union speech last night that focused significantly on energy independence and health care, topics that are important to the long-term strength of the domestic auto industry.
The president again spoke about reducing our dependence on foreign oil and putting more money into alternative sources of energy. But this year, he targeted the auto industry as the primary vehicle by which to achieve energy independence.
http://www.opinionjournal.com/editorial/feature.html?id=110009569
Health and Taxes
The Bush proposal opens a debate for 2008.
Wednesday, January 24, 2007 12:01 a.m. EST
Now we're getting somewhere. The U.S. has long needed a debate over health care and tax subsidies, and President Bush got ready to rumble last night with his proposal to make insurance more affordable for most Americans.
For all the griping about our system, Americans have the most advanced health care in the world in part because we still have something resembling a private market for insurance. But it is not a truly efficient market because current tax policy lets businesses--but not individuals--deduct the cost of health expenditures. Thus most Americans with private insurance get it from their employers, which leads to inequities and insulates individuals from the real cost of their treatment decisions.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/C/CIA_LEAK_TRIAL?SITE=MIDTN&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
Jan 24, 5:48 AM EST
Libby lawyers attack witness credibility
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Attorneys for former White House aide I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby say the testimony of the government's first witness in the CIA leak trial may have been improperly influenced.
Marc Grossman, the former No. 3 official at the State Department, took the stand Tuesday and testified that in June 2003 he was the first person to tell Libby that one of the Bush administration's most vocal critics on Iraq was married to a CIA operative.
Libby is charged with lying and obstructing the investigation into who leaked CIA operative Valerie Plame's identity to syndicated columnist Robert Novak. The leak came shortly after her husband, ex-ambassador Joseph Wilson, emerged as a prominent war critic.
http://www.mlive.com/news/muchronicle/index.ssf?/base/news-1/1169568903196060.xml&coll=8
About-face on wiretapping vindicates critics
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
Americans who cherish their civil liberties and the rule of law had best give thanks to newspapers like The New York Times and judges like Detroit's Anita Diggs Taylor. That's because, when it counted, they stood up for the U.S. Constitution when far too many of our governmental leaders cut and ran from it.
Fortunately, the voters of America put a brake on this erosion of our democracy last November. It slowly dawned on a majority that the Bush Administration's "War on Terror" was being cynically used in some cases as cover to undermine long-standing constitutional protections against basic legal rights that stand as a check on government abuses.
http://www.opinionjournal.com/federation/feature/?id=110009568
The Lonely Optician
Does your love life comply with state regulations? You may be surprised.
BY EUGENE VOLOKH
Wednesday, January 24, 2007 12:01 a.m. EST
Say you live in Washington state, and you find yourself getting to know and becoming attracted to your dental hygienist--or for that matter your optician (that's the person who fits your eyeglasses, based on the prescription provided by your optometrist). You're interested in a romantic relationship, a sexual relationship, perhaps even marriage. You're both consenting adults, you think, right? You have a right to marry, and even a right to have sex (given Lawrence v. Texas).
The Washington authorities don't seem to think so. Let's see how some new Washington regulations treat this.
Jan 24, 4:34 AM EST
Sept. 11 cop dies as son attends 'Union'
WASHINGTON (AP) -- College student Ceasar Borja Jr. wanted to attend the State of the Union speech to represent his father, a former New York police officer who worked at ground zero and lay in a hospital bed with life-threatening lung problems.
Only hours before the speech, the 21-year-old found out he would stand as a symbol of his father's sacrifice not just for the speech, but for the rest of his life.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/S/STATE_OF_UNION?SITE=MIDTN&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
Jan 24, 5:45 AM EST
Bush urges Congress to embrace Iraq policy
WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Bush wants Congress to give his controversial strategy for Iraq a chance to work. Defiant Democrats say they'll give it a vote, and use their newly won control over the House and Senate to oppose the deployment of an additional 21,500 troops.
"And we will continue to hold him accountable for changing course in Iraq," House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said Tuesday night in a blunt response issued before the applause had fully faded on Bush's State of the Union address.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/23/AR2007012300700.html
Bush Urges Congress, Nation To Give His Iraq Plan a Chance
Domestically, He Makes Overtures To Democrats
By Peter Baker and Michael Abramowitz
Washington Post Staff Writers
Wednesday, January 24, 2007; Page A01
President Bush implored lawmakers and the nation last night to give him one more chance to win the war in Iraq and avoid the "nightmare scenario" of defeat while presenting a domestic agenda intended to find common cause with the new Democratic Congress on issues such as energy and immigration.
Politically wounded but rhetorically unbowed, Bush gave no ground on his decision to dispatch 21,500 more troops to Iraq despite a bipartisan cascade of criticism. Addressing for the first time a Congress controlled by the other party, Bush challenged Democrats to "show our enemies abroad that we are united in the goal of victory" and warned that the consequences of failure in Iraq "would be grievous and far-reaching."
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_IRAQ?SITE=MIDTN&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
Jan 24, 3:06 AM EST
More Republicans doubt Bush Iraq policy
WASHINGTON (AP) -- One by one, even the most senior Republicans in the Senate are expressing doubts that the administration's new war policy in Iraq will work.
"I am not confident that President Bush's plan will succeed," Sen. Richard Lugar, R-Ind., said in advance of a vote Wednesday on a resolution that opposes the president's decision to send more troops into Iraq.
Lugar, the top Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, planned to reject the resolution - but not before registering his own concerns. He suggested stepped-up oversight, including seeking assurances from the administration that it is planning for the possibility of failure.
Jan 24, 3:04 AM EST
Democrats put the burden of Iraq on Bush
WASHINGTON (AP) -- After all the pomp and rhetoric, President Bush wasn't about to budge the new Democratic congressional majority from its two primary pursuits - isolating him on Iraq and seizing control of the nation's domestic agenda.
The bipartisan applause that greeted his appeal for support of "our troops in the field - and those on their way" belied the war anxiety that has settled over the Capitol. Bipartisan opposition to his troop-boosting plan for Iraq was jelling in the Senate on Tuesday even as Bush prepared to make the trek to the Capitol to deliver his State of the Union address.
Jan 23, 11:20 PM EST
Democrats slam Bush war policy
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Democrats blistered President Bush's war policy Tuesday night, challenging him to redeem the nation's credibility - and his own - with an immediate shift toward a diplomatic end to the bloody conflict in Iraq.
"The president took us into this war recklessly," the Democrats' chosen messenger, Sen. Jim Webb of Virginia, said in response to Bush's State of the Union address Tuesday evening. "We are now, as a nation, held hostage to the predictable - and predicted - disarray that has followed."
Webb, a Vietnam veteran who was Navy secretary during Republican President Reagan's administration, called for a new direction.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/24/world/middleeast/24general.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
General Says New Strategy in Iraq Can Work Over Time
Published: January 24, 2007
WASHINGTON, Jan. 23 — Lt. Gen. David H. Petraeus, President Bush’s new choice as the top commander in Iraq, told senators on Tuesday that the new military strategy to secure Baghdad can work, and that he had asked that the additional troops the administration promised be deployed as quickly as possible.
In his first public comments about Mr. Bush’s plan to send some 21,500 troops, the general described the situation in Iraq as “dire” but not hopeless. He asserted that the “persistent presence” of American and Iraqi forces in strife-ridden Baghdad neighborhoods was a necessary step, but also cautioned that the mission would not succeed if the Iraqi government did not carry out its program of political reconciliation.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/23/AR2007012300185.html
Petraeus Expresses Confidence In Buildup
Veteran of Iraq Says He'll Declare Failure if Warranted
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, January 24, 2007; Page A10
Lt. Gen. David H. Petraeus, the expected new top commander in Iraq, yesterday gave Congress a stark preview of the challenge ahead, saying sectarian violence has reduced Baghdad's population to a daily struggle for survival, undermined the U.S. strategy of handing responsibility to Iraqi forces and created the prospect of a "failed state."
Petraeus voiced confidence, however, in a new approach that would shift the focus to protecting the population by pushing tens of thousands of additional U.S. and Iraqi troops deep into Baghdad neighborhoods, one aimed at allowing Iraq's government to "come to grips with" what he called an "exceedingly difficult situation."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/23/AR2007012301013.html
Excerpts From the Petraeus Hearing
By The Associated Press
The Associated Press
Tuesday, January 23, 2007; 5:06 PM
-- Some excerpts from Tuesday's Senate Armed Services Committee confirmation hearing for Lt. Gen. David Petraeus to become top American commander in Iraq:
Committee Chairman Carl Levin, D-Mich., on expectations the U.S. has for the Iraqi government, including efforts to provide Iraqi troops and crack down on ethnic militias: "Do you agree that we will hold the Iraqi government to the benchmarks that it has announced?"
Petraeus: "We certainly will, to the very best of our ability, sir."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/23/AR2007012301275.html
Analysts See A Chance for Maliki Success
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, January 24, 2007; Page A04
The draft of a new National Intelligence Estimate on Iraq says it will be "very difficult" but "not impossible" for the government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to succeed in providing better governance in that war-ravaged country, a top intelligence official told a Senate committee yesterday.
"Security is an impediment," said Thomas Fingar, the deputy director of national intelligence for analysis and chairman of the National Intelligence Council. Fingar gave the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence a rare preview of what the classified National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) will say when it is completed at the end of the month.
MIRS Capitol Capsule, Tuesday, January 23, 2007
John Reurink (517) 482-2125
Budget-Cutting Eyes Looking At DOC
Key lawmakers are sending signals that the Department of Corrections' (DOC) $1.85 billion budget may be ripe for cuts, if not this year as part of a solution to the $800 million hole in the current Fiscal Year (FY) 2007 budget, than for next year's FY 2008 spending plan.
What exactly that restructuring will look like — revamped sentencing guidelines, releasing prisoners — is still up in the air. But Senate Majority Leader Mike BISHOP (R-Rochester) confirmed today at the Lansing Economic Club luncheon that state officials have been re-evaluating sentencing guidelines as a way to reduce corrections costs and overcrowding.
"We have been focused on the punitive side of corrections for a number of years. In the process, we've forgotten about the rehabilitation side. And, in many cases, by incarcerating as many people as we have and by going with some of the mandatory guidelines in sentencing, we've put ourselves in an awful position.
"As time goes on, we will re-evaluate those sentencing guidelines."
Meanwhile, sources in the House tell MIRS much talk has been given to looking at the DOC as a prime target for budget cutting. Whether lawmakers are serious about releasing more prisoners or more interested in using the threat as a way to scare the public into tax increases is yet to be seen. However, there's no question more attention will be given to why Michigan locks up the numbers of people it does.
According to the House Fiscal Agency, four areas of the state budget soaks 86 percent of the General Fund — community health (31.9 percent, $2.9 billion), higher education (21.2 percent, $1.95 billion), corrections (20.2 percent, $1.858 billion) and human services (13 percent, $1.2 billion).
State prisons are packed to the gills, incarceration rates are at an all-time high and Michigan is ranked 11th in the country for state incarceration levels, according to Associated Press reports. Missouri is the only other state in the Great Lakes region that has a higher incarceration rate than the regional average.
Michigan also stands out because it's one of only three non-southern states that has such a high incarceration rate.
"If we had incarceration rates similar to other states we would be talking about a $500 million a year in savings," said DOC Spokesman Russ MARLAN.
Marlan said high incarceration rates, a higher number of parole violators and strict sentencing guidelines play a role in the large number of inmates locked up in the state's prisons, which sucks up state dollars.
The Patrick SELEPAK incident, in which Selepak's mistaken parole turned into a three-person killing spree brought back a large number of parole violators that weren't in jail.
"We're quite confident this had something to do with it," Marlan said about the increased impact this had on incarceration levels.
Marlan said the state can also look at sentencing guidelines. Apparently, Michigan has a unique system where criminals are evaluated according to the crime they committed and their criminal history. Based on this system, some go to prison and others are released.
The problem is, there's a gray area where the judge can decide to do either or. When the system was implemented the DOC thought 20 percent of those who fell in the gray area would end up in prison. However, 40 percent of those who end up in the gray area go to jail.
"That's impacted our prison population as well," Marlan said.
House Holding Budget Boot Camp
Members of the Michigan House will go to "budget boot camp" next week to work on simulated budget problems before they tackle the real thing in three weeks.
House Majority Floor Leader Rep. Steve TOBOCMAN (D-Detroit) explained that lawmakers will be divided into groups to work on areas where the budget could be cut and what impact that would have on state services. Then they will work on the revenue side, looking at what taxes might be hiked to meet state budget demands.
Each group will have about a dozen lawmakers. Some will be divided along party lines, but each is designed to give legislators some hands on experience in writing a budget. Nearly one in four House members (a total of 27) are new to this process.
Asked if the current budget mess can be resolved without a tax boost of some sort, Tobocman relied, "I don't know."
He said that's part of the reason why the budget boot camp is being used.
On an unrelated subject, Tobocman said the House will look into the current dispute at the state Supreme Court, but he does not believe any of the allegations he has heard rise to the level of an impeachable offense.
Tobocman said he thinks the high court should try to work out its differences on its own. Meanwhile, the newly appointed attorney to the House Democratic Caucus, former Rep. Sandy LIPSEY, will meet with House Speaker Andy DILLON (D-Redford Twp.) on this matter perhaps sometime this week. Lipsey would not comment on the session and what specifics would be discussed.
(Contributed by Senior Capital Correspondent Tim SKUBICK.)
Bishop Says K-12 Not 'Impervious' To Budget Cuts
Senate leadership is waiting anxiously for Gov. Jennifer GRANHOLM's plan to fill a $800 million shortfall in the current Fiscal Year (FY) 2007 budget, with the Senate Majority Leader saying today that it's unlikely education will be spared from the cutting knife.
Senate Majority Leader Mike BISHOP (R-Rochester) told the Lansing Regional Chamber Economic Club today that K-12 education would not "be impervious to our current economic situation" and likely would experience cuts to help solve the immediate budget crisis.
Bishop wouldn't say whether he'd support a cut as high as $224 per-student, the cut needed to fill the projected deficit in the state's School Aid Fund (SAF), or something in between $0 and $224. However, Bishop said he sees the Senate's role as waiting for the Governor's recommendation and then acting on those recommendations.
"We want to hold schools harmless to the extent we can, but the reality is that option is on the table," Bishop said. "There is nothing we can do to print money in the future. We have to live within our means and that's where we are…if there are ways to mitigate the impact on schools, this caucus will find a way to do it."
Bishop added in his remarks that the good news is that the SAF may see an up-tick in the coming year, which would mean that 2007 is just "one of those years where we'll have to bunker down and weather the storm."
He added that the answer is not going to be to "throw money at things," but rather getting the best bang for the buck in making sure the money is "getting to the classroom where it belongs." How this is done, from a practical standpoint, will become evident in the coming months.
Bishop said expanding the sales tax to include services is "not an option right now."
"This caucus is not prepared to look in that direction," he said. "We have to find ways to rein in government. A tax on services and some of the other proposals we've heard out there doesn't position Michigan toward the future."
On a suggestion from an Ann Arbor think tank that the state may want to look at a beer tax, Bishop laughed, "That's a strange proposal, but no, no on beer tax."
On other issues, Bishop said the idea behind the 21st Century Jobs Fund, the plan to invest $400 million in securitized tobacco settlement dollars into the life sciences and other growing technologies, was a good one but "I'm not sure the end result is what we wanted."
Senate Republican SBT Replacement Plan 'A Couple Weeks Away'
Days removed from the Senate Republican policy retreat, Senate Majority Leader Mike BISHOP (R-Rochester) reiterated his caucus' desire to present a replacement plan for the Single Business Tax (SBT) that includes property tax relief for businesses, but isn't revenue neutral.
Bishop told MIRS earlier this month the Senate would be presenting its own plan with an eye toward making Michigan a more attractive place to do business (See "An Interview With Mike Bishop," 1/8/07).
"We'd like to be able to deliver some relief to businesses that need it the most," he told reporters today. "Revenue neutrality is not a priority. We want to create a replacement that makes Michigan competitive without using business to fill in the holes."
The Senate Republican leader continued down that vein today, re-iterating that the $800 million budget deficit and a replacement for the soon-to-be-expired SBT are two separate issues. Bishop didn't get into whose plan the Senate's ultimate tax plan best resembles — whether it's the Detroit Chamber of Commerce's fee system or the Michigan Chamber of Commerce's system — but he did say he finds it "unacceptable" to replace a tax with a tax.
Michigan Jobless Rate Still Behind Mississippi
Michigan's 7.1 percent unemployment rate in December was still the nation's second-highest rate and Michigan was the only state in the nation to see an employment drop off from December 2005 to December 2006.
But the statistics released today by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) had a glimmer of good news for the Great Lake state. Michigan ranked fourth in the country for largest employment gains with 14,900, putting it behind only Florida (18,800), California (17,200) and Texas (15,600).
Mississippi reported the highest unemployment rate in December at 7.5 percent, followed by Michigan. Alaska was at 6.7 percent and South Carolina 6.6 percent. The District of Columbia registered a jobless rate of 6.3 percent. Hawaii and Utah again recorded the lowest rates, 2.0 and 2.6 percent, respectively. Nine other states had rates below 3.5 percent, the BLS reported.
Minnesota registered the largest statistically significant over-the-month unemployment rate increase, .3 percentage points. Kansas and Nevada had increases of .2 percentage points. But Michigan was the only state to lose jobs over the last 12 months with 19,800 jobs lost representing a half a percent. The largest employment increase came in Texas with 213,200 jobs gained.
However, Michigan's rise in employment was among the four the BLS reported as being "statistically significant."
Volume #46, Report #15 --Tuesday, January 23, 2007
Larry Lee (517) 482-3500
BISHOP: REVENUE NEUTRAL S.B.T. REPLACEMENT 'NOT OUR GOAL'
The proposal to replace Michigan's Single Business Tax that Senate Republicans will unveil in the next several weeks will likely include an overall tax cut, Senate Majority Leader Mike Bishop (R-Rochester) said Tuesday. A revenue neutral proposal would only "replace a tax with a tax" and not help the state attract business, Mr. Bishop said.
Beyond saying revenue neutrality with the SBT replacement is "not a priority" with his caucus, Mr. Bishop also said the proposal would provide businesses with personal property tax breaks.
He also told the Lansing Economic Club and reporters afterwards that he wants the Legislature to work on the SBT replacement and the 2007-08 budget separately. They are separate and distinct issues, he said.
Senate Republicans will issue their SBT proposal in the next several weeks, he said.
Governor Jennifer Granholm has already issued a Michigan Business Tax proposal that is revenue neutral, although she said that with the financial crisis the state faces that proposal may no longer be available to lawmakers.
SBT replacement proposals have also been made by the Michigan Chamber of Commerce, the Detroit Regional Chamber and the Grand Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce. The SBT expires on December 31.
Mr. Bishop also said schools will not be able to escape cuts at least during the remainder of this fiscal year, although he said Senate Republicans would do everything they could to keep from enacting a $220 pro-rata cut on schools.
The SBT has been "a blemish on our state," Mr. Bishop told the organization and simply replacing it with a revenue neutral proposal does nothing to position Michigan for growth.
Whatever replaces the SBT has to encourage business growth in the state, he said, and he said the "only question worthy of our time" as state leaders is how to turn Michigan around.
Mr. Bishop repeatedly said Michigan has to develop a positive "economic reputation," and that cannot be accomplished by trying to tax the state out of its problems.
"The challenge is create smaller, more focused and efficient institutions of government," Mr. Bishop said.
Liz Boyd, Ms. Granholm's spokesperson, said there appeared little new in Mr. Bishop's comments. Ms. Granholm believes the SBT must be replaced, she said, but added the governor would make her proposals to correct the state's fiscal issues when the 2007-08 budget proposal is made on February 8.
HOUSE G.O.P. INTRODUCES EDUCATIONAL INITIATIVES
A proposal that would pluck $377 million from the state's general fund to plug up the predicted hole in the school aid fund and a requirement that new public schoolteachers enroll in a 401(k) program were announced Tuesday by two House Republican members.
Rep. John Moolenaar (R-Midland), the former chair of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on School Aid and Rep. Brian Palmer (R-Romeo), the former chair of the House Education Committee, are sponsoring the measures.
Mr. Moolenaar said general fund contributions to the school aid fund are their lowest level and that politicians who say that children are a top priority have the opportunity to show that by not approving any cuts to school aid. The current year deficit in the school aid fund is expected to require a pro-rata cut of approximately $220 per student, which wipes out the $210 increase in the per-pupil foundation allowance approved by lawmakers in 2006.
Administration officials have said a pro-rata cut of that size is not likely to happen, but that it still is likely schools will not be able to completely avoid budget cuts.
"The process for pro ration is a very short window to take action. By the time they receive a pro ration, the school year would be almost finished," Mr. Moolenaar said.
While Mr. Moolenaar would not say what should be cut in place of providing a general fund subsidy to the school aid fund, he said lawmakers should simply commit that in looking at fixes to the state budget that schools should be the first to be held harmless. He said the bill, HB 4116
The current year deficit for both the general fund and school aid fund is estimated to be between $722 million to $900 million.
House Speaker Andy Dillon (D-Redford) said he appreciated Mr. Moolenaar's support for schools but said the legislation is only half a solution that ultimately puts "health care, police and fire protection and other essential services at risk."
In another proposal aimed at saving school districts money, Mr. Palmer has introduced HB 4107
When Republicans controlled the House last session voting on the bill brought on a call of the chamber and the vote board was held open for six hours (See Gongwer Michigan Report, December 1, 2005). At the time, all 49 Democratic members balked at the legislation along with seven Republicans, but the bill was amended to only enact a vesting schedule for retiree health insurance and it gained enough GOP support to pass.
That vote was supposed to be reconsidered but Republicans never brought the bill back up for a roll call tally.
The legislation is widely backed by the Michigan Association of School Boards, Michigan Chamber of Commerce and some intermediate school districts, however the Michigan Education Association along with other labor organizations have been strongly opposed to the proposal.
Under the new bill, teachers hired after July 1, 2007 would be required to participate in the 401(k) program.
"The bottom line is this retirement system needs to be fixed," Mr. Palmer said. "There are billions of dollars of unfunded liabilities in the system right now and with each day that passes, the unfunded liabilities continue to grow. This legislation will help ensure that public school employees who were promised a pension will get one. This legislation is trying to prevent the collapse of the entire retirement system."
Mr. Dillon, who was part of the Democratic coalition who opposed the idea, had no comment on the new legislation only to say it's been referred to the House Education Committee.
GROUPS WORKING TO SOLVE UNINSURED PROBLEM
A variety of groups representing health care, businesses and consumers have begun down the path to solving the problem of uninsured Michigan residents. But when that solution might come is as unanswered as what it might look like.
Rob Fowler, executive director of the Small Business Association of Michigan and president of the Michigan Health Insurance Advisory Council, said the only thing the members of the council agree on at this point is that uninsured residents are costing all of them.
"Those costs find their way back to us as paying customers," Mr. Fowler told Gongwer News Service. And he said the problem "spirals": higher health care costs mean higher insurance rates, leaving more people uninsured and adding to the costs others pay.
Though the group got its start as a state government effort, Mr. Fowler said the members decided to take it out of the government realm as a way to build a plan with broad support outside of politics and to keep the effort going beyond a legislative session.
"In some ways it was kind of shouldering the problem ourselves rather than waiting for a governor or a Legislature to solve for us," he said. "We think this is a long term problem that no single governor or session of the Legislature is going to solve."
Not trying to tie the project to a particular term of office also allows for broader discussions, he said. "We are not going to work within any predetermined time period force ourselves to solutions," he said, though adding, "There is a sense of urgency."
Not having a state tie also opens the group to more participants. Though the group has a set 26-member board, Mr. Fowler said anyone with a stake in the issue, including state officials, was welcome to participate in discussions.
Mr. Fowler said the good will among the group of otherwise disparate interests began with the State Planning Project for the Uninsured, a project run through the Department of Community Health under a federal grant that recently ran out.
The project did not reach a solution, but did begin discussions, he said.
"It brought a whole group of people together who couldn't have been further apart on what the solution should be," he said. "The way that usually ends is we all sit around and blame each other and nothing gets done. This one was different. It became apparent to everybody that the uninsured issue is our issue."
Past efforts to fix the health care system have tried to focus on the problems of a particular group - high insurance costs for small businesses, insufficient Medicaid reimbursements for doctors and hospitals, insufficient access to care for residents - which could not build support from the other groups. So Mr. Fowler said among the first efforts of the group will be to get a better handle on what the problem actually is.
"We need to do a finance study to understand the economics of health care in Michigan," he said. The proposed study would look not only at the costs of health care overall, but at the costs of each step of the delivery and payment process to determine where there might be improvements.
The point of the study is also to develop a proposal that is Michigan-specific, not one based on programs in other states, Mr. Fowler said. He said the new law in Massachusetts provided a model for discussions, though not necessarily a model for a final product.
"Can there be a solution that's uniquely Michigan that comes from stakeholders?" he said.
But the group is still a little ways from even beginning the study. The organizational meeting was last Wednesday and will meet again March 5 to begin actual discussions.
The group will also be looking for money for its plans. He said it so far has about $20,000 kicked in by some of the member groups but expects to seek grants for the economics study or other efforts.
Mr. Fowler said the members also realize that any recommendations will have to come with full support of the group.
"The truth is we have no power. No one handed us the torch and said, 'Go solve this,'" he said. "Our thought leadership is the only power we have."
POLITICAL NOTES
BUTLER CO-CHAIR FOR MC CAIN: Former Republican U.S. Senate candidate Keith Butler was Tuesday named as national co-chair for conservatives for presidential hopeful Arizona Sen. John McCain. Mr. Butler, who lost the 2006 U.S. Senate nomination to Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard, was also named co-chair of Mr. McCain's Michigan Steering Committee. The founding and senior pastor of the Word of Faith Church had also served as co-chair of the 2004 campaign for President George W. Bush.
Mr. Butler said Mr. McCain is the only true conservative among the 2008 GOP contenders. "He will represent the values and principles of families in a way that will make us all proud," he said.
