What's Happening To Us At The State Level?

But first a note about the national level:

"To understand Washington today, we have only
to look at European Communist antics of the
20th century."

In my travels I have been led to discover a web site
www.michiganvotes.org , a site that lists legislation
that's in the works or recently proposed by our
repcritters. Mike Lahti's data is available at:

http://www.michiganvotes.org/SearchVotes.aspx?EntityID=10879&Keywords=&op=Search

Blogs are available there for your comments on
individual bills.

I'm impressed with Lahti's work overall, but I
don't have the time or energy to look at his
record where it comes to a bunch of state
pension issues for teachers and other employees.

A couple of years ago I briefly met with Mike
Lahti here in Iron River and I gave him a series
of written requests for legislation with the
caveat that I only asked him to consider the
requests, that is, to think about them.

Among the requests was one that's come to the
forefront nationwide, that is, how to define
a "job saved or created." It is now important
to all of us to understand what the expression
means. You'd think it would be an easy thing to
do at the state level IF government were honest.
I haven't been able to find any reference to
such a proposal in Mike Lahti's record. Instead
there's tons of anti-business legislation, one
example from Lahti's voting record page is quoted
below:

"Supported 2009 House Bill 4782 (Enforce RV
dealer "territories" ). Passed in the House
(98 to 5) on April 23, 2009, to impose state
regulation on the terms of commercial
relationships between recreational vehicle
manufacturers, wholesalers, warrantors, and
dealers. The terms of these relationships
are currently voluntary and are the product
of negotiations and contractual agreements
between the parties. The bill would authorize
the state to enforce certain exclusive dealer
'territories' and other commercial relationships,
in a manner similar to regulations which apply
under current law to new car dealers and
manufacturers."

It looks a lot like Mike Lahti and Michigan's House
of Representatives is against free trade, and still
Grandholm et troupe wonder why business avoid
this state like the plague? We need not wonder at
all. State treatment of business forces investors
to look elsewhere.

Here's a partial list of legislation brought to our
attention by the Mackinac Center for Public
Policy.

House Bill 4813 Give state employee benefit increase

Senate Bill 927 Authorize "pension obligation bonds"
for government retiree health benefits

Senate Bill 682 Authorize a bicentennial of the War
of 1812 specialty license plate

House Bill 4577 Increase school employee pensions

House Bill 5233 Allow some state employees to
collect pension check and state paycheck

House Bill 5197 Authorize enhances pension
"early out" for state employees

House Bill 5449 Give $40,000 to some state
employees who retire early

House Bill 4275 Cap government employee health
benefits at national average

Now just where is all this money for state employee
benefits coming from? Our state government can't
seem to get a handle on what it takes to manage a
budget, that is simply you can't spend more than
you take in.

At the same time the state is cutting back on
things like law enforcement and prisons, things
they think the average citizen isn't going to
notice.

The web page michiganvotes.org needs a workout
by the voters of this state.

Bill Vajk