Proposed Constitutional Amendment Prop 12-4

We wrote earlier favoring voting NO to all the Michigan
constitutional amendments that will be on the ballot this
year because as we interpreted that each and every one
is driven by private interests attempting to get a leg up
over the Michigan legislature. Why should we, the
electorate, restrict ourselves, and our elected legislature,
by making private interests part of our constitution?

That premise fails to pass the stink test.

Our take appears to be well supported by the respected
non-partisan group "The Center for Michigan." As we
review what they have written on the topic, we will issue
multiple articles here, referring to information in the
original assessment published by them.

Prop 4 is merely an attempt to shift state responsibility
to a union, the SEIU, because in the past the state failed
to assure that home care workers are reliable by nature of
not having a criminal record. Alas. not only does the state
remain involved because SEIU cannot access the criminal
registries, but the union, under the natural outcome of
the voters approving this constitutional amendment, reaches
into the pockets of workers and plucks out part of their
paycheck.

It must be borne in mind that many of these workers are
looking after a (note the singular) family member or a
friend who qualifies for monetary assistance. This is
part-time work and is usually limited, in nature, to a term
of a few years. For most of these workers it isn't a
lifetime career, and is most often a matter of receiving a
bit of compensation to ease the financial burdens imposed
by assisting a friend or family member.

The entire program, state-wide, appears to cost taxpayers
about $2 million a year.  With the imposition of a union,
this price is bound to escalate, costing Michigan citizens
more providing a service that is a state responsibility in
the first place, and part of those funds can be used to
promote further political action by the SEIU for their
own benefit.

Ask yourself this, as you enter the voting booth. In the
final analysis, has a labor union ever promoted anything
that didn't involve money?

The publisher and editor of this periodical agrees that
labor unions are a necessity to balance power between
employer and employee. That was their original intent
and that remains, in our opinion, their purpose forever.
It is our opinion that the state cannot oppress home care
workers who only work for a relatively short period
at a part-time endeavor to assist, usually, the elderly.

If there is to be a constitutional amendment on this
topic it should, instead, be one that defines the state's
responsibilities on this matter, while providing the
clients a free and easy telephone call channel to rapid
response assistance should things run amok.

For further information on this subject from The Center
for Michigan please see:

http://tinyurl.com/98o545u

Bill Vajk