Archive for Michigan
Recent Stories for Michigan
Ballot measures the Mackinac Center would support
Category: Government Accountablilty · State: Michigan · Source: Detroit Free Press
The Michigan Supreme Court ruling that keeps the Reform Michigan Government Now proposal off the ballot has focused attention on the ballot measure process itself. RMGN — rejected by the court for technical reasons — was extraordinarily bad public policy, but that doesn’t mean citizen-led initiatives are bad. The right ballot measures would let voters bypass legislators who are unwilling or unable to fix Michigan’s urgent problems. Here are eight ballot measures that would each offer voters a single, honest, straightforward opportunity to fix the fundamentals. A Right-to-Work Measure. A right-to-work law means that employers cannot agree to fire a worker for not supporting a union. While unions would retain their monopoly bargaining status, right-to-work protection would be a sure step toward workplace fairness and state economic recovery. From 2002 to 2007, Michigan lost 5% of its jobs while the 22 right-to-work states increased their payrolls by 9%. State Spending Limitation. Allow state spending to increase, but only in proportion to growth in population and inflation. If a version of this plan had been in effect, it would have returned about $8 billion to Michigan taxpayers between 1995-2007 and built a $2.5 billion rainy day fund. Universal Education Tax Credit. This option would leave intact the constitutional prohibition on vouchers while allowing parents to choose the safest and best public or private schools for their children. The tax credit would be available for income earners, property owners and businesses that support the education of a child attending the school of his or her choice. The credit would be limited to half of the state’s per-pupil spending allotment, which we estimated would have saved the state’s School Aid Fund more than $500 million in the 10 years prior to 2008.
Ballot initiative hangs in limbo: Approximately 1,500 signatures gathered to limit compensation for commissioners
Category: City Government · State: Michigan · Source: Sault Ste. Marie Evening News
Clear as mud. Those three words pretty well sum up the status of a local petition drive to limit the compensation of individual Chippewa County Commissioners to $8,400. “We all know the value of petitions,” said one of the key members of the grassroots organization, Debbie Sirk, in presenting the signatures to the board. “Now let’s work together to find a way to put this on the ballot.” The commissioners, however, expressed a reluctance to give their approval and, from all indications, they weren’t even sure if they could. Commissioner Scott Shackleton said that while he had a tremendous amount of respect for the democratic process and the citizen petition, he didn’t feel it was the county commission’s responsibility to put the question on the ballot. Shackleton said he would have the same reservations if the group was asking for a park designation or petitioning for taxes to go up or down.
Repeal group says it has enough signatures
Category: Alcohol Sales · State: Michigan · Source: Grand Haven Tribune
The Say Yes to Sunday group says it has more than enough signatures to give Ottawa County voters a chance to repeal the ban on Sunday beer and wine sales. Now they'll have to wait and see how many of those petition signatures are from registered Ottawa County voters. The group said it has 39,700 signatures as of 8 this morning, which — if they are all valid — is 1,944 more than necessary to get the measure on the Nov. 4 ballot. Say Yes to Sunday spokesman Jim Storey said the group could have between 41,000 and 42,000 signatures by the time members deliver the petition to County Clerk Dan Krueger this afternoon.
Tax rates proposal may go to ballot
Category: Taxes · State: Michigan · Source: Detroit Free Press
Residents in Troy may get to decide during the November election whether the city would need to get voter approval for future tax increases. Advertisement The Troy City Council is considering a citizen-initiated petition, signed by more than 2,700 residents, that proposes freezing the city's tax rate for operating and capital costs at 8.1 mills, costing a resident with a home that has a $124,885 taxable value -- the average in Troy -- $1,012 a year. The council discussed the issue Monday but postponed making a decision until the Aug. 11 meeting. "I am 100% for the people and putting it on the ballot," Troy resident Audre Zembrzuski, who signed the petition, told the council Monday. "I think it's about time we got down to brass tacks."
Universal Healthcare for Michigan Ballot Measure Fails to Acquire Enough Signatures, Other Ballot Proposals May Qualify
Category: Healthcare · State: Michigan · Source: Michigan State University
A universal health care proposal will not be on Michigan's November ballot because supporters fell short of collecting enough signatures from voters. The Healthcare for Michigan Ballot Committee got about 133,000 signatures for a proposal to require the Legislature to pass laws ensuring every state citizen has affordable and comprehensive health coverage. More than 380,000 valid signatures, or 10 percent of the total votes cast in the last gubernatorial election, are needed to put before voters measures changing the state constitution. John Freeman, a former state representative who led the campaign, said Friday that grass-roots support was great with hundreds of volunteers helping circulate petitions. But the group had money woes, a crucial factor because ballot drives often have to pay people to collect signatures. Freeman said it was tough to raise money because potential donors were tapped a lot during the lengthy Democratic presidential primary season. About 450,000 signatures would have been needed by July 7 as a cushion to get the health care proposal on the ballot, Freeman said. "That's a huge challenge," he said.
Monthly Archives for Michigan
- September 2008 (1)
- August 2008 (3)
- July 2008 (2)
- April 2008 (3)