It's not as fun as a snow day.
A poignant fun fact from the Detroit News:
A shutdown will cease horse manure clean up on Mackinac Island. I thought that started last weekend.
Impact of Shutdown -- questions and answers from Michigan.gov.
Frequently Asked Questions for External Parties (to the state) (like "will we get paid?")
Frequently Asked Questions for State Employees
Michigan shuts down government (New York Times)
Showing posts with label government shutdown. Show all posts
Showing posts with label government shutdown. Show all posts
Monday, October 1, 2007
Friday, September 28, 2007
The shutdown -- it's personal and political
I started this blog for two reasons: to seek understanding and to offer hope. Neither seems within reach as the legislature bickers itself toward irrelevance and the government toward shutdown.
If the legislature cannot resolve this issue by Sunday, Governor Granholm can assert executive authority and declare a fiscal emergency, according to an analysis by Patrick Anderson, a former deputy state budget director, in consultation with analysts from the Citizens Research Center, Michigan Chamber of Commerce and public schools and universities. (source)
That might not be such a bad option. The analysis says she would have authority to:
If the legislature cannot resolve this issue by Sunday, Governor Granholm can assert executive authority and declare a fiscal emergency, according to an analysis by Patrick Anderson, a former deputy state budget director, in consultation with analysts from the Citizens Research Center, Michigan Chamber of Commerce and public schools and universities. (source)
That might not be such a bad option. The analysis says she would have authority to:
• Outline a limited spending plan.
• Assure creditors the state is not bankrupt and would pay its bills.
• Announce automatic, temporary extensions of state registrations, permits and licenses.
Too bad Governor Granholm can't also lay off the House and Senate without pay, rather than 35,000 state workers who actually deliver necessary services to the people of Michigan.
Partial government shutdown imminent
What more can be said? The legislature has had nearly eight months to do its work. Partisanship and politicizing the commons have utterly crippled the legislative process. With a shutdown, the Legislature cannot perform oversight in numerous areas. Important committee work has been canceled for the last two weeks and will not resume until after a shut down. For example, hearings on predatory lending in the House are on hold indefinitely. Meanwhile, foreclosures are ripping through communities and devastating families.
What's worse, our partisan Legislature communicates to the rest of the world that Michigan is a bad investment risk. Not because we are fiscally challenged, but because we are unable to collaborate and to create sound public policy in our own best interest as a state. We apparently lack the will to help ourselves.
Politicking is easier than governing. Running for office is easier than carrying out legislative duties--just as getting pregnant is far easier than raising a child.
Without substantive change to tax structures and government programs, this will happen again.
What's worse, our partisan Legislature communicates to the rest of the world that Michigan is a bad investment risk. Not because we are fiscally challenged, but because we are unable to collaborate and to create sound public policy in our own best interest as a state. We apparently lack the will to help ourselves.
Politicking is easier than governing. Running for office is easier than carrying out legislative duties--just as getting pregnant is far easier than raising a child.
Without substantive change to tax structures and government programs, this will happen again.
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