2012 Ballot Proposal Recommendation

Below are my current recommendations for the proposals that will appear on the ballot this fall.  Many Tea Party organizations across the state will also be issuing voter guides with their recommendations and they may or may not agree with mine.

No matter what else you should research these proposals as much as possible.  Our form of government depends upon an informed and engaged voter to survive.  You could start your research at the following web page:  http://www.MiBallot2012.org

2012 Proposals

Prop 1:  Should the latest emergency manager law be upheld?  
Recommending Yes.  A city, township, village, etc is licenced by the state and is a part of the state, not separate sovereign entities.  This law is meant to enable the state to assist a local government to avoid bankruptcy.  Bankruptcy of a local government affects the credit rating of the state as well as the local entity.

Prop 2:  Write into the state constitution certain labor rights.
Recommending No.  The state voted not to change the constitution in 2010 when the choice was presented.  Placing more and more items from special interest groups into our constitution is not a good idea.  This proposal will invalidate all previous governmental union agreements.  This proposal affects many laws, some in perhaps unanticipated ways.  

Prop 3:  Known as “25/25” or Renewable Energy Constitutional Amendment.
Recommending No.  See comments about changing our state constitution.  This will mandate that the state electric generation industry produce 25% of its power output from renewable sources by the year 2525.  The percentage in 2010 was 4%.  There are many arguments pro and con, however cost seems to be a large factor.  At today's costs this would drive up energy costs immensely.  Proponents say that those costs for renewable energy will come down over time.  Do you want to mandate this with an amendment to the state constitution and gamble that costs will be OK?

Prop 4:  Unionize all Home Care Workers.
Recommending No.  Again refer to comments on amending the state constitution.  Most of these people are employees of the folks being cared for.  Passage of this would make it unconstitutional to employ your blood relations, for example, to care for you unless they joined a government union and pay union dues.  This was tried by forcing these people into the SEIU and they complained quite loudly and got legislation passed to void a grab by the union.

Prop 5:  Known as the ‘2/3rds Amendment’ limiting the ability to raise taxes.
Recommending that you decide.  Again, changing the state constitution.  There are considerations on both sides.  However, changing the state constitution because we cannot trust our elected representatives to make sound tax decisions says more about us than about them.  I am voting no.


Prop 6:  Construction of International Bridges and Tunnels.
Recommending Yes.  If passed this does belong in the state constitution.  IMHO there is so much mis-information being sent around about both sides of ‘the bridge’ deal that I no longer trust anything I read.  By requiring a higher level of scrutiny we may be able to discern the truth of arguments pro and con in a future decision.  Even as I trust my current representatives (with whom I take the trouble of having a two way conversation) there is plenty of evidence that the majority of the elected legislators are having the same problems picking through the flak presently being fired at us as we are  No matter what an international crossing point is a big deal and the establishment of one should not be done at the whims of just a few people, whether they are in a corporation or a state government.

For more information on the state ballot proposals check out this web page: http://www.MiBallot2012.org