March 28, 2024

Unsrambling the ballot proposals

Oct. 25, 2006
Wading through the swamp of ballot proposals is one of the toughest things we face as voters. Here is the quicksand of hidden intentions, the muck of double meanings and unspoken disasters which bubble to the surface if the wrong vote is cast.
Sometimes, however, a little folk wisdom and common sense can go a long way to unscrambling the most obscure of ballot proposals. I’ve applied a few tried-and-true sayings to this year’s proposals in the hope that they may be helpful:

Proposal 1: A constitutional amendment to require that money held in conservation and recreation funds can only be used for their intended purposes.

Historically, Michigan’s Legislature has raided the cookie jar on funds meant for conservation and recreation. Remember the Kammer Recreational Land Acquisition Fund established in 1976? It was funded with revenues from leasing state land for oil and natural gas wells in the Pigeon River area. But, according to a report by the DNR, “during its first seven years, more than $100 million was diverted to other programs outside its original stated purpose.”
There’s an old saying: “You shouldn’t rob Peter to pay Paul.” By the same token, funds meant for conservation and recreation shouldn’t be used to bail out Michigan’s budget crisis. The tourism generated by our recreation and conservation treasures are keeping our state afloat. They are also increasingly important in a world beset by sprawl, global warming and habitat destruction and deserve constitutional protection. VOTE YES.

Proposal 2: Would ban affirmative action programs that give preferential treatment to groups or individuals based ont their race, gender, color, ethnicity or national origin for public employment, education or contracting purposes.
A major problem with this proposal is that it would make sweeping changes to hundreds of programs that are moving minorities and women towards equality. Where is the wisdom in dumping 50 years of progress in such an offhand way? Things are seldom as “black and white” as this proposal would have us believe; each program that Proposal 2 would scuttle deserves a thoughtful analysis rather than this mass destruction approach.
Old sayings which might apply: “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” And: “Don’t throw the baby out with the bath water.” VOTE NO.

Proposal 3: An act to allow the establishment of a hunting season for mourning doves.
To wanna-be dove hunters, the mourning dove is a hard-to-hit “game bird,” capable of flying up to 55 mph and producing a succulent quarter-pound of meat for the table.
To birdwatchers, this is all poppycock. Hard to hit? With a shotgun? On any given day throughout the summer I see a dozen doves fluttering around my cottage that would be no problem whatsoever to hit with a BB pistol. It all gets back to whether the mourning dove is really a “game bird.” And for that, we have an old saying to use as a test: “If it looks like a duck, quacks like a duck and walks like a duck, it must be a duck.” On that score, the mourning dove clearly appears to be a songbird. VOTE NO.

Proposal 4: A constitutional amendment to prohibit government from taking private property by eminent domain for certain private purposes.

Eminent domain is a thorny issue, especially when property is seized for business purposes. It can be painful even when a public use is planned, such as condemning land to build a freeway.
Part of this proposal stipulates that if eminent domain is used to take your property for a public use, you must be paid at least 125% of its fair market value.
The most infamous misuse of emminent domain was the 1981 Michigan Supreme Court decision which allowed the City of Detroit to condemn Poletown -- a neighborhood of 1,000 homes and 600 businesses -- so that GM could build an auto plant in Hamtramck. Unfortunately, after Poletown was destroyed and GM built its plant, it employed less than 60% of the people it promised.
In recent years, other cases of eminent domain have raised alarms across the country among both conservatives and liberals. But this proposal is a bit of a puzzler in that the Michigan Supreme Court ruled unanimously on July 30, 2004 that government cannot use eminent domain to seize private property to create another private use that might be more profitable. That ruling overturned the Poletown decision.
This proposal would engrave that court decision in the state constitution. Yet, creating a constitutional amendment ties our hands and can open a Pandora’s Box of unintended consequences. Suppose a city had long-standing problems with a slumlord or a crank developer and was deterred from a private project which might serve the public good by eliminating blight and producing jobs?
As the Detroit Free Press notes, this proposal is well-intended, but flawed and unneccesary. “Look before you leap” and let the Supreme Court decision serve as our guide -- and protection -- for now. VOTE NO.

Proposal 5: Establish mandatory school funding levels.
Every few years, the State Legislature or the Governor comes up with a new way to “fix” funding for education while cutting taxes in the same breath. Then we’re back for another round a few years later, trying to “fix” these bright ideas they came up with in the first place. Is this proposal any different? It would increase funding by approximately $565 million and require the State to provide annual funding increases equal to the rate of inflation for public schools, community colleges and state universities. And, it would require the State to fund any deficiencies for education from the General Fund, including school retirement costs.
All this at a time when our State is broke, and headed from desperation to despair. This is an idea whipped up at the Mad Hatter’s Tea Party (actually, the Michigan Education Association) that would strap us with nearly $19 billion in extra costs over the next 10 years, according to one study. We need to get Michigan back on track before launching grandiose schemes at a time when the cupboard is bare. When we’re “back in the gravy” would be a good time to consider this, but not now. VOTE NO.

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