Posted on 12/18/2006 7:48:30 AM PST by John Semmens
Citizens for Michigan, a group of former elected officials, prominent citizens and state policy experts issued a policy statement calling for 63 changes in the state constitution. “Things are getting out of hand,” said former congressman Joe Schwartz. “People are showing no respect for the government. Earlier this year, a gang of nobodies calling itself the Michigan Stop Overspending Committee tried to get a measure on the ballot that would have limited state spending. Spending issues are too complex to allow the citizens to hamper the informed deliberations of those in government.”
One of the 63 reform measures—the legislator emergency salary compensation initiative—would authorize sitting legislators to requisition cash from anyone they meet. Schwartz hailed this as both a “flexible and equitable” means of ensuring a “willingness to serve in the legislature.”
“Legislative pay hasn’t kept up with expenses of holding office,” Schwartz said. “This measure would allow legislators to get the funds they need when they need them. Its ‘progressive’ structure would lay the burden only on those who can afford it. I mean, if you have no cash on you, it can’t be requisitioned. So, it’ll be the rich who bear the bigger share of the burden. Legislators would be empowered to frisk in order to prevent taxpayers from falsely declaring they have no cash or trying to conceal in on their person.”
Another reform highly touted by Citizens for Michigan member State Attorney General Frank Kelley is one that would require a minimum of four eye-witnesses before any public officeholder could be prosecuted for bribery or embezzlement of public funds. “Government officials have to handle a lot of complicated transactions,” said Kelley. “To uninformed outsiders, normal government functions might look illegitimate. We need to raise the threshold, lest we ‘chill’ the conduct of business.”
Kelley said Citizens for Michigan settled on the four witness idea after a Muslim member of the group pointed out that this was a standard laid out in the Koran. “We think this adds a ‘multi-cultural’ flavor to the entire reform package,” Kelley said.
The Citizens for Michigan committee is asking Governor Granholm to declare the package of reforms law. “We need to get these measures in place ASAP,” said Schwartz. “If we don’t set things right now who knows what crackpot notions might stampede the voters come next election.”
In related news, Michigan officials say assisted suicide advocate Jack Kevorkian will be paroled in June. Kevorkian says he hopes to go to Iraq to continue his work. “From what I’ve been reading, there’s a lot of people over there interested in committing suicide,” Kevorkian said. “Hopefully, I can help them ease their way out with a minimum of pain.”
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http://www.azconservative.org/Semmens1.htm
Yo, Johnny. Spell Check is not always our friend.
Sometimes humor rings so true as to be "unfunny." ;)
Joe Schwarz needs to STFU and go away. Maybe George Soros could hire him as a manservant.
“People are showing no respect for the government. Earlier this year, a gang of nobodies calling itself the Michigan Stop Overspending Committee tried to get a measure on the ballot that would have limited state spending. Spending issues are too complex to allow the citizens to hamper the informed deliberations of those in government.”
I think this statement says what it's all about. Politics is just for elitists and anyone who dares question them is suspect. And then these same elitists wonder why there is "no respect" for government.
Here's an novel idea: Stop treating the citizens you serve like idiots who don't understand that 1+1=2, then maybe we will have respect for you. People regardless of their "status" don't like to be disrespected and can understand complex issues.
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