Did you know that May 21-27 is
Michigan Week? It's an annual salute to the best Michigan has to offer in culture, tourism, natural resources, educational opportunities, manufacturing, and much more.
This Week's Stories
- Detroit's Mayor Comes Out Swinging
- High Court Overturns Wine Shipment Law
- Looking Ahead to 2006...and 2008
- Political Propaganda On Your Cable TV?
- What's Happening in Washington
- Legislature Update
- Around the State
Detroit's Mayor Comes Out Swinging
Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick opened his re-election campaign on a defiant note. At a rally attended by hundreds of supporters, Kilpatrick wiped away tears as his parents defended his performance. The mayor then turned combative, saying that the media were "fixated" on him and blaming cuts in federal and state aid for contributing to the city's budget crisis and previous administrations for chaos in the Police Department. He also took a swipe at former mayor Dennis Archer, who is expected to endorse his former deputy, Freman Hendrix, accusing him of eight years of inaction. Kilpatrick, who played college football, also told the crowd, "It's time for some offense. As an offensive tackle, I can't wait to hit someone."
But even the Kilpatrick rally touched off controversy. The mayor's father compared news stories about his son's behavior to lies the Nazis used to spark the Holocaust, a comparison that brought howls of protest and an a quick public apology. And Free Press Washington correspondent Ruby Bailey tartly pointed out that Detroiters should be voting for a mayor, not someone to hang with and suggested that the mayor still doesn't understand the difference.
Meanwhile, the newspapers continued to focus on the mayor's spending. On Tuesday, the Detroit Free Press detailed some of Kilpatrick's expenses, which included trips to the spa, a hotel room for his babysitter, a posh Las Vegas casino, and chauffered sedans. The story also noted that the Kilpatrick apparently violated the Freedom of Information Act by refusing to turn over evidence of questionable items charged to his city-issued credit card.
Although the mayor did write a check for $8,978 to the city to cover a number of expenses, Auditor General Joe Harris maintained that Kilpatrick's improper or undocumented expenses could run as high as $50,000 and that he should reimburse the city for them as well.
There was another story involving city spending. Sunday's Detroit News, reported on a private fund controlled by powerful business and civic leaders. The problem with the fund, which was established by Mayor Coleman Young to pay for civic improvements, is that the names of its donors are secret. That raises issues of transparency and possible conflicts of interest.
But there was one bit of good news for the mayor. Governor Granholm, who endorsed him for re-election last year at Mackinac Island, is still in his corner.
High Court Overturns Wine Shipment Law
On Monday, the Supreme Court ruled, 5-4, that Michigan's law banning out-of-state wineries from shipping directly to state residents was unconstitutional. In his majority opinion, Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote, "States have broad power to regulate liquor. This power, however, does not allow states to ban, or severely limit, the direct shipment of out-of-state wine while simultaneously authorizing direct shipment by in-state producers." He added that if a state permits direct shipments of wine, it must do so on evenhanded terms.
But Michigan's wine wars are far from over. Nida Samona, who chairs the Michigan Liquor Control Commission, said that the LCC will urge lawmakers to bar direct shipments for both local and out-of-state wineries in order to deter underage customers from buying. However, Justice Kennedy dismissed the underage-drinking argument, pointing out that young drinkers prefer beer and
"alcopops" to wine, and that states could pass laws requiring customers to show proof of age at the time the wine is delivered.
Free Press columnist Brian Dickerson criticized LCC's stance, calling it anti-consumer and suggesting that it is the result of beer and wine distributors' considerable clout in Lansing.
The full text of the decision, Heald v. Granholm, is available on the Supreme Court's website.
Looking Ahead to 2006...and 2008
GOP Senate Field Grows. Add Jerry Zandstra to the list of Republican Senate candidates. Zandstra is a program director for the Acton Institute for the Study of Religion & Liberty and a minister of the Christian Reformed Church. He plans to focus his campaign on moral culture, economic strength, and international engagement.
Top Michigan Democrats: Reform Presidential Nominating Process. Two of Michigan's top Democrats told a Democratic Party commission studying the nominating that it's time to end Iowa and New Hampshire's first-in-the nation status. Democratic Party chair Mark Brewer called it a violation of the party's commitment to fairness as well as the principles of "one-person, one-vote" and that every vote must count.
Brewer also criticized the nominating process for starting early and exhausting voters and candidates alike; being so front-loaded that a winner emerges before most Democratic get a chance to vote; creating a long gap between the selection of a nominee and the national convention, which reduces voters' attention to the campaign.
Senator Carl Levin, a member of the commission, also spoke against continuing Iowa and New Hampshire's domination of the process. But he said that he might support a transition that would allow those states to vote at the beginning of the 2008 nominating process, provided that two other states were permitted to join them.
The Republican Party has no plans to strip Iowa and New Hampshire of their first-in-the-nation status in 2008.
Political Propaganda On Your Cable TV?
Sunday's Detroit News reported on a growing trend: Cable TV news shows produced by municipal governments. Most of these shows are funded through cable franchise fees, which means that local residents are paying for them. Those fees can add up. For example, Shelby Township spends half a million dollars a year to produce "Shelby This Week."
What's shown on those broadcasts isn't always--pardon the cliche--fair and balanced, and that has led to criticism by public policy experts and local activists. As Professor John Chamberlain of the University of Michigan observed, "If the primary source of information about government is government, I think the structure breaks down."
The most heated controversy over municipal newscasts took place in Warren, where Council President Jim Fouts called the city's newscast, "TV Warren News," a propaganda tool for mayor Mark Steenbergh. Earlier this year, WXYZ-TV investigative reporter Steve Wilson aired a story on the newscast's lack of objectivity. The city retaliated by accusing WXYZ of biased reporting.
What's Happening in Washington
Representatives United on Homeland Security, Split on Gang Legislation. Michigan's congressional delegation unanimously supported a bill that would change the way federal homeland-security funds are allocated. Currently, Michigan receives less than $8 per capita, compared to Wyoming's $38, and ranks third lowest in homeland-security funding. But lawmakers largely split along party lines over a bill that would impose tougher penalties on violent gang members. Democrats argued that it would do nothing to prevent gang activity in the first place.
Highway Bill Clears Senate. The Senate voted 89-11 to approve a $295 billion highway funding bill that includes more than $1 billion in new money for Michigan. The Senate version includes a change in the formula that would help states like Michigan, which pay more in federal gas taxes than they get back in federal funding. The bill now goes to a House-Senate conference committee, which is under pressure to eliminate spending to avoid a threatened presidential veto.
Great Lakes Sewage: A Growing Problem. According to environmentalists, sewage is fouling the Great Lakes because many cities' waste-treatment systems aren't up to stopping overflows. They warn that the problem could get worse if the Bush Administration cuts funding for wastewater system upgrades and loosens rules restricting the release of sewage into the lakes. Representative Bart Stupak (D-Menominee) offered an amendment to a spending bill that would ban the "blending" of raw and treated sewage except during extreme weather conditions.
Stabenow Co-Sponsors Bill to Help Manufacturers. A group of senators, led by Debbie Stabenow and George Voinovich (R-OH), announced they will introduce legislation permitting states to offer tax breaks for economic development. The legislation is a response to a federal appeals court decision blocking the state of Ohio from using a tax credit to persuade DaimlerChrysler to build a Jeep plant in Toledo.
Levin, Stabenow Denounce "Nuclear Option". In the ongoing Senate debate over President Bush's nominees to the federal courts, both of Michigan's senators spoke out against the "nuclear option," the Republican-led effort to abolish filibusters of judicial nominees. On Thursday, Senator Debbie Stabenow accused Republicans of trying to silence their opponents. "What we are really seeing here is a fundamental debate not about judges, but it's really about free speech," Stabenow said in a speech on the Senate floor. "It's about our constitutional system of checks and balances."
The next day, Senator Levin warned that the nuclear option would set a dangerous precedent and tarnish the character of the Senate. Levin quoted former Michigan Senator Arthur, a Republican, who warned in a 1949 debate over Senate rules that those rules were "as important to equity and order in the Senate as is the Constitution to the life of the Republic."
Legislature Update
Lawmakers Consider "Jobs Tomorrow" Plan. Debate began in earnest on Governor Granholm's proposal to float $2 billion in bonds to create jobs in Michigan. Sponsors introduced a resolution that would amend the constitution to allow the bond issue, and the governor hopes to work out a compromise with the GOP-controlled legislature. They have until September 6 to get the plan on this fall's ballot.
It's Back! The Democrats' "Trash-O-Meter". House Democrats brought the "Trash-O-Meter" out of mothballs and took it around the Lower Peninsula in an effort to publicize their effort to hike the fee on trash from Canada dumped in Michigan landfills. The Democratic caucus also started an online petition to encourage passage of their dumping-fee legislation.
Although the Trash-O-Meter was rolling, the Democrats' effort to hike the trash fee remains stalled in committee. On Wednesday, a motion to send the measure to the House floor failed. The party-line vote was 58-52. Republicans oppose the fee increase, arguing that it eventually would be passed on to Michigan consumers.
Democrats Propose Apportionment Reform. Representative Glenn Anderson (D-Westland) has introduced legislation that would put a non-partisan commission in charge of drawing congressional and legislative districts. Anderson's proposal, which would amend the state constitution, requires a two-thirds vote of both houses and approval by the voters. It's backed by Common Cause and the Public Research Interest Group, but opposed by the state GOP.
How Young is Too Young for Kindergarten? Senators are considering raising the eligibility age for entering kindergarten. Currently, children who turn 5 by December 1 may enroll, but a bill proposed by Senator Ron Jelinek (R-Three Oaks) would roll that back to September 1 by the 2009-10 school year. Jelinek argues that his legislation would ensure that more children are able to learn once they're in the classroom. Opponents contend that some children forced to wait to begin school will stay at home and learn nothing.
In Brief. The Senate passed a bill that would allow snowmobilers to ride alongside expressways under certain conditions....It appears that voters will be asked whether to ban dove hunting. No one stepped forward to challenge the petitions calling for a November 2006 referendum on the issue....Representative Paul Condino (D-Southfield) introduced legislation that would create an Amber Alert-type system to track down attackers of police officers....Governor Granholm signed a bill allowing restaurant patrons to take home their unfinished bottles of wine.
Around the State
President Bush addressed graduates of Calvin College in Grand Rapids....The State Board of Education made it official, naming Michael Flanagan Superintendent of Public Instruction.... Marjorie Sarbaugh-Thompson, a Wayne State professor, and her team of researchers, have concluded that Michigan's term-limit law was a bad idea. Among her findings: term limits didn't make elections more competitive, increase the number of "citizen-legislators," increase accountability, reduce the influence of special interests, or reduce partisan squabbling....Richard Covertino, the lead prosecutor in a terrorism case that fell apart, has resigned from the U.S. Attorney's office in Detroit....John Edwards, the Democrats' 2004 vice presidential candidate, helped raise $80,000 to fund Democratic legislative races next year....Wayne County commissioners passed a resolution against building a new U.S.-Canada border crossing in the Downriver area, one of five options being explored. At the same time, American and Canadian officials now believe a third border crossing won't be necessary for another 20 years....The Detroit News editorial criticized a Court of Appeals decision that threw out a malpractice suit on a technicality. The appeals panel based its decision on an 1879 law requiring certain court papers to be notarized.