Comments on: Center leaders formally oppose RMGN

By: boona

boona — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 17:24:05 +0000

Is the Reform Michigan Government Now Ballot Proposal Fatally Flawed?

Freep.com blog written BY DAWSON BELL • FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER on July 11, 2008 thought so.

Also, you can read more about this at the Michigan State University Libraries “Red Tape Blog” With the title of “Is the Reform Michigan Government Now Ballot Proposal Fatally Flawed?”. It was written on 07-11-08. I tried adding links here, but could not. Sorry…

By: Mike Anthony

Mike Anthony — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 11:11:49 +0000

John,

I hope that the Center will be out in front on that approach we discussed over email a few months ago: send up an editable version of the existing State of Michigan Constitution that everyone can noodle around with. Not everyone can write in legislative language; actually making edits work politically is where the heavy-lifting lies, but offering up such a tool on your web site may draw more informed debate.

Changing just two words in any constitution is usually HUGE in the real world. But I can imagine that the ability to download our Constituion would empower our citizens. You might even find school children interested in it if the medium is the internet. (Would there even be room for this in our department of education’s public school curriculum?)

The Michigan Constitution is not a very long document and there are terrific internet tools for group-editing from Adobe and Google. etc. You could even have a link to other state constitutions so Center members (or schoolchildren) could compare core provisions of the various other state constitutions in, say, spreadsheet format.

We should be prepared, though, that others may reach the conclusion that slealthy, guerilla tactics for reforming Michigan government may be path to the better Michigan they visualize. Like many who have also commented here, I’d rather wait until the 2010 Constitutional Convention myself. Hard as it may be to listen to other points of view, I think this possibility is consistent with the open, bi-partisan posture of the Center. Hope this helps.

By: Alfred Boggs

Alfred Boggs — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 21:49:59 +0000

Just want to say a BIG THANK YOU to the Center for opposing the wild off the wall idea of reforming Michigan government. Yes, I believe we need to reforms in our state. Some by the constitution (few) and others by statues. I hope the center will keep up the good work.

By: Rich Studley

Rich Studley — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 19:47:28 +0000

Thank you for speaking out against this sneak attack on the State Constitution. This type of excessive partisanship and tactical manuvering for short term political advantage is all to common lately.

By: Eunice Burns

Eunice Burns — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 19:23:23 +0000

So often those who think they have a great idea forget to look at unintended consequences. I see many unintended consequences in this proposal, not the least of which is more partisanship in government. It is my thought that we need to seriously consider a Constitutional Convention. I believe the last one was in 1962. Much has changed since then.

By: John B. Czarnecki

John B. Czarnecki — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 17:59:04 +0000

We need to have a constitutional convention. In 2010 we should vote to have the convention as authorized in the existing constitution. Changing the constitution by initiative is BAD public policy.

By: Phill Orth

Phill Orth — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 17:20:55 +0000

I am glad you have taken a leadership position on this ill concieved ballot proposal. While I support a different system for selecting Supreme Court Justices that is less partisan, this proposed solution is would make it even more so. Re apportionment has been a partisan issue for as long as I can remember. I am not sure what the solution is but I think the idea of first drawing the congressional districts in the state after each census and once those boudnaries are established we divide each congressional district into 3 equal state senate districts (45 total) and then each senate district is divided into 2 equal state house districts.(90 total) We end up with slightly less house districts and slightly more senate distirct. In theory, once the congressional districts are established the house and senate districts should come togeather with less gerrymandering. Addtional conditions tied to the house and senate districts could include the requirement that the lines respect county, township and city and village boundaries and do not split them unless necessary to achieve population parity.

I have rambled on, but did want to commend you on taking a strong postion on this terrible ballot proposal.
Phill Orth
Lansing, Michigan