Behind the Catchy Slogans, Party Differences Are Clear

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Behind the Catchy Slogans,
Party Differences Are Clear

By Michael Hanley

State House Democratic Leader

The advertising blitz put forward this year by candidates at all

levels has to be confusing to voters, and make it very difficult for people

to pay attention to State House Races further down the ballot. However, the

local campaigns for State Representative couldn't be more important to the

future of our state - and if you look at the record, the choice between the

two political parties couldn't be clearer.

Over the last 2 years, the Republicans who control Michigan's Legislature

have catered to the powerful & politically connected, while leaving the

concerns of ordinary people on the back burner.

The Republicans used most of the state surplus to pass a huge tax cut for

the wealthy, which provides only 85 cents per week for the average Michigan

family. They also passed another tax cut which will completely eliminate

taxes paid by Michigan's biggest & most powerful corporations. In the long

run, Michigan families will have to pay higher taxes because multi-national

corporations based in Michigan will pay none to the state.

Democrats, on the other hand, proposed alternatives to both plans that were

ignored. Our proposal for income tax relief would have raised the personal

exemption to $6,400  - the highest in the nation - and dramatically cut

taxes for families by hundreds of dollars more per year than the Republican

plan. And our tax cut was fairer, because it was the same across the board

for everyone - whether your annual income is $20,000 or $20 million.

Similarly, our business tax cut was targeted at those who need relief most

- small businesses, our state's job creators. Our plan would have exempted

all businesses with $500,000 or less in receipts from paying the state's

business tax. Businesses providing health care for employees would be

exempt up to $1 million. And the tax on business would be reformed to

eliminate its most burdensome provisions. With the Republican plan in

place, there will be no substantive reform of the tax, and small businesses

will continue to pay it.

Republicans passed a so-called 'Patients Bill of Rights' which makes it

impossible for physicians to overrule insurance companies, and impossible

for patients to take their disputes over delay & denial of necessary

medical care before a judge. Republicans even gave the final say over

health care appeals to a big government insurance bureaucrat - the State

Insurance Commissioner.

Democrats wanted real HMO reforms that put patients first. Our plan would

have allowed patients to go to court to fight for the health care they pay

their insurance company every month to cover.

Republicans are campaigning this year on prescription drugs. What they're

not telling anyone is that their program - EPIC - is on hold because the

Republicans have refused to pass a bill that is necessary for the program

to begin. They've appropriated more than $80 million for a program that -

because of their ineptitude - isn't helping one senior with prescription

costs. Plus, their program will cover only one in five seniors if it ever

does start. Remember the old saying: Half a loaf is better than none?

Seniors didn't get half a loaf on prescriptions from the Republicans. They

got the crumbs left over after our wealthiest individuals and largest

corporations had their feast.

The Republican House Speaker says that since House Democrats didn't vote

against the funding, EPIC is bipartisan progress. This is the "You're going

to eat it and like it" argument. Hopefully, voters will see through this

intentional deception and realize that Democrats supported funding for the

EPIC program because any progress is better than none.

But the fact remains that not one Michigan senior is paying less for

prescriptions thanks to the Republicans. House Democrats proposed to cover

one half of out of pocket prescription cost for every senior, but the

Republican Majority scoffed at our plan, calling it a "bitter pill" - even

though it included every senior, not just one -in-five.  We also proposed

to lower the high cost of prescription drugs as well, but the Republicans

again ignored us. Democrats want progress on prescriptions. We want all

seniors to be helped. Republicans want to pick winners & losers - and they

want fodder for campaign commercials.

Republicans are also running on education this year - specifically a $1,000

per pupil increase in the new three-year school aid budget. What they're

not telling voters is each year the Legislature is required to appropriate

money from the School Aid Fund to local school districts - and this year

the Legislature had a $1 billion surplus in School Aid. The Republicans

also are not telling voters what really is happening with School Aid. What

their 3-year plan really does is keep $500 million  - half the School Aid

Fund surplus - in Lansing instead of sending it to local schools where it

can be used to improve learning in the classroom. Their three-year plan is

a 'trickle down' approach to education, where the delivery of this year's

$1 billion surplus isn't made until 2003. What's more, in the last two

years of their plan, the state cuts General Fund School Aid by $250

million.

Democrats sought to have the entire $1 billion surplus in the School Aid

Fund returned to schools this year, not kept in Lansing. We wanted part of

that funding to be used on class size reduction, teacher training and

school building repair & improvement. We wanted to maintain General Fund

support for schools - not cut it by $250 million like the Republicans

eventually did. And we also wanted schools to get their fair share for

special needs students. Republicans ignored these priorities when passing

their plan.

Republican class size funding will amount to about a dime on the dollar to

cover every school in the state, making this funding - once again - more of

a campaign slogan than an effective program. We had the money in the

surplus to reduce class size, improve infrastructure, and increase teacher

training dramatically, but took baby steps instead of the giant leaps our

children deserve.

In 1998, Michigan voters approved a $675 million 'Clean Michigan Bond'. But

House Republicans have dedicated only $30 million from the bond -just four-

percent - to cleaning up our lakes, rivers, and drinking water. Democrats

support using the bond to clean up contaminated lakes & rivers, stop sewage

overflow, keep beaches open during the summer, and keep drinking water

clean.

Finally, there is an important issue in this election that Independents

need to consider before they vote. If Republicans retain control of the

House, they will have the unchecked ability to redraw Legislative district

lines to favor Republican candidates. This will allow them to control the

Legislature for at least the next decade. This isn't just my opinion.

Republican Senate Majority Leader Dan DeGrow has said that if the

Republicans can keep the House majority, "the Democrats will never get off

the mat."

On every important issue - education, health care, prescription drugs,

taxes and the environment - Democrats have fought for the families of

Michigan, while Republicans catered to powerful special interests, large

corporations, and state bureaucrats.

Michigan needs a Democratic Majority in the House because we alone will

stand up for working families - not the powerful & politically connected.

Democrats stand for fairness for Michigan's hard working middle class

families, and families can count on a House Democratic Majority to deliver

on the issues that matter most to them.

The alternative is at least 10 more years of Republican special interest

politics in Lansing. This is why it's important to vote for your local

Democratic candidate for State Representative on November 7th.

I hope you will.

Horseraces to Watch: Michigan House of Representatives

94th District - Republican Incumbent Jim Howell vs. Democratic Challenger

Cheryl Hadsall

Democrats are targeting this seat, which Howell won by less than 80

votes over Democrat Walt Wendling in 1998. Hadsall is a Birch Run Township

Board Member. A major issue in lay is the Patients' Bill of Rights. Howell

is promoting his involvement with legislation to reform the HMO appeals

process. Hadsall is criticizing him for making the State Insurance

Commissioner the final arbiter of HMO disputes, and voting against a

proposal to allow patients to go to court after they are denied treatment.

99th District - Republican Incumbent Sandra Caul vs. Democratic Challenger

Susan Smith

This rematch of the 1998 campaign hinges on two key issues -

nursing home standards and Higher Education funding for Central Michigan

University. As a member of the House Appropriations Higher Education

Subcommittee, Caul was instrumental in securing a big funding increase for

CMU. Smith, a former CMU employee, claims that Caul didn't fight hard

enough for funding, allowing big universities to capture a larger share of

the funding pie at the 11th hour of budget negotiations. Smith will

continue her criticism of Caul's record on nursing home issues, now that

Caul, a former nursing home administrator, has a Lansing record to attack.

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