LANSING, Mich. (WJBK) -
Former Gov. Bill Milliken was fond of saying that doing good
public policy should come first and getting re-elected second and in fact if
you did the former, the later would take care of itself.
Or put another way: The public's will should be done first and
the politician's strong desire to stay in office should be subservient to that.
Ha. What a joke.
It is now all about
winning and if any good public policy gets accomplished it is like colleratal
damage or an unexpected event.
The latest and ugly
example to illustrate this centers on the governor's ill-fated effort to pass a
health care market place for thousands of uninsured in Michigan. It was an
outgrowth of President Obama's health care program which Gov. Rick Snyder was
eager to dive into. "Let's just do it,"
the silly governor advised the House GOP caucus.
But House Republicans
said let's not.
First they hid behind
the "reason" that no action should be taken on the governor's program until the
high court ruled on the president's program.
Well the high court ruled and that excuse was eliminated only to be
replaced by the real reason the Republicans wanted to duck the issue.
It was an election year
and the R's did not want to embrace anything that helped the Democratic
president and besides lots of voters didn't like the Affordable Health Care act
anyway, so why offend them and run the risk of losing an election.
So instead of doing
public policy, that the governor wanted to do, they did what they wanted to do,
run for re-election sans this albatross around their collective necks.
At a recent conference
on the issue, one sheepish GOP House member, who works on health care issues,
had to concede that nothing was done.
And then when confronted with the notion that
perhaps his colleagues bailed for fear of helping the president, this lawmaker
sat quietly while many in the 800 person audience erupted in applause over the
intent of the question.
Yep in Lansing these
days it is "Me over thee." Sorry Gov.
Milliken.
