Bipartisan leaders essential for Mich.

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It seems that every incoming president speaks of “cleaning up Washington,” getting rid of “politics as usual,” and “reaching across the aisle” to move the nation forward. However, these promises tend to be limited to words and speeches, not sustained effort and actions. After the inaugural balls and parades are over, they are often abandoned in favor of more partisan rhetoric and the ineffective policies that follow. Remember when former President George W. Bush painted himself as a “uniter, not a divider” and said he wanted to “elevate the discourse?” One would be hard-pressed to find legitimate proof that any of these objectives were realized during his presidency.

President Barack Obama campaigned on a strong theme of bipartisan cooperation — some even call it post-partisan, but that’s another discussion for another time. In the time between his election and inauguration, Obama’s actions seemed to carry through on these promises, as he selected a politically diverse cabinet and staff. For some, including this author, it didn’t seem like the promised cast of Washington outsiders, but it was still mixed enough as to cause a little controversy and not completely satisfy one side over the other. Obama has said time and again that he will not let partisan divides derail sound policy and difficult decisions. Given this promised landscape of cooperation at the national level, I have to wonder if it will carry over to Michigan.

It is an understatement to say that politics in Michigan are intensely partisan. Both parties are lead in Michigan by bright, but extremely partisan chairmen, Democrat Mark Brewer and Republican Saul Anuzis. Last November’s election was no exception. First there was a failed attempt by Democrats to put up a ballot measure that would rewrite the state constitution to favor Democrats at practically every level of government. The party spent millions of dollars on this effort and avoided answering questions about where this money came from for a long time, contributing to the toxic state of interparty relations. Voters will remember the race between Supreme Court Justice Cliff Taylor and his Democrat-supported opponent Judge Diane Hathaway for the now-infamous “sleeping judge” advertisement that only bred more bitterness between the parties.

In 2007, as a state government shutdown loomed, the 148 Republicans and Democrats who comprise the state legislature bickered late into the night until House Minority Floor Leader Chris Ward, a Republican, cut a deal with House Speaker Andy Dillon, a Democrat. With but a few exceptions, Ward was ostracized by his Republican colleagues for his action, never mind the fact that a state government shutdown would have cost millions and caused unnecessary chaos and uncertainty for Michigan citizens. It seemed as though a great number of our elected officials were willing to put bitter political battles before doing what was right to avoid an embarrassing shutdown of government.

While a similar battle was avoided in last year’s budgeting process, the quick fixes that have been employed in the past decade will not work this year nor in the future. The toolbox and bag of tricks are both empty, and it is time to start from scratch in determining how Michigan collects and spends dollars. Unfortunately, this will require a level of bipartisan cooperation that Michigan has not exhibited in recent years.

The challenges facing legislators are enormous. The most recent estimates predict a $1 billion state budget deficit in 2009, and if that sounds like a lot of money, just wait; it could grow to as much as $7 billion by 2017. The old approaches of cutting spending here and increasing taxes there just won’t work anymore. The state is plagued with a structural budget crisis. In other words, the entire structure of how taxes are collected and how money is spent in the state must be razed and rebuilt as something new and vastly different.

The difficult decisions that lie ahead are the type that traditionally cut the legislature along partisan lines. The state’s obscenely bloated prison population and its ensuing expenses must be cut, but how? The Michigan Business Tax, universally loathed by business owners, must be replaced to make the state more competitive, but how? Meanwhile, education, health care and other basic services need to be funded to give us any hope of returning to prosperity, but how?

Decisions about how to solve these problems in our state will not come easily, but as the saying goes, “You knew the job was dangerous when you took it.” Just as Obama has challenged Americans to stand up and do their part to better their communities and the nation, state legislators must evaluate their priorities and decide if they are in Lansing to serve the state and its citizens or their party and its sponsors. If they really wish to move our state and our nation forward, it is time to put aside the party lines and start a real discussion about what we must all do together to achieve our common goals.

Ryan Dinkgrave is a State News guest columnist and public relations graduate student. Reach him at dinkgrave@gmail.com.

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