What is the world coming to! I have been agreeing with Detroit Free Press columnist Rochelle Riley quite often lately.
I have made it no secret that her Liberal ideas sometimes drive me up a wall. For example, she once wrote a column about how John McCain should dump Sarah Palin from his presidential ticket because she was not smart. She called for that but had nothing to say about then candidate Barack Obama keeping Joe Biden on his ticket when Biden made more gaffes than Palin and outright lied during debates.
Truth be told, I do agree with Riley quite often when she stays away from politics and focuses on her love for Detroit. I also like her stance on being a strong parent. Kids need that.
So what has me worried is how Riley and I agree on Michigan House Speaker Andy Dillon's call for a unified health insurance contract for all of Michigan's 400,000-plus employees. If it saves money, every employees (including elected officials) should be placed under one program.
Here's what Riley has to say about Dillon:
Dillon is looking at the same budget numbers that his fellow legislators and Gov. Jennifer Granholm are -- a possible $1.7-billion deficit on a $47.2-billion bottom line.
So Dillon proposed a radical idea to keep the state from the fate of the auto industry: Place about 400,000 public employees and retirees -- city and county workers, teachers, police and firefighters, college professors, legislators and even the governor -- into one statewide health insurance plan.
Dillon's plan would allow the state to negotiate directly on behalf of those employees instead of keeping up with some 2,000 plans scattered across the state. The savings would come from making public benefits more closely match private sector benefits.
If successful, the plan could save $900 million a year. If the Legislature does nothing but beat around the bush until the bush starts burning like it did two years ago, it could lose millions of dollars and lots of valuable time. That's time that legislators could use to find ways to make government smaller and better.
Our state needs a revolution
Of course, as soon as the Redford Township Democrat offered his revolutionary idea, naysayers began talking about the impact on his political career. Some Republicans have embraced or expressed interest in Dillon's plan, including Majority Leader Mike Bishop, an 11-year veteran from Rochester, who believes in smaller, more efficient government and once proposed a part-time legislature.
However, most Democrats, as is their wont, are whispering among themselves, not taking a public stand until the lemming memo is distributed telling them which way to swim.
Why can't the state of Michigan, fast becoming the poster child for economic ineptitude, realize that tradition won't fix this? The old ways won't work.
Bravo! Rochelle! Bravo!
I like it when journalists call out wimpy politicians: Democrat and Republican.
Our elected officials need to understand they can't ride the gravy train forever and the state workers need to understand there will have to be more sacrifices because our leaders have squandered our tax dollars for years and now the belt needs to tightened.
I think changes to the state benefits need to be more radical. The state workers need to pay more for the health benefits like the rest of us.
Here's my plan: Any employee earning $50,000 or less should pay 30% toward their insurance premiums; employees earning $50,001 to $99,999 pay 40%; $100,000 to $149,999 pay 50%; and above $150,000 60%.
Also, the governor, lt. governor, members of Congress and other state-wide elected officials should pay 100%.
I understand state employees work hard. But, they have to realize when they go to work for the government, they are working for people who generally can't run anything efficiently so there are some risks. Sometimes that means a loss of wages and benefits to make the budget balance.
I hold elected officials more accountable. I think not one dime should be paid to ANY state-wide elected official until the state budget is balanced.
That goes for local officials as well. If a mayor and city council can't balance the budget, no paychecks or benefits will be paid.
I like what Dillon is proposing and it takes guts. This move could derail his political future. However, the people are getting tired of paying state workers great wages while they struggle to find minimum wage job, so Dillon could ride a wave of popular support if he plays his cards right.
I doubt Dillon's plan will come to fruition because it will slow the flow of excellent benefits the Legislatures receives as a result of our hard-earned tax dollars and Gov. Jennifer Granholm is a political coward. But it would be great to see our elected officials actually feel the same economic pain as the rest of us.
Until next time, enjoy Michigan and thanks Rochelle Riley for bringing this subject to light.
