This bill just passed the House. It will match a Senate Bill 785 to define and limit the role of the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) in the regulation of wetlands. Michigan will draw closer to 48 other states to fall back on EPA rules for wetlands.
This will begin to make Michigan more competitive in the global job market, though, much more work needs to be done.
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Saginaw News Editorial -Thursday
Editorials, Interact - Top Story »
Torn From The Front Page: Government bloggers update their constituents on the spot
By The Saginaw News staff
October 01, 2009, 5:41AM
Communication is more than a two-way street these days — with all our electronic, wireless, mobile and other options, it’s more like the traffic circle at Piccadilly Circus.
But successful transmission of information, ideas and opinions still depend on the willingness and effort put into the exchange by the parties on either end.
That’s what is so encouraging about the recent efforts to expand communication by two Saginaw-area public servants.
State Rep. Ken Horn, R-Frankenmuth, started on online blog to chronicle the making of the budget sausage at our state Capitol.
And Ron Lee, manager of Saginaw Township, has inaugurated a blog of his own to share information and his viewpoints with township residents.
For the uninitiated, “blog” is short for Web log; in short, it’s an online journal in which the proprietor can inform, entertain, share his or her philosophy and, if they choose, invite interaction from their visitors.
At best, they give insight into the motivations of the author and others, broadening our understanding of issues that normally might be beyond our grasp. Here are some excellent examples from Horn’s blog, at www.repkenhorn.blogspot.com, earlier this week:
“Human Services Budget: Voting again! This is one of the big ones. 29% cut, which is taking a lot of heat off of the K-12 education budget at 3% cut. You should know that nobody in the Capitol building is very happy about these cuts. Not that I can see anyways. This is tough, and we’re all thinking that it isn’t going to get any easier with next year’s budget.”
And: “Let’s get this show on the road, already!: Oh… good Heavens!!! Our colleagues on the other side of the aisle just called a caucus for the third time today. It’s almost 9 p.m., and we’ve had no more than three votes. Four, if you count the two times we voted on the Corrections budget.”
And: “Corrections Budget: Voting on the Corrections budget now. There are cuts in the budget, but one of the problems with this budget is that any early paroles that violate their conditions of parole, go into our jails and we’re cutting revenue sharing for Counties. Double whammy for local units of government.”
These real-time updates, perspectives and opinions are the kind of information that in the recent past would not have been available to average citizens, even those who went out of their way to keep informed.
And the beauty of the tool is that it invites and allows immediate interaction.
If you turn it on, that is. Horn’s blog allows visitors to sign on as members, or “followers,” allowing them to receive updates when he posts new items or to leave comments for the representative while he’s in the thick of the budget battle.
Over in Saginaw Township, Lee is taking a slower approach. His online foray is to blogs what the Frisbee is to flying machines: Simple, direct and headed in one direction — right at the reader.
Lee makes it clear that he is sharing “facts,” not looking for a debate.
That’s fine from the standpoint of broadening understanding of government, although it goes against the “wiki” ethic of the Web — that is, that our understanding of issues grows when everyone chips in a little bit of knowledge.
It’s all good, though. At least he’s reaching out, in a format that more and more people every day are using as a tool to navigate their busy lives.
The machinery of government may not have changed much over the ages, as Horn’s blow-by-blow blog illustrates. But by embracing new technologies, our elected leaders are wise to open the democratic process up to the greater public in ways never before possible.
Torn From The Front Page: Government bloggers update their constituents on the spot
By The Saginaw News staff
October 01, 2009, 5:41AM
Communication is more than a two-way street these days — with all our electronic, wireless, mobile and other options, it’s more like the traffic circle at Piccadilly Circus.
But successful transmission of information, ideas and opinions still depend on the willingness and effort put into the exchange by the parties on either end.
That’s what is so encouraging about the recent efforts to expand communication by two Saginaw-area public servants.
State Rep. Ken Horn, R-Frankenmuth, started on online blog to chronicle the making of the budget sausage at our state Capitol.
And Ron Lee, manager of Saginaw Township, has inaugurated a blog of his own to share information and his viewpoints with township residents.
For the uninitiated, “blog” is short for Web log; in short, it’s an online journal in which the proprietor can inform, entertain, share his or her philosophy and, if they choose, invite interaction from their visitors.
At best, they give insight into the motivations of the author and others, broadening our understanding of issues that normally might be beyond our grasp. Here are some excellent examples from Horn’s blog, at www.repkenhorn.blogspot.com, earlier this week:
“Human Services Budget: Voting again! This is one of the big ones. 29% cut, which is taking a lot of heat off of the K-12 education budget at 3% cut. You should know that nobody in the Capitol building is very happy about these cuts. Not that I can see anyways. This is tough, and we’re all thinking that it isn’t going to get any easier with next year’s budget.”
And: “Let’s get this show on the road, already!: Oh… good Heavens!!! Our colleagues on the other side of the aisle just called a caucus for the third time today. It’s almost 9 p.m., and we’ve had no more than three votes. Four, if you count the two times we voted on the Corrections budget.”
And: “Corrections Budget: Voting on the Corrections budget now. There are cuts in the budget, but one of the problems with this budget is that any early paroles that violate their conditions of parole, go into our jails and we’re cutting revenue sharing for Counties. Double whammy for local units of government.”
These real-time updates, perspectives and opinions are the kind of information that in the recent past would not have been available to average citizens, even those who went out of their way to keep informed.
And the beauty of the tool is that it invites and allows immediate interaction.
If you turn it on, that is. Horn’s blog allows visitors to sign on as members, or “followers,” allowing them to receive updates when he posts new items or to leave comments for the representative while he’s in the thick of the budget battle.
Over in Saginaw Township, Lee is taking a slower approach. His online foray is to blogs what the Frisbee is to flying machines: Simple, direct and headed in one direction — right at the reader.
Lee makes it clear that he is sharing “facts,” not looking for a debate.
That’s fine from the standpoint of broadening understanding of government, although it goes against the “wiki” ethic of the Web — that is, that our understanding of issues grows when everyone chips in a little bit of knowledge.
It’s all good, though. At least he’s reaching out, in a format that more and more people every day are using as a tool to navigate their busy lives.
The machinery of government may not have changed much over the ages, as Horn’s blow-by-blow blog illustrates. But by embracing new technologies, our elected leaders are wise to open the democratic process up to the greater public in ways never before possible.
The Day After!
Well... here we sit at the Capitol. The plastic cups and pizza boxes are gone, but the dust hasn't completely settled yet. We still have some work to do to clean up the budget mess we created last night.
A contingency budget is in place for a month. And, I believe a solid framework is in place to set the School Aid Budget, before their next quarterly payment in a couple of weeks.
If you followed my blog yesterday, you had a chance to see the ups and downs of government policy making (sometimes good and sometimes not). Michigan Government shut down for a couple of hours last night, but we're in business today.
One thing that really struck me yesterday, was the lack of ugly partisanship (compared to 2007). Oddly enough, the contention in the budget (Just in my opinion) is mostly driven by differences in philosophies by the majority party, on the other side of the aisle. Half the folks can't stomach such deep spending cuts and the other half couldn't get themselves to support tax increases. It left the House of Representatives frozen with inaction for hours at a time, stalemated on by their own disparities.
For me, I feel refreshed after a few hours of sleep. I've driven home each night after session and returned the next morning. In three days, I've driven 5 hours, and slept 7 hours. But, going home always re-energizes the soul. Besides, I get to see the kids, feed the pets, and bring the outside plants in from the frost. Life still goes on in Michigan, as the sun proved today, as it came up again.
I'll keep you posted as things unfold today.
A contingency budget is in place for a month. And, I believe a solid framework is in place to set the School Aid Budget, before their next quarterly payment in a couple of weeks.
If you followed my blog yesterday, you had a chance to see the ups and downs of government policy making (sometimes good and sometimes not). Michigan Government shut down for a couple of hours last night, but we're in business today.
One thing that really struck me yesterday, was the lack of ugly partisanship (compared to 2007). Oddly enough, the contention in the budget (Just in my opinion) is mostly driven by differences in philosophies by the majority party, on the other side of the aisle. Half the folks can't stomach such deep spending cuts and the other half couldn't get themselves to support tax increases. It left the House of Representatives frozen with inaction for hours at a time, stalemated on by their own disparities.
For me, I feel refreshed after a few hours of sleep. I've driven home each night after session and returned the next morning. In three days, I've driven 5 hours, and slept 7 hours. But, going home always re-energizes the soul. Besides, I get to see the kids, feed the pets, and bring the outside plants in from the frost. Life still goes on in Michigan, as the sun proved today, as it came up again.
I'll keep you posted as things unfold today.
Last post until noon
Senate signed contingency budget, no word from the governor's office, yet.
The House stands at ease until noon, later this day. We'll check in with you then
Signing off for the night
The House stands at ease until noon, later this day. We'll check in with you then
Signing off for the night
Government in Shutdown
Until the contingency budget is enacted, or we actually balance the budget, the government is officially in shutdown
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