| There's an underlying thread that ties together this year's list of ballot proposals that I don't think anyone has paid much attention to. Well, except me. But, it's the idea that supporters are banking on the idea that voters just don't have any faith in the state Legislature. That's a selling point for Proposal 3, anyway, it places renewable energy in the Constitution so it can't be touched by lawmakers who no one trusts to do the right thing. What else was marketed this way? Term limits. LANSING -- Sold to the public 20 years ago as a way to attract "citizen lawmakers," term limits in Michigan are instead a launching pad for lobbyists, government officials and serial political candidates, a Free Press analysis shows.Seventy percent of those elected to term-limited offices cling to the political system after they leave, remaining as politicians or bureaucrats in government or parlaying their Capitol experience into jobs as lobbyists or consultants. Bill Schuette is the poster child for this, of course. After getting his clock cleaned running for Senate in the early 90s, he's bounced from one job to another. He didn't leave Congress because of term limits, but his career arc is one you can pretty clearly follow. And, of course, pretty soon he'll translate his experience as attorney general into a run for governor, just as he translated his experience as an appellate court judge into a run at attorney general. What experience did he bank on in winning his seat on the appeals court? Simple name recognition, since I don't think he's ever spent a day arguing before a judge. |
