Granholm Administration Moves to Re-Combine DNR and DEQ to Save Money: That's Exactly Why They Were Split Apart

Michigan's Governor Granholm has proposed recombining the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) back into a united DNR.

The reason? To save money.

The reason the DNR was broken into the DNR and the DEQ, with their own budgets and responsibilities in the 90s? To save money.

Someone needs to explain this. Why will going back to the old system save money over the solution that a prior Administration, which was much more business savvy, came up with to save money in the first place?

I eagerly await a REAL GOOD explanation from the talking heads over this contradiction.

Kilpatrick MUST Go: He's an Embarassment to Detroit, and to the Entire State as Well

Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick spent a night in jail for violating his bond with an unauthorized trip to Windsor last week. The judge had expressly warned him not to return to his courtroom with new problems, but there sat the Mayor of Detroit again. The judge's action was correct; he had to preserve the integrity of the court system and treated Kilpatrick the same as everyone else.

He's an embarrassment to the entire state, and not just the City of Detroit. It was really embarrassing to see the Mayor in handcuffs in European newspapers as well as others around the world. This is the type of publicity that we don't need.

For the good of his city and his state, Mayor Kilpatrick should resign immediately. He's lied under oath, assaulted a deputy sheriff and violated his bond. He's already facing eight felony counts; Attorney General Mike Cox is expected to announce additional felony charges for the Mayor's attack on the deputy.

Governor Granholm should accelerate her hearing on whether she should remove Kilpatrick from office, as provided for in the city charter. There isn't a moment to lose.

Here We Go Again: Michigan's Temporary Budget Expires in Five Days With Potential for Another Government Shutdown

Well, here we go again.

Michigan's budget crisis is back in our faces again. Legislators have failed to pass a single part of the seventeen-part budget since they got Governor Granholm to agree to a month-long extension of last year's budget 26 days ago.

And once again, Michigan is looking at the possibility of another government shutdown.

Both sides insist progress is being made and have adjourned until Monday.

They had better be right; because the sooner they pass it the sooner they can get into remedial communications classes to address their problems in talking with one another.

Governor Granholm Issues Layoff Notices to 35,000 State Workers: State Shutdown as of Monday at 12:01AM

Our elected state government in Lansing is failing to come to agreement on Michigan's 2007-2008 budget, and Governor Granholm has begun to take steps to shut down the state government. Under Michigan's constitution, the state cannot spend one cent unless a balanced budget is in place.

The state isn't running out of money; it simply will not have the authority to spend anything.

Democrats and Republicans each control one house in the state legislature and they've adopted contradicting bills on what to tax, and what to cut in order to get rid of a forecasted $1.8 billion shortfall.

Once this crisis is resolved, I think the voters of Michigan need new leadership in the state legislature. This is going to be quite embarrassing if the government needs to shut down. John Schneider over at the Lansing State Journal called this situation a "slow motion train wreck" and he's absolutely right.

Editorials in many Michigan newspapers are calling for this stupidity to end and for both sides to compromise. I agree. These people need to get off their fat lazy asses and MOVE IT!

You have two friggin' hours!

Michigan is Without a Budget and Less Than Three Weeks Away from a Government Shutdown: They Need to Get Moving

There's a complicated fight going on in Lansing over the state budget, and there's less than three weeks before Michigan's government runs out of money and a shutdown of the state occurs.

The battle looks like this:

Governor Granholm vs. the Republicans
Democrats vs. Republicans and vice versa in both houses
House vs. Senate

The first two fights mentioned above were expected; the third popped up unexpectedly. The state senate is controlled by the GOP; the state house is under control of the Democrats. Each house is challenging the other to take action first to cut out a $1.8 billion budget shortfall for next year.

They've been at it for seven months now.

Enough of the posturing, people. Fix the budget, NOW.