Skubick

Michigan voters will decide in November whether to stage the state’s 5th constitutional convention since 1837. Up until now there have been four such gatherings resulting in 148 changes to state laws via that so-called Con-Con.

In 1961, the last time there was such an effort, a civil group was formed to urge a yes vote. The movement was driven in part by so-called “payless paydays” under the Gov. Soapy Williams administration back in 1959. Put simply, state government workers didn’t get their checks on pay day and voters took note. However the Con-Con vote was a real squeaker passing by 7,424 votes.

But since then this issue has appeared on the statewide ballot but a strong majority decided to just leave it alone. And as a result lawmakers and citizen groups have been doing it themselves with the piecemeal approach to changing the document. 85 proposals went to the ballot and 39 were approved.

One especially turbulent period was from the 1970’s to the 1990’s when !5..count’em 15 tax shift proposals were foisted before the citizenry but only 2 were adopted.

So what’s all the fuss about this latest effort to revamp state laws by tossing out the entire document and starting from scratch?

Let’s just say times have changed.

“We don’t know right now what would happen and given the political turmoil right now that we are seeing…now is not the moment to rewrite our foundation document”….warns Christy McGilliray from the citizen group Voters Not Politicians.

Now VNP and eighteen other bi-partisan special interest groups are mounting a No Vote campaign as they fear the worst if the anti-government voters show up in large enough numbers to remove all the gains the special interests have achieved over the years and wipe them out in one political fell swoop. However it should be noted that Con-Con can do that wiping out but ultimately their handy work would have to go back to another statewide vote to ratify what they did so there is a failsafe mechanism built into this over process.

Ms McGilliray contends all of this will unfold “behind closed doors.”

Wait a minute writes a former and veteran legal advisor to the Michigan House Judiciary committee Bruce Timmons who heard her remarks on the tube the other day.

“The Con-Con did not meet in secret with the shades drawn (and) there was a “Verbatim record” that filled “two thick volumes” on top there was media coverage of the debate.

The coalition was asked to respond to that. So far crickets.

That notwithstanding, some in town remember that the political climate back in 1963 was a walk thru the park compared to the social media dominated, take no hostages partisan bickering which some also believe has torn at the very fabric of the Democracy including no desire to find compromise between the two political parties and by questioning the very integrity of the election process itself. Talk to local county election clerks and ask them what precautions that are seeding into place to protect the process just should federal law enforcement officials or protest groups show up on Election Day to bird dog if true citizens are actually voting in city halls across the state.

“We’re seeing direct attacks on voting rights at every level across the country…the attacks on our democracy are on the increase,” Ms. McGilliray asserts.

While no apparent coalition is now promoting a yes vote, House GOP Speaker Matt Hall reports he’s an aye vote telling a recent panel that past citizen amendments that appeared on the ballot “sounded good but they had intentions that the public is frustrated about.” He gave no details as to what those might be.

Other groups like the Mackinac Center for Public Policy has a wish list including restoring Right to Work.

You can also bet if it decides to engage, Michigan Right to Life would be motivated to undo what over half of Michigan voters approved to enshrine abortion rights in the state constitution.

And you might find those who favor a uni-cameral legislature, or drastic property tax cuts. Pick your issue.

Some would argue, maybe it’s time for a healthy and rational debate to revisit the decision that only 7,424 citizens wrought on the entire state in 1963.

Of course others would argue, when’s the last time we had a healthy and rational debate on anything around here?