Given the deep-seeded animosity that some out state Republicans have for urban areas in the state, it is shocking that the governor got his way to deploy new state troopers into Detroit, Pontiac, Saginaw and Flint.
Let's be honest here. Those are not exactly Republican strongholds and traditionally GOP lawmakers have protested any influx of state dollars, but on this one the governor wins.
His targeted aid for the four worse crime spots in the state and nation for that matter, had the full blessing of key suburban and out state lawmakers.
On any other issue, accept crime, you would have seen some push back. Money for the Detroit cultural arts? Forget it.
Money for the needy? Let them find a job.
So why the acquiescence on crime? One theory goes, when those lawmakers and their constituents head to Detroit for a ball game, they want to feel safe and have a dissent shot of getting out of town without being harmed. Adding more state troopers to those cities certainly increases the chances of that.
Ironically it was a former governor who started all this. After a series of ruthless crimes in Detroit, ex-Gov. Bill Milliken was the first to send in the state cops and the road patrols have been there ever since the 1970s and lawmakers have not tried to end it.
And with the advent of two soon to be announced trooper schools another 180 "Smokies" will be on their way to those four cities.
To underscore the solidarity on this one, the head of the Michigan Sheriffs Association was asked to check in. In the past the MSA has had its turf disputes with the state cops.One anticipated a lukewarm response to this reshuffling of scare resources into crime infested areas.
"That's an appropriate use of those resources," reflects MSA executive director Terry Jungel without even a hint of jealousy. "As my daddy use to say, "You gotta put the suave where the sores are."
Monday, June 17 2013 7:25 AM EDT2013-06-17 11:25:47 GMT
Since the Tea Party is such an amorphous group with no political center of gravity, it's hard to get your arms around how much support Gov. Rick Snyder had the first time he ran.
Since the Tea Party is such an amorphous group with no political center of gravity, it's hard to get your arms around how much support Gov. Rick Snyder had the first time he ran.
Thursday, June 13 2013 10:35 PM EDT2013-06-14 02:35:56 GMT
The Republican-led Michigan House late Thursday voted to make hundreds of thousands of more low-income adults eligible for Medicaid.
The Republican-led Michigan House late Thursday voted to make hundreds of thousands of more low-income adults eligible for Medicaid, sending the legislation across the Capitol to a chamber where its future may be less uncertain.
Thursday, June 13 2013 6:15 PM EDT2013-06-13 22:15:19 GMT
Michigan's attorney general says the collection at the Detroit Institute of Arts is not vulnerable to being sold to pay off any of the city's debt during a municipal bankruptcy.
Michigan's attorney general says the collection at the Detroit Institute of Arts is not vulnerable to being sold to pay off any of the city's debt during a municipal bankruptcy.
Tuesday, June 11 2013 8:27 AM EDT2013-06-11 12:27:49 GMT
One can only wonder what might have happened had all these White House messes unfolded as Mitt Romney and Barack Obama dashed for the finish line last November.
One can only wonder what might have happened had all these White House messes unfolded as Mitt Romney and Barack Obama dashed for the finish line last November.
Monday, June 10 2013 8:07 AM EDT2013-06-10 12:07:34 GMT
For obvious reasons nobody in the capitol press corps would ever admit this publicly. But if you applied a little truth serum, some would begrudgingly concede that Gov. Rick Snyder is a master at staying on message.
For obvious reasons nobody in the capitol press corps would ever admit this publicly. But if you applied a little truth serum, some would begrudgingly concede that Gov. Rick Snyder is a master at staying on message.
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