Let's start with MESSA.  For those of you who aren't in the know, MESSA is more or less the MEA's Union controlled health-care plan.  What it does is consolidate power over health-care purchasing decisions with one of the state's most powerful unions, prohibiting local school districts from joining together to secure better rates for the Cadillac plan insurance they offer to our great teachers.  

Now lets be clear about one thing here, I'm not talking about cutting benefits.  I'm a product of public education myself and our teachers deserve the very best.  Especially the two or three I had over the course of my life who actually seemed to want to be in the classroom.  (I love you, Ms. Widdis!)

Nope.  Keep the benefits exactly as they are; just let our local districts join together as they'd like to bargain for a better rate.  Conservative estimates put the savings at over $420 million.  And that's every year.  The gift that keeps on giving.

Why won't they act?  Granholm owes her success to organized labor.  She's not going to cross them.  The sad part is, without another election to worry about she could actually get away with doing the right thing on this one.  Still won't happen.  A leopard and her spots.  

Dillon has a better reason to sit on his hands.  He's running for Governor in four years and he won't get anywhere in the process without strong union backing.  He's not going to jeopardize that by killing the MEA's sacred cow.

Budget fix number two:

Put a stop to Granholm's cronyism, specifically at the Office of the First Gentleman.  She's warehousing political supporters to repay election year debts by paying friends to work in her husband's office, some at $80,000 a year.  Moms and dads across the state are tightening their belts and doing more with less.  Whose side is Granholm on?  Theirs or her political cronies?  Michigan needs leaders who are willing to do the right thing and that means saying no to political back scratching.

Why won't they act?  Dillon won't cross Granholm on "family" issues.  And Granholm pulls off cronyism with conviction.  When you work this hard at something it's hard to give it up.

Budget fix number three:

Demand accountability from state departments.  Last year three departments combined to run nearly $70 million over budget.  What's worse, the directors failed to report the cost overruns as mandated by the Constitution.  After the accidental release of Patrick Selepak, and his subsequent killing spree, and the death of Ricky Holland, suddenly and without explanation, DHS, MDofC and MSP ramped up spending.  State Rep. Rick Jones (R, Grand Ledge) has begun making some serious noise about accountability.  Remember, violating the Constitution this way is a misdemeanor offense.  It's criminal.  The Representative's voice should be amplified.

But let's not just reign in unconstitutional behavior (although that'd be a start, right?).  Do the right thing.  Fire Patricia Caruso and those who violated the constitution at MSP and DHS.  Send the signal that you're serious about reigning in bureaucracy.  Then do what every family in the state continues to do.

Tighten your budget.  Slash 10% across the board from operations of every state department.  And don't tell the taxpayers that you can't provide the same services with less administrative capitol.  Just do it.

Why they won't act?  Demanding accountability of these departments is just about impossible for Granholm and Dillon.  Lets be honest, this one stinks to high heaven.  Is it really a coincidence that in the middle of an election, when potentially devastating political news hits (the Selepak and Ricky Holland stories scared the administration to death) suddenly the departments responsible for the tragedies ramp up spending simultaneously?  And is it really a coincidence that not one of the three departments met their constitutional obligation to report the budget overruns when they found out about them, opting instead to wait until AFTER the election was over?

Anyone smell cover-up?  Granholm won't hang her department heads out to dry for fear they'll implicate her in their crimes.  Allegedly.  Dillon won't touch it either.  He's not going to start making noise that could lead to criminal charges at worst and a serious black eye for the administration at best.

So you see how things go in Lansing?  It's a crazy town.  Three budget fixes that make so much sense it almost hurts.  And adding up to well over $500 million. All that's needed to make them happen is a little integrity.  Let's see if Andy Dillon and the governor have some.