I commend Saul for even suggesting the DIFFERENT idea's.

Saul's intellectual creativity spurs brainstorming. Which I think is something the dems lack, since the only answer I EVER hear coming from them is.....OH POOR US, we wouldn't be in this mess if JOHN ENGLER didn't put us here.

GIVE ME A BREAK!

QUIT the BLAME games, and put your BRAIN to solving the MICHIGAN CRISIS.

Say it with me, oh come on I know it's hard, but just say it:

Privatization!

"Sign the recently introduced House legislation that requires immediate reporting if a department is going to go over their appropriated budget allotment and fire those responsible for overspending. He would fired the director responsible for the budget, not reward such behavior by making that person his chief of staff."

--Saul Anuzis, Detroit News, 3/30/2007

Leadership is more complicated than this.  It is threats such as this that encourages managers (inside and outside government) to pad their budgets so they may never go over budget, but also to make sure they use all of it.

If a budget is exceeded let's known it was for a good reason.  Going over budget isn't the end of the world.  Coming in under-budget, however, is a great thing.

And thanks for jumping in on the conversation.

I actually tend to agree with your point but think you may have misread Saul.  When he calls for that particular individual to be fired, he's not talking about some random dept. head who happened to come in over budget.

The bill he's referencing would have given teeth to the constitutional provision that department heads report overages when they know they're going to happen.  It would have better specified timelines and requirements, not called outright for someone to lose their jobs.

The problem with the department heads in question, at DOC, MSP and DHS wasn't the overage.  It was the fact they did NOT report it for months, hiding it under the rug during the governor's reelection campaign to prevent her opponent from using it as a campaign issue.