I am the last person to defend Granholm - and I am clearly not defending her now.

But as a Conservative, can't you come up with something a little more substantial?  

The answer lies not in more government programs, or proclamations. It lies in those community service organizations (CSO) - churches, civic clubs, private schools, charities, etc.- offering parent education services to families. Many parents alienate their kids merely from ignorance - they are doing what they've been taught.

If a parent was raised in an abusive household, it is quite normal for that parent to be abusive. What the parent needs is knowledge - what's a better way of handling the situation?

Currently, there are limited resources in the community, usually through the Michigan State University Extention Offices in your county, that offer these type classes. The problem is that these are gov't funded, which means that each time the gov't mismanages funds (which is usually all the time), the MSUEx loses funds and has to cut back services.

A better way is for churches, or other CSOs to offer these classes, funded by private donations. There's two reasons that churches should offer these classes: 1) Jesus command to love your neighbor; and 2) better parents make for a better society.