No problem, nice to be with you today.

I know you're a busy guy so jumping right into things, some of your House colleagues are traveling the State this week holding town hall meetings and taking testimony from job makers about the impact of the new Michigan Business Tax but you beat them to the punch.  You held a meeting in your district last week, right?

Yes, we held a town hall meeting in Port Huron on Monday night, and I have to tell you, the response was overwhelming. I heard from dozens of business owners and job providers exactly what we had been warning the House Democrats and the administration. This tax will cripple business in Michigan and drive jobs to neighboring states.

It's very ironic that Ross Educational LLC, a company based in St Clair that specializes in work force development and job retraining is considering moving its headquarters out of state just to stay competitive. I also heard a very emotional plea from the owner of St Clair Packaging whose business is located in Marysville. His payroll is over $1 million and it appears he may have to cut into that number just to stay alive, and we know that means jobs.

I spoke with your friend, Representative Meekhof, not long ago and I asked him this same question... the Governor says that most businesses are thanking their lucky stars or "doing the sign of the cross" because of the MBT.  Is that what you're hearing?

The Governor is exactly right, businesses are doing the sign of the cross everyday, and right after that they are asking for the strength to keep the doors open. This problem is way beyond the rhetoric of politicians; it's weighing on the minds of the people we rely on to keep Michigan's economy from a total collapse.

Ideally what would you like to see done, specifically, to address the problem?

The first move is to repeal the 22% surcharge.  From there we need to continue to identify the many hidden tax increases that have been smuggled into the package. I heard from our beer distributors that we are taxing the bottle deposits as gross income.

After the many problems are repaired, the most important action to follow will be to actually cut spending.

Realistically, with a Democrat majority that seems pretty darned determined to spend every dime they can, what CAN be done?

Well, if you remember we were successful in repealing the misguided tax on services, so I will continue to work to that end and hold out hope that the Democrat leadership realizes many of the business suffering are located in their districts as well. You have to remember the Dems are invested in this failure and I'm not yet convinced a turn around is in the near future.

One issue of particular interest to your constituents but not as well known out-state revolves around the location of your county jail.  Can you give us a cliff-notes version of the situation?

In 2003, St. Clair County began construction on our Intervention Center and Sheriff Department Office located in Port Huron Township. As a County Commissioner at the time, one of the questions that arose was the fact that the according to state law, the sheriffs office is to be located within the jurisdiction of the County Seat. After exhaustive research, it was the opinion of legal counsel that the county could in fact locate the project in the township and maintain an office for the sheriff within the County Administration Building.

Fast forward to January of 2008, the City of Port Huron elected Brian Moeller as Mayor. It's the Mayors opinion that a violation exists and the facility belongs in the City of Port Huron. This topic has raised an age old question. So County Commissioner Steve Simasko has asked me to submit a request for an Attorney General's Opinion on the matter.

And you've asked the Attorney General for an opinion?  Have you or do you expect to hear anything?

Last week I received a reply from the AG's office stating they have begun the process, which includes assigning the case to the Financial Division for review. This is a very detailed process that can take as long as 12 months to rule on.

This fall you're running for your third and final possible term in the House of Representatives and Minority Leader DeRoche is going to be termed out here at the end of the year... so... inside baseball, care to handicap the leadership race for next year?

Based on the fact that we have a great slate of candidates already working and that Michigan voters are not impressed with being hammered with the largest tax increase in our history, my instincts tell me we will likely have a leadership race that includes Speaker of The House. It's not a secret that our Republican Caucus runs deep with talent and there are a number of people capable of leading Michigan in the right direction.

However, our singular focus is returning to the majority. The leaders know who they are and what it takes to be successful in that endeavor.

With the way the Democrats have shelved just about every piece of Republican legislation it'd be especially nice to retake the majority.  Is there any one piece or package of legislation in particular that's been squashed so far this year but that you'd especially hope to see some action on early next year?

Yes, on April 15th I introduced House Bill 5989, a bill that would lower the Michigan Income Tax for every single worker in this state. With all the pressures on family budgets, it's imperative we give much needed relief to our working families

Anything else before we let you go?

I would like to thank you for all of your timely reporting of the issues that are of great importance to the 10 million people of this great state. In a short period of time, you have established Right Michigan as one of the premier sources of information that matters.

Thank you for the opportunity to be with you today.  Call me anytime.

Representative, thanks again for your time!