Thanks for having me on, Nick. I appreciate your interest.

So many issues, so little time.  If it's alright with you I'll just jump right in... the big issue in Michigan the last five, six years has been the economy.  Last year we saw the House Democrats ram through a massive MBT surcharge among other tax hikes.  Your caucus has been traveling the State holding hearings on the new MBT and how it's affecting job makers and I believe you helped moderate one of the hearings in Saginaw.  What are you hearing?

Many businesses have seen a dramatic increase in their tax burden. The MBT surcharge was a costly idea that penalized the very job providers we wanted to help when the SBT was eliminated. The bottom line is state government needs significant reform to cut costs and promote efficiencies.

I'm going to be honest, a lot of bloggers and readers of Right Michigan are a little bit skeptical that anything will actually get done to fix these problems.  Folks are really anxious to see progress.  Are these hearings going to lead anywhere?  In other words, where do we stand and what are the chances of making some changes?

The hearings are a starting point to gain an understanding of the problems small businesses face with an increasing tax burden. Ultimately, we need elected officials who are committed to reducing the bureaucratic burden in Michigan.

Certainly it's not easy when you've got a House majority that's so hostile towards job makers.

Alright, next big issue, and this is one where I personally really, really appreciate your efforts... the "academic freedom" bill.  Can you tell those who might be less familiar with it what it's all about?

Currently in our classrooms, educators and students who raise questions about the scientific merits of various theories such as evolution, the human impact on climate changes, and human cloning run the risk of sanctions and are being silenced. I believe science moves forward when there is academic freedom to examine scientific evidence which may support or may not support a given theory and then have a robust scientific debate.

I hope to move the debate forward in a way that empowers those who are interested in furthering our understanding and courageous enough to follow wherever the truth leads them.

A couple of issues that were on the burners this week in the House.  You've been working intimately with the whole issue of water withdrawal and it saw some action on the House floor.  What's this legislation all about and why is it important?

The most significant part is the Great Lakes Compact which must be adopted by the Great Lakes States and Canadian Provinces. This will establish an authority that governs usage of this important resource. There also is companion legislation, which we are working to defeat, that would place agriculture and businesses in Michigan at a competitive disadvantage.

And finally, what's the deal with this partial birth abortion ban?  What's it going to take to get Dem leadership with a RTL endorsed Speaker and Speaker Pro Tem, with ten other RTL endorsed members, to actually do the right thing on this legislation?

We have attempted to use other ways to show our support of ending partial birth abortion, but each time we are defeated procedurally. We will continue to fight for the right to life of our most vulnerable children.

There's talk that the pro-abortion caucus is trying to trade this bill for four or five pro-choice bills?  Are you familiar with their package and, second part, why trade anything to get a vote on a bill that'll pass with maybe a 70 member majority?

The right to live is not an issue to trade on and we must win this on principle, not politics.

Thanks for fighting the fight!  And thanks again for taking the time.

Thanks again for having me.