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Ball Votes No On MESSA ReformsDick Ball today voted no on the MESSA busting bill. However he did not support the sales tax expansion to discretionary services. The tax on services is meant to fill the gap between the income tax and the additional revenue needed to balance the budget. We’re keeping an eye on the budget fiasco over on BFM. 10 comments to Ball Votes No On MESSA ReformsLeave a Reply |
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Well when the final vote came down in the wee hours of Sunday morning, Mr. Ball changed his mind and voted yes. A self described proponent of MEA and MESSA it looks like he gave in to the political pressure of the moment and threw them under the bus.
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Denny: To the contrary, my father, State Rep. Dick Ball, did not give in “to the political pressure of the moment and (throw) them (the MEA) under the bus.” My father’s vote had very little to do with political pressure from the Republican party or from recall advocates. In fact, I spoke with my father several times during the budget debate and encouraged him to support a spending cut and structural reforms in state government, rather than a tax hike. I also submitted correspondence through the MEA web site and recommended that educators offer to restructure MESSA in order to reduce the state’s health care cost burden. This would have been a heroic act of self-sacrifice and would have made a favorable impression upon beleaguered Michigan taxpayers. Unfortunately, it appears that MEA lobbyists continued to pressure the Governor and the Legislature until the bitter end. I fear this tactic will backfire, and it may not bode well for local school millage votes in future elections. I encourage the citizens in the 85th District to rally in support of new business development in their communities. Job creation is the only effective means to stimulate the economy, rebuild the revenue base, and mitigate future tax increases.
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David & Denny,
(Denny, welcome to the site)
I don’t know what happened with MESSA. I thought he had voted against the “reform”. I must have read an incorrect report on that.
According to House & Senate Fiscal Agencies, MESSA reforms as passed do not save any money. In fact they cost the state money. This was just political cover so the Democrats could get 2 Senate votes. IMHO, a bad trade.
As for the revenues … after months and months of saying that Michigan needed revenues, Dick Ball voted against them. Once again, he voted exactly as his party instructed.
My position on this is reinforced by House Republican Leader Craig DeRoche saying that he had not “released any votes” for revenues.
David, like I said, I have a soft spot for your dad, but I have confidence in my position on this. If he had wanted cuts and “reforms” only, he shouldn’t have said we needed revenues. Consistent with that position, he should not have supported the MESSA reform, which actually costs the state in administrative and IT costs.
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christine: I appreciate your “soft spot” for my father, and I understand your position is based on his previous statements about revenues, but I assure you that he is not beholden to Rep. DeRoche or anyone else in the Republican party. I corresponded frequently with my father via phone and email during the budget process. I repeatedly stated to him my conviction that an income tax hike was the wrong approach, and that spending cuts and government restructuring are essential to improve Michigan’s business climate. I would flatter myself if I believe that I influenced his final votes, but I hope that I encouraged and informed him. The MESSA reform is a small step in the right direction, perhaps symbolic rather than tangible in terms of cost savings, but I believe it sends a signal to Michigan taxpayers that every interest group will be expected to sacrifice something to reduce the budget deficit. I personally abhor the decision to expand the sales tax to selected services, because it is evidence that the more persuasive (i.e., well funded) lobbyists prevailed. The revenue challenges will persist in 2008 as Michigan’s manufacturing base continues to decline and the Governor and the Legislature struggle to balance the budget. I hope that Republicans and Democrats will choose to transcend the ugly rhetoric and self-serving political conflicts that we witnessed throughout 2007. I am optimistic that a bipartisan approach to solving problems will help make Michigan more competitive in the global economy.
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David, I can respect that you know your dad better than I do, but I don’t think you can assure me that he’s not beholden to the party, when the party leader is saying that he is, and his own contradictory behavior suggests that he is.
Sorry. We can agree to disagree on it though.
Also I disagree on the taxes. The Governor put forward a plan of revenues, cuts, and reforms, back in February. We needed all 3, and polls consistently showed that most Michigan residents agreed that we needed all 3. The majority of the disagreement was on what kind of tax would be best. I don’t like the weird selective services tax. Personally I preferred the 2% service tax across the board, with no increase on income tax.
(I also prefer a progressive income tax, but that’s a different story)
I don’t think Michigan can cut its way out of this. We’ve been cutting since the 90′s and it really hasn’t done anything for us. Time to invest in the state.
My own personal biased opinion.
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christine: Okay, we can agree to disagree about the political influences that affect my father’s voting record. I’m confident that he’s very effectively serving his constituents in the 85th District, and I’m proud of his votes against higher taxes as the means of balancing the budget. We can also agree to disagree about the relative merits of tax increases versus spending cuts and structural reforms (although the progressive income tax is worth consideration). It’s true that Michigan cut taxes during the Engler administration, but neither the Governor nor the Legislature made significant progress toward the structural reforms that are necessary to make Michigan more competitive in the global marketplace. The century of prosperity that was based on automotive and manufacturing dominance is over, and so far Michigan has failed to diversify its economic base. The nation’s perception of Michigan is captured in the image of laborers carrying picket signs outside of an idle General Motors plant. The citizens of Michigan must create a new vision of economic progress based on entrepreneurship and global partnerships, and they must elect leaders who will share that vision and promote policies to achieve it.
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christine: While searching your web site and reviewing some of your previous blogs regarding my father, I discovered this gem:
http://christinebarry.com/2006/11/08/just-another-dick/
I am very disappointed. I would have expected a more articulate and less caustic statement.
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David, I don’t blame you. I’ve learned more about your dad since then, and don’t think the same way about him as I did then. Also, I know better than to write when I’m that mad. I was really angry at the Democrats, and taking it out on him.
For what it’s worth.
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David,
Last Sunday afternoon Rep. Ball demonstrated he would vote against 418. For close to 5 hours the House voting board on 418 displayed he was against this bill. He changed his mind at the last minute foe SOME reason. Maybe the threat of a shutdown?
Look MESSA was not against the main thrust of 418, just the release of claims data. A week or two prior there was an amended version that removed this requirement. This was passed by the House with Rep. Ball’s support.
The release of claims data will be devasting to MESSA’s business model. A model that has been sucessful in saving costs through pooling for more then 40 years. The sad thing is there were chances to make this bill work without damaging MESSA.
Many families were counting on Rep. Ball to protect thier health insurance and he abandoned them.
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Denny: The accusation that my father, Rep. Dick Ball, “abandoned” “many families (who) were counting on (him) to protect their health insurance” is very provocative, and I strongly dispute the statement. It is evident that you are more informed about the MESSA business model than I am, so I will not contest your assertion that the model “has been successful in saving costs through pooling for more than 40 years.” As I stated previously, the benefits of restructuring MESSA may be more symbolic than tangible, but I believe that passage of SB 418 was necessary as a public demonstration of the legislature’s intent to reform Michigan’s public employee health care cost structure. Time will tell if this approach will be successful–in combination with other reform measures–but Michigan citizens are suffering the dual effects of a declining economy and an untenable tax burden. As I stated to christine, I’m proud of my father’s service on behalf of the citizens of the 85th District, and I believe he did the right thing in voting against tax hikes, whatever may be the public perception of his motivation.
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