Ward fiddles while Michigan’s economy fizzles

Despite the state facing a $2 billon hole in the state budget because Chris Ward and the rest of the Michigan Legislature voted to repel the Single Business Tax, without a replacement, Ward is busy wasting his time trying to influence the U.S. Congress on much more trivial matters and pandering to his base.

Despite facing a deadline to find a replacement for the SBT or face cutting prisons, police, fire, road maintenance and helping the working poor with medial care and food, Ward found time on Aug. 16 to introduce House Joint Resolution AA to “petition the U.S. Congress to call for a convention to amend the U.S. Constitution to require congressional districts to be apportioned on the basis of U.S. citizens in the district, rather than on the basis of raw population.”

He found time to do this when the Legislature is on summer break, and it meets at a maximum - when it’s not canceled - once a week during the summer. Where are his priorities? He should be addressing the serious problems facing the state’s economy and the huge budget deficit we will soon face when nothing is found to replace the SBT before the deadline, but instead he is hell bent on writing discrimination into the U.S. Constitution. He is also on some kick against aliens, and this is just a continuation on his move earlier this year to identify Michigan drivers as U.S. citizens, or noncitizens, on their driver's licenses with House Bill 6086.

Ward’s resolution is the same discriminatory move that was introduced last summer by U.S. Rep. Candace Miller in the form of U.S. House Resolution. 53. Miller’s resolution was heard by the House Government Reform Subcommittee on Federalism and the Census in December, and thankfully, it hasn’t been heard from since. Does Ward not think Miller is capable of doing her job?

It’s ironic that this discriminatory Amendment they are pushing would most likely supercede the 14th Amendment that was passed after the Civil War because southerners would not accept African-Americans as citizens. It would do away with an Amendment that stands as a beacon for eliminating prejudice for one that encourages discrimination.

It has been referred to the committee Ward chairs, the House Oversight, Elections and Ethics Committee.

I wonder if we will see a repeat of the fisacaco of last May when Ward threatened to forcibly remove a Catholic Priest from the hearing room or arrest him when Ward held hearings on the driver’s license bill for daring to want to speak against the discriminatory bill.

Rev. Cecilio Reyna, the pastor of St. Mary Catholic Church, just wanted to tell Ward about his mother, A Mexican national who married an American GI in 1957, then lived in the U.S. as a noncitizen, LEGAL resident for 40 years, and she was tax-paying resident with a job and a Social Security number for that entire time.