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Turtle fence shouldn't rank as Michigan highway priority
Emphasize projects on infrastructure that move people, commercial goods
Washington,
Oct 26, 2007 -
Lansing cannot be serious.
After Michigan endured budget negotiations in which Gov. Jennifer Granholm would not accept any compromise without a tax increase and that led to a temporary government shutdown, the Michigan Department of Transportation announced that it is spending $318,000 to create a 4-foot-tall fence to protect turtles in Muskegon.
It is a tragedy that our governor, state lawmakers and bureaucrats cannot acknowledge the crisis in which Michigan finds itself.
Taxes have been increased on services and income, unemployment remains 63 percent higher than the national average and people are leaving the state because they cannot find work. Yet bureaucrats at MDOT identified $318,000 -- $28,000 from state gas taxes and the rest from federal and other sources -- to build a fence to protect turtles.
I would consider it a worthwhile project to protect wildlife from oncoming traffic if the state were flush with cash like much of the rest of the country. I fully appreciate and understand the impact of public infrastructure on Michigan's wildlife population and the need to mitigate it.
Forget 'boutique' projects
However, when passing a massive tax increase to close a $1.75 billion budget deficit, an unemployment rate that leads the nation and major companies such as Comerica and Volkswagen moving their headquarters to other states, now is not the time for boutique projects.
Too often, my colleagues in Congress and national news organizations look at me in disbelief when they hear about Michigan's priorities and its inability to make tough decisions. Massive tax increases without the necessary cuts in spending is the wrong way to help the state rebound.
We are fighting for each and every dollar to address the needs of people in our communities and should be exploring opportunities to improve public infrastructure that will attract business investment, economic growth and job opportunities.
Businesses recognize the realities of the new free market economy and fight every day to remain competitive. They constantly develop, revisit and alter strategies. They reduce costs. They improve efficiency. They create new products.
Government should go through the same process about any new spending decisions, including with the turtle fence.
How many jobs will it create? How much investment will it draw? How will it make Michigan more competitive economically? Is the project better suited for civil society or charitable groups? Is it a wise use of taxpayer dollars given the state's situation?
Michigan receives $13.4 billion annually from the federal government, which comprises about 31 percent of the state's budget. I recently requested that the governor convene a working group to study how it can better allocate its scarce resources. I am willing to volunteer my time and effort to help determine how to get more bang for the buck of federal dollars coming to the state.
I am also introducing legislation soon that would provide states whose unemployment rate exceeds 25 percent of the national average with the flexibility to transfer funds from accounts for special projects to infrastructure projects related to the movement of people and commercial goods.
We need to examine every opportunity to determine how we can help the Michigan economy to bounce back.
Michigan has the ability to become a success story with its top-rated schools, abundance of natural resources, skilled work force and advanced manufacturing capabilities.
It is time to leverage those gifts to help Michigan become a leader instead of mired in last place.
I am all in favor of measures that protect wildlife and the environment from public infrastructure, but we need to prioritize how and when we accomplish such goals. Unfortunately, Michigan has much more pressing concerns now.
Note: This Op-ed was published by The Detroit News on October 26, 2007.
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