Laura Berman

Michigan's Legislature ... what is it good for?

In Lansing, even the emperors-to-be have no clothes.

Case in point: Lt. Gov. John Cherry -- who wants to be promoted to governor -- signed on last week to the conventional wisdom that the Legislature is broken. It can't or won't move beyond its current pattern of budget cuts, threats, late-night sessions, name calling and momentary fixes.

"People are not happy with the capacity of state government to solve problems right now," he said.

So what's Cherry's overarching vision? A ballot proposal, perhaps initiated by frustrated school administrators or parents or, well, somebody to rethink the way the state raises revenue.

As a Michigan voter, this is empowering: It's up to us, the people, to recast the state budget and tax system.

But if that's true, why are we paying for a costly system of representative government? If the legislators and would-be Democratic gubernatorial nominee are tapped out of ideas, can't get along and are absolutely unable to forge any kind of meaningful plan, what do they offer us?

Leadership is becoming just another way to say sorry, can't help you.

H1N1 is mild compared to the Lansing flu, a chronic and incurable ailment that renders elected officials helpless to change government in any meaningful way. (No wonder there's a move toward undoing term limits; it's mindless reform that helps current legislators.)

But throwing your hands up in the air and admitting that you've got no workable solution -- not even a forceful idea for one -- isn't what we voters want to hear.

In Lansing, there's been consensus for at least five years that the system is broken. The state no longer raises enough money to guarantee it can perform basic functions.

Like her lieutenant, Gov. Jennifer Granholm has recently suggested that voters may need to circumvent the Legislature and vote directly for a new system.

Others, such as William Mayes, the executive director of the Michigan Association of School Administrators, endorse the need for a new system. "If we are going to be great, and rebuild Michigan, a strong educational system is an absolute necessity," he says.

Does he have specifics? Alas, no.

"I believe there are brilliant minds out there looking at this issue and hopefully making it a priority," he says optimistically.

Bill Ballenger, the Lansing editor of Inside Michigan Politics, points out that "there's no secret plan in Lansing" just waiting to be announced.

But Cherry, and other Lansing would-be leaders, cannot be allowed the luxury of throwing up their hands and hoping smart people out there will devise a solution and get it on the ballot. That's his job, or at least it's the one he hopes to win.

Name the problem, identify a solution, galvanize support to fix it: That's what leaders, especially political ones, are supposed to do.

Even when it's really, really difficult.

Laura Berman's column runs Tuesday and Thursday in Metro and Sundays online. Reach her at lberman@detnews.com or (313) 222-2032.