1.  Public schools in Michigan need increases despite losing students?  The days of crying "for the children!" are over, now that most know the money is or will be funnelled into teacher pensions and health care.  
   
2.  Many are questioning the value of "higher" education, especially when UofM decides to build "luxury" dorms, complete with jacuzzi tubs.  Tenure is a preposterous idea that would never fly in the real world for good reason.
   
3.  Freezing revenue sharing isn't that much of a threat, to be honest.  
   
4.  As to shutting down Maxey and three prisons, there are other places where big cuts could be made, and SHOULD have been made long ago.
   
5.  Fire protection grants?  Fire protection services are going to be taxed under the Dillon/Granholm plan.  But that's just a "luxury" to them.
   
6.  Candace Miller and Terry L. Land have been doing a great job with SoS offices and policy, such as shaving over $20,000 simply by removing the letterhead name of the previous SoS (Austin) from stationery.  It was a small thing but it worked.  The SoS has also been doing a very good job of incorporating new technologies into renewing plates, etc., via the internet.  I took advantage of that earlier this week.  The last few times I've been into a brick & mortar office the lines have been reasonable and the wait time short.  Consolidating SoS offices wouldn't cripple the state, and it may justify putting a little more funding into expanding their internet services.
   
7.  The state police issue is one that can be revisited.  I did find it interesting that their union jumped in at the last minute to prevent layoffs -- I might look into whether they were sitting on the cash or took out a loan.  It would be interesting to know.
   
8.  As to the 2000 state employees...Lansing is so top-heavy with management its not funny.  These people, who are often unqualified and get hired based on their political/personal connections, are more interested in keeping their little kingdoms in place rather than doing an actual job.  The workers on the front line take the hits but many thousands MORE can be saved by elminating half of management.  They are dead weight.  
   
9.  One thing that hasn't and won't be mentioned are the huge fines the state is paying to the feds because of violting mandates.  In the overall budget picture they may be a fraction, but they're a BIG symptom as to why so many state employees are furious with Grahnolm and Dillon.  They know of where cuts can and SHOULD be made by restructuring, but the last few attempts were a joke.  Nobody was removed, incompetent directors weren't replaced and its business as usual.  If there was honesty on BOTH sides of the asile (and there's very little, if any at all), this would have been dealt with long ago.

In fact, what I want is this:

1) Privatize ALL foster care/adoption/juvenile justice; laying off hundreds of state employees.
This includes increasing payments for the services provided that would help minimize the need for residential treatment.

2. Close Maxey; Shawona; and Nokomis - laying off their employees (for a total of over 800 counting the previous bunch); and transferring the residential treatment cases to private agencies who cost between 50 and 75% less than the state facilities.

3. Offer more school choice options to parents, including for those who choose to homeschool or send their children to private schools, the option to write off their costs on their taxes, as credits. This would lessen the need for public schools and lower education costs.

4. Make all charitable deductions 100% tax credit on your tax forms. This would lessen the need for bureaucratic administration costs, which usually run 100-150% more than private agency administration costs.

5. Let the non-offenders loose from the prisons, moving Michigan's prison population more in line with the surrounding states. It has been estimated that this alone would save the taxpayers around $500M per year.

6. Legalize marijuana, prostitution, gambling, and ticket scalping; allowing Michigan citizens to pursue entrepreneurial ventures rather than Welfare payments. Cease arresting these non-violent offenders. Enforcement and incarceration would experience a huge savings and be able to put more time and effort into stopping violent crime.

7. Either sell the state parks, or contract with private companies to run them - at a profit. The private companies could reimburse the state, and maintain the parks the way that KOA campgrounds are maintained.

8. Privatize the services offered at the Secretary of State's offices. The state will set the fees, and the private company would reimburse the state. This would allow an entrepreneurial approach to these services (in the same way at the state parks) to find new and creative ways of servicing the public. While much has been done in streamlining these services, much more needs to be done that cannot be until the bureaucrats are removed from the equation.

9. Eliminate redundant law enforcement agencies. E.g., in a small county seat in Tuscola Co. in the Thumb (Caro), there are city cops, county cops, and state cops. In the town where I grew up (Caseville), also in the Thumb, we had Township cops, Village cops, and regular patrols by County and State cops. This is TOO MUCH. We need to coordinate these efforts better and save money without jeopardizing protection.

I'm furious with this whole mess because of the philosophy behind Grahnolm/Dillon's drive for tax hikes.  They're insistence on maintaining a bloated budget when so many people are out of work, cutting their personal spending and just plain leaving the state is unconscionable.  Granholm demanded more sacrifices from an already hurting public, tried to pour perfume on a pig by calling them "investments," and any meaningful budget reforms no longer have the momentum they need to be enacted.

Granolm and legislature -- both sides -- often forget about the Law of Unintended Consequences.  It takes precedence over ANY of their sniping and last-minute wheeling and dealing.  I'm sure they didn't mean to anger and infurate the public, but they have, and the Law may just work to get them recalled.  Deservedly.

 The Brown-Bag will feature a presentation by Knoll Larkin, MPH, Health Services Coordinator of Affirmation Lesbian-Gay Community Center.  

The presentation will provide information on providing culturally competent care to Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Individuals.