Commentary

Which Ballot Proposals Are 'Grassroots'?

MLive columnist Rick Haglund writes that the 2/3 tax limitation and international bridge ballot proposals are not a grassroots effort.

If you think a proposal on the November ballot requiring a two-thirds vote of the Legislature to raise taxes was put there by a grassroots, tax-limitation group, you’re wrong.

Proposal 5 is another maneuver by billionaire Ambassador Bridge owner Manuel “Matty” Moroun to try to stop construction of the proposed New International Trade Crossing bridge linking Detroit and Windsor.

Haglund notes that a small group of people funded petition gathers and innocent-sounding groups to put these issues on the ballot.

This is mostly correct. But while Haglund focuses on two initiatives that he obviously disagrees with, it is notable that he does not discuss the other four proposals on the ballot.

Because of the time and expertise it takes to make the ballot, almost every proposal this year and in the past have been started by a small group of individuals before being picked up by the grassroots. But it remains the responsibility of Michigan voters to approve or reject these proposals.

Haglund and others in the media are prone to frame the backing of certain initiatives as suspect because they are being supported by groups or individuals who would benefit from them passing. He should keep in mind that all kinds of groups support initiatives through their self-interest, and consistency would dictate a column pointing out the special interests supporting other constitutional changes.

Michigan Capitol Confidential is the news source produced by the Mackinac Center for Public Policy. Michigan Capitol Confidential reports with a free-market news perspective.