Michigan’s Congressional Delegation Is Worthless
As much as I hate pork barrel spending and earmarks from a philosophical point of view, the success of a state’s Congressional delegation has to be measured by how much “stuff” it is able to bring to the folks back home. A successful state delegation is able to bring home money, programs and benefits. An unsuccessful one stands by and watches while other states benefit from their tax dollars.
By that measure, Michigan’s Congressional delegation is one of the worst imaginable. While Michigan for a decade has been in a one-state recession, it ranks 46th in earmarks per capita. Michigan is a donor state—giving up far more in Federal Taxes than it receives in return. For every dollar the citizens of Michigan pay in taxes, they receive just 85 cents back.
How can that happen in a state that has been so badly hit economically?
The answer is simple: Michigan’s Congressional delegation is incompetent. This, in spite of the fact that it’s one of the most senior. Consider these names, and their years of “service.”
John Dingle: 53 years in Congress. John Conyers: 43 years. Carl Levin: 30 years. Sander Levin: 25 years. Dale Kildee: 21 years. Fred Upton: 21 years. Dave Camp: 16 years. Bart Stupak: 15 years. Pete Hoekstra: 15 years. Vern Ehlers: 15 years. Joe Knollenberg: 15 years. Carolyn Kilpatrick: 10 years.
You would think that all that experience would get us something. It’s especially appalling when you consider that both our Senators and our senior representatives all are with the majority Democrats.
That’s hard to do with a Republican president, they’ll argue. Then what about during the Clinton years? In the first half of his first term, Democrats controlled the entire apparatus of the Federal government. And Michigan was still a donor state.
Michigan deserves better. This fall, we need to get rid of some of these bums and elect Congressmen who know how to play Washington’s game.
Posted by The Editor on 06/07 at 09:23 PM
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