So the other day, Michigan state legislators and Democratic Governor Jennifer Granholm averted a budget crisis and a government shutdown by--at the last minute--making a deal. But it came with a hefty tax increase. Many Michiganders are not amused. Some are even talking about attempts to recall state legislators, and the governor herself.
Ms. Granholm is not amused: "I'm very angry at those on the fringe who would attack legislators who voted their conscience."
Er, Governor--first of all, labeling those who strongly oppose tax increases as part of "the fringe" ignores nearly 30 years of history--the history of elections being won by tax-cutting politicians. Anti-tax sentiment isn't the "fringe" anymore. It's the mainstream. And secondly, the question isn't whether many legislators voted their "conscience." That's not the question. Nor is it relevant. Just because one voted one's "conscience" doesn't give one a pass, doesn't mean that whatever you did has to be accepted. Many people see it as wrong, morally wrong, desperately wrong, to balance bloated governmental budgets on the backs of the taxpayers. That's why they're thinking of recalls. It's not because they think you and others didn't vote your "consciences." Rather, it's because they think your "conscience" was badly mistaken, and needs a shakeup.
