Political Quotes

“some people say that 40 years is long enough. Long enough for this body to be controlled by one political party. Some people say, ``How will it be different under GOP control?'' My home State of Michigan provides an example of what changes might take place. When I was elected to the Michigan Senate in 1981, the House, Senate, and Governor were all Democrat. During the 1980's, Republicans took a majority in the Senate and in 1990, a Republican Governor, John Engler, was elected. Last year, the Michigan House, which had been under Democrat control for 24 years, became evenly balanced between the parties and things began to change. Taxpayers benefited from the change in party control. Audits of the appropriations committee and other financial books revealed mismanagement, even leading to indictments. One party in power, too long, without oversight led to abuse. With the turnover in Michigan, major policy changes followed as well, The unfair inheritance tax was abolished. Property taxes were reduced by 60 percent. The size of State government has been reduced significantly. AFDC grants have begun to shrink because almost one quarter of those on welfare are now working compared to only 16 percent a little over 1 year ago. We have expanded the number of prisons and passed tough crime legislation. Unemployment has dropped below the national average for the first time in 24 years.”