Calls Grow for Constitutional Convention
New York Times
Few New Yorkers would disagree that the state's politics are broken. Even fewer are the number of proposed fixes that have actually become law. Now in the weeks since a partisan power struggle in the state Senate brought New York’s government to new heights of chaos, a growing chorus is calling for a more radical approach: a constitutional convention to rewrite the state’s very political DNA.
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Michigan Voters Will Vote in 2010 On Constitutional Convention
Michigan's Constitution calls for a vote by the people every 16 years as to whether we should have a con con. 2010 is the year for the most recent vote. Voters have always turned this down at the ballot box, but with all the problems facing Michigan will the Michigan voter again turn down this opportunity to "rewrite the state's very political DNA"?
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I would hope that this would be approved by the populace simply for the fact that any system of government that refuses to look at its successes and failures, and to develop policy in response, is short sighted at best. I know I will be voting in favor of this proposal.
ReplyDeleteMaybe holding a constitutional convention might not be a bad idea. I understand that a fear of radical changes would be implemented, but who is to really say what those changed would be? To my understanding, delegates are voted in, and therefore, it can be assumed that they have some experience in the field. Because Michigan is having an extremely hard time, maybe these changes could be beneficial. I don't know how I will be voting on this, but right now, it seems like it could be a start for success.
ReplyDeleteI would be in favor of a constitutional convention. With the constant troubles facing our political system maybe some effective and positive changes will be made. There are concerns of radical changes based on current dillemas, but if any positive changes are seen it will be seen as a success.
ReplyDeleteGiven the fact that a constitutional convention would not solve Michigan's unemployment or budget deficit, and instead would likely serve as a distraction to policymakers, I would vote against it.
ReplyDeleteI would vote for the con con, in my opinion, Michigan can use some change. I would expect that something of this magnitude could generate new and fresh ideas that may help Michigan. It doesn't mean that the WHOLE premise of what has been done in the past would have to be changed, it is an opportunity for the people of Michigan to take a look and see if things could be changed for the better. I would also think that the Michigan people would see this as a positive step, that the delegates want to make changes to help the people.
ReplyDeleteBefore I can even decide on how I feel about it, I have a question that some of you may know already: How do we select the delegates for the Convention? If we are to have a semi-overhaul of our Constitution we must have equal and fair representation at the convention, which isn't always the case at large undertakings.
ReplyDeleteIf we are to have a Constituitonal Convention we must re-write or completely change our tax system so that:
A. It is more business friendly
B. Generates enough tax revenue to balance the books
But that is just the way I feel about it.
In order to get a favorable vote on having a con con, the public would need to be educated as to potential positive changes to the constitution. A political party or special interest group would have to initiate a marketing campaign to gain the public's interest in the constitution. Most people are probably not familiar with the actual state constitution and don't understand how changes to it could impact their daily lives or the state economy. If an intense campaign does not occur to spark interest, there will not be enough votes to pass.
ReplyDeleteI have to agree that it would take education as to how the convention delegates would be selected, and what some potential changes are that might be discussed.
ReplyDeleteI tend to look at this negatively at this point because I don't think there is enough middle ground for positive changes to be implemented. I am afraid it would turn into partisan wrangling like we currently have in the legislature.
I believe that the con con is a great idea. First, I believe there needs to be equal and fair representation but, that being the case, any opportunity to bring the state together to debate the very building blocks of our DNA is a net gain.
ReplyDeleteThere are a couple of things that cause me to not want to be in favor of a con con. The first is the fact that unemployment rates need to be improved. The second is, who would the delegates be, and how can people become educated with the changes that want to be implemented into the constitution. I'm not saying that they couldn't come up with some necessary changes, I just don't feel that there is enough ground to make some drastic decisions.
ReplyDeleteIf I were to vote today I would vote to not have a constitutional convention. As the article read that in New York there are many corrupt politicians, and I would imagine that in Michigan we have corrupt politicians too. If there were a constitutional convention I would be afraid to see what changes would take place.
ReplyDeleteI believe that the constituiton of our state being the very backbone of government, should be changed very rarely and extremely carefully. I would like to remind everyone of words by Thoreau that say "The government is best which governs least." We need to stop trying to fix problems by just making more laws and adding to the constitution.
ReplyDeleteI would think voting to hold a con con to update and reevaluate the state constitution would be a great idea. I feel it would give the public the chance to have a say in what works and what doesn’t. It a chance for the state as a whole to evaluate the inefficiencies of bad programs and correct errors that waste taxpayers money. I also think local municipalities should continually update their charter on a regular basis to weed out old policies that may no longer apply or update policies for current times.
ReplyDeleteWhen many people are frustrated with how the economy, especially in michigan, has been the last few years, and with certain constitutional debates I think 2010 will be an opportunity that michiganders need to and I believe will take interest in. The changes that could be made will effect the state for at least 16 years till the next chance, or by some other means of lobbying like the recent medical marijuana law. But that shouldnt't derail the cause. Their are crooked politicians in every state, but their are good ones too, I say take the con con.
ReplyDelete