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by Tim Skubick
March 20, 2009

Us vs. Them is a long-standing tradition in Michigan legislative culture, and current events are reaffirming that attitude.

The “Us” in the House and Senate is everyone not from Detroit. You can figure out who the “Them” are, and right now some of the “Them” are making it easier for the “Us” to oppose any state help for Motown.

“As Detroit goes, so goes the rest of the state,” was the insightful mantra of former Gov. Bill Milliken, who against all odds tried to put his words into action.

The likelihood that a white guy from Traverse City could work any deals with black Detroit Mayor Coleman Young was far-fetched. Yet they crafted the “equity package” that saw state tax dollars flow into cultural activities in Detroit. It may have been the high-water mark for temporarily setting the “Us vs. Them” attitude on the shelf.

But alas, after Milliken left office, the “Us” went back to their old ways and, over time, systematically disassembled the equity package, stripping away dollars here and there and redirecting them to other parts of the state.

There’s been precious little Lansing action since then that demonstrates a heartfelt willingness to help Detroit, which is why the Cobo Hall expansion project was such a hopeful event.

Again, against all odds, outstate lawmakers joined with Detroit legislators and pumped money into the redo of the crumbling convention center. Everyone was unified in wanting to save the North American Auto Show from leaving Detroit.

Enter the Detroit City Council, with a 5-3 vote to blow up the rare bipartisan package because it did not have enough goodies for the city.

At this rare time when the legislature was able to be altruistic, the city got parochial.

From the governor to the legislative leadership, lawmakers hailed the deal as a good compromise. Yet five city council members wanted more.

The definition of a good compromise is that neither side gets everything it wants, but all get something they can embrace. There was something for everyone in the original agreement.

Detroit acting Mayor Ken Cockrel, Jr., who worked the deal with Lansing, could now lose his bid to win the office for good. Some five hundred folks rallied against him and the Cobo compromise the other day, demanding more for Motown — and if Cobo becomes a rally cry for weary voters in Detroit, Cockrel could get an “A” for trying but an “F” for winning in the May election.

In a naive bit of wasted energy, two Detroit lawmakers suggest the issue should come back to Lansing. Look it, you usually get one bite of the apple when it comes to helping Detroit. No legislator outside of Detroit wants anything to do with this issue again, especially since one Detroit council member labeled those lawmakers “racists.”

Nope, the only hope right now is that the courts overrule the city council and give the Cobo deal a green light. But even with that ruling, this whole sorry and ugly episode has done nothing to erase the “Us vs. Them” attitude. In fact, it is even more ingrained than it was before. Which is really saying something.

Coleman Young and Bill Milliken can’t be smiling.

Tim Skubick is Michigan’s senior Capitol correspondent and has anchored the weekly public TV series “Off the Record” since 1972.

Tim Skubick Extra Extra… (A weekly bonus for Dome readers)

Gov Plays Monty Hall …

You can always tell when the governor doesn’t want to talk during a news conference. The normally verbose governor gives you a one-word answer.

Question: Do you support linking a graduated income tax to repeal of the surcharge tax on business?

“Yes,” as she looks forlornly out into the Capitol press corps for any question on a different topic.

Well ya can’t fool the scribes in this town. They stay on the subject.

For 40 years, Michigan Democrats have lusted for a graduated income tax, but at every turn Republicans have said forget it.

Now comes this governor hoping to play Monty Hall and make a deal with the Rs. They have been grumbling for months about the 22-percent business tax surcharge. So the gov’s offer: give me the new income tax and I’ll kill the business tax.

But she’s made them an offer they apparently can refuse.

“It’s nuts,” suggests Rich Studley, CEO of the Michigan Chamber of Commerce.

The Senate GOP leader chimes in. “It’s absurd. It’s ridiculous. It’s DOA…dead on arrival,” intones Oakland County’s Mike Bishop.

Oh yeah, he also thinks it would set off class warfare between the rich and poor.

You see, under a graduated tax system, those who earn more, pay more. Bishop counters, “That’s already the case.”

The governor believes it’s a fairer tax based on ability to pay, and since most Democrats are not wealthy…well, you can see why she’s on board.

Anyway, the governor has opened up this can of worms — now watch the editorial writers have a field day with her.

Give her credit in that she is standing up for what she believes is right…just don’t tell that to Bishop and his sidekick Mr. Studley, who feel she is dead wrong.

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Everyone Wants School Revamp …

Pretty soon we will have as many education reform proposals in the legislative hopper as we have lawmakers — and there are 148 of them.

O.K., the opening paragraph is a tad over the top, but it is clear that reforming schools in general, and urban schools in particular, continues to produce plenty of chatter in these legislative halls.

The latest entrant is Sen. Hanson Clarke (D-Detroit). He says it’s time to restructure the schools in his district, including going to a longer school day, smaller classes and high schools, no charters, and merit pay for teachers — which is a non-starter for teacher unions.

But Clark is late to the party.

West Michigan Senator Wayne Kuipers (R-Holland) has been on this for almost a year and has aligned himself with key Detroit senators who are eager to do something. But the Detroiters are waiting to see what new course the state-imposed DPS financial czar charts before they jump in.

Kuipers has no choice but to wait for the Motown Ds to take the lead, because he knows as a white guy from West Michigan…well you get the point.

Not to be left out of this entire reform clamor is Rep. Tim Melton (D-Pontiac). He’s been in the trenches for over a year as well, and he scored a major coup the other day. The second-term House member actually got a one-on-one with the new U.S. Secretary of Education, who urged Melton to get serious about reform because Michigan could share $5 billion in federal money to revamp the schools.

As is the case with a lot of issues up here, the talk about education reform is abundant, the votes to actually do it are not.