Michigan Politics
Census Counts Illegals; Michigan Loses Clout
By George Weeks

There's no more vivid example of Michigan's dwindling clout on Capitol Hill than what has happened Up North in the four-plus decades that the state lost four congressmen.

In 1963-64, the Upper Peninsula actually had two U.S. House members.

Representative John Bennett (ROntonagon) represented eight western counties, and Representative Victor Knox (R-Sault Ste. Marie) represented the rest of the U.P. and nine counties below the bridge.

Now, Representative Bart Stupak (D-Menominee) represents all of the Upper Peninsula, and 15 counties below the bridge, including part of Bay County more than half way down the Lake Huron shoreline.

According to the Almanac of American Politics, Stupak in sheer size has the second largest district east of the Mississippi, and the most shoreline of any district.

Some of the Grand Traverse area counties that long were in Stupak's district are now represented by Representatives Dave Camp (RMidland), including Grand Traverse, Kalkaska, and Leelanau, and Pete Hoekstra (R-Holland), who has Benzie.

Such redistricting is not unusual after a census. And it figures that Michigan, losing population in relation to faster-growing states, would lose clout on Capitol Hill and have its members of Congress stretched more far and wide.

But what's not fair, and little reported, is that illegal citizens can get counted when the Census Bureau does the tally that determines how the 435 House members are divided among the states.

Friday, State Representative Glenn Steil Jr. (R-Cascade) announced a resolution urging the U.S. Congress to adopt an amendment to the U.S. Constitution to count only legal citizens, noting that "If only legal citizens were counted, California would have been allocated six fewer seats in the U.S. House of Representatives" than it now has. In 2000, one California district counted more than 260,000 non-citizens.

Steil's is a futile effort. His similar resolution in 2005 failed to get out of committee. Should the Legislature pass it this year, Congress, dominated by those who benefit from the system, undoubtedly would ignore it.

Nonetheless, cheers to Steil for pursuing the issue - one worthy of raising with all of the presidential candidates who will be passing through our parts in the coming months.

Northern Senators on Taxes

As expected, those who represent northern Michigan are split on the Senate GOP's Business and Economic Stimulus Tax (BEST) that emerged last week from the Senate Finance Committee, which includes Sen. Michelle McManus, R-Lake Leelanau.

She said the package, which will replace $1.51 billion of the $1.8 billion lost by elimination of the Single Business Tax, "will provide a muchneeded boost for Michigan by helping companies expand, cutting taxes of job providers and encouraging the creation of more jobs."

But Sen. Michael Prusi, DIshpeming, vice-chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, reflecting Gov. Jennifer Granholm's position, said he hesitates to "support any plan that is not revenue neutral. …We can't dig a deeper structural hole at this time."

Northern Congressmen

on Iraq

The partisan split of northern Michigan's lawmakers in Washington on Iraq was not as sharp as it was in Lansing on taxes.

Democrat Stupak, responding to President Bush's State of the Union address, called Iraq "the proverbial elephant in the room…costing $300 million a day, making it difficult, if not impossible to tackle many of the domestic policies the president discussed tonight….Clearly, the President does not understand that his policy on Iraq has been a failure."

While noting Bush "has removed his former leadership for the war" whose strategies "clearly have not worked," Republican Hoekstra, who chaired the House Intelligence Committee before Democrats took control of the chamber, said Bush "clearly needs to define the threat America is up against."

(Hoekstra last week was named by ex-Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney as his "advisor on all matters pertaining to U.S. Intelligence.")

Republican Camp, in a formal statement, said "walking away from" Iraq "would put Americans at risk." But Camp spokesman Sage Eastman said Friday Camp's commitment of support is contingent on the administration showing rapid "measurable progress" in Iraq.

Granholm's Northern

Inaugurals

As she did after her first inaugural in 2003, Governor Jennifer Granholm held an inaugural celebration in Marquette this month. In her appearance at Northern Michigan University, she touted something that has bipartisan support in Lansing - the U.P. forestry industry.

Granholm's January inaugural celebration in Gaylord was canceled because of the funeral of ex- President Gerald R. Ford, but will be rescheduled as part of planned northern travels after her State of the State Address and budget presentation early in February.

George Weeks retired last year after 22 years as political columnist for The Detroit News. His weekly Michigan Politics column is syndicated by Superior Features.