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June 5, 2005Divisiveness takes tollPartisanship trumps policy, he tells groupByRecord-Eagle business editor MACKINAC ISLAND - Former Gov. William G. Milliken decried increasing partisanship and decreased civility in local, state and national political discourse, and said it hurts Michigan's ability to compete in a global economy. "We have seen a growth of meanness, of bitterness and of excessive partisanship, which can only work to the detriment of the region, the state and nation," Milliken said Saturday at the Detroit Regional Chamber's Mackinac Policy Conference. Michigan's longest-serving governor - 1969-83 - Milliken recalled working closely with Detroit-area leaders like former Mayor Coleman Young and said that type of cooperation is lacking in today's politics. "Despite the fact that we came from such different backgrounds, we formed a strong partnership built on the knowledge that Michigan's future and Detroit's future are inextricably tied together," Milliken said. "If Detroit does not succeed, Michigan will not succeed." Milliken, a Traverse City Republican, attracted national attention last year when he endorsed Democratic Senator John Kerry's presidential bid. He said political discussion too often is reduced to "spin" and "staying on message," which hampers lawmakers' ability to come up with comprehensive ways to address issues. "We will not turn around our future if those who would lead us waste our time and energy trying to score political points and win elections rather than focusing on developing sound, effective public policy," Milliken said Milliken was among the headliners at the first Detroit Chamber conference on the island in 1981. The turnout then was about one-tenth the size of this weekend's conference. His comments Saturday drew an extended standing ovation from the approximately 800-member audience. Other topics Milliken touched on included: - The state's burgeoning prison system houses around 60,000 inmates and costs $1.9 billion a year to operate. Milliken said the state prison budget drains funds from other programs, including education. He called on lawmakers to reverse the trend without worrying about being labeled "soft on crime." "No one is willing to step out and point out what an enormous waste this is," he said. - Term limits, which Milliken said sap the Legislature of institutional knowledge and make it more difficult for lawmakers to tackle difficult issues. He called on the Legislature to put a proposal before voters to extend state House and Senate terms. "Term limits have turned into a disaster for the state," he said. "I know of no other line of work where inexperience is an asset," he said. - The growing cost of elections and the role of money in politics; he called it a "very real threat to our Democratic institutions and our society." He also called for partial public funding of elections.
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