Anuzis Comments on Detroit Chamber’s Mackinac Conference

Michigan GOP Chairman Saul Anuzis comments on the 2008 Mackinac Island Conference below…

DETROIT CHAMBER…starts their meeting on Mackinac Island today as leaders from around the state gather to discuss policy issues.  Attorney General Mike Cox, Senate Majority Leader Mike Bishop and House Republican Leader Craig DeRoche led the Republican contingency on the island.

CHAMBER OPENING SESSION…JUST MORE OF THE SAME…they discussed “bi-partisanship” and the idea of looking for solutions that first appeared to all require bigger government, more revenues, which means more taxes.  And oh yeah, by the way, there needs to be some structural reforms as well.  I felt like I sat through a session of a failed Democratic Party Platform committee session where Governor Granholm was going to promise to “blow us away”…again.  No one represented the taxpayers…the guys who pay the bills for all these great ideas.

If you rob Peter to pay Paul, you can usually count on Paul’s support.  Taxpayers beware.

BUSINESS LEADERS vs NGO’S…several times throughout the afternoon and evening the observation was made to “find” any entrepreneurs or job providers in the group.  If it wasn’t for the board members, the conference participants seem to reflect more and more those who need or want government or private sector support and/or more government and top down solutions.  The taxpayers, job providers, and entrepreneurs were grossly under-represented.

Back in my former days as a staff person at the Michigan Chamber (over 20 years ago!), I was often dismayed by the big government preferences of the Detroit Regional Chamber.