LIVONIA – Michigan’s now 16-year experiment with term limits is a major reason for divisive politics in the state and endangers its future, former Governor William Milliken said at a dinner in his honor. But he raised hopes that the election of Barack Obama as America’s next president is a signal that the public is finally looking to put aside divided politics.
Speaking at a function organized by the Michigan Political History Society, Milliken also said he was confident the state would get through the difficult times it faces now and will face in the near future, just as it was able to get through the recessions of the 1970s and early 1980s.
Before an audience of several hundred that included many former Milliken officials and reporters that covered his administration, Milliken echoed the themes that he has espoused since leaving office in 1983, especially restoring civility to political discourse.
Talking about how he was able to build friendships with former Detroit Mayor Coleman Young and others even though they would disagree, Milliken, Michigan’s longest serving governor, said disagreements should not make political enemies.
He quoted the late Judge Learned Hand, who Milliken said he always admired, saying politicians should have the temperament not “to press partisan advantage to the bitter end” but base their actions on “a sense of unity that recognizes the common fate” of all persons.
To applause and loud affirmations, Milliken said the advent of term limits played a major role in accelerating partisan standoffs, bitterness and unwillingness to achieve compromises.
“I know of no other line of work where inexperience is considered an asset,” Milliken said. “When you look for an accountant, a doctor or even Joe the plumber, you look for people with experience.”
Term limits makes it nearly impossible for individuals to develop understandings of the highly complex issues that the state must deal with and would have prevented some of the most highly regarded legislators of recent history – former Speaker Bill Ryan, former Senate Majority Leader Bob VanderLaan, former Sen. Harry Gast and former Rep. Tom Anderson – from developing the expertise that led the state on taxation, environmental, budgetary and urban issues.
“Term limits have turned this state into a disaster,” Milliken said.
Term limits emphasize political pandering and put an endless stranglehold on lawmakers to endorse tax cuts, Milliken said, which means that when the state runs into problems lawmakers are forced to “cut the vitally needed services” Michigan must have to compete in the 21st Century, particularly higher education.
An emphasis on higher education is critical for Michigan to survive, he said, particularly when considering the advances made in India, China and European countries on their educational systems and the effect that is having on the world economy.
“If this state and nation are to survive, then good public policy has to start trumping short-sighted politics,” Milliken said.
He hoped that Obama’s election signaled a new mood in the country to turn away from short-sighted politics. Milliken praised Mr. Obama’s even-handed campaign, his poise and his reaching out to Republicans after the election.
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