Friday, April 02, 2004

MI Governor Disappoints Right Wing

The right-wing Mackinac Center in Michigan had high hopes for Democratic governor Jennifer Granholm at the beginning of ther administration, awarding her the grade ob B- for her spending cuts and an order to the Department of Environmental Quality to speed up air quality permits for industry.

But recent actions are threatening the Governor's grade point average. Her sins. The usual Democratic vices: threatened tax increases, "protectionism," restrictions on new plants and farms that use too much groundwater, and.....you guessed it: Ergonomics:
Last November, Washington State voters resoundingly overturned workplace ergonomics regulations that state bureaucrats had imposed on businesses. This came after a 2001 vote in Congress to throw out a similar set of job-killing rules the Clinton administration initiated during its final days. You would think they would learn, but no, a "work group" convened by Gov. Granholm’s Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration is busily crafting ergonomics rules for Michigan’s current job providers. I say "current" job providers, because when prospective Michigan employers take stock of the costs, they may give Michigan a pass.
And they had such high hopes for you.