Legislators’ change of mind a cynical ploy to keep jobs

ACHTUNG: This is not a “fair and balanced” story. It is an editorial by the editor.

“Go ahead, explain. But remember if you lie… the bogeyman will get you, and your nose is gonna grow.” — Johnny Crawford, 1962

I read this morning a story about what was just a rumor a couple of months ago in the “liberal media” — The Michigan Legislature this coming week plans to take a vote on legalizing recreational marijuana, and prospects are positive.

The Mainstream Media, in this case MLive.com, formerly known as the Grand Rapids Press, reported the boys and girls in Lansing are poised to pass a law legalizing recreational marijuana after all, something that 10 years ago would have been unthinkable. MLive suggested that lawmakers believe a state-wide ballot proposal probably will pass in November, so our legislators want to get out ahead of the issue to better regulate pot.

With apologies to Emma Gonzales, I call B.S.

The elephant in the room, conveniently ignored by MLive, is the huge political reason for this legislature doing what it’s never done — legalize pot. Lawmakers are overwhelmingly Republicans playing to their conservative base, but they are running terrible risks of being thrown out of office in November because the ballot issue on marijuana probably will cause many young people and pro-marijuana people to go to the polls. They are unlikely to look favorably on the re-election of GOP politicians who have railed against the substance for decades.

This is nothing short of a cynical attempt to remain in power rather than taking a principled position on a issue. When it is convenient for them, they will suddenly change their collective mind, hoping to prompt these young people and “potheads” to reconsider going to the polls Nov. 6.

The fewer rabble-rousers who vote, the better the chances of the status quo prevailing, at least in terms of who keeps their jobs in Lansing.

There has been a lot of talk lately about a “blue wave” being energized for the November mid-term elections, and this marijuana legalization proposition fuels that very prospect in Michigan.

So don’t let GOP Senate Leader Arlin Meekoff spin and try to do a sweet talkin’ marketing and advertising soft shoe. He and his ilk now are saying they want to get ahead of the issue and regulate marijuana so it’s not smoked in public and so it’s not used while operating a motor vehicle. The ballot proposal has no problem with that regulation, nor do I.

Republican legislators are not being straight with the voters, they just want to keep their jobs, as usual. I’d like to know how State Sen. Tonya Schuitmaker and State Reps. Steve Johnson and Mary Whiteford vote on this matter this week in Lansing. They’ve been steadfast opponents of marijuana all along, but now will they join their comrades in voting to assure their jobs are kept?

But on a side note: Please put to rest the laughable notion that the media is liberal. It is owned by corporations and it does the bidding of the status quo. I ought to know. I’ve been in the business for more than 45 years, and there many more examples of media bias to the right that I have witnessed personally.