(Editor's note: The following commentary is an edited version of the “President’s Message” found in the Winter 2009 issue of Impact.)

Some historical leaders famously wrote resolutions to help them achieve lofty goals. Even if they didn’t keep them perfectly, they probably came closer than if they had set their sights low.

In that spirit, I humbly offer these model resolutions for real reform of our troubled state as we begin 2010.

For government officials — Resolved, to read our constitutions and my oath of office and pursue no action that is not in strict fidelity to those documents; to pursue no policy that benefits my constituents at the expense of anyone else’s; to maintain a voting record that matches my speeches; to acknowledge that government is the means of protecting my constituents’ rights and freedoms and not the means by which some constituents acquire resources from others; to spend public monies and exert government authority with complete transparency, subject to the greatest public scrutiny and highest moral standards.

For candidates for public office — Resolved, to campaign on policy issues and not personalities and platitudes; to prepare, if elected, to resist strong pressures to serve “the system” instead of the people; to never sacrifice lofty principles of my campaign to gain a single vote, dollar or day in office.

For leaders of businesses, religious and other private institutions — Resolved, to remind public officials and candidates that I represent the sector of society that produces the wealth and social capital from which everyone benefits; to expect government to act as an impartial referee and not an active participant in the market; to refuse to seek government protection of my interests at the expense of others; to educate those I lead in sound principles of government.

For citizens — Resolved, to remember Thomas Jefferson’s observation that the price of liberty is eternal vigilance; to withhold support from those who promise people like me special government favors, or something for nothing, or to foist today’s problems on our children and grandchildren; to actively support those who advance sound policies; to educate our children on the proper role of government and the awful consequences of its abuses.

For supporters of liberty and the Mackinac Center — Resolved, to remember that those who have actively fought for freedom and provided for its support have always been few in number; to be quick to tell the Mackinac Center how it can better advance liberty; to receive the Mackinac Center’s grateful thanks; and to remember that even if we friends of limited government are outspent, we are not outgunned. Our principles inspired the revolution that wrested control of a continent from the world’s lone superpower in 1776.

For myself — Resolved, to live by the Golden Rule; to work diligently at the high calling of restoring government to its proper role; to care more about getting the job done than getting the credit; to deploy our supporters’ resources prudently, frugally and precisely where they will have the greatest impact; to make my board and co-workers glad to labor alongside me; to persevere and never give in to discouragement; and to seek God’s strength for these things.

Happy New Year!

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Joseph G. Lehman is president of the Mackinac Center for Public Policy, a research and educational institute headquartered in Midland, Michigan. Permission to reprint in whole or in part is hereby granted, provided that the author and the Center are properly cited.

On Aug. 5, 2009, Sen. Jason Allen, R-Traverse City, introduced Senate Bill 731, which would give statutory cover to a scheme transferring approximately $6.6 million in taxpayer money annually to the SEIU government employee union, one of the parents of ACORN. This is accomplished by creating a shell government "employer" for some 42,000 individuals who are actually hired by elderly or disabled Medicaid recipients to provide personal care services in their homes. A Mackinac Center lawsuit is pending regarding a similar arrangement imposed on home day care providers.

Wendy Day of Common Sense in Government has reported on Facebook that Allen was the recipient of a $2,000 campaign contribution from the SEIU on June 22, six weeks before SB 731 was introduced. In another post she hints that introducing and passing the bill was part of a quid-pro-quo between Senate Republicans and the SEIU for union support of former state representative Mike Nofs in a November 2009 special election, which state Republican Party Chair Ron Weiser had characterized as among the party's top priorities. Day observes that the SEIU endorsed Nofs on August 22nd, two weeks after SB 731 was introduced, and sent four full-time workers to help on his campaign.

The predecessor organization of Common Sense in Government had organized volunteers for a door-to-door "lit drop" focused on Nofs in July, when he faced a challenger in the Republican primary election. They distributed flyers describing his voting record on fiscal issues, in particular his votes against measures opposed by the MEA teachers union.

Senate Bill 731 was co-sponsored by these Republican Senators:

Roger Kahn, Bruce Patterson, Valde Garcia, Tony Stamas, Judson Gilbert, Mark Jansen, Randy Richardville, and Patricia Birkholz.

It was also co-sponsored by the following Democratic Senators:

Raymond Basham, Martha Scott, Dennis Olshove, Irma Clark-Coleman, Michael Switalski, Gilda Jacobs, Deborah Cherry and Gretchen Whitmer.

SB 731's primary sponsor Sen. Jason Allen is more commonly identified as a leading promoter of a massive expansion in Michigan's corporate welfare empire (see his "economic development" bills, amendments and votes here).

Wendy Day and others have reported that Allen wants to bring SB 731 to a vote in the Senate Senior Citizens and Veterans Affairs Committee to which it was referred, and which he chairs. On Dec. 8, National Federation of Independent Business state Director Charles S. Owens circulated a letter that he had sent to Sen. Allen asking that he reconsider his support for the bill. Owens wrote, "We fail to understand why, in the midst of record unemployment and a dismal economy; anyone would seek to pursue policies of this nature that are anti-small business and anti-free enterprise.

Allen's desire to vote out SB 731 from his committee transforms it into a "really might pass" bill, rather than the much more common "Dead On Arrival" ones introduced merely to pander or posture for a particular special interest or group. If the bill passes the Republican Senate it will almost certainly be quickly endorsed by the Democratic House and signed into law by Gov. Jennifer Granholm.

That would make this the second transfer of taxpayer dollars to the SEIU to receive official blessing in recent weeks. In November the Michigan Economic Growth Authority approved a questionable $2 million subsidy to a for-profit subsidiary of the union, to be located in the House district represented by Speaker of the Michigan House Andy Dillon, D-Redford Township. (The $3.7 million taxpayer wealth transfer that's the subject of the Mackinac Center lawsuit benefits the UAW and AFSCME, two other politically powerful government employee unions.)