By Rep. Dan Benishek

Imagine government without responsibility toward its citizens — let me give you a hint, it looks a lot like Syria's Bashar al-Assad regime.

America is blessed with a Constitution that protects Americans so they are not afraid that each new leader will turn the country into a fascist nation. No matter how much anyone disagrees with a president's policies, we can take solace in the protections of the Constitution.

The Constitution's authority is supreme and every piece of legislation must fit within the Constitution's limits.

This is why I, along with many constituents of Michigan's 1st District were so worried about the latest National Defense Authorization Act, better known as NDAA. The NDAA is what protects us from terrorist and funds our military. It is essential to keeping America safe.

The language of the NDAA was unclear and many worried that it gave the president the right to detain American citizens without due process. As a Constitutional conservative I could not sleep well at night knowing there was ambiguous legislation out there that could, if used improperly, allow the president to thwart the Constitution.

That is why when it came to a vote I supported an amendment by Rep. Louie Gohmert, R-Texas, which clarified that the president lacks the ability to unlawfully detain Americans without due process. These rights are guaranteed in Article III of our Constitution, but I wanted to make sure that no American had to worry or fear for their rights.

I am not a politician, I am doctor. I care about my neighbors, friends and fellow Michiganders and that is why I will always vote to protect our liberties.

America is the greatest country in the world and this vote was my way of defending everything that makes us great. I refuse to even entertain the possibility that America becomes the next Syria due to vague language in legislation. Our rights are guaranteed and I plan to keep it that way.

Dr. Dan Benishek is a Republican from Crystal Falls and the Congressman for Michigan's 1st District. He serves on the Committee on Natural Resources and Veteran Affairs.

Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette will appeal the federal court ruling that brought back to life the Service Employees International Union's "Home Health Care Dues Skim.” 

On June 20, U.S. District Court Judge Nancy Edmunds ruled that the state had to keep withdrawing dues money from the Medicaid checks of disabled residents to pay to the SEIU, which had challenged in court the state law that banned the practice.

"Private individuals do not transform into government employees simply by participating in taxpayer-funded programs like Medicaid," Schuette said in a statement. "We will fight to defend state law prohibiting the withholding of public union dues from private citizens who provide home help to the disabled."

The ongoing flow of dues from the taxpayer-provided checks to the union is called the “Home Healthcare Dues Skim.” The “skim” started with a stealth unionization in 2005 while Jennifer Granholm was governor. It has continued in spite of efforts by Schuette, the state legislature and governor to put a stop to it. The SEIU has taken more than $30 million from disabled residents checks.

“This is a welcome development,” Patrick Wright, director of the Mackinac Center Legal Foundation, said upon hearing news of the appeal.

If Schuette's appeal is successful, it would prevent the union from collecting additional dollars that could be used for political purposes, which the union's lawyer said in court was the reason it needed to collect the money.

The SEIU is promoting a ballot proposal that would lock the scheme into the state constitution if voters approve it in November.