Senate Approves 'Talk Like a Pirate' Resolution

For the second year in a row, the Michigan Senate has approved a resolution supporting Sept. 19 as “International Talk Like a Pirate Day.”

Fiscal Policy Director Michael LaFaive wrote about this very issue last year, noting that such meaningless resolutions are the best evidence yet that Michigan should have a part-time Legislature.

These resolutions hold no force of law, but sometimes such unnecessary and silly measures do propose ensconcing real-live laws in the state's statute books. For example, in March Sens. Rebekah Warren, D-Ann Arbor, and Howard Walker, R-Traverse City, (among others) introduced  a bill that would mandate that the cherry be the official fruit of Michigan. There are more than 60 cherry varieties, but unlike previous cherry bills this one wouldn't compel residents to only recognize just one of them as the state's official fruit.