Sunday, October 17, 2004
JEREMIAH STETTLERTHE SAGINAW NEWS
This much the candidates agree on: Prescription drugs cost too much, bickering over Saginaw's water rates must end and tax incentives should go to businesses that hire local workers and buy local supplies.
If you venture too far from those topics, however, the chasm widens between Republican Roger Kahn and Democrat Timothy Muter in the race for the state House 94th District seat.
Kahn calls for cuts to prison spending. Muter says the prison budget already is too thin and that further reductions could lead to safety problems.
The Republican wants to cut bureaucratic barriers in Medicaid and promote private insurance through employers by offering tax cuts.
The Democrat is pushing for legislation that would require doctors to accept a certain number of Medicaid patients -- a move he says would reduce the burden on physicians statewide.
This is the playing field in the race to replace Rep. Jim Howell, a St. Charles Republican who cannot seek a fourth two-year term because of term limits.
Kahn, 59, is a Saginaw County commissioner and cardiologist. Not surprisingly, health care is among the focal points and fortes of his campaign. He believes health care reforms could reverberate within all sectors of the economy, from increasing employment to reducing the prison population.
Kahn wants to remove the tax on revenues that employers use for health insurance. He said it inflates the cost of doing business, limits job creation and leaves thousands of workers without health care.
"If a business has to pay taxes on health insurance, then what does that do for encouraging health care?" he said. "We should do whatever we can to make it easier to provide health care, not harder."
Kahn is calling for fewer bureaucratic hurdles to receive medical and psychiatric care -- a step he said will reduce paperwork and processing costs -- and says he will fight for lower prescription drug costs by buying in bulk or importing medicines from Canada.
His hope is to trim a $2.5 billion Medicaid budget that is expected to grow by more than $350,000 next year.
Similar cutbacks are needed in the state's prisons, which are operating on a $1.7 billion budget this year.
"The reason why Michigan has a billion-dollar shortfall is that they haven't hit on the causes of the recurring deficit," Kahn said. "Medicaid is one of them. Prisons are another."
Kahn believes many of the state's prisoners are lacking the proper medical care and medicines that would allow them to live safely in a low-security facility.
Kahn's priorities also touch on Saginaw County's water woes. The Republican says he would push for a state regulatory board -- similar to the Public Service Commission -- that would oversee water rates.
Kahn wants more training for firefighters and laws that would allow large departments to hand down vehicles and equipment to smaller communities. He wants tax incentives for businesses, contingent on using local manpower and supplies.
Muter, 43, is a Swan Valley Board of Education member and plumber. The Democrat knows firsthand the financial troubles facing area schools because of the state's economic slump.
He has wrangled with school budgets amid three years of stagnant state funding. He has watched teacher negotiations drag for months as teachers and administrators wrestle over meager salary increases and health benefits.
"Teachers do what they have to do, but sometimes they don't have the same bounce in their step," Muter said. "Their attitude affects their teaching. A happy employee makes a more productive day."
Muter says he will fight for increased school spending. Rather than cutting the state budget -- which he describes as already "cut to the bone" -- he said he will push for changes to school-related taxing laws.
Muter suggested decreasing property taxes and imposing a new sales tax on food.
"Right now, we tax the luxuries," he said. "We tax the cars and the lawn mowers, but we don't tax the things that everyone uses every day. I think it would be fair to everybody."
The Democrat echoed his opponent's call for tax incentives linked to local jobs and local purchases, but said he also will encourage residents to patronize those businesses.
Muter plans to provide a public listing of companies and products that are rooted in Michigan. Conversely, he will discourage any dealings with companies that have moved out of state.
"As a state, we need to stay united and take care of our own businesses," he said.
Muter also is committed to dioxin cleanup along the Tittabawassee River. He says the combustion-borne contaminant, which state regulators have linked to Dow Chemical Co., has deprived residents of property values and peace of mind.
"The landowners didn't dump anything on their property," he said. "They shouldn't be stuck with property values that have plummeted."
Muter said he would free the state Department of Environmental Quality of the "arm-twisting" caused by other elected officials and let regulators do their job.
He disagrees vehemently with Rep. John A. Moolenaar's approach to dioxin cleanup. The Midland Republican recently fought to cut the department's budget and transfer authority for dealing with dioxin to the federal level.
"I would take the pressure off," Muter said. "I would add my support and let them do their job freely." v
Jeremiah Stettler is a staff writer at the Saginaw News. You may reach him at 776-9685.
© 2004 Saginaw News.
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