Sen. John “Joe” Schwarz has a homework assignment for MSU students.
“This is your constitutional amendment,” he said during a debate Wednesday evening, holding up the language of Proposal 4. “If you’ve ever seen an amendment so long and confusing, raise your hand. I would like to hand it out as an assignment.”
Appearing on the Nov. 5 ballot, Proposal 4 reallocates billions of dollars from the Michigan tobacco settlement to health care and tobacco awareness - removing the money from higher education programs such as the Michigan Merit Award scholarship program and the Life Sciences Corridor.
The Battle Creek Republican faced Ron Davis of Citizens for a Healthy Michigan before about 50 spectators - mostly those affiliated with both sides of the debate - for an hour at Wonders Hall Kiva. Both men are medical doctors.
Rick Pluta of WKAR (90.5-AM) mediated the event.
If each member of the audience were to analyze the proposal, Schwarz said he would see dozens of varying interpretations of the initiative.
Michigan, along with 45 other states, sued tobacco companies in 1998 for damages caused by tobacco products. Supporters of the proposal say 90 percent of the settlement money should be spent on health programs, rather than supporting other projects.
“Government for the people has not worked, so we want to try government by the people,” Davis said. “We believe funding to save lives deserves as much attention in the Constitution as there is to fill potholes.”
Opponents say the proposal will allow the Michigan Health & Hospital Association to use the money for whatever it wants, without being accountable to the public and elected officials.
“There was no language in the master settlement - none - instructing particular states where to spend the money,” Schwarz said.
Audience members asked a series of questions, mostly to Schwarz, who had the chance to respond.
Jason Ardanowski, a no-preference freshman, said Davis made an argument that smaller hospitals and clinics that are in danger of closing down will benefit if the proposal passes.
“That’s not true,” Ardanowski said. “The large hospitals, which generate the most will receive the bulk of this money.”
Event sponsor ASMSU, MSU’s undergraduate student government, has stated its opposition to the proposal. But the group want sto present both sides of the issue to the student body to allow voters to form independent decisions.
“I was expecting to see mostly the opponents,” said Matt Clayson, ASMSU Academic Assembly chairperson. “It was nice to see supporters.”
Colleen Card, a representative for ASMSU, said the forum helped her take a stance on the issue.
“Before the debate I was leaning toward opposing the proposal,” Card said. “Now I kind of see myself leaning for it.”
