There are those who think she dropped out because she was black, female, or too liberal. Smith, who’s been a popular state representative and state senator from Washtenaw County, said that had nothing to do with it, that she pulled the ripcord because she was afraid of, “splitting the progressive vote and ending up with a candidate that does not represent core Democratic values.”
Translated, that’s a slap at Speaker of the House Andy Dillon, whose anti-abortion and anti-embryonic stem cell research views have turned off many Democrats.
Dillon’s attempt to consolidate all state and municipal workers under a common health care plan also angered many who feared losing some benefits.
You can safely assume, then, that Smith would now prefer the nominee be Virg Bernero, the mayor of Lansing who is sounding vaguely populist themes. Who Smith prefers is pretty easy to figure out, since Dillon and Bernero are now the only candidates left.
However, the real reason Alma Wheeler Smith got off the bus was almost certainly money.
My guess is that she was finding it hard to get the 15,000 petition signatures necessary to get on the August primary ballot. She couldn’t afford either a large campaign staff, nor could she pay professionals to collect them.
She had failed to raise much money, so people didn’t take her seriously. And since they didn’t take her seriously, she couldn’t raise any money. If that sounds like a vicious circle, welcome to politics.
This happens in virtually every election cycle. And yet, I am profoundly sorry to see Smith drop out of the governor’s race, for one big reason. She‘s been alone among all the contenders in presenting a comprehensive plan to eliminate budget deficits, make the state more business-friendly and, at the same time, adequately fund essential programs and services, especially education.
She would do that by reforming the tax structure in a logical and rational way that is easy to understand. It included extending the sales tax to services, something Governor Granholm wants to do.
But the centerpiece of Alma Wheeler Smith’s plan would require amending our state constitution to allow a graduated income tax. Currently, a billionaire and a minimum wage worker are taxed by Michigan at exactly the same rate - 4.35 percent.
Smith thought that wasn’t fair, and said so. Under her plan, everybody who earns less than $45,000 a year would pay less than they do now; those who make more, would pay more.
That would enable Michigan to keep the quality of education up, and also to drop the business-killing surcharge the politicians slapped on the Michigan Business Tax three years ago.
Her plan may not have been perfect, but it deserved discussion, and a hearing, and it got neither. So now we face a choice in both August and November between candidates in both parties who have yet to offer any serious budget solutions.
Alma Wheeler Smith, like it or not, had a plan. She also knew that you get what you pay for, that actions have consequences, and that real-life solutions often offer some pain and sacrifice.
Sadly, that’s evidently not what many were ready to hear.
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