College Students Keenly Interested in State Government
October 17, 2009 by Lauren Hager
I was privileged to speak to Instructor Carrie Fadell’s Political Science classes at St. Clair County Community College this week. I was impressed with the interest in the political process the students demonstrated.
One of the concerns discussed was the potential overlapping of services of the various layers of government. They questioned whether township, city and county governments are on the same page. Are they working together? They wondered if taxpayers’ dollars are being spent in the most efficient way.
Fair questions!
I reminded the students that there will appear on the November, 2010 ballot a proposal to call for a state constitutional convention. Such a proposal is mandated by the current constitution every sixteen years. Michigan voters said “No” in 1994.
They seemed to have second thoughts of a con-con when told that such a convention might cost upwards of $4
5 million.
I’m always energized when speaking with students about the governmental system we have. Their keen interest and perceptive questionsandcomments prove to me that young people realize the important of keeping informed of current events. There is definitely hope for the future.
We discussed the pros and cons of a constitutional convention and what changes might be considered. Among the possibe issues that the students thought shoud come up for discussion include modification or elimination of term limints, part-time legislature, capital punishment, recall language and a unicameral legislature.
In two weeks I am privileged to be a part of Career Day at a local elementary school. I will blog about my experience with third and fourth graders. I’m looking forward to that.
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5 million.
