First-time voter says people deserve right to choose who they want in their homes
I’m a student at Eastern Michigan University and am paying close attention to this election because it will be my first time voting.
I’ve been hearing a lot about the ballot proposals, and have made up my mind on Proposal 4.
I will be voting yes, because the Constitution is about enshrining people’s rights, and Proposal 4 will establish the right for seniors and people with disabilities to chose home care services over nursing homes, and even more importantly, establish the right to hire and fire who they want in their homes.
Article 1, Section 1, of the Michigan Constitution states all political power is inherent in the people. Government is instituted for their equal benefit, security, and protection. It’s important for this generation to have to be a part of defining what we want the future to look like because its our constitution and these are our rights.
Tiffany Silgas-Akleh
Canton
Comments
Jim Walker
Tue, Oct 30, 2012 : 2:18 p.m.
Proposal 4 will drive the costs of home care up toward the costs of nursing home care. Home care is preferable to most people, partly for the fact you can stay in your own home BUT also because it is more affordable. Vote NO on Proposal 4 if you see the value in keeping home care costs lower than institutional care. I have extensive experience in long term care insurance as the background for my comment. James C. Walker, Ann Arbor, MI
llspier
Tue, Oct 30, 2012 : 5:04 a.m.
Apparently Tiffany has only been paying close attention to the union talking points on Proposal 4. The facts are: Proposal 4 doesnt establish the right for seniors and the disabled to stay in their own homes. That right has been established law in Michigan for several years-and it didnt have anything to do with the union. Likewise, those same seniors have always had the right to choose their caregiver-and about 80% of those chosen caregivers are family members-who dont need a registry or a background check. This entire proposal is about the forced unionization of those family members who care for loved ones-with the union dues being withdrawn from their Medicaid checks! This forced unionization of those independent contractors who care for their loved ones has stuffed over $32 million into SEIU's union coffers since this nefarious scheme was hatched in 2006. This union cannot bargain wages for these people-only their loved one who pays for their services out of their Medicaid check can choose to pay them more. But that wont make their Medicare reimbursement go up. The entire proposition s so outrageous that people have a hard time believing it to be that far off the rails. Check the facts again, Tiffany: this scam actually reads like one of those emails from Nigeria!
mightywombat
Tue, Oct 30, 2012 : 12:44 a.m.
Your argument sure sounds like you want to vote "No" on Proposition 4. Right?
xmo
Mon, Oct 29, 2012 : 10:42 p.m.
If only it was that simple! Proposal 4 has a lot of words in it and a number of them do not let you do what you stated above! "Proposal 4 will establish the right for seniors and people with disabilities to chose home care services over nursing homes, and even more importantly, establish the right to hire and fire who they want in their homes."
alan
Mon, Oct 29, 2012 : 10:09 p.m.
While I appreciate the fact that you take your right to vote seriously, I can not figure out what your reasoning has to do with proposal 4. Everybody already has the right to chose home care vs. institutional care and everybody already has the right to hire or fire whoever they choose. It has become very difficult to find the actual text of the proposals (not the ballot text). Michigan Radio is one of the few places that has the actual text of each proposal and I would encourage everyone to read each of them before voting.
Andrea Zastrow
Tue, Oct 30, 2012 : 2:39 p.m.
Try www.publius.org to get a sample ballot. These include the Reader's Digest condensed version of the prop, plus links to other materials about them, including the full text. Also the Michigan Citizen's Research folks are a good source of information (http://www.crcmich.org/election/index.html) Prop 4 Petition: http://michigan.gov/documents/sos/MI_Quality_Homecare_392138_7.pdf