A roundup of recent Michigan newspaper editorials

The Detroit News. Feb. 5.

Without vaccines, too many children miss shot at health

News flash: If you don't get your children vaccinated, you're not just putting them at risk. You're risking the welfare of others as well. The recent outbreaks in California, Michigan and other parts of the country of totally preventable and once eradicated diseases like measles make this all too clear.

There's a degree of parental arrogance at work, as well as ignorance and a certain strain of libertarianism. A good number of parents who don't vaccinate - the "anti-vaxxers" - are upper-income and educated. They should know better.

These outbreaks should serve as a wake-up call to the parents who think it's more natural not to give their kids shots. And some still believe there's a link of vaccines to autism, although health officials say the evidence soundly refutes that.

Leading politicians have also joined the vaccine debate with some, like former Florida governor Jeb Bush and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, voicing support and others, such as Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, raising concerns.

The Michigan medical community has expressed concern that the state has the fourth highest vaccination exemption rate in the U.S., placing a large number of youth at risk for serious infectious diseases.

Even if parents are slow to come around, states should start making it more difficult to get an exemption from vaccines. At the beginning of 2015, Michigan started requiring families to receive more medical information before simply opting out of vaccinations.

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The Alpena News. Feb. 5.

Balanced budget tour resonates with Americans

It is no wonder that Ohio Gov. John Kasich has been received so favorably in his multi-state tour on behalf of a balanced budget amendment to the U.S. Constitution. More and more Americans are becoming aware that in Washington, they just don't get the concept of living within one's means.

Kasich, through the nonprofit group Balanced Budget Forever, has visited several states to advocate adoption of an amendment that would require Congress and the president to stop adding to the national debt.

For the process to begin, 34 states would have to call for a constitutional convention. Any amendments suggested there would have to be ratified by at least 38 states.

Even with the minimal spending discipline called for under "sequester" rules that went into effect Jan. 1, 2013, the U.S. is on track for nearly $500 billion in deficit spending this year.

And President Barack Obama is proposing a record $4 trillion budget for the coming year. He has said one of his goals is to eliminate the sequester provisions. He wants no limits on spending.

Critics have said amending the Constitution is too radical and too risky a way of curbing deficit spending. But allowing Congress and the White House to keep adding to the $18.1 trillion national debt - with no restrictions - has its perils, too.

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Midland Daily News. Feb. 4.

Proposed bill brings problem to light

So what do you do when encouraging good sportsmanship is not enough?

That's a large part of the debate when it comes to deciding whether a proposed bill in the state house to address violence against game officials and coaches is a worthy piece of legislation.

There's plenty of frustration among game officials, which include referees and umpires, who are at times on the receiving end of verbal taunts and physical threats from athletes, coaches and fans.

They, understandably so, want to be protected from the harassment. And they want to know that there are laws on the books that will appropriately punish the offenders if matters get out of hand.

The bill, sponsored by Detroit State Sen. Morris Hood, would make it a felony for anyone who "assaults, batters, or solicits ... or encourages another person to assault and batter an individual who is performing his or her duties as a sports official while at a sporting event or through social media ..." If guilty, this felony is punishable by imprisonment for not more than 3 years or fine of not more than $10,000, or both. Hood's legislation was prompted by a 2014 incident involving a soccer referee in Livonia who died after being punched by a player during an adult men's league game.

In Tuesday's MDN, local sports officials had a variety of opinions. Some thought that the bill is a move in the right direction, and is similar to what other states already have written into law. Others, however, noted that it would not act as a deterrent to violence because many assaults take place during the heat of the moment.

Interestingly, one official said that he believes local sports associations need to make it crystal clear to athletes and coaches at the local level that inappropriate behavior is unacceptable and violators will be held accountable if an assault or threat takes place.

That makes good sense, and, to our knowledge, most if not all local sports organizations do that.

Regardless if Hood's bill becomes law, this discussion is a good reminder that making physical or verbal threats against game officials or coaches is totally unacceptable, and there must be swift consequences as a result of an infraction.

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Lansing State Journal. Jan. 31.

Security must balance with access

Some 14,000 Greater Lansing residents work in state government, overseeing the people's business.

Sometimes, their jobs involve dealing directly with the people, occasionally unhappy people. And on some occasions, they deal with abusive language and outright threats.

The Michigan State Police Capitol Security Section gets involved in those cases and state workers will be gratified to know that such threats are taken seriously.

Between January and October last year, 15 such threats were investigated and two threats against front-line state employees resulted in criminal charges that led to convictions and jail time.

In one case, the owner of a trucking firm who was angry that a permit had been denied because of missing paperwork threatened to kill a state worker if his business shut down. He was charged with malicious use of telecommunications services, pleaded guilty to a lesser charge and was sentenced to 10 days in jail, plus fines and probation. In the second case, a Jackson County man threatened a Department of Human Services employee with "bloodshed every day" in a dispute about money owed. He was sentenced to 180 days in jail on charges of malicious use of telecommunications and stalking.

In that same 10-month time span, the security service also investigated a handful of threats against top state officials, including Gov. Rick Snyder and some of his department heads. Threats against legislators also would be investigated by the state police.

Security around the Capitol and state offices has always been a concern, one amplified by recent events such as the attack on the Canadian Parliament last year.

Keeping access open to the public, especially of proceedings at the Capitol, is important. At the same time, so is security for lawmakers, their staff and citizens themselves who visit the Capitol as tourists or to participate in hearings or other activities of their government.

Michigan remains one of a dozen states that allows firearms in its statehouse, carried openly or concealed by those who have the proper permits to do so. That has not produced any problems, but it certainly adds an extra layer of awareness for state police security officers, who must balance the need for safety against citizens' rights to carry arms.

In a democracy, people's access to the action at the Capitol or to the services offered by the state is important. So, too, is the safety of the workers offering those services. Michigan is balancing safety and access well.