The Governor and the House Majority continue to play political games but the Senate doesn't look to be interested in games.  Today at least the FY2007 budget has been balanced through cuts alone.  In theory.  In the Senate.  This afternoon, under Senate GOP leadership the senior chamber approved Senate Bills 436 and 437, cutting government spending by hundreds of millions of dollars, bringing spending in line with estimated revenues and forcing Lansing to live within it's means.  The bills now heads to the House.  

The measures passed in the face of continuous pressure from the Granholm administration to raise taxes, claiming she'd made all the cuts she possibly could, and several weeks after Granholm's April temper tantrum induced threat to cut school spending by $125 per pupil.  

While Jennifer Granholm continued her grandstanding before the Michigan State Medical Society, telling doctors and hospital administrators that without a tax hike the state would start forcing people to their deaths (her words were "people will die"), Bishop stood up and got something done.

When you look back over the last four-plus months it's nothing short of miraculous that they've held the line this long... and this firmly.  The constant target of the administration, the Senate minority and the House of Representatives and a more and more popular target of the mainstream press for his insistence on forcing government to live within it's means before coming back, hands out and palms up to Michigan taxpayers, Bishop's stood his ground, insisted that the cuts were there and darn it all if he didn't find them.  Again.

If someone will point me to the petition where I can nominate him for super-hero status I've got my pen ready.  For that matter I'd like to nominate the entire GOP caucus and the minority caucus in the House for standing firm, steely eyed and determined to protect working moms and dads if no one else will.

But as good a day as Wednesday was for Bishop, it was a worse day for Andy Dillon and Jennifer Granholm.

Let's examine a few facts.  Not opinions, not word games, not hyperbole and partisan rancor... facts.

The school aid fund:

Jennifer Granholm's plan:  Cut $122 per pupil forcing some schools to close.

Senate GOP in legislation approved Wednesday, May 16:  $36 per pupil cut forcing no schools to close and saving public educators, the governor's biggest special interest backers, $86 per pupil!

House Democrats:  Silence.  No votes, no legislation, no movement.

Medicaid funding:

Jennifer Granholm:  Cut 6% and tell the state that "people will die."

Senate GOP: Cut 3% so no one will die.

House Democrats: Silence.  No votes, no legislation, no movement.

Tax hikes:

Jennifer Granholm:  Has proposed in various forms as much as $3 billion in new taxes and Tuesday scuttled $337 million in bipartisan spending cuts because Republicans refused to acquiesce to a demand for a minimum $1.8 billion tax increase.  Conservative studies indicate her tax hike plan would cost the state 19,000 jobs at a minimum.

Senate GOP: They've held the line for five months and balanced the state budget three different times now with spending cuts.  They continue to say NO to new taxes.

House Democrats: Silence.  No votes, no legislation, no movement.

Who exactly are the obstructionists?  And talk about reclaiming a little brand ID for the GOP.

So what's next?  Well, the Senate's done their thing.  They've passed legislation that balances the budget.  The ball is now squarely in the Democrats court.  The House has two choices.  They can either vote on the Senate measures or actually introduce an alternative plan.  

If Democrats continue to insist on "new revenues" (read: massive tax hikes) being a part of their solution then the time has come to introduce them and martial them through the House.  Put up or shut up, boys and girls.  Time's running out and continued cowardice in the face of fiscal crisis isn't doing anyone much good.

What are you afraid of?