Well, unless state Rep. Fran Amos can get any sort of momentum built up behind her newest legislation specifically targeting ISDs run amok.  The Associated Press reports:

The legislation would restrict the hiring of a lobbyist or lobbying agent, or the hiring of a consulting or public relations firm if the services are being used for political purposes. The legislation also would restrict the in-house employment of an employee whose primary function is to influence public officials.

"Tax dollars should not be spent to promote special interests," Rep. Fran Amos, a Republican from Waterford and sponsor of the upcoming legislation, said in a statement Tuesday. "This money must be used as it is intended -- to enhance our children's future."

Any chance this will be opposed by the MEA?  I kid.  I kid.  But Amos is on to something.  Back in early March we highlighted some frustrating examples of the state spending money to lobby itself on one issue or another.

Heck, the freaking GOVERNOR'S office spent nearly $63,000 lobbying on its own behalf!  Other examples include:

42    Genesee Intermediate School District    $119,468

44    Michigan State University    $109,889

45    University of Michigan Board of Regents    $109,378

56    Central Michigan University    $93,515

66    City of Detroit    $83,557

79    Oakland University    $68,351

84    Macomb Intermediate School District    $65,650

88    Executive Office of the Governor    $62,694

89    Dept. of Education    $62,232

91    Wayne County    $60,000

101    Dept. of State Police    $55,537

102    Grand Valley State University    $54,998

106    Dept. of Environmental Quality     $54,665

109    Mott Community College    $52,541

115    Western Michigan University    $51,392

134    Inkster Public Schools    $44,561

138    Oakland County Executive    $44,102

145    Genesee County Treasurers Office    $42,000

150    Northern Michigan University    $40,778

163    Oakland Intermediate School District    $38,571

175    Oakland County Road Commission    $36,000

189    Dept. of Treasury    $33,482

All told the state spent $1,350,000 tying to convince itself of one thing or another.  But we've cut to the bone, right?  That's more than efficient (end sarcasm).

And it's nice to know Amos is looking out for the state and trying to do the right thing.  The same can't be said, sadly, of our Senators in Washington, DC, not that I'm surprised.  Yesterday Detroit came under fire from a pretty withering barrage of criticism from Senators across the country with nary a word spoken in defense of the motor city by Senator's Stabenow or Levin.  

I guess that "do-nothing" label she got tagged with last year was accurate.  But Levin?  What's his excuse.

The criticism revolved around the fact the Big 3 have expressed frustration with President Bush's proposed tougher fuel economy standards and came almost exclusively from DEMOCRATS.  I guess hating on Detroit is one of the few bipartisan issues in Washington these days.  The FREEP reports that one extra special Senator from California is pushing legislation in line with GWB's thinking that would mandate astronomical increases in fuel economy that have the potential to deal the death blow to a domestic auto industry already on life support.

The bill "gives Detroit the flexibility they say they need. I don't know why they won't understand it," (US Senator Diane) Feinstein said. "This effectively gives automakers 13 years to get the job done."

Feinstein said the auto industry was meeting standards tougher than those the Senate has proposed in Europe, Japan and China. But the industry contends -- correctly -- that customers in those regions drive far smaller vehicles than those typical on U.S. roads.

"Those higher standards are being met abroad by the same manufacturers who claim it's impossible in the United States," Feinstein said. "Does that make sense to anybody in this body? Does it make sense to anyone in America?"

It makes sense to me, Senator.  Probably makes sense to that contractor husband of yours.  You know, the one you tossed what was left of your personal ethics out the window for to hook up with those government contracts by exerting your influence in committee?  

And it makes sense to the FREEP and it makes sense to anyone not driving a Cooper or a Yugo or one of those double-decker looking vans you see in spy movies.  I think that includes Senator Levin, too.  So why didn't he take up for the D?  Well, he agrees with Feinstein, for one.  He's bought into the global warming hysteria and wants to jack fuel economy standards through the roof himself, if 2.5mpg less than his dinner-party-circuit friends in Washington DC.

Lets be honest about this... there's no lack of fuel efficient vehicles on the market today.  Whether they're foreign, domestic, you name it, they're out there and people buy them every day.  But there are some (and I'm not one of them) who like to tool around in massive SUV's.  Sure, they're annoying as heck to get stuck behind in traffic but is that worth bankrupting the industry that put the world on wheels in the first place?  It's not like they need any help on that front.

Daniel Howes tells us in today's Detroit News that Ford could be well on their way without some amazingly large concessions from the UAW.

Ford pays its workers $71 an hour in wages, pension and health care benefits -- "all in," according to industry parlance -- and wants to cut that to about $50 an hour as part of CEO Alan Mulally's drive to again make Ford "competitive," according to people familiar with the situation.

Since 2000, people familiar with situation say, the Dearborn automaker's manufacturing cost per unit has steadily increased.

Excluding plants scheduled to be closed this year, Ford's plant utilization is the worst in Detroit -- 77 percent -- compared to 88 percent at Chrysler and 93 percent at General Motors Corp. Toyota, by comparison, utilizes 103 percent of its plant capacity (through extra shifts) and augments its sales with imports.

Even break times at Ford trail the competition. On average, Ford's hourly workers get 46 minutes of break time per shift, compared to 30 minutes in most foreign-owed plants operating in the United States. The 16-minute difference amounts to a cost disadvantage of roughly $70 per vehicle.

Those numbers pretty much paint the full picture.  Let's not add ridiculous fuel economy standard deadlines to that list, no matter how easy it is to pick on Michigan these last four years.