IMO, Governor Snyder is trying to remain an "executive" rather than meddling with "legislative" issues

I am guessing the controversial things he wishes to avoid are divisive issues like Gay marriage, Obamacare, abortion (now integrally linked to Obamacare), all other issues involving intrusions between church and state.

Most of us as conservative Repubs would rather not have the entitlement systems enlarging as a result of Gay marriage (the side of the issue no one talks about, but the side of the issue that impacts government budgets) but may be failing to grasp that the US history of "legislating morality" (currently with marijuana, as with prohibition, earlier with outlawing slavery) has generally caused a great deal of social division and has even led to civil wars.

Recent Presidents have tried to weigh in on issues, but we have a pattern of the national executive infringing on legislative responsibility (which we have recently seen spun in favor of Obama's overreaching executive orders) -- and this may be leading us to expect the same from state governors.

I like the way Snyder sticks to "executing" the laws that the legislature "legislates"-- this is the way it should be.    Snyder seems more conscious of the dark sides of using the executive "bully pulpit" to push agendas, and has avoided it more than he has embraced it.

As a citizen, Snyder is entitled to his personal opinions (and everyone interested in politics and government has them) but I see it as restraint rather than subterfuge for him to keep opinions on controversial issues to himself.     The more divisive subjects resolve themselves over the time it takes for the citizenry to make up their collective mind.    Whenever we have tried to force them (abolish slavery=civil war, which led to a loss of states' rights in contradiction of the federal structure of the constitution) (agitate for prohibition=the rise of gangsters and a period of flagrant violation of law) the result has been disruptive.

I think a "conservative" should be a free market, pro-employment, smaller government conservative on economic issues and ultimately it would be more consistent to be libertarian on social issues.     In our county as is true of so many areas we maintain Christian religious principles that speak to moral issues being challenged in the secular society.   We have to recognize that the uncomfortable part of democracy is that people rarely agree on any issue that appears to pit the moral view against the individual freedom views the constitution protects.     Thus we must have the personal integrity to demonstrate morality in our own lives, and have the strength to resist meddling in the perceived lapse of morality in the lives of others who share the right of "citizen".     Thus minority rights are preserved where a voter consensus cannot at that moment in time be achieved.

Maybe we should quit beating Snyder up on these issues and give him credit for directing a near miraculous turnaround of the state's economy and economic direction. Guv Jenny's socialist progressive economic priorities were creating a structural deficit government (her radio programs to encourage refusal of any cuts were a classic demagoguery in favor of constantly raising taxes as the only option) while her liberal embrace of alternative lifestyles was destroying the social fabric.      By comparison, Snyder orchestrated support for legislative redirection and has lived an examplary personal life agitating for nothing but "normalcy" and tolerance.

Greg Palen
Ovid Township