密歇根新闻广播 立法机关的减税政策可能会影响斯奈德的年末

It's been an interesting week in Michigan.

On Wednesday, Michigan's House of Representatives passed a resolution calling for Michigan State University President Lou Anna Simon to resign in the wake of 156 victim impact statements made at Larry Nassar's sentencing hearing. (Simon resigned on Wednesday night.) Speaker of the House Tom Leonard, R-DeWitt, additionally called for members of the Board of Trustees to resign.

In other news, Governor Rick Snyder gave his final State of the State address.

Vicki Barnett, former mayor of Farmington Hills and Democratic legislator, and Ken¹ Sikkema, senior policy fellow at Public Sector² Consultants³ and former Republican legislative⁴ leader, joined Stateside to talk about this week's major news stories.

On Governor Snyder's legacy⁵

Vicki Barnett thinks Governor Snyder glossed⁶ over an important portion of his legacy, "which is the Flint [water] crisis."

Ken Sikkema pointed⁷ to the relative passion in the address for "a governor who's not going to go down in the history books as the best speech deliverer," he said. "But I thought it was the best speech I've ever heard him give, and I think it was because he was very passionate⁸ and wanted to talk about the things he's done and his accomplishments," Sikkema said.

How will state legislators receive Snyder's spending proposals?

"They won't receive it well," Barnett said. Among Snyder's proposals are "to increase rural broadband access, to clean up the Michigan toxic⁹ waste sites, to increase recycling efforts, to increase the school aid fund allowance, to fight Asian Carp, and to fix our infrastructure," Barnett said. "I truly don't know where he's going to get [the funding] with this legislature."

Sikkema echoes Barnett's doubts. "I think we're at a time of a real policy disconnect here between the governor's belief about some of the state's needs and, as you point out, the Republican legislature's complete obsession¹⁰ with cutting taxes," he said.

On the Michigan House of Representatives' response to the Larry Nassar case

Sikkema credits House Speaker Tom Leonard's, R-DeWitt, resolution calling for President Lou Anna Simon's resignation as "one of the straws that broke the camel's back in forcing her decision." Still, Sikkema said, given the scope of damage, any effort is too late. "We've got all these investigations¹¹ tripping all over themselves at this point in time, and I think we all wished at least one of them was done about five to ten years ago," Sikkema said.

Barnett echoes that statement. Complaints first came in 1997 and Michigan State University didn't do anything about it, Barnett said. "Do I think that the Michigan State trustees did not act quick enough? Yes, I do, and I think they're all culpable," Barnett said.

Ken Sikkema and Vicki Barnett join Stateside every Friday to break down the week's political news.

1 ken   

n.视野，知识领域

参考例句：

• Such things are beyond my ken.我可不懂这些事。
• Abstract words are beyond the ken of children.抽象的言辞超出小孩所理解的范围.

2 sector   

n.部门，部分；防御地段，防区；扇形

参考例句：

• The export sector will aid the economic recovery. 出口产业将促进经济复苏。
• The enemy have attacked the British sector.敌人已进攻英国防区。

3 consultants   

顾问( consultant的名词复数 )； 高级顾问医生，会诊医生

参考例句：

• a firm of management consultants 管理咨询公司
• There're many consultants in hospital. 医院里有很多会诊医生。

4 legislative   

n.立法机构，立法权；adj.立法的，有立法权的

参考例句：

• Congress is the legislative branch of the U.S. government.国会是美国政府的立法部门。
• Today's hearing was just the first step in the legislative process.今天的听证会只是展开立法程序的第一步。

5 legacy   

n.遗产，遗赠；先人(或过去)留下的东西

参考例句：

• They are the most precious cultural legacy our forefathers left.它们是我们祖先留下来的最宝贵的文化遗产。
• He thinks the legacy is a gift from the Gods.他认为这笔遗产是天赐之物。

6 glossed   

v.注解( gloss的过去式和过去分词 )；掩饰（错误）；粉饰；把…搪塞过去

参考例句：

• The manager glossed over the team's recent defeat. 经理对这个队最近的失败闪烁其词。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He glossed over his selfishness with a display of generosity. 他以慷慨大方的假象掩饰他的自私。 来自互联网

7 pointed   

adj.尖的，直截了当的

参考例句：

• He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
• She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。

8 passionate   

adj.热情的，热烈的，激昂的，易动情的，易怒的，性情暴躁的

参考例句：

• He is said to be the most passionate man.据说他是最有激情的人。
• He is very passionate about the project.他对那个项目非常热心。

9 toxic   

adj.有毒的，因中毒引起的

参考例句：

• The factory had accidentally released a quantity of toxic waste into the sea.这家工厂意外泄漏大量有毒废物到海中。
• There is a risk that toxic chemicals might be blasted into the atmosphere.爆炸后有毒化学物质可能会进入大气层。

10 obsession   

n.困扰，无法摆脱的思想(或情感)

参考例句：

• I was suffering from obsession that my career would be ended.那时的我陷入了我的事业有可能就此终止的困扰当中。
• She would try to forget her obsession with Christopher.她会努力忘记对克里斯托弗的迷恋。

11 investigations   

（正式的）调查( investigation的名词复数 )； 侦查； 科学研究； 学术研究

参考例句：

• His investigations were intensive and thorough but revealed nothing. 他进行了深入彻底的调查，但没有发现什么。
• He often sent them out to make investigations. 他常常派他们出去作调查。