Beginning last year, what appeared to be a well-funded coalition of unions, health care provider cartels and government-takeover advocacy groups began organizing a socialist camel’s-nose-under-the-tent ballot-drive campaign called the "Health Care for Michigan" initiative. Many of its backers clearly favor a complete government takeover of the state’s health care system along the lines proposed by House Bill 4022, which would establish a "single payer" system.

Here’s the language the "Health Care for Michigan" initiative would have inserted into the Michigan Constitution if had made the ballot and been adopted:

"The State legislature shall pass laws to make sure that every Michigan resident has affordable and comprehensive health care coverage through a fair and cost-effective financing system. The Legislature is required to pass a plan that, through public or private measures, controls health care costs and provides for medically necessary preventive, primary, acute and chronic health care needs."

As the MichiganVotes.org description of the identical version of the initiative introduced in the Legislature (House Joint Resolution WW) explains, "the measure does not define the terms 'affordable,' 'comprehensive,' 'fair,' 'cost-effective' or 'medically necessary'." And "controls health care costs" is clearly code for "price controls."

In other words, this appeared to be a sneaky way to get something warm-and-fuzzy — really fuzzy — into the Constitution, and then spend the next few years fighting in court about what mandates it actually imposes. If the backers got a sympathetic Supreme Court at some point, voilà, a government takeover of the health care system would ensue, and Michigan’s health care choices would no longer be in the hands of individuals and families, but in those of politicians and bureaucrats.

Well, a funny thing happened on the way to single-payer Gomorrah: The backers didn’t come close to getting the required number of signatures, and in June called off the ballot drive. Maybe the initiative’s funders figured that Obama would be prez, Dems would control Congress, and single-payer could be imposed nationwide rather than piecemeal. Maybe they’re right.