Those Union Rascals!

There is supposedly an agreement for 3 Republicans to vote for a package if 54 Dems go along with it. There is a long list of "reforms" in exchange for raising income taxes from 3.9% to 4.6%. Until October of 2011! And then it goes down to 4.2%.

But the Dems already are changing the agreement...and guess who is killing the whole package?

The Unions! The AFSCME, AFT and IUOE sent a joint letter to all members saying, "we support new revenues to assure the people of the State of Michigan the public services they deserve. But we cannot and do not support conditioning an income tax increase, directly or indirectly, on devastating "reforms".

You just can't make those union folks happy, I guess. A whopping 18% tax increase is just not good enough if it is tied to such (devastating) reforms as:
--No state cars for personal use
--Committee on Government efficiency
--Changing school employees from defined benefit to defined contribution
--48 month welfare reform
--move school elections to the fall
--eliminate health care for former legislators
--Prevent double dipping (can't take you gov't retirement and then go back to work for the gov't)

The board has been open for an hour...it's going to be long night