Wednesday, April 23, 2008

More info on that big Capital Outlay bill (HB5221)

Here are some key points on the Capital Outlay Budget just given to me by a colleague in the House:
  1. The bond cap (how much we can borrow) is being raised from $2.7 billion to $3.8 billion. It will cost the general fund budget about $100 million every year, money that would otherwise be used to pay for needed services.
  2. This bill authorizes spending this year and every year through 2012.
  3. Because the bond cap is a statutory measure, it can be increased every year.
  4. This bill spends $400 million more than even the Governor recommended.
  5. The actual cost of this bill is $1.8 billion in new spending.

One must ask...how many credit cards are we going to max out before the people are broke?

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

This is a freakin' outrage! Drive up our state debt, requiring an additional $100 million in debt service payments from the general fund!

What do you want to bet, this fall, when the budget numbers come in, we will suddenly have a "deficit" because of this irresponsible spending. Then, of course, we need a tax hike to cover the deficit.

Any legislator who votes for this funny money shenanigans should be ridden out of town on a rail.

--Ray Wilson
Kalamazoo County Taxpayers Assoc.
http://www.kaltax.org

Anonymous said...

Hi Jack,
Nice site. Let's see, the poor people signing bad loans got bailed out, the companies making those bad loans got bailed out, people are talking of bailing out the poor college students, they will soon be talking of bailing out the poor people that have overcharged on their credit cards, we bailed out mexico, russia, others, It seems obvious that we'll get bailed out by the Fed. Then the world will bail them out.
Isn't that right in the United World Constitution someplace. "Everyone everywhere has the right to be bailed out" I think we need to invest in NASA big time to find a sympathetic other world to bail us out.
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Regards Live Dangerously Be A Conservative

Anonymous said...

Hi Jack, again nice post.
As an aspiring precinct delegate from a precinct in which my party is outnumbered over 5-1; I’m happy to find your site. Your last posts on HB5221 brings to light the near impossibility of cutting back government. Ie the unionized government bureaucracies. Eisenhower warned us of the “Military Industrial Complex”. I fear more for our freedom today from what you could call the “Unionized Bureaucratic Complex”. What little power we the people have left is delegated to you and all the other elected officials. I am getting the sense that a lot of these officials are just picking among the different advocacy groups and not really writing the law. Which if true would put the new law at the foot of what is in the best interest of the advocacy group not necessarily what is best for the people. Hope I’m wrong here. I’m just starting into politics to try to help fight the very idea of big government. Already in the limited number of meetings and breakfasts I’ve been to, the whole atmosphere is how can we get our hands on the money that is dangling there in front of us. There isn’t enough. That type of thing. Everyone wants more.
-----You must feel pretty lonely at times sir trying to buck that. If it’s any help I congratulate you on your strength under fire. I’m not from your district, but wish you well and if I can help in any way let me know. I’m from Muskegon
<
Regards, Live Dangerously Be A Conservative.

Anonymous said...

Dear Mr.Hoogendyk,

You are my new hero. I'm glad you are running against Demoncrat Levin. You Have My Vote! GO Jack GO!

D. Evans
wetbar1@hotmail.com
Flushing