This year's budget is at least $1 Billion in the red with only 5 months left. Next year's budget, which begins October 1st, will assuredly need to be reduced by $1 Billion to match falling revenues, unless revenues are increased, which of course means new taxes. Democrats have proposed several new taxes.
This could be a replay of 2007 when Speaker Dillon locked House members in the Chamber for a week until they finally got over $1 Billion in new taxes. What may be different this year is the resolve of Senate Majority Leader Mike Bishop. He has stated clearly that he is not going to go along with any tax increases.
As reported in the Associated Press story of February 26, "Senate Majority Leader Mike Bishop, R-Rochester, opposes tax and fee hikes to help balance the budget."
Bishop came under fire in 2007 for "allowing" a vote on taxes in the Senate. After the firestorm that those tax increases created back then, I would expect the Majority Leader will opt for a shutdown of state government before he goes down that road again.
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Thank goodness there is one person left who says enough is enough. Outside of family there is next to nothing that Michigan has to offer us. The State continually over taxes small business and they have no interest nor care what problems we are facing and yet they spend our money freely. Cutting State Police and/or letting prisoners out of prison makes absolutely no sense. There are many other areas we can cut unnecessary employees within the State government that would make more sense.
Why can't the people receiving unemployment compensation work a minimum of hours per week to help defray that cost. No, they would rather put that on the backs of small business and take law enforcement off of the street. If we fire the legislators and the Governor that could save us some money and I believe there are many people throughout the State that could do a much better job. I am sure there are many businesses that would help keep our streets clean and the landscape groomed. Why wouldn't the schools teach a class in horticulture and gardening and let the students beautify and maintain the school grounds as part of class time while learning a very useful life tool. There are many innovative and intelligent ways to utilize what we have available to us but one needs a leader to inspire people to produce solid, workable ideas and obviously we do not have that in this State nor in this Country.
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