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Manna From Snyder
Pull up a chair. This will be interesting.
The new governor has advanced his first budget and the opposition
could not be happier. It finally has something to whack Gov. Rick
Snyder with.
Get use to this story line because you're going to hear a lot of it
in the coming days. It goes like this,"The governor is granting a tax
break to his cronies in the business world and is doing it by squeezing
money out of seniors and children."
The only think missing is the ole line, "he is also attacking
orphans and widows."
State Democratic Party chair Mark Brewer has been stewing every
since the Ann Arbor business guy beat Brewer's guy for governor.
Privately Brewer lamented the honeymoon that Mr. Snyder has enjoyed and
even chided the news media for going along with the post-election
euphoria..which is a stretch but its just Marky being Marky.
But now. Wow. Manna from Snyder.
A budget that cuts $470 from state aid to every school kid; a new
tax on senior's private pensions; a slice to to higher education and on
and on it goes with a total of over $1 billion in service cuts.
The governor says this is all part of his "shared pain"
philosophy that he first outlined in his Inaugural address…"a little
pain now for gain lagter on."
Balderdash cries the opposition which could hardly wait to get
to the word processor to begin the anti-Snyder drum-beat on how unkind
he is to the needy.
"We have protected the social safety net," he reassured
lawmakers at his first budget briefing.
His opponents counter, if that is protection, count us out.
Ah yes..let the budget games begin.
The new governor has advanced his first budget and the opposition
could not be happier. It finally has something to whack Gov. Rick
Snyder with.
Get use to this story line because you're going to hear a lot of it
in the coming days. It goes like this,"The governor is granting a tax
break to his cronies in the business world and is doing it by squeezing
money out of seniors and children."
The only think missing is the ole line, "he is also attacking
orphans and widows."
State Democratic Party chair Mark Brewer has been stewing every
since the Ann Arbor business guy beat Brewer's guy for governor.
Privately Brewer lamented the honeymoon that Mr. Snyder has enjoyed and
even chided the news media for going along with the post-election
euphoria..which is a stretch but its just Marky being Marky.
But now. Wow. Manna from Snyder.
A budget that cuts $470 from state aid to every school kid; a new
tax on senior's private pensions; a slice to to higher education and on
and on it goes with a total of over $1 billion in service cuts.
The governor says this is all part of his "shared pain"
philosophy that he first outlined in his Inaugural address…"a little
pain now for gain lagter on."
Balderdash cries the opposition which could hardly wait to get
to the word processor to begin the anti-Snyder drum-beat on how unkind
he is to the needy.
"We have protected the social safety net," he reassured
lawmakers at his first budget briefing.
His opponents counter, if that is protection, count us out.
Ah yes..let the budget games begin.
posted by Tim Skubick at
5:03 PM
5 Comments:
Why does it have to be a "budget game?" That's been the problem in Lansing/Washington DC for decades. The political establishment (pols, lobbyists, bureaucrats, and, yes, pundits)have been self-serving games to keep power and perks. We in the private sector have suffered seriously during this recession--layoffs, downsizing, pay cuts, no bonuses. Why should the public sector be immune??? It is time to solve problems and stop playing games!
My comment is that Mr. Snyder's budget is nothing more than a tax shift from business to individuals and the game he's playing calling tax increases on seniors and working individuals "spending cuts" is insulting. Does he think we are so stupid as to buy into his lies. Taking more money from seniors and middle class workers and giving it to business may give business a tax cut, but it will also hurt them--at least it will hurt small business that depends on the people living the area where they are located because seniors and families will not be putting this money back into the local economy. The only beneficiaries of Mr. Snyder's plan that I see are big business and corporate interests that don't depend on the local population as their customers. Seriously, do you think that if you take $2000 or whatever the amount would be from a senior's pension or that amount or more a middle class family that they will not tighten their belt and spend less and hurt small businesses in Michigan? I think that they will not only not spend that amount, but will spend even less because they will feel they have to save even more if they can for future expenses they may have. I would much prefer an increase in the sales tax or a tax on services. At least then I would have more control of the amount of tax I have to pay. If I can afford to buy an expensive luxury item, I would know the tax I have to pay on it and could make my decision to buy it or not. The wealthy wouldn't care if they had to pay a little more in sales tax and I don't think it would hurt small business much at all. I think this huge income tax increase on seniors and middle class people would have a much more detrimental effect on them, on small businesses, and the Michigan economy as a whole.
Thank you for letting me express my opinion.
So the last poster prefers the status quo, double-digit unemployment, people leaving the state, gridlock in Lansing? Don't businesses create jobs? Doesn't it make sense to improve the business climate so they might start hiring again?? Whiners and complainers who want the status quo got soundly defeated in Michigan and across the country. Let's give Gov. Snyder a chance to turn things around. He's actually showing leadership here, unlike duck-and-cover Obama. I hear the University of California-Berkeley has a new teacher for those interested in finding opportunties elsewhere.
No, the last poster does not prefer the status quo. The last poster would like a sensible approach to fixing the problem in Michigan and not just shift taxes to the seniors and individuals. The Michigan business tax can be eliminated/reformed without adding a tax onto someone else. Why is it OK shift taxes from business to the middle class and to retirees who are already struggling. The governor kept using the word "fair", but his proposed budget is anything but fair.
I have never understood why people drawing pensions feel that they should get a pass on paying for state services. All kinds of 40-50 somethings are walking around drawing generous pensions tax free, while those working into their 60's still get taxed.
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