Michigan Votes Forum

Introduced in the House on September 7, 2007, to exempt disabled veterans from the state 6 percent use tax. The bill was passed and sent to the Senate as a "vehicle" for a possible tax on some services, but without that actual provision. This was done because bills must "lay over" in the other body for at least five days before being voted on, and if a tax increase is to be approved by Oct. 1 it is necessary to have a "vehicle" bill that has done so

The vote was 57 in favor, 51 opposed and 2 not voting

(House Roll Call 372 at House Journal 90)

Click here to view bill details.

Show them no mercy!

You are a RINO of the first degree. How could you vote to increase taxes? Particularly a tax as ill-conceived as a sales tax on services! I'm so disgusted I can't type. When is your term up? Can't be too soon for me. After this betrayal of Republican principles, I wouldn't trust you to give my dog a colonoscopy; your hands aren't clean enough. I don't know if you are just as stupid as your democratic colegues or if you are corrupt. Were you promised a reward for your vote? If so, I hope it was worth it. People in the counties you represent are suffering financially, which is, of course, not your fault. It is your fault that you add to their misery by voting for this tax, and the others that went with it. I can afford it; I don't like it, but I can bear it. But we have young men dying in Iraq. Your actions make it that much harder on their young families who have already given too much. Your constituents were standing on the edge. Your vote just pushed them in the back.

Sad. I'm still feeling the effect of the property tax bill I paid two weeks ago. It's time to take a close look at the role of government, and those who are in it to pad their own wallets.

My business is down 38%, four employees let go an still in the red and another tax increase, INCREADABLE we're done with this State.

After reading the various services that will be taxed I am convinced that the only people who need Phrenological Services are the idiots who passed this bill. You intend to tax Personal Shopping Services when you know that it is primarily used by the old and the infimred??? Wow! That has to make you thieves feel real warm and fuzzy!

There are a myriad of cuts that could be made before public safety and schools are impacted. My neighbor just had her pay cut $10,000 a year because her Michigan based company is going in the tank. She had a choice, pay cut or unemployment. I can tell you for sure she is planning cuts in her family budget, just like most of the rest of us. As I read through this forum I am stunned at the abuse of power by our "representatives." Allowing the DEQ to write rules that have the power of law, padding government pensions, adding new entitlement programs, what are they thinking!

THESE VULGERS WITH THEIR HANDS IN EVERYONES'S POCKETS, NEED TO GET BLOWN AWAY QUICK INCLUDING THE GOVERNOR. HOW DARE THEY CRIPPLE MICHIGAN BUSINESS'S AND CITIZENS WITH MORE TAXES!! THIS IS A BUSINESS UNFRIENDLY STATE AND THEY DON'T CARE!! THEY CONTINUE TO BURY BUSINESS'S UNDER NEW TAXES AND NOW THEY'VE INCLUDED THE SERVICE INDUSTRY. THE WALL STREET JOURNAL HAS BLASTED THE LEGISLATORS AND SAID THEY NEED TO LOSE THEIR JOBS IN LIEU OF THIS CURRENT INJUSTICE TO TAXPAYERS AND BUSINESS'S. GOVERNOR GRANHOLM IS SO OUT OF HER ELEMENT, OPENLY LYING ON A TV INTERVIEW ABOUT HER INVOLVEMENT IN PADDING HER FRIENDS POCKETS ON THE PROPOSED MICHIGAN STATE POLICE BUILDING. TO SEE HER CHOMPING ON HER GUM IN HER LEVI'S WAS DISGUSTING ON THE FINAL HOUR OF HER WELL PLANNED SABOTAGE TO ALL MICHIGAN CITIZENS AND BUSINESS'S. NOT TO MENTION THREATENING THE WELFARE AND INCOME OF BUSINESS'S AND STATE EMPLOYEE'S. ANY GOVERNOR THAT JEOPADIZES THE WELFARE OF THE STATES CITIZENS OVER A BALANCED BUDGET NEEDS TO BE TAKEN OUT OF OFFICE. SHE MUST HAVE ICE FOR VEINS. SHE IS THE MOST UNCARING, INSENSITIVE EXCUSE FOR A HUMAN BEING. I HOPE THEY BLOW HER JOB AWAY AND SEND HER TO GRIEF COUNSELING. GOD KNOWS SHE'S CAUSED ENOUGH AND WILL CONTINUE TO DO SO IF SHE'S ALLOWED TO SERVE OUT HER UNDESERVED TERM!!

MICHIGAN IS CHRONCIALLY ILL AND WILL NOT RECOVER WITHOUT THE REMOVAL OF OUR GOVERNOR AND CURRENT LEGISLATORS. THE SICKNESS CONTINUES TO SPREAD TO ALL FACETS OF MICHIGAN BUSINESS AND THE PRIVATE SECTOR!! IMPEACHMENT AND RECALLS ARE THE ONLY REMEDY, IF THE STATE IS TO SURVIVE. THE STATE IS ALREADY BURIED IN POOR LEADERSHIP, REPRESENTATION, AND TO CONTINUE ON LIKE THIS IS THE CERTAIN DEATH OF MICHIGAN'S FUTURE. LETS BURY THEM BEFORE THEY BURY US!!

I hope everyone who voted to raise our taxes will lose their next election. It time to throw them out.

It was stated "in 5 years you will be blown away". Had I known it was a threat I would have pressed charges. I don't agree with the outcome, but I feel for those forced to vote on hb 5198 to basically keep things running - talk about a rock and a hard spot!! I guess we can reflect back on November 2006 and thank ourselves for where we are at today. The Wayne County contracts, Kilpatrick memo, Budget cuts and the Bible, unemployment at all time high, and avoiding state shutdown...what's next?! Referring to Detroit as "Biotechnology City" instead of "Motor City"? Let's quit giving tax breaks to biotech and go help the roots of the state for the past 100 years. Where was biotech 100 years ago? Certainly NOT building cars! Let's quit blaming Bush for turning his back and consider state tax breaks to support the "Motor City" and "Motown" status of Michigan. Even though I'm getting used to the view, I'm stepping down from the soap box.

the big three be in ten years, or five? will they still be 'loyal' to detroit? you don't shun a business simply because you can't put a wax job on it's product. the good old days are gone, let's support ALL businesses, not just the ones you are comfortable with.

'partial shutdown' of government land us? it has shown us the fortitude of our legislators. the guile of the left, and the tenacity of the governor. our republican legislators, most of them, at least, stood the line boldly, requiring many cuts before allowing any taxes. our democrat legislators, each and every one, voted to increase our taxes, as opposed to doing the RESPONSIBLE THING, which was cutting unnecessary services. this partial shutdown also showed, in stark contrast, who was who in the zoo. if your legislators DIDN'T step up to the plate, it's time to show your displeasure with them. this is the day that all legislators fear, the day of reconing. the day after it all went wrong. the day that their votes become public on a contriversial subject like taxation. how will YOUR legislator explain himself? how will he look you in the eye and explain that he disregarded YOUR WILL and imposed his own?

It's time to dump ALL professional politicians. They only care about feeding at the public trough, lining their own pockets and promoting their own agendas. What's best for the ordinary people never enters their minds.

I'm looking into the recalling the Governor District 51.

Congratulations Michigan Legislators. Not only does Michigan have the highest unemployment rate and a very high home foreclosure rate, we are now at the top of the list of states with the highest tax rates. (Around #11) I'm sure this will aid in attracting new business and residents to Michigan! You took the easy way out again - just raise taxes!

I don't think it necessary to begin taxing services with a sales tax. There are many programs that could be cut from our budget without hurting citizens one bit. Check out Mackinaw Center's proposals. I don't think it wise to begin taxing services with a sales tax. Florida tried but gave up. There are a million interpretation, nexus and jurisdictional issues involved that will be costly and will discourage businesses from coming here. But even if I grant you that taxing services was necessary, I abhor the way it was implemented. Instead of evenly applying a service tax to all services, as was your rational when you shoved this down our throats, you hit the smallest, least powerfully-connected services and let your connected, powerful lobbies off at their expense. Taxed: Not Taxed: shoe shine boys Lawyers hair dressers Doctors lawn care workers Accountants How is this in any way fair and equitable? You do this and expect citizens to believe the old civics lessons about voting, equal representation, paying our fair share of taxes as the price we bear for civilization. I think (and hope) you have gone too far. I hope that citizens will remember this next election. I hope that every one of you leeches get turned out of office. I hope that people will elect Ron Paul as president and many people like him to all levels of government. If we don't get more principled people in there, like Jack Hogendyk, Joe Hune and Leon Drolet, I'm afraid we will continue to get "BLOWN AWAY!"

Does anyone in this state actually believe that these legislators will NOW balance the state budget? They will now spend even more until the deficit is even higher next year and require even more taxes to keep us just enough under water to keep us from exploding.

Give a State to the Liberals and look what happens.

Don't worry, the Liberals will prevail in 2008 and the rest of the country will be in the tank with us.

COST SAVE!!!!! TURN THE MICHIGAN LEGISLATION INTO A PART TIME POSITION. -6-MONTHS. DUMP THE HIGH SALARIES. REVOKE THE HUGH RETIREMENT PACKAGES. OUR CHILDREN WILL BE STUCK WITH THIS MESS. TIE THEIR RAISES TO THE REST OF THE STATES EMPLOYEES! IT'S LIKE? 2% NOT THEIR 38%. WE NEED TO CLEAN HOUSE AND START FROM SQUARE ONE. CAN'T DO MUCH WORSE.

Recall, Recall, Recall, Recall!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Perhaps it is time to look at how vehicle bills are used to subvert the intent of the Michigan constitution. An interesting read here: http://michigantaxes.com/wordpress/?cat=5

This is what I think. 1. do not allow them the right to vote any increases for their pay, retirements, medical packages or anything else. Any and all increases must go before the voters. 2. no junkets outside of our state. If they decide to go they must pay for it themselves. 3. no spouses or anyone else get to travel on a tax payers dollar. If the spouse or kids go they have to pay for themselves. 4. no personal expense allowances. 5. everyone gets the same medical progam as the legislators new get. 6. all wages etc. get tied to the economy, if it goes down they loose pay. If it goes up they can try to get a pay increase at voting time. 7. all programs must be started while the person who proposed that bill is still in office so they can be held responsilble for that bill. 8. if a program can't get along on what was allocated for it then it will die. 9 Make them responsible for their actions. Bring them down to the same playing field as the tax payers. 10. no tax money for campaign expences. 11. no full retirements, or lifetime medical at all period. 12.instant recall if they do not live up to campaign promises 13 no borrowing money form any other fund in order to keep another one going. no robbing Peter to pay Paul as Paul never gets paid back 14. NO LOBBYIST. 15. all bills must stand on their own, no addons. This would eliminate bad legislation getting passed, or good legislation getting voted down because of bad bills getting added to what otherwise might be good legislation.

Thanks Granholm !!! You've put my janitorial business & 28 employees out of business ! I bill 50k per month to 1 management company who will look to replace me if I increase my billing 6% to cover a sales tax. I net 12-15 % on my billings I can not afford to stay in business making 6-9% on my net...might as well go work for someone else !!

People in this State, and the rest of the country for that matter, need to wake up to the fact that the Democratic party no longer stands for the "Little Guy" as this vote shows. This state has traditionally been a stonghold for the Democrats and it needs to change! Tell your friends and neighbors to stop voting the straight Democratic ticket at the polls and pay more attention to the individuals that are running for office. Someone once said that "People get the government they deserve". Remember this next time you vote and kick these bums out!

ANYONE with an "I"after their name (incumbant) gets thrown out. Let's start out with a new bunch of Crooks. Oh yea, All newly elected crooks start out at a 50% cut in pay. Follow the Automaker's contract.

Job loss: up close and personal As everyone is well aware, our Lansing politicians last month passed two large tax hikes to help fix a so-called budget "deficit." I say "so-called," because most of the deficit was created because of increased spending, and not lack of tax dollars. The decision to raise taxes has come under a lot of criticism, particularly from the business community, because the larger tax burden here in Michigan will make it even harder to attract job creators and entrepreneurs, and very likely will drive them away to other states. Michigan's state and local tax burden was 14th out of the 50 states even before the two tax hikes; we have undoubtedly moved even higher on that dubious list since then. But debates about the "business climate" and overall tax burden can be somewhat theoretical. Many people hear facts like "14th highest tax burden," and simply shrug. "What does that have to do with me," they may say. Unless it affects them personally, they really don't pay much attention. So let's focus on an individual case of how Michigan's business climate has affected a local entrepreneur. This summer, the Godfather's Pizza restaurant on West Main Street in Kalamazoo closed its doors after 16 years in business. Three full-time workers and 22 part-time workers lost their jobs, adding to Michigan's worst-in-the-U.S. unemployment rate. Owner Richard Johnson said there were two main reasons his business could no longer compete. "Our governor just keeps raising taxes," he said. "It's hard for a business to hang on." Johnson also blamed Michigan's increase in the minimum wage for putting him out of business. On July 1, the state minimum wage increased from $6.95 to $7:15 an hour; next year it will go up again to $7.40 per hour. Now it may sound compassionate for the government to raise the minimum wage to "put more money in workers' pockets," but the result is almost always the same: businesses that are simply making ends meet often have to lay off some of their minimum wage workers. We should ask the Godfather Pizza workers who lost their jobs this question: Would you rather have a job at $6.95 per hour, or no job that pays $7.15 an hour? I think I know what their answer would be. Ironically, two weeks after Godfathers Pizza closed its doors for good, Governor Granholm came to Kalamazoo to tout her brand-new "No Worker Left Behind" program. This is a job retraining program that supposedly helps laid-off workers get new skills to find new jobs. The program will cost millions of dollars and contributed to the budget "deficit" that resulted in the two tax hikes in October. This is what it's come to: state government's high taxes and burdenson regulations put people out of work, so state government creates a new government program that will help them--and will cause taxes to go even higher, putting more people out of work. Does the image of a dog chasing its tail come to mind? That's the trouble with government programs like the minimum wage and job retraining that are enacted supposedly to "help" the people. Politicians get to pose for pictures with graduates of the retraining program, while no one tallies up the the number of lost jobs and failed businesses caused by the ever increasing cost of government. But the politicians get to claim that they are "doing something" about unemployment. Our free-enterprise economy, if unfettered from needless regulations and high taxes, is the greatest engine of economic opportunity ever created. What government needs to do is get back to the basics--provide good roads and infrastructure, safe streets, and a fair system of justice. Michigan's one-state depression will not be solved with more government programs. Raymond H. Wilson is president of the Kalamazoo County Taxpayers Association. He can be reached at stoptaxes@kaltax.org. Membership in the Taxpayers Association is ten dollars; details are at www.kaltax.org. Some of the information in this column appeared in the August 14, 2007, Kalamazoo Gazette.

Now that you have lost your service tax, Jenny, what now? How are you going to fully fund mental health so those who need services will get them? Many people who are mentally ill are capable of contributing to the economy and hold jobs as long as they have access to their medication and treatment. And for those who aren't, we need to recommit to helping them be part of their communities. They are getting lost in the budget shuffle. We need to get our priorities straight in this state, which is providing for the health, education, and employment of as many citizens as possible. Too many people have bailed out, and more will follow if we continue on the course we have followed for the last 50 years or so. And, yes, I support a recall of the governor and the immediate dismissal of all legislators who tried to ram this service tax down our throats. I also support the idea of a part-time legislature, subject to immediate recall if they don't represent our interests. And ban lobbyists and special interests from the state capitol grounds completely. They don't represent us.

You Say... "We need to get our priorities straight in this state, which is providing for the health, education, and employment of as many citizens as possible." I Say... Why is it the states responsibility to "providing for the health, education, and employment". It's not the governments job to provide jobs. Where do you think they get their money? I haven't seen any money trees growing in lansingistan. They steal it from the productive class. When they steal too much you see good folks leave the state. It's not the governments responsibility to provide health care. It shouldn't be the states job to educate us. This is actually the root of all the states evils. Lets get the bloated state out of our way so the business owners can thrive and provide jobs and opportunities.

WE ARE ALL IN DEEP TROUBLE. THANK YOU MOLE FACE.

The state does owe us these things: 1. Provide an environment for jobs to be created in the state that will provide benefits, including health insurance. 2. They do have an obligation to help the mentally ill, regardless of what anyone says. And, yes, the mentally ill who can work should have the opportunity to work, and this is where the state owes people the environment where jobs can be created. What do you suggest, that we lock them up and forget about them, throwing away the key, especially if many, maybe even most, of them are able to contribute in a positive way? If you think that, you have a hopelessly prejudiced view of the mentally ill. 3. They do have the obligation to support education on all levels. The universities have got their priorities wrong - new sports facilities and win-at-all cost mentalities to entertain people instead of using that money on education. We should require the money be spent more on education instead of sports teams. And we are doing the athletes no favors by requiring them to just barely pass to stay eligible when we need them to be productive in a high-tech world. Sorry, everyone, but the days of the dumb jock must end. 4. The state does have an obligation to provide health coverage for all - sorry, but health care is getting out of reach even for full-time working middle class families. The whole health care system needs reform. 5. And above all, the state owes us state employees who treat the customers like human beings instead of being rude to them. Customer service with many state employees is a foreign concept. 6. The state also owes our God-given First Amendment right in the US Constitution's Bill of Rights to be able to petition the government with our grievances, including sue if necessary. These people need to be hit in the pocketbook if any meaningful change is going to be made.

There is no health care in this state because of the lack of good paying jobs with benefits. Companies such as the Big Three automakers wanted to get the health care issue off their backs, so what did they do? They signed a deal with the UAW that will allow the union to administer health care for their members. The Big Three and other corporations lobbied the Feds very hard to try to get universal health care for all, so they could reduce their health care costs, which were hurting them more than the number of jobs and wages were. People tend to go where the jobs and benefits are, and we need to get some of them back here.

Voted for more big-government republicans AGAIN in the January 15th primary? Who won? Romney, who promised to rob the taxpayers of America to give $300 billion to an auto industry that is going to MOVE OUT OF the U.S. after they get the money. We keep bailing them out, and they keep moving off-shore. And you people voted for this man. I really don't want to hear your BS whining anymore. You know what you are voting for, and you are going to get it. 6% for the one man that actually understands what is happening to our economy. You vote for big government and then complain when you get it. "It's all the democrats fault!!" BS, without those republicans supporting it, it would NOT have passed. It was politics. Plain and simple. Each party had a role to play, and play it they did. And yet you keep voting for these people. The Michigan GOP can kiss my a** You are all a bunch of fakes.

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