Michigan Votes Forum

 Right, if the money isn't there for the pie in the sky programs or to pay the wages of all the political employees, give the pols a blank check to raise taxes. Government is becoming the largest employer. Who are you going to tax when government BECOMES the largest employer?  100 MILLION subsidy to a new firm if they don't make enough to pay taxes, Free community college education for everyone and anyone. Those are some of the typed of bills that I have seen from this legislature. A good housecleanng is in order, but I wouldn't expect the recipients of other people's money to particiapte.

 How about doing what your constituents have to do, create a budget with what you have and make appropriate cuts! Michiganders cannot take another tax increase, we've already had paycuts and layoffs, we don't need you rooting around in our pockets anymore! When are the elitist Democrats going to learn to live on a budget and stop trying to control our lives?

The last thing we need in this state is an income tax increase two years in a row.  Government needs to learn to live within its means.  This requires the establishment of a realistic budget which absolutely limits spending.  If spending threatens to exceed the budget, the first actions should be elimination of non-essential and wasteful expenses followed by cuts in areas which do not threaten peoples' livelihood and well-being.   In the midst of financial crisis, we continue to see money spent on many non-vital endeavors such as highway rumble strips, road sign replacement and bicycle paths while funds for education and child development are slashed.  Politicians today just don't seem to understand the basic concepts inherent in Financial Planning 101, concepts which ordinary citizens must follow to avoid financial disaster.

Rep. Opsommer, having reserved the right to explain his protest against the passage of the bill, made the following statement:

“Mr. Speaker and members of the House:

For two sessions in a row, and in a bipartisan fashion, first with the late Rep. Vagnozzi and now with Rep. Barnett, we have tried to address high property taxes in Michigan by increasing the amount of the Homestead Property Tax Credit, a credit that has not been increased since 1976 and now causes far too many homeowners to pay more than their fair share and contributes to the housing crisis that was at the root of the financial market meltdown. While we have not been able to get these bills passed, I was told to take solace in the fact that at least the personal tax exemption was still being increased, and that my attempts to lower property taxes could jeopardize that. But now, I see that this money has been targeted regardless with the passage of HB5352, and property taxes will still not be lowered, and taxpayer reform will not be enacted in any way and will instead go to feed other programs. If we want to limit the amount of cuts we bring to programs like Revenue Sharing, it would be best to consider true reforms like the Urban Cooperation Act as we discuss the merits of these issues. Such discussions have continued to be pushed aside. I vote no on this bill’s passage.”

Rep. Hildenbrand, having reserved the right to explain his protest against the passage of the bill, made the following statement:

“Mr. Speaker and members of the House:

Thank you Madam Speaker. I rise in opposition to these bills that raise taxes on the residents of Michigan.

The message from Michigan businesses and families is loud and clear, people across Michigan are calling on us to pass a balanced budget without raising taxes; to adopt meaningful reforms to avoid future annual budget crisis; and to reform and reduce Michigan’s business tax to jump-start our struggling economy.

With 15% unemployment it is obvious that our tax rates are not too low or that we don’t have enough taxes in place: The problem is we don’t have enough people paying taxes. People are moving out of state, are out of work, have lost wages and are not participating in our economy. The result: our tax revenues are down over 20%.

The last thing we need to do is raise taxes in this time of economic crisis. We can not tax ourselves into prosperity. This Legislature and the Governor should have learned their lesson 2 years ago when they raised $1.4 billion in new tax revenue. The result - today we have $2.8 billion in less revenue for state government - almost twice the loss of revenue in just 2 short years.

Let’s not punish our businesses and families while they are down. But let’s implement the agreement between the House and Senate to balance this budget with no new revenue and get serious about the reforms needed to make state government work.

Let’s focus on creating a strong and robust economy to put Michigan back to work instead of nickeling and diming the people of this state in order to feed state government.”

 Hello, Tea party-here I come!