Michigan Votes Forum

 So Gov. Granholm is 100 percent behind this, right? Because she's all about transparency, right?

You know what makes me sick about our political culture today? Michigan liberals are all huge fans of all this corporate welfare "economic development" nonsense these days - from Dem legislators to LiberalMichigan and the left blogosphere - only because "their" governor (and the rest of the bipartisan political class) has adopted it whole hog, as means to posture that they are "doing something" about the economy.

But - if the Fat Man was still governor and the Dems in the minority, many on the left would be pouring vitriol on the very same policies. The right is no better - they perform the same partisan "We're at war with Oceana, we've always been at war with Oceana" about-faces with just as much ease. But it's the liberals who the worst offenders at the moment on transparency issues like this, and bills like this are where their partisan hypocracy gets exposed.

Hey Eric B at Liberal Michigan - how about being an honest liberal and making this bill a cause on your website?

 sorry johnnie...

there is no such thing as an honest liberal.

 MEGA should have on their website details of every single transaction they propose.  This is public money being given or credited to private firms.  There must be transparency.  I want to know:

Initial terms:              What benefits are you offering?  How many employees hired/retain in MI and everywhere else?

On going tracking:    For as long as the benefits exist.  If you are giving a 20 year property tax break, then report for 20 years.

Benefits actually taken:    Don't just report in 2005 that you gave $20MM in property tax breaks for capital investment.  Tell me how much of that $20MM was actually done by 2006, and how much was cancelled.  Don't tell me you gave $1MM in training grants to a company.  Tell me how much was used by the company.

I want to know how many deals were turned down.  How many companies were bribed to move their headquarters here, and how many actually came. 

I want tracking of how many companies left, closed plants, etc, that you offered tax breaks to.  How much was given to companies that closed, and did you recapture any of those tax breaks?