Well…I was going to lie out in the sun for a while but it was just too hot to do it comfortably so I took a pass….looks like I’ll have to live with the weird looking tan for another day….I did want to get to the Michigan tax thing….I saw an analysis the other day that really describes what the “shared sacrifice” that our gov and the rest of the repubs here are trying to sell. Under the new plan, and with the deletion of the homestead tax credit for the middle class…a retiree making around 50K a year in retirement benefits will pay more than 3,000 dollars a year more in taxes…taking almost 8% additional from that meager amount. But, people making over 250K per year that are still working will pay less than that in their tax increase. Now, does that sound fair to anyone? Does that sound like shared sacrifice. Nope, it didn’t to me either….I have only one more comment….where are the jobs from the 2 billion dollars you just gave away to business? There are none….but ceo pay just went up again and I am pissed about having to pay for a raise for someone making millions a year….
Tag Archives: Michigan
Pushing toward 1,000…
Well…got lunch in the oven (making some Texas style ribs with roasted red potatoes)…can you smell that? That’s some good food that I’m really looking forward to…made them with G’s recipe in a foil pouch…yummy….was just looking at the dashboard for this thing and found that I’m quickly approaching the 1,000 post mark and I’m not sure how I feel about it….I know it’s some sort of an accomplishment to have written more than two of these every day for over a year…but then I sit back and think what has been the point? No, I’m not dropping back into depression…just thinking about a lot of things…doing a little introspection over the past two days and I’m not sure if I like what I see…always too self critical but that’s me I guess…
Now, on to other stuff…I find it funny that the repubs are bitching so much about the stimulus package not working and that it was such a waste of money even though over 200 billion of the 800 was tax cuts and other tax relief. Now, what its it repubs? Do tax cuts spur job creation or don’t they? If we look at the math, and I want to, let’s compare what they are doing here in Michigan with the 2 billion in tax cuts for business that our gov Snyder and all of the other repub crazies here say will create thousands and thousands of jobs. If that will work here, why hasn’t the 200 billion in tax cuts on the federal level resulted in millions and millions of new jobs across the country? This just points out the repubs reliance on outdated ideas that have been shown over time to not work…but here’s the kicker…why do the repubs want so much measurement of middle class workers (i.e teachers) and to eliminate the jobs of those that don’t perform while they give billions and billions to corporations with no strings attached? In the latest budget giveaway to business here in Michigan, no metric is in place that would tie the tax breaks for business to anything…that means they can spend the tax windfall any way they want…outsourcing jobs, giving the ceo’s raises, or stock buybacks that do nothing to spur the economy or create jobs. This just isn’t fair and I think America is starting to see who these idiots for who they are…a paid arm of business that is ruining our democracy…
Did you expect anything different?
Well…I’ve been reading about the big conference on Mackinac Island where the repubs and business leaders, who purport to represent the people of Michigan, are meeting to gloat over ramming through their radical right-wing agenda. Since this conference is supposed give voice to the plans to “reinvent” Michigan, where is the input from the ordinary Michigan citizen? Where is the input from organized labor? Where is the input from our retirees? The quick answer is nowhere….none of those groups were even invited to this “victory lap” where business and their repub lapdogs sip champagne on the porch of the Grand Hotel and make plans to steal even more of the state from you and me. What else can you call it when taxes are raised on everyone but business and then those taxes are given to the ceo’s who then will pad their pay that is already higher than ever in history. How does it feel to write a check to a ceo that makes 20 million dollars a year? What are you going to give up to make sure these guys get another summer home or two new Mercedes?
I guess we only have ourselves to blame for voting for these thieves…or, no, I blame everyone else…I didn’t and will never vote for these thugs….
One last thing…
Well…just a shorty to talk about one last thought I had about some other events that have defined the repub party here and across the entire US. Here in Michigan, the ultra right wing repubs had their hands slapped when they tried to involve the legislature in the working of the state universities who, by the constitution, are independent entities set up that way to make sure that the winds of political change don’t interfere with the charter of these institutions. What these guys tried this week was to impose their religious views on stem cell research on the universities by creating all kinds of new reporting regulations that would have the effect of chilling this important avenue of research along with making an unconstitutional power grab for the legislature. But, as we all know, the repubs don’t give a damn about the constitution except as a tool for political advantage. The second thing the new commissars of Michigan tried was to pass a bill that would prevent any university here from offering health benefits to same sex partners under penalty of withholding operating funds from any one who did…again, usurping the constitutional powers of the boards that govern the universities and trying to jam their far right craziness on the population who, by a large majority, approve of these benefits…but, that has never mattered to the repubs…they only govern for those who vote for them and the rest of us are just leeches to be punished in any and all ways at their disposal….can’t wait for 2012…and the Snyder recall petitions…
More repub hypocrisy…
Well…just sitting here a few minutes ago…well…have been just sitting most of the day recovering from the all day party yesterday and I had a thought…I’m sure you’ve heard the repubs go on an on about accountability, results, and measurement when they talk about education and are always first in line to impose these things on teachers, but what about all of the money they are handing out to business with the new business tax cuts that have just passed the legislature here in Michigan? Nope, not a thing about any regulation whatsoever or even about any accountability for job creation that has been held up as the sole purpose for these cuts. After all, with taxes being raised on you and me, we are paying for these cuts and shouldn’t we be able to ask to see the results? Shouldn’t we be able to recapture these tax cuts if they don’t do anything to create jobs here? I find it funny or maybe consistent that the repubs are all about using the power of government to control individuals behavior, but business gets a free ride to claim our money for their own personal use….since we all know cutting taxes for business without strings attached just puts more money into the hands of the already rich…and has never created one job…not since Reagan…not with Bush, not with anyone…geez…
Shenanigans, Shenanigans….
Well…after the huge giveaway to business paid for by the workers here in Michigan, guess what happened? The health of Michigan’s economy is no where near as bad as the repubs projections made it out to be. Doesn’t anyone else see shenanigans here? They come out in January with dire budget projections used to drive their anti-citizens agenda and raise taxes on us while giving the state away to business and the rich, an now, magically, they find that the projected 1.5 billion dollar shortfall is now only a billion dollars and dropping every day. And, Snyder and his cronies are still out there pitching that we need to bribe businesses to stay in Michigan…and that is just what it is, holding the people of Michigan up to bribes in the form of tax breaks to keep business from taking their ball and going home if we don’t give them what they paid for in this new repub controlled state. When do we, as citizens of Michigan, get the truth out of these repub liars?
One other thing that is happening in repub controlled states is another oldie but goodie where they are putting structural “reforms” in place that will suppress the votes that normally go to the dems….leaning on the old chestnut of “widespread voter fraud” that has never happened anywhere except in the heads of the repub strategists….shenanigans, shenanigans, shenanigans…geez…
Oh, one last thing, the repubs in the US Senate blocked the ending of 4 billion dollars a year in subsidies for the oil companies…yep, you heard it here, the repubs won’t give unemployed workers any help but they will give 4 billion dollars to the oil companies…I can’t even work up any outrage anymore since this is always the pattern…we can’t afford any safety nets for individuals but we can for oil companies….I fear for this country’s future…
There’s a theme here….
Well….there have been things happening here in Michigan that I think need some comments since it appears that there is a theme that is running through them. Hey…didn’t bury the lead…oh, yep I did…damn….okay, let’s get to it…starting with the passing of the Snyder budget proposal that barely squeeked by the repub controlled House that will eliminate taxes for 86% of businesses here…yeah, you read it right 86% of business will pay no taxes under Snyder’s plan…that means you and I will be building the roads, paying for the schools, police and fire protection that business will then be able to use for free….sounds a lot like the welfare that the repubs always say is ruining this country when it goes to individuals, but I guess it’s just peachy when it goes to the rich and business. Doesn’t it take away businesses incentive to work hard when they can just freeload on the backs of the people? If you remember, this is just what the repubs said about people getting unemployment benefits earlier in the year. Aren’t you tired of this nonsense yet?
Another thing we should remember is that the repubs were voted into office largely on the argument of the “government takeover” of healthcare and their incessant yammering that this was creeping socialism but what Snyder is doing here in Michigan is right out of the central planning of the old Soviet Union…where he and his cronies now have the power to remove elected officials an take over any entity that doesn’t toe their line. Where is the repub outcry over this egregious central government takeover?
The third thing that happened lately is the imposition of the new young driver rules that take away a parents right to control that part of their children’s behavior…inserting the state in between that relationship and not allowing a parent to set the rules for behavior….for instance, the new 10 pm curfew for new drivers…what if they work after 10? What if they have a family outing? It’s just another example of the repubs talking individual freedom and then imposing the power of the state whenever they have the chance…..
Thanks, Manny…
Well…if you’ve been here before, you’ve heard me take issue with the idiotic rantings of the Detroit News’ Manny Lopez, and I have to say thanks again for his column in today’s paper…it’s not the only thing I want to talk about but it gets me started and, hopefully, gets the outrage meter moving up. Today, Manny goes on to take issue with Bob King’s comments (Bob is the president of the UAW) that the new financial manager law is an attack on democracy by allowing elected officials to be removed if their organization, be it a city, town, county, or school district runs into financial distress. What would you call subverting the election process by appointed overseers, Manny? What’s next? Removing a congressman or senator if he votes for financially unsound practices? That would put all of your repub buddies at risk for voting for tax cuts when it results in bankrupting the country, doesn’t it? It’s just another instance where the repubs and their lapdog writers scream socialism whenever the dems do anything that will benefit the middle class but then see nothing wrong with tearing at the core of our democracy when they lie to get voted into office. Who would have voted for our gov Snyder if he would have revealed his plans for the giveaway to business and the rich paid for by taxes on you and me? Liars all….
Okay…that is the only topic for this one….I will try to get another one out later but I do feel pretty crappy and want to make salmon for lunch….I have been better lately at getting these out before you come back from lunch….I’m better than Keith at it…oh, that is one thing I did want to talk about and forgot…Keith Olbermann is coming back with “Countdown” on the 20th of June…same time, different channel…..welcome back, Keith….
Did you vote for this?
Well…if there was any confusion over whose side the newly elected repubs are on here in Michigan, you only have to look at what a new bill is doing to the foreclosure process here….where the current law provides a 6 month window for people trying to save their houses, the new bill, written and paid for by the banking industry, will cut that time in half and allow the banks to make the homeowners jump through more and more paperwork hoops while they will have absolutely no requirements for timeliness for their end of the process…basically allowing them to drag the process out to “run out the clock” on the homeowners and ensuring that less and less people will be able to save their homes. I will point this at those of you who voted for these thieves: “Did you vote for this?” Did you vote to have your friends and neighbors houses stolen when they run into financial trouble? If you did, then shame on you…geez…
Maybe not….
Well….I have been thinking about my idea of proposing solutions to Michigan’s problems and it’s much harder than just bitching…so I’m not sure how long it’s going to take to get something that makes sense….one thing I would like to see is a progressive income tax here…one thing that the repubs don’t want you to know is the fact that even with tax rates that were twice what they are now, we had huge periods of growth and job creation…along with balanced budgets. During that time, the interstate road system was built, good schools were everywhere, and there were possibilities that we could be better. Where are we now? Tax rates are lower than they have been in 50 years and there is still no job creation…so when the repubs say they want more of the same, my jaw drops with the stupidity of that stance.
Okay…I promised, so I’ll change tack here….I heard a news show on MSNBC today and I just about lost my lunch…these people were bitching that ceo’s are being hurt by the recession, too…with the admonition that we shouldn’t pick on them since they were taking a hit along with the rest of us….yep, I couldn’t believe it either….these poor guys are only making 800 times what their workers make…down from 900 times….I’m going to cry a tear for them and their hard times…geez…
One last thing….there may be a budding revolt going on in the repub ranks here in Michigan over the draconian cuts in school funding while giving all that money to business in the form of tax cuts….yay…