Comments on: Weekly Update: Oct. 16, 2009 ::: ‘Solving’ the Budget Fight http://domemagazine.com/blogs Michigan People, Politics, and Policy Tue, 21 Feb 2012 20:32:29 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 By: Jim Brazier http://domemagazine.com/blogs/wu101609#comment-4211 Jim Brazier Fri, 16 Oct 2009 18:06:34 +0000 http://domemagazine.com/blogs/?page_id=1286#comment-4211 The GOP according to what your article states consented to raising taxes by reducing the earned income tax credit. So, the GOP apparently does not mind balancing the budget on the backs of the poor or have-nots. Where is the contribution of the haves? Mike Bishop and his Senate Republican cohorts have certainly fumed about nat raising taxes but he and his party colleagues have not come up with revenues for funding programs for the have-nots or investements such as education to promote equal opportunity for all Michigainers. Bishop sounds like he believes that government is bad and deserves to be shrunk. Yet, a bad economy means that people in Michigan are suffering and need assistance through these bad times. When Bishop refuses to lead his party in helping out those who are suffering, he shows callous insensitivity to their plight and a partiality to only helping those who are not. The GOP according to what your article states consented to raising taxes by reducing the earned income tax credit. So, the GOP apparently does not mind balancing the budget on the backs of the poor or have-nots. Where is the contribution of the haves? Mike Bishop and his Senate Republican cohorts have certainly fumed about nat raising taxes but he and his party colleagues have not come up with revenues for funding programs for the have-nots or investements such as education to promote equal opportunity for all Michigainers.

Bishop sounds like he believes that government is bad and deserves to be shrunk. Yet, a bad economy means that people in Michigan are suffering and need assistance through these bad times. When Bishop refuses to lead his party in helping out those who are suffering, he shows callous insensitivity to their plight and a partiality to only helping those who are not.

]]> By: Jack McHugh http://domemagazine.com/blogs/wu101609#comment-4202 Jack McHugh Fri, 16 Oct 2009 12:35:23 +0000 http://domemagazine.com/blogs/?page_id=1286#comment-4202 "The state is now literally at the stage of having to determine how many prisons to close, which universities to shutter, how many more roads to allow to return to gravel." Because Lord knows, we certainly can't talk about why we pay $5,000 more per prisoner than other midwest states, why we pay $5 billion more for public employee benefits than the private sector average, or why costs at our gold-plated universities rise faster than inflation decade after decade, with virtually no accountability or serious cost containment efforts. That said, do we really need an Eastern Michigan University (notwithstanding a flashy new president's mansion)? “The state is now literally at the stage of having to determine how many prisons to close, which universities to shutter, how many more roads to allow to return to gravel.”

Because Lord knows, we certainly can’t talk about why we pay $5,000 more per prisoner than other midwest states, why we pay $5 billion more for public employee benefits than the private sector average, or why costs at our gold-plated universities rise faster than inflation decade after decade, with virtually no accountability or serious cost containment efforts.

That said, do we really need an Eastern Michigan University (notwithstanding a flashy new president’s mansion)?

]]>