That's Leadership?

Preface: The State of Michigan is in a deep recession, and has been for a few years. Unlike 49 other states. So what does the Governor do? She proposes to raise taxes. And she has town meetings to sell her plan.

"It's extremely tough when you're facing these kind of challenges," she said.
"This is the fundamental question we have. What should we become in this
state?"

On several occasions, Granholm deflected questions about her
proposals to raise taxes, instead pushing the audience to answer what they'd do
in her position...

The centerpiece of her plan to solve the budget crisis calls for a 2% tax on most services...an added nickel a pack tax on cigarettes, a new tax on estates valued at $2 million or more and an increase in the state tax on liquor. She also would close about a dozen so-called loopholes to raise $26 million in this budget year...

Of course, the pseudo-intellectuals have our economic problems all worked out.

Charles Ballard, an economist at Michigan State University, said Granholm's
plan doesn't go far enough.

"The economic plan in the last decade has been just to cut, cut
and cut," he said. "We just can't fix it exclusively through spending cuts. I
would go farther with the sales tax on service."

Sure. Good idea. Let's screw people even more. Darn it, I should get a Ph.D. so I can think up brilliant economic plans, too.

At least there was some comic relief. One person, who works for an "activist group" that wants the state to step in to stop foreclosures, utility shutoffs and other bad news for residents asked, "Why don't you use your emergency powers to declare a state of economic disaster?"