Michigan Legislators Still Debating How Much to Screw Citizens

The "Raise the Income Tax" meetings have stalled again.

Michigan is in red ink, and rather than cut meaningless services or cut waste (because obviously anything the government does is never meaningless or wasteful), they want to pass the cost on to the consumer - Michigan taxpayers.

Unfortunately for that analogy, consumers have a choice as to what they will spend their money on, and in what amounts. Tax payers don't.

By 7:00 a.m. a bill to raise the tax rate from 3.9% to 4.6% was still four votes shy of the needed 56 votes. The voting board showed only one one Republican joining 51 Democrats voting for the measure. One Democrat and two Republicans were uncommitted, as the board remained open after eight hours.

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Without an agreement for a 2007-08 budget -- or an extension of this year's budget -- the state faces a partial government shutdown October 1.

The problem with this threatened shutdown is that most citizens see it as a blessing, not something to be frightened over.

Since 2002, Michigan has consistently been in the economic toilet bowl, and still has the weakest economy of any state. Businesses are fleeing at a record rate, and citizens are moving out of state to find work. So, what is government's solution? Raise the income tax. Like the Guinness beer ads would say: "BRILLIANT"!