[JD59]

Lawmakers scramble to reach tax increase deal; essential services in place

LANSING, Mich. - Michigan's state government partially shut down early Monday as the new fiscal year began with no budget deal in place to plug a $1.75 billion deficit.

The Senate voted to raise the state's income tax from 3.9 percent to 4.35 percent, a key step toward implementing a budget deal, hours after the measure passed the House. It now heads to Democratic Gov. Jennifer Granholm, who is expected to sign it.

Michigan’s state government partly shuts down - U.S. Life - MSNBC.com

[scottmi]

Yup, Michigan's doing great.

[Southernkomfort27]

Does anyone know where we can sign a recall petition?

[magellan]

Or a petition to end term limits. Legislators gain a certain sense of "wisdom" and the ability to play well with others/compromise after being in office for a while. These guys and gals have none of it.

BTW: Our local news station showed 4 other states that have had shutdowns since 2000.

As of typing this, it appears the shutdown is over before it really began:

WOODTV.com & WOOD TV8 - Grand Rapids news, weather, sports and video - Deal completed to end government shutdown

[Ozark Nana]

Sorry to butt in here folks, I moved out of Michigan in the late 80's but have watched with a heavy heart, her slow spiral down to where she is today. Can someone enlighten me about the wisdom that raising the tax base is going to help?? It's sad to think a government would increase taxes on people who are already in crisis because they can't balance their budgets and curb their own spending! People in Michigan are lucky to hold their own homes let alone pay MORE in taxes....where did the current "governor" come from (meaning which planet)!!

My memories of Michigan are many and happy ones...I still have family living there. You all are in my thoughts and prayers....

Ozark Nana

[jd_hassell]

I'm kind of glad I'm not in Michigan right now, but I'm worried because ALL of my family is there... Freep.com put it as a dilemma of whether or not Michigan should raise taxes or cut spending. Hmmm... now i'm only a college student but I have a general idea of which one we should pick. UGH. I think the whole thing is crazy/stupid.
Ozark Nana - Granholm comes from a far away planet we like to call Canada.

[magellan]

Originally Posted by jd_hassell

I'm kind of glad I'm not in Michigan right now, but I'm worried because ALL of my family is there... Freep.com put it as a dilemma of whether or not Michigan should raise taxes or cut spending. Hmmm... now i'm only a college student but I have a general idea of which one we should pick. UGH. I think the whole thing is crazy/stupid.
Ozark Nana - Granholm comes from a far away planet we like to call Canada.

They did both, cut spending and raise taxes, to fill the budget gap.

[Cliffie]

This is classic government in action: I got a frantic e-mail from a friend who works for the state, the night before the shutdown, saying they'd reached a budget agreement already but were shutting down anyway "just in case." Why didn't the idjits raise the sales tax instead of the income tax? Has nobody told them yet that people in this state don't HAVE incomes?

[okcs55]

Originally Posted by Ozark Nana

Sorry to butt in here folks, I moved out of Michigan in the late 80's but have watched with a heavy heart, her slow spiral down to where she is today. Can someone enlighten me about the wisdom that raising the tax base is going to help?? It's sad to think a government would increase taxes on people who are already in crisis because they can't balance their budgets and curb their own spending! People in Michigan are lucky to hold their own homes let alone pay MORE in taxes....where did the current "governor" come from (meaning which planet)!!

My memories of Michigan are many and happy ones...I still have family living there. You all are in my thoughts and prayers....

Ozark Nana

I presently don't live in Michigan, but I have Family still there and worry about them, and I agree they are lucky to still have their homes....send the Governor back to where she came from!!! What in the world has she done for Michigan....nothing outstanding.

[tecpatl]

The Governor of Michigan does not design, build or market automobiles.
She has cut billions of dollars in spending during her time in office.
Incidentally, she inherited a built-in, multi-billion dollar deficit when she took office. Then Republican Gov. John Engler, now spokesmodel for the Natl Assn of Manufacturers, claimed he "balanced the budget" but he did so by stripping funding from many places and moving debt forward into the future, among other bookkeeping shenanigans. I have some large problems with Granholm, but the huge decline of manufacturing in the state (thus, jobs) is a result of changes in the auto industry and the (formerly) Big 3's incompetent business management in the face of those changes.
I wish Granholm would or could do more to bring the state back, but no one person is capable of that miraculous feat.