Quote:
Originally Posted by jimdhen
Because for some reason, MI voters keep electing and re-electing politicians who do nothing more than redistribute the earned wealth of others to those who contribute less. Stand up and vote in more fiscally conservative individuals who understand that prosperity has to start with successful businesses and not with protectionism and taxes to placate those with their hands out for someone else's hard-earned money. Your house and taxes are reminders of days-gone-by when times were good and people paid taxes without thinking about where the money went.
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This is so ignorant I do not know where to begin.
Lets start with a history lesson. Governor Engler, supposedly a fiscal conservative signs prop A into law creating a tax cap to help seniors out. This caps the taxable value of a home. When that home is sold the value is redetermined and the taxable value goes up. When prop A was created it limited the income that communities take in to support local services. The local communities determine where the millage rate (tax) is set. Gov Engler also eliminated most of the revenue sharing that takes state money and REDISTRIBUTES it back to the communities. This put those communities that are not growing in a real financial bind so most voted to raise local taxes in order to pay for things like police and fire.
Today our new Governor recently signed into law the new Michigan Business Tax. This reduces taxes, especially property taxes, by almost 2/3 for businesses and places the tax burden on those businesses that sell in Michigan but do not have a presence here (no workers). The new MBT did not raise taxes one bit on existing Michigan Businesses and actually lowered them
significantly. As far as businesses taxes go, Michigan went from the middle of the pack to one of the lowest tax locations in the country.
Now lets talk about personal taxes. Yes the Governor wants to increase revenue. Most of this is because we use to have a larger government. In those times we made promises to those that work for the government that they would have a retirement and health benefits after their service to the state was over. The cost of health care has gone through the roof for every one every where in the country. This was the same promise that GM, Ford, and Chrysler made to their employees. There are now more people that are retired from all those places than working for them. When Governor Engler took office Health care costs were much lower. The then Big Three were still dominating the Auto market and times were better. He reduced the Personal income tax level from 4.6% to 3.9% while he was in his lame duck term. He knew this was not sustainable at the time and it would hit who ever came in after him.
There are two proposals floating around Lansing theses days. First is to restore personal income taxes to the 4.6% or to increase the sales tax. The cool thing about a sales tax increase is that you really do not have to pay it if you do not want to. Just do not buy anything.
If Michigan has any real issue it is with the level of ignorance of its citizens. The government is not to wholly to blame for our current state of affairs. It is the ignorance to the fact that all jobs in Michigan are tied to the state of our Auto industry. If it is not doing well, none of us are doing well. If you need to blame someone blame Pfizer, blame your neighbor for buying a Toyota, and blame your grandma for not dying fast enough. Now to you, personally you should back away from the key board, get an education, and you will see that things are not nearly as bad as you think they are. I would highly recommend studying economics because you clearly know nothing about the subject. What is going on in Michigan has happened in the Carolinas in the 90's with the textile industry and has happened in the Midwest in the 80's with farming.
If you want to understand why you cannot sell your home it is because of the people like the guy I quoted talking about how bad things are, and others not having a clue due in part to their ignorance believing he may know what he is talking about. We have a 7% unemployment rate. This is bad compared to other places, but I remember times during the 80's when the country was run by the first Shrub, and when unemployment was static at 18%. 4% unemployment is considered as full employment where anyone that wanted a job can have one. Things are really not that bad. Michigan employers just no longer hire idiots. That is all that has changed! Class Dismissed!