[JimmyInGreatLakes]

Originally Posted by stanman13

If I recall correctly, the Republican controlled congress shut down the federal government in the effort to force that balanced budget.

Bingo! The spending path (including Health Care I) Clinton was on was promptly shut down in 1994 by Newt Gingrich and his bunch. Then his budgets got a little more conservative and the nation prospered (well, in part due to the incredible tech boom). I guess Dem's didn't learn their lesson very well and history repeats itself. I'm not saying they are alone in bad policy. The GOP had total control in 2002 and got spend happy and hurt the economy.

[malamute]

Originally Posted by scolls

Which is off set by the jobs and development in the state. Snyder goes on TV and pleads with Michiganders that we need tax cuts to bring jobs. We have a tax credit that is working in bringing jobs to the state and he wants to cut it. What about the studios being built and all the jobs associated with that? That's money being brought in the state which indirectly makes up for the cost of the credit.

All that was to benefit Michael Moore and no one else. Hollywood isn't going to move to Michigan.

[michmoldman]

Application Process for Jobs in the Snyder Administration | Governor-elect Rick Snyder (http://www.governorelectricksnyder.com/jobs/overview - broken link)

[alleyyooper]

All I know is My shovel has been busy moving all the CHIT they been spreading about what they are going to do from both parties.
Now my shovel can be busy covering up all the money (every body knows the banks are not the place to keep money any longer.) they are not going to have to tax from me since they are all going to take a pay cut. YA RIGHT I'LL BELIEVE THAT WHEN i SEE IT.
I don't know when I will find time to do any thing relaxing either with all the jobs we are going to get from the guy that knows how to create jobs and make them grow will start forceing us old retired people to work because they don't want to import the layed off chinese to do them.

It is called Same old chit different day.

Al

[The Homogenizer]

Originally Posted by michigan83

The things that the current administration is trying have been tried over and over since the beginning of time. It's not like they are re-inventing the wheel with this stuff.

Who did the ten point plan before?

Originally Posted by mofromcheboygankalamazoo

People out here are talking more about Michigan due to TV shows...

Not here in Colorado.

Originally Posted by Bhaalspawn

Our nation's real economic problem has less to do with taxation and spending and more to do with foreign outsourcing, international trade policy, H-1B and L-1 visas, and mass immigration.

I think that's a culture problem. If you're playing ball with a guy who's taller, you don't change the rules to accomodate your height. You figure out a way to get around it or you accept losing. However, when it's the economy, everyone wants to change the rules and who pays? The consumers because they have fewer choices and have to pay more for those choices. That's a sad thing to me.

Originally Posted by JimmyInGreatLakes

Totally agree. Once the beast (Government growth) is out of the cage, it's tough to get it back in. We are taxed and the money is redistributed in so many ways that aren't even visible to us. We don't pay much attention to the surcharges on our utility bills and within the actual rates we get charged for gas/electricity is built in at LEAST $90 million that gets redistributed to "low-income" folks for "energy efficiency". A family of four near or below the poverty line gets about $400/month in free food which is more than I budget for my own family of five. Subsidized rent/subsidized utilities. The Earned Income credit is an incredible cash cow for low income folks with one or more kids.

E.G. a family of four making $20,000 is below the poverty line in Michigan and will pay NO federal taxes. They get $4,800 in food money, $3,000 back from the Earned Income Credit, another $2,000 from the Child tax credit and probably a good $1500 in utility credits along with an untold amount (depending on their health) in subsidized health insurance. They are now basically "making" over $31,000 thanks to government programs but the news flashes keep emphasizing "below the poverty level". It's a crazy system.

That's consistent with real capitalism.

[Bhaalspawn]

Originally Posted by tjay

if the dude wants to save michigan, he'll invest us in green energy. all kinds, not just one. that's where the world is headed....companies and even towns have made themselves self sufficient. the technology is there, its just a matter of actually using it. if we could actually get our oil and coal loving government to stop being self serving....imagine the possibilities?

It's a shame that everyone seems to have forgotten about nuclear power. Michigan, of all states, would be poised to develop nuclear power using our abundance of cold water. We could then export the electricity to other states.

[Bhaalspawn]

Originally Posted by scolls

It's just amazing to me that while Snyder was chairman of Gateway they outsourced jobs and ran the company into the ground before selling out to a Taiwanese company and he is suppose to be some messiah job creator for Michigan?

I think it's hard to judge these guys based on what they did as businessmen in those regards. As a CEO, it was his job to do what was best for shareholders, not the nation. If he hadn't outsourced the jobs might his company have just gone completely out of business as a result of being unable to compete on price? What's sad is that many businesses today do not have a choice in this matter; as soon as one competitor starts taking advantage of cheap foreign labor and lesser regulations, they all have to do it. (The situation is akin to a tragedy of the commons, IMHO.)

Don't blame CEOs for outsourcing, blame Congress for allowing it to continue and for failing to impose tariffs.

[Bhaalspawn]

Originally Posted by The Homogenizer

As FDR said,"To catch a thief, set a thief." If you want Michigan to stop practices that make it profitable to outsource, ask a guy who's outsourced.

At the state government level there's really not much Snyder or any governor could do about global labor arbitrage. What's he supposed to do? Encourage the Michigan legislature to impose tariffs on foreign goods? End the H-1B and L-1 visa programs? End mass immigration? The Michigan legislature doesn't have the power to do that; those are federal government issues!

Governors don't have the power to enact changes to economic policies on a national scale. All they can really do and all Snyder can attempt to do is to make Michigan more competitive for jobs relative to the other 49 states. He can attempt to help Michigan win a national race to the bottom. Now, surely Michigan can improve in those regards, but his power to fix the state's job market only goes so far.

[The Homogenizer]

Originally Posted by Bhaalspawn

blame Congress for allowing it to continue and for failing to impose tariffs.

Why not blame poor people for buying imports?

[Bhaalspawn]

Originally Posted by JimmyInGreatLakes

Bingo! The spending path (including Health Care I) Clinton was on was promptly shut down in 1994 by Newt Gingrich and his bunch.

Actually, if the Clinton Administration had been able to change our system to real socialized medicine, it would have resulted in a HUGE cost savings for the nation.

Remember, the U.S. spends about 17% of its GDP on health care while having tens of millions of people who are uninsured or underinsured, a terrified populace, hundreds of thousands of medical bankruptcies each year, and businesses and an economy that are burdened by health care concerns.

In contrast, other nations spend far, far less than 17% of their GDP on health care (or in terms of dollar amounts per capita) while having 100% coverage, a more contented populace, zero medical bankrupticies, and businesses and an economy that aren't burdened by health care costs and concerns.

Did the Republicans actually reduce spending by opposing socialized medicine or, in actuality, did they allow health care costs to continue to spiral out of control while leaving tens of millions of Americans uninsured and underinsured?