Sorry for all you Michigan fans, the state is dead thanks to the present administration and state house.
I read the posts and I have to say that many of you know what it is like in other states and don’t see the real issues here.
If we are to see a resuscitation of the state, it starts with stopping the blame game and getting rid of Granholm or at least making Granholm do her job. I would actually like to see Michigan get going again but it will never happen with the talk of tax increases, the idea that she is the second coming and the thought that no one could have done a better job – in reality DeVos would have been at least no worst than her. Her administration is corrupt, just like the McNamara administration which she oversaw for the “king makerâ€, with her push to give the “First Gentleman†a staff and transportation for his per projects, hiring junior Levin and other democrats after they lost their election bids, and the MEA with the contributions stuff. No where do I see the gains in jobs or the fact that we actually have any real companies wanting to move here.
One of the biggest problems we have is taxes; the Small Business Tax is one thing that discourages people from starting or moving here. We need to eliminate this now but there is talk about increasing the taxes to cover a deficient that she created by increasing services to the poor (which never made it to them but to increase staffing for the various departments), increasing money to the schools (which also never made it to the students but to increase the administration of the schools), moving forward a lot of road repairs and even with the expenditure for stupid bowl that we have yet to realize any return (the fact that after the game, investments in Pittsburg increased may say something).
Oh yea lets not forget her 300 jobs by Google, which offset the Pfizer cut of 10,000 jobs in 2003 or that we have had three other ‘high tech’ companies move into the state and employ 1100 people who happen to come form India under H-1b visas. Oh boy, really great growth! Many of the companies, who have settled here, have not hired from the local communities but have brought their own workers to the state or hired out of the colleges for summer work. This really is not growth, as is considered by the people in Lansing because once they are done, they leave. I know of a couple companies down the road from D-C when the tax credits expired, they left. They have not been the only ones either.
Another problem is property taxes, which has been so convoluted thanks to the idiots who voted for the sales tax increase back in the 90’s – my vacant property went from $295 to $925 in taxes alone without a substantial increase in value. I think that a serious look at the efforts of Florida to eliminate property taxes should be on the agenda here. I mean if we have an elimination of property taxes, we will no doubt attract businesses to move here. Actually thinking about it, maybe shifting more taxes around to eliminate some of the more hidden taxes in the state will also help.
But what ever it is to help the state, it starts with eliminating the person who put us in the position in the first place, Granholm.
