Comments on: Town Hall Meeting Report: An emerging grand bargain on taxes and reforms?

By: Tom

Tom — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 18:50:02 +0000

Why not allow advertising on school buses and in school lunchrooms as a way to help lower any deficits ? Imagine if businesses were able to buy naming rights to current or new schools as that would bring much needed cash in. It wouldn’t hurt to ask Dell , HP , Tropicana, Papermate… or any other of thousands of businesses if they’d like a school with their brand name on it. Reduce the amount of funds school boards eat up by reducing the size of schoolboards or eliminate schoolboard and hand the duties over to a city council to lower funds spent.

By: Bruce C McFee

Bruce C McFee — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 01:26:23 +0000

Considering that many in the private sector have taken large pay cuts, isn’t it time that this issue be considered for the public sector?

It seems if educators took a 7% pay & benefit cut, just like the rest of us did, we might not have to cut so many programs.

By: T. Allen Blackburn

T. Allen Blackburn — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 22:32:46 +0000

I always hear many people talk about getting rid of the entitlements. Usually these are people that have done quite well and are not dependent upon Social Security, Medicaire, or any other program that is run by the government. It would be sad to think that people will have to work till death because we are not willing to raise the limit upon which social security is collected. The ones who also talk about reducing government, taxation, regulation are the ones that destroy the environment, take care of shareholders vs. the masses, send jobs overseas and companies so that EPA laws and labor costs can be avoided, engage in massive fraud that can be missed because of a lack of oversight. One has only to look at this recession and how it started with the banking industry and sub-prime mortgages which dragged this country to it’s knees. Our taxes pay for roads, schools, public safety, entitlements, parks and recreation, etc. We need to decide what we are going to invest in. Advocating for companies that have no conscience is not what I want to see our country move towards. You have only to look at the company under indictment that fed our troops overseas to see what the lack of oversight creates. You have only to look at HMO’s and our current health insurances to see what lack of oversight creates. Spreading the wealth to a smaller and smaller section of our country is what the past regimes policies created. They will be the first ones to be screaming for public safety when their homes are being robbed. You get what you pay for or, in this case, what you refused to pay for.

By: Jess Atwell

Jess Atwell — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:27:34 +0000

The problem is that the base for taxes is disappearing rapidly. Michigan has been hit the worst, but other states are now falling down too. The problem is that we can not afford the society that has been constructed around entitlements. There are proofs of this fact. Argentina, who actually fashioned it’s economy and gov’t after the USA, failed when the bills came due on their social programs. They actually raised taxes to 100% and confiscated all savings and pension accounts in banks. This same thing is happening here now. The debt we are drowning in is directly related to government programs that we can no longer pay for. The only answer is to discontinue the pouring money down the hole that has been constructed artificially and start all over again. The government in Michigan has to be dramatically reduced in size, scope and power. In order to become competitive again, Michigan government must get out of the way. Reduce gov’t, reduce taxation and regulation.

By: Lynn

Lynn — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 12:50:12 +0000

How do we get rid of the bullheaded politicians who seem to be running Michigan into the ground? I am sure other states don’t have these many politians on a full time basis.

By: Jim Zielske

Jim Zielske — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 01:06:56 +0000

As we have seen in the past, tax increases without Reform are spending good money after bad. Yes people will have no option but to pay more taxes but without real (Reform) it will be a repeat of the 2007 tax increase which was stated to be used for the stuctural inbalance built into our system. It seems that was incorrect. People are sick of these tactics. You can’t tax and spend yourself into prosperity. Something ( Reform ) has got to be in the mix… K-12 spending 85-90% of thier budget on salaries will have to be addressed and the rising fully funded insurance premiums of all state employees.

By: Alfred Boggs

Alfred Boggs — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 18:56:56 +0000

Thanks to the center for a very constructive meeting. I know the people of Michigan have the ability to solve our economic problems if we can get the bullheaded politicans out of the way. If we can communicate the messages that come from those attending to the general public, I’m confident that the bullheaded politicans in Lansing will change or be gone.

By: Dave Moore

Dave Moore — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 18:22:59 +0000

RE: education, my three kids will be leaving Michigan for college. Go ahead and “Google” the top entrepreneurial business schools in the country… NONE are in Michigan. Economic development doesn’t mean squat without the talent and tax environment to start businesses. And, I would submit to anyone that it won’t cost any additional dollars to teach entrepreneurial skills than it is to teach the skills to go to work for someone else… It’s just a change of focus and skills.