Wednesday, April 28, 2004


GR adds property tax surcharge, raises trash fees
It got a little more expensive on Tuesday to live and own property in Grand Rapids.

The City Commission bailed out its ailing Refuse Collection Fund by raising the price of blue trash bags and tags from $1 to $1.25 each. Commissioners also raised the special property tax for trash collection from 1.35 mills to 1.55 mills -- adding $10 to the taxes on a home worth $100,000.

In a separate action, the City Commission pumped an extra $1.3 million into its cash-strapped general fund by imposing a 1-percent administration fee on every property tax bill. City officials said the fee will add about $12 to the average homeowner's property tax bill.

Both increases take effect July 1, when the city's new fiscal year begins. Tags and bags purchased beforehand will be honored.

Time to stock up. And once again, I hope everyone enjoyed their tax cuts! Or maybe we should have socked them away in the bank to pay for -you guessed it - the tax increases! Hahaha! Oh wait, according to the wife of one of the richest guys in Michigan, YOU make too much money anyway! What the HELL were you thinking? Read on-

Betsy DeVos: Michigan workers paid too much

So, who does Betsy DeVos think is getting paid too much?

The Republican state party chairwoman raised the issue Tuesday when she issued a press release saying high wages were partly to blame for Michigan's economic woes.

"Many, if not most, of the economic problems in Michigan are a result of high wages and a tax and regulatory structure that makes this state uncompetitive," DeVos said in the prepared statement.

(Fun fact! Michigan comes in at No. 17 on median income for 2002 according to these folks. For that same year we were also No. 18 in per captia personal income. Now, I are not so smart in the math-e-matics like Betsy is, but doesn't that put us kinda close to the middle? And as for the "tax and regulatory structure", seems to me that Engler had 12 YEARS to fix that. But I don't recall anybody bitching in the gay 90's. Hmmmm.)

The press release was issued as DeVos criticized Gov. Jennifer Granholm for pinning the blame on President Bush for Michigan's loss of nearly 200,000 manufacturing jobs. Granholm was in Washington, D.C. with U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow touting plans to protect manufacturing jobs.

Michigan Democratic Party Chairman Butch Hollowell wasted no time in pouncing on the comments.

"I hate to tell Betsy DeVos this, but high wages are not a bad thing," Hollowell said. "They're good, and we need more of them."

DeVos, a longtime West Michigan GOP activist who owns the Grand Rapids holding company Windquest Group, and whose husband's family owns Alticor Inc., said she only was referring to the realities of the global economy.

That may be. That is the reality of the global economy, but this is the reality of the American economy. Two very different things, unless you want to turn this into a third world country. Betsy probably figures she's paying the "help" too much. (Us being the "help", of course)

But let's review the positions of this very wealthy woman.

"Outsourcing good"

" You make too much money."

HAHAHAHA! I laughed all the way to the computer.