Funny how they can propose to cut taxes with every other breath, never explaining how they would pay for them. When it comes to giving money to kids for college, or helping the poor keep their houses warm, suddenly the well dries up.
GRAND RAPIDS -- Patty Mienko does not care about the politics that could be behind Gov. Jennifer Granholm's plan to boost the state's college scholarship program by $1,000.
While Republican legislators wonder where the money to fund it will come from, Mienko and parents statewide welcome the move with open arms.
"How could we say no to something like that?" asked Mienko, whose daughter, Brittany, is a freshman at Union High School. "College is expensive, and every little bit would help."
Granholm is expected to renew her call for revamping the Michigan Merit Award scholarship plan in her State of the State address next week.
"How are we going to pay for this?" asked Sen. Wayne Kuipers, R-Holland. "We don't know how many students would be projected to qualify and what the financial impact would be."
Kuipers said Republican leaders discussed proposals with Granholm two months ago, but her renewed effort surprised lawmakers.
"I'm all for rewarding kids who do well, but this is a fairly substantive increase that needs to be researched before we can talk about doing it," he said.
But when it comes to tax cuts? Paying for them is not an issue. And rather than help people who are struggling with astronomical heat bills, Republicans who helped Engler drain the "rainy day" fund before he blew town decide that now is a good time to start saving money again.
The Republican-controlled chamber is looking to finish up work on a package of bills that would slice state taxes in half for 35,000 small businesses and tuck into savings $116 million left over from last year's state budget.
The legislation won approval from the Senate last week, but some Democrats in that chamber argued that the extra money should go toward helping low-income residents with higher heating bills rather than putting it into the Budget Stabilization Fund.
House Speaker Craig DeRoche, R-Novi, defended the tax cuts.
Democratic Gov. Jennifer Granholm has said she opposes the tax cut because lawmakers have not come up with a way to cover the lost revenue, but it's unclear whether House Democrats will vote against the legislation.
They plan to cut more. From back in December-
The governor and GOP legislative leaders deadlocked several times this year on what broader business tax cuts should look like, a fight that's expected to continue in 2006. DeRoche and Republican Senate Majority Leader Ken Sikkema of Wyoming insist the state must restructure and reduce its single business tax to keep jobs even if it means cutting state programs.
Seems to me that we need to strike a balance between making our tax rate competitive without taking it out on the poor. Who wants to live in a state that has multitudes of homeless, hungry and sick people? Who wants to live in a state that has no quality of life- from the public schools to the public parks, roads, cops, fire department, etc. etc., on and on.
What, exactly, would they cut that hasn't already been sliced to the bone? We have had over $4 billion in cuts and balances already, more than any other governor before.
Reverse Robin Hood politics- take from the poor to give to the rich. We continue on this course and we, too, can be a third world country. Maybe that's exactly what Republicans want, cause it sure seems like they don't give a shit about helping people.