When the work-a-day people find they have overspent their income, they look for ways to cut back their spending.
Michigan should do the same.
Lobbyists and other politically active people look for ways to increase state income, rather than reduce spending.
Reports out of Lansing say our state budget has a shortfall of $2 billion. Maybe it does and maybe it doesn’t. Seems like all new governors and presidents accuse their predecessors of leaving the office in a horrible financial mess.
There are those who say, as work-a-day people would, state spending should be cut back. With all the super economic years we had in the ’90s, there must be someplace where we overspent that could be eliminated or at least reduced.
And, of course, there are those who want the work-a-day people to pay more taxes and increase state income to head off what some are calling politically unacceptable budget cuts.
One such quoted person is Al Short, lobbyist for the Michigan Education Association. He said, “We have to make sure essential services are provided to the citizens and maintain the quality of life in this state.”
“Quality of life.” Doesn’t that have great appeal? Don’t cut back on the quality of life of our prisoners by reducing their calorie count and saving the state a few bucks.
I’d not like to read Short’s definition of ‘quality of life.’
Short recommends an increase in taxes to increase state income to bring more money to Lansing, which by itself will not necessarily balance the budget. Could be law makers would just find more places to spend it in the name of ‘quality of life.’
Hasn’t it been proved many times that money isn’t always the answer? That sometimes goodness and right will come from thrift?
Short and his followers would like the teachers he lobbies for and all the rest of us to pay taxes on dry cleaning and hair cuts. He’d like advertising to be taxed. Like those who advertise won’t jack up the price of their goods to pay for the advertising.
He proposes taxing attorney fees, too. Certainly this benevolent group of professionals will not have their fees reflect this increase in costs.
About 30 lobbyists, mostly from educational groups were in a recent assemblage gathered by Short to discuss a campaign to boost tax revenues.
Two former Republican state office holders were also involved. One, Leon Drolet, R-Clinton Township, said, “I heard several speakers say we can’t cut our way out of this. We spent our way into it. We can cut our way out.”
With April’s IRS tax reporting date upon us many are certainly wondering about the depletion of their savings or reduction of the ability to save.
Even after April 15 we should keep in mind one fine way to protect our own ‘quality of life’ is to oppose all tax increases.