Posted on 09/28/2007 8:21:43 PM PDT by Jack Black
LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Two-thirds of Michigan's state government workers were told Friday not to report to work Monday as negotiations continued on a budget plan that could avert a partial state government shutdown.
Messages went to about 35,000 state workers, telling them they were being placed on a temporary layoff beginning at 12:01 a.m. Monday and not to go to work unless otherwise notified.
About 18,000 state employees will remain on the job, including 12,000 prison employees, said Liz Boyd, a spokeswoman for Democratic Gov. Jennifer Granholm.
"We will have limited state police," Boyd added.
A shutdown would mean most government operations would cease, including food safety and gas pump inspections, liquor deliveries, lottery ticket sales, the issuance of driver's licenses, and construction on state roads, Granholm said Friday.
A Wayne County judge, however, on Friday gave the three Detroit casinos permission to stay open even if the state is unable to oversee them during a shutdown. The casinos contribute $1 million a day to state public schools and Detroit public safety, a casino spokesman said.
Members of the Granholm administration met with both House parties on Friday afternoon, raising hopes that a proposal was close to fill a $1.75 billion shortfall in the fiscal year that starts Monday.
Negotiations center on raising the state's personal income tax rate, now at 3.9 percent, to as high as 4.6 percent. Another key issue is extending the sales tax to some new services.
Budget negotiations continued into Friday evening, and there was hope among some at the Capitol that an agreement was within reach.
SHUTDOWN MICHIGAN !! 35,000 layed off !!
Time for a cocktail! How awesome is this. Any day that 35,000 govt. workers are laid off is a good day. Sure this will get resolved evnetually, but the Michigan Republicans have called the bluff of the woman socialist Canadian Gov. (We can only dream the Trent lot and the boys learn from this object lesson in how to play hardball)
Imagine the excellent outcomes. Granholm has made a big deal of punishing (who she percieves) as the Republican base. As of Monday you will not be able to buy booze, smokes or gamble in Michigan casinos.
I think she has BADLY misread the situation. If the R's can drag out the shut down the massive state-funded ghettos of Detroit will start to empty out as the gravy (delivered religously since the 1967 riots)is cut off.
40 YEARS OF WELFARE AND DEPENDENCY -- CRUSHED! This could have instant and lasting positive effects on the budget. And, even more so, on the voting in Michigan. Detroit city still has nearly 1,000,000 residents, nearly all of whom vote Democratic. (Not to mention the well documented proclivity of Detroit Dem operatives to stuff the ballot boxes).
Keep your eyes on this situation. There is a lot more at stake here than meets the eyes.
That state should hum like a well oiled machine now. Why don’t all you trained workers come to Texas. We have thousands of unfilled jobs, no state income tax and very affordable housing. Avoid the Libtards of Austin and you will be fine.
Interesting.
The state delivers liquor? WOW
Vote for Hillary and she will ruin the country.
The state will regret that one.
Next step is to make sure at least half of them never come back to work for the state. Good opportunity to permanently trim the bloated bureaucracy built up by generations of Demagogues and RINOs.
Happy day is right!
Government offices have better computers, equipment, desks and chairs than do the average small business in this State, and I would imagine anywhere.
And that is a crime.
No sh!t, JB, not the least of which is the blessed political demise of that Canadian born b!tch that a few were wanting to bend the exclusion rules and declare her a possible Pres candidate, shortly after she was elected Guv..
i love it!
reality comes to the democrat plantation.
“A Wayne County judge, however, on Friday gave the three Detroit casinos permission to stay open even if the state is unable to oversee them during a shutdown. The casinos contribute $1 million a day to state public schools and Detroit public safety, a casino spokesman said.”
A million dollars a day to the government from gambling. Unbelievable. Plus, lottery and liquor revenues? So how much of the Michigan state government is funded by lower income folks and their addictions? When will they wake up to this fact?
How are they going to survive without their lottery tickets?
Does this mean Jeff Daniels is unemployed now?
I wonder how long it will take for anyone to notice they are shut down?
She was a lousy attorney general of the state. She is a lousy governor of the state.
(Can't wait until doctors and nurses become gubmint workers...)
Negotiations center on raising the state’s personal income tax rate, now at 3.9 percent, to as high as 4.6 percent.
LOL! Yes, that will work!! LOL! Yeehah, tax the crap out of your citizens!
whats a state income tax? /s
Aren’t you afraid of massive rioting?
You know how the national media will play this....”Evil Republicans cut off needed funds for poor women and children.”
Gheesh Michigan, what happened to you? And when did you get into the liquor business, prohibition?
What is this all about? Does the Michigan budget commence with Oct 1, like the military? Is this just a lack of revenue due to population loss and no downsizing of government to match?
The Granholm Miracle continues!
What kind of jobs?
I currently work as an electronics technician. I am a UAW member and have been working for Chrysler for 23 years now. It's been a good life, but I also realize that things can't go on forever with the auto comapnies and the unions and the high taxes and costs of doing business in a state like Michigan.
Do you have any suggestions for someone like me on where / how to start looking? (Sorry for asking such a basic question, haven't had to look for work for 23 years...)
The Democrats will spin this the way Clinton did in the 90’s....evil Republicans want to shut down vital government services and starve old people and children. You watch.
From Granholm’s press release outlining all the shutdowns:
“All Department of Civil Rights activities will stop during a government shutdown. Residents wishing to file a discrimination complaint will be able to leave a message at 1-800-482-3604 with the details of their complaint.”
Oh the horrors.
How come raising taxes is always the only solution when trying to solve a budget crises? I can't demand a raise from my employer when I'm short of cash! Why can't politicians do what everybody else has to do?
CUT COSTS!!
oh yeah, we made our checks out to the “STATE OF MICHIGAN” for our liquor deliveries. how f’d up is that???? worse than the mob!
Check the South. We have Nissan in Nashville and Nippondenso in East TN. (GM is in Spring Hill). There are other import plants in South Carolina and Alabama and just all over. My machinist mentor is from Michigan and my Radar mentor was from Michigan. (They left and never had a problem, actually enlightened) Good Luck!
Essential services will all shut down?
Welfare and pork sailing along just fine?
Refineries, chemical plants and shipyards are booming. Central Texas has its own Silicon Valley around democratland of Austin. There are huge tax abatements for companies moving here in many cities. Not a big labor state but wages are good and low taxes. NO STATE INCOME TAX.
Start looking at online classes in your field to bring you up to the latest technology. Find what you need and then bury yourself in learning. Get out of the auto industry before the pressure increases.
Are these the non-essential gubmint workers they talk about?
Tennessee is also one of the few that have that advantage.
I have a lot of family in Michigan and it's sad how bad things have gotten. When we vacationed there this summer the places we visited seemed depopulated -- it was weird.
No! We were caught unaware in 1967 but every police organization in the state has dreamed of a 'redo' for 40 years. Detroit is the second largest city, in terms of square miles, in the USA after Los Angeles.
The ghettos can set themselves on fire as much as they want. No one cares!! (In fact Detroit has a tradition of hundreds of fires on Oct. 30 (Devil's Night), as slum lords coordinate the arson to get rid of their remaining properties).
Nothing would please many of us more than a prolonged urban riots where the usual suspects destroy more of their already dead city. Kinda like bombing the rubble in Berlin for the 40th day in a row, it will have zero effect on anything important.
The auto industry may be interested in his specialized skills but you must be willing to relocate on your own dime.
The plants in the south are the newest and have a strong half-life. :^)
So they are going to stop issuing driver’s licenses, but what do you want to bet they will still give tickets to people who drive without a license? As usual, government loves to exercise its power regardless of justice or logic.
Cheers!
The last Detroit riots ended when the 82nd Airborn came in. I don't think that will be needed this time. There is not that much 'fighting spirit' left in the city. The people without free food and booze will just leave for Chicago, Cleaveland and New York I think.
I was in Phoenix in the 80’s and 90’s and was successful for the most part but when Motorola dropped off in 1997, I got stuck at Honeywell and it sucked. I came back to Tennessee and it was the boldest and luckiest move I made.
They are trying to raise the taxes of the productive workers by playing with the supply chain of government trinkets, to anger and manipulate the votes of those who the Democrats keep poor and disenfranchised.
It’s grandstanding and inciting class warfare.
Cut off the lottery tickets? GIVE ME A BREAK. That is a CASH COW and temporarily halting their sale is nothing but social engineering by Marxist conspirators.
If the three Detroit casinos ‘contribute’ a MILLION A DAY, how much are people LOSING there each day. Argh.
Exactly why are “negotiations centered on raising the personal state income tax” . . . as opposed to “negotiations are centered around reducing government spending”?
But I agree. This event can play VERY well into Romney’s hands. He was born in Michigan. Drain Detroit of some workers, send them to jobs elsewhere, and all of a sudden we replace those Ohio EVs the Dems are chasing.
HA! I was briefly at Honeywell and they "restructured" my division to India. When they told me about other positions, I said, "no thanks, give me the severance." I had three job offers before the severance even kicked in -- like I said, it's a nice job market.
You are right that Honeywell sucks to work for. It's like being trapped in a Dilbert cartoon.
My thoughts exactly. A governor who thought like a capitalist would keep the casinos open, the lotteries running and the liquor sales going. You keep making huge amounts of money with a few inspectors, sellers of tickets, etc. while the rest of the government negative cash-flow stops for a while.
Don’t tell me you were at BCAS!
Man, was that place depressing. Now I work for the same pay at 70-person software company and LOVE it. No pointy-headed boss, endless meetings or bureaucracy. And my new co-workers actually smile from time to time!
Lets say this...a lousy governor...and a lousy state. I can’t think of anyone in my entire life who ever discussed the possibility of moving to Michigan. Even guys that I met while in the Air Force...who grew up there...stated they would never go back to live there.
As we used to say here in Michigan when Jim “Jobs, Jobs, Jobs” Blanchard was Governor, “ Will the last one out of Michigan turn out the lights!”
My place of work at BCAS was unbearable. I now have a real job with a very good company with twice the pay and benefits and lets me set my schedule. (We are also untouchable in competition so far). :^)
For all you Newbies in college, avoid Honeywell at all costs.
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