Michigan voters reject road funding ballot measure, Proposal 1 (sales tax road maintenance)

Michigan Radio ^ | 05 May 2015 | Mark Brush

[Lorianne]

We in Michigan have been talking about fixing our roads for years.

"Just fix the damn roads," was the mantra Michigan lawmakers heard over and over from their constituents.

Now the refrain sounds more like "just don't fix the damn roads this way."

Voters overwhelmingly voted "no" on Proposal 1 - the statewide road funding ballot initiative that would have raised the state's sales tax from 6% to 7% in order to change the way fuel is taxed in Michigan. The changes in fuel tax would have generated new road funding.

See vote tallies here.

Now it's back to the drawing board for Michigan lawmakers.

And political analysts have their doubts as to whether this Legislature – a Legislature that is decidedly more anti-tax than the last one – will find a way to come up with the necessary funds to fix the state's ailing road system - a need experts have pegged at anywhere from $1.8 to $2 billion, and rising.

The state's biggest supporter of the measure, Gov. Rick Snyder, issued the following statement after news of the defeat:

“It’s essential that making Michigan’s infrastructure safer remains a top priority. While voters didn’t support this particular proposal, we know they want action taken to maintain and improve our roads and bridges. The ‘relentless’ part of relentless positive action means that we start anew to find a comprehensive, long-term solution to this problem. Doing nothing isn’t an option as the costs are too great. Michiganders need to be able to get behind the wheel and not worry about dodging potholes or seeing plywood to catch crumbling concrete under overpasses. We appreciate that this bipartisan plan was supported by so many groups – business leaders and unions, public safety officials and local governments, teachers, and the list goes on. I plan to work with my partners in the Legislature on a solution that gives Michigan residents the safe roads they need and deserve and bolsters our growing economy.”

Shortly after the proposal was voted down, politicians and pundits took to their pulpits to tell you exactly what this election result means: •a simple message of 'no new taxes'; •a rejection of the state legislature; •a call for more progressive taxation: •a failure by Gov. Snyder

There's a message to parse out of this vote for just about every political stripe.

[Lorianne]

What’s next for Michigan roads after the failure of Proposal 1?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gp3eKeyqwf0

[cripplecreek]

Tallies on the epic beatdown.

http://miboecfr.nictusa.com/election/results/15SG1/90000001.html

Now drop the film subsidies, corporate welfare, and choo choo fantasies and stop blowing transportation money on everything but roads.

[PoloSec]

My first thoughts as well there is probably enough fraud, waste and abuse to pave all Michigan roads with gold.

[Buckeye McFrog]

What’s next for Michigan roads after the failure of Proposal 1?

Pouting, petulant unions and bureaucrats let them degenerate into rutted gravel trenches.

[kevslisababy]

But they don't tell the whole story. About half of the money would supposedly go to the roads, with no guarantee, then the rest was split between MORE school funding, and a bump in the Earned Income Tax Credit, which takes money out of the taxpayers pocket and gives MORE to those who don't pay taxes.

They took a simple straight forward fixed which was first proposed and muddied it up for special interests. Our fuel taxes now are supposed to fund road maintenance/repair, and yet the money is spent elsewhere.

We cannot trust these people, which is the bottom line, really.

They ran all kinds of scare ads, our economy, our businesses, our tourism, our vehicles and even our health would suffer if we didn't votes yes. Over the top.

If it were truly that urgent and critical, they would have already found the money elsewhere and fixed our roads.

[jsanders2001]

Never enough taxes for the bottomless pit. They double and triple tax for the same thing placing them under different categories or create new names hoping you won’t notice and question it. Then they ind a way to let it trickle down into the pockets of the benefactors who proposed the tax in the first place. I’m surprised more judgment hasn’t been handed down yet but I’m sure its coming...

[cripplecreek]

Just one example of what is wrong at the county level.

Last year Jackson county approved $2 million from highway funding to tear down a concrete wall that should have never been built at Cascades county park. Fortunately people raised hell and they had to find the money elsewhere.

Now I hear them screaming that we need to upgrade “Inner city trails” which are little more than crack head highways.

[where's_the_Outrage?]

Never vote for a tax increase even is so called only for:

What happens is first the money that was allocated based on other taxes is diverted, and second, there is nothing to stop this money from being “borrowed” for another program.

Yes, just because the law says taxes collected for a Project X can only be used for Project X, does not stop the Dems (and RINOs) from “borrowing” that money (and never repaying).

[Iron Munro]

Similar situation where I live.

State, city and county governments spend all the tax money on nice-to-do programs then they have no money left to do the actual necessities they were hired to do, like repair roads.

Instead of budgeting for necessities and cutting back on their touchy-feely projects they spend their time trying to come up with loopholes or underhanded ways to trick taxpayers into paying higher taxes.

But they always seem to have money for artsy projects, new buildings and parks named after themselves, bike lanes on high speed highways, free telephones, free computers, free college and other stuff for illegals and moochers, muslim outreach, relocating minorities from the projects to suburban neighborhoods where other people actually pay for their own homes, etc., etc.

[joe fonebone]

wanna see the roads get fixed real fast..

for less money than they ever thought...

suspend bacon/davis...

[GoldenPup]

Voters overwhelmingly voted "no" on Proposal 1 - the statewide road funding ballot initiative

Even the functional illiterates don't believe the lying basta*ds will use the $$ like they say. This has been a constant mantra in Michigan for years and years. They get the money and instead of fixing roads, they piss it away on other stuff and lie about it.

[vette6387]

I don’t know about you all, but my sphincter tightens when I read that word “comprehensive.” It’s use is usually not a good sign. In this case, the good citizens of MI figured that out. Somehow, government needs to know that more money isn’t the answer.

[Mr. Lucky]

Well, it’s obvious that you have no future in government transportation planning.

[motor_racer]

The $1.2 Billion they say they need for the roads here represents less than 2% of the budget. Are we supposed to believe that the rest of the budget could not tolerate a 2% cut? And why, when we are told it involves only a “small tax increase” do we hear upon its failure that “massive, draconian cuts” will be necessary?

[i_robot73]

Suspend? Why stop there? ABOLISH...it’s an unconstitutional as 99% of what’s ‘Law’ anywho.

[goat granny]

All sales tax on gasoline was suppose to go only for roads, as was said when they wanted the tax money years ago. They make more money on gas tax than the company that produces the tax make in profit. Same with ciggies. I am talking about just profit not total income from those companys...it cost money to produce both.

[goat granny]

All sales tax on gasoline was suppose to go only for roads, as was said when they wanted the tax money years ago. They make more money on gas tax than the company that produces the tax make in profit. Same with ciggies. I am talking about just profit not total income from those companys...it cost money to produce both.