Posted on 07/11/2009 1:33:51 PM PDT by Steelfish
In Michigan, Deficits Defy Years of Cutting
By MONICA DAVEY
Published: July 11, 2009
LANSING, Mich. Long before California resorted to i.o.u.s to pay state bills, and before New Yorks political insurrection made a mess of this years budget planning, and even before the recession pushed dozens of other states into their worst fiscal distress in decades, lawmakers here were cutting.
The cuts started in the 2002 budget year, when some prisoners were ordered to sleep two to a cell. Then came cuts to state colleges in 2003, and orchestras, zoos and operas in 2004.
Medical payments for the poor were cut in 2005, followed by cuts to a youth prison in 2006. After that? More cuts to prisons, crime laboratories, libraries and day care programs.
Last month, 100 state troopers were laid off, and the troopers left behind were told to drive around less to, of course, cut costs.
In all, even before thinking about the coming years $1.8 billion shortfall, Michigans lawmakers had through cuts, accounting shifts and tax increases
closed more than $7 billion in budget gaps over the past eight years. While many states have experienced a year of pain or perhaps two during this downturn, Michigan is approaching nearly a decade of budget misery.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
“Berkley educated Granholm”
Berkley and Harvard, right? Fortunately she had the proper liberal education. Otherwise, she might be evaluated on how well she does her job. :)
At this point its a little hard to believe that her stupidity isn’t intentional.
..and it's not even a column, (i.e., the usual NYT leftard columnists Rich, Kristof, Herbert, Collins, Krugman, Dowd), it's a "supposed" actual straight "news story.".
took the city council to over ride the will of the people here cause you know,they know better. Just saying,she might decide to pull a Zelaya.
Michigan ping
I agree. It can’t be easy to do this much damage.
Well, $1 houses also come to mind....
at least Michigan will be back with a vengeance this year!
I am an opera buff and I have never heard of a Michigan opera company.
Michigan to its credit made a major reform to public employee pensions (except teacher pensions) in the late 90s. I believe Republicans were mostly responsible for the reform.
***My estimates are that MI lost 600,000-800,000 productive citizens. ***
I went to Michigan in 1991 and left in 1999, after having found a trophy wife. We lived six years in Indiana, before moving to Iowa. Best move that we ever made, leaving there. My wife’s family is there, mostly dependent (current and retired) on the auto industry.
They’re screwed.
Granholm’s doctorial thesis from Berkeley was titled “Why I love French communists.”
Sounds like what America will look like when The Messiah and the Queen Bee get done!
“I don’t recall seeing anything here or hearing about reform to the state employee pension funds. Have they extended the minimum service requirement? Have they looked at ways to (!horrors!) privatize the funding process?”
Please, you’re making sense. Common sense to dumbocrats are like a crucifix and holy water to vampires.
If you voiced such opinions in a Michigan bar, you’d be laughed at, followed by pants-wetting and crying that higher taxes are the solution to Michigan’s problems. I won’t mention that most of the fat slobs on the bar stools are collecting workmen’s comp, SS disability and welfare.
Add the regulations and high costs, along with the decline of the auto industry/manufacturing, and the war on this state by Washington, and you get this.
I've been here five generations. I'd like to stay. We'll see. That depends if I still have work.
Which we did in 2007......and it didn't work.
Why, if Michigan had just doubled the tax rate they would probably be solvent right now!
Remember folks, “cuts” don’t mean cuts in actual spending, but only cuts in the spending increase amounts.
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