[OCCASparky]

Actually, in this instance—Michigan is a blueprint for what WILL be happening to California, New York, et al, as the taxpayers move out. Michigan can’t keep up because nobody is left who pays taxes, regardless of how deep one cuts spending.

[Lancey Howard]

“See? The budget has been cut to the bone,” says the New York Times liberal Democrat scumbag columnist, “So raising taxes is the only option left.”

[2banana]

Hmmmm.. not one cut to union pay, benefits or PENSIONS???

[Dahoser]

Long before California resorted to i.o.u.’s to pay state bills, and before New York’s political insurrection made a mess of this year’s budget planning, and even before the recession pushed dozens of other states into their worst fiscal distress in decades, lawmakers here were cutting.

The Supreme Soviet of the People's Republic of New York helped the process by doing no harm for a month. It's when they're in session that they make a mess of things. If we could figure out how to get them to play lock each other out for another 11 months and get Congress to emulate them, we might have a chance to fix the destruction being done all across the land.

[Jim Noble]

OK, the cuts started in 2002.

How much lower is the FY 10 Michigan budget than the FY 02 Michigan budget?

[erman]

notice how the libs use the little trick ..... cut ESSENTIAL stuff, but keep all the fluff and BUREAUCRATS!!! NO cut in pay for the big pigs at the trough. How about all the administrators... any of them see a cut in pension or salary..NOPE

It's all a scam. The crooks are numerous and the little piggies are just trying to stay hidden..

So what they do is cut stuff that we NEED in order to blackmail the populace into crying for more taxes... That's what they did in DC. They stopped passport offices, VA Hospitals, and I'm sure they'll stop National Parks, Airport controllers, but they'll keep spending money on Nancy Pelosi's worms or Murthas fat a@@ make work projects, art projects with urine and feces and the image of Christ...but not Mohammed...

We get the picture liberals... The government holds the bigger guns.... This is the final phase of Mao and the rest of the little collectivists have had hard-ons for. The final squeeze of the apple in order to create enough chaos and crisis that we will give EVERYTHING to them.

May I suggest that FReepers read Chairman Mao's little red book and also the Communist Manifesto. Lenin and Stalin added the collectivist touches to be done in a "democratic" society rather than a monarchy with agricultural revolt... but either way this is the final stage.

My prediction is that Obama will "rescue" California and all the high tax sh#tholes on the backs of the states that have low taxes and thereby crater the whole economy. That way Michigan and California and New York can continue to spend but suck the life blood out of the states that have fiscal discipline.

Does anybody ever wonder why State income tax is deductible from federal taxes.... otherwise the whole tax and fraud would devastate the high tax sh#tholes.

Can you imagine if you were unable to deduct any of the taxes that are paid as income tax for the state? We'd have to put the border patrol on the interior states and not on the Mexican border.

[immadashell]

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? Have they looked at severe fines to crooked elected officials (Conyers and the ex-mayor of Detroit and his dolly)? The statement, “We have already cut all the fat” is just another way to say, “You're getting too close to my neighborhood.” The states are all in the same fix and the reason is identical in every case — too many entitlements. Citizens need to take responsibility for their own circumstances because the gravy train is running on empty.

[Clintonfatigued]

Michigan ping

[combat_boots]

Well, $1 houses also come to mind....

[MAD-AS-HELL]

at least Michigan will be back with a vengeance this year!

[razorback-bert]

Then came cuts to ...operas in 2004.

I am an opera buff and I have never heard of a Michigan opera company.

[Darren McCarty]

What Noo Yawk Times doesn't state is that most of this was gimmicky and accounting tricks that would get me in big trouble. Fee increases and tax increases were passed and the result was the same as it ever was.

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.

[E. Pluribus Unum]

The NYT has just proved that it is ludicrous to expect government to cut its costs.

Why, if Michigan had just doubled the tax rate they would probably be solvent right now!

[dfwgator]

Remember folks, “cuts” don’t mean cuts in actual spending, but only cuts in the spending increase amounts.

[bareford101]

Yesterday I watched an Islamic Conference (hostile) held in Dearborn which has the highest population of Arabs in the country. Sounds like they chose the right place to begin the takeover of America... the gays in CA should be worried...
The video is:
http://mycountrymatters.wordpress.com/2009/07/10/aggressive-militant-islam-on-display-in-michigan/

[Brilliant]

Not surprising. The libs always aim too high on spending, and they ignore the harmful effects of their policies which reduce growth and revenue.

[RJL]

In Michigan, Deficits Defy Years of Cutting

They killed and ate the goose that laid the golden eggs, now they're wondering why there aren't any more golden eggs.

[jammer]

When a liberal uses the term, "cut", one has to be careful and not believe it until one has seen the actual numbers.

When a legislator or governor proposes an increase of 4 times the rate of inflation, and an increase of only 2 times the rate of inflation is approved, that is an increase to the rational person.

In the bizarro world of liberalism, that is a "cut." I want to see some numbers.

[CSM]

During the election, I told people to export Michigan’s economy to the rest of the nation by voting for Obama. The folks laughed then and are crying in their beers now. Oh well, the dolts would still vote for the O.