At Least You Won’t Have To Pay Higher Taxes

This post isn’t for just anyone. This is for those of you who are afraid to pay taxes. This is for the 23% of you who think Michigan can weasel its way out of crisis without raising taxes.

State workers are looking at 20 mandatory layoff days per year. These days are not sequential, because 20 sequential days would require unemployment compensation. No, these are once per pay period, and they are unpaid. If you are employed in an industry that relies on discretionary spending (restaurant, retail, etc.), you’re getting an entire workforce that has to think twice before spending their money on you. If you’re the owner, you might lose some customers. If you’re an employee, your hours might get cut. But at least you don’t have to pay higher taxes.

State contracts aren’t being paid until the last possible moment. Companies that do work for the state are starting to have cash flow problems. Companies that only work for the state are going to being laying people off. There’s some more people who can’t eat in your restaurants and shop in your stores. But at least you don’t have to pay higher taxes.

Schools might close early. Because as you know, Michigan kids spend too much time in class already. (snark) Schools will consolidate. Classrooms will get bigger. Teachers will be laid off. More formerly employed Michigan residents will be drawing unemployment and looking for a way out of the state. But at least you won’t have to pay higher taxes.

The 21st Century Jobs fund could be used, in order to balance the budget. Michigan has already committed these funds to certain employers, and needs to use that money to transform the economy so that we aren’t dependent on manufacturing. But the important thing is that you don’t have to pay higher taxes.

Medicaid funding might be slashed, but that’s not your problem. If not for the state making you pay for things like Medicaid, you could buy more stuff for your own family. Hey, I understand. I like buying stuff too, and the people who sell it to me like having customers. The fact that insurance like Medicaid helps keep people from abusing emergency room services shouldn’t be your concern. How can you really be sure how much money you would save on your own health care, if no one defaulted on their high cost emergency bills? Your job is to make sure you don’t give up any more of your paycheck than you already do. A tax increase to the state feels like a lot more than increased insurance rates. And no one really dies from not having medical care. That’s just a stupid myth. No more taxes!

Here in Shiawassee we already lost the MIHP, but it’s ok because if those infants fail to thrive, they can be brought into the system later, when they hit Kindergarten. That way it’s a CPS issue, rather than a health department issue. That’s ok, because those infants choose to be born into homes that need that extra assistance. State foster homes are cheap, and anyway, you shouldn’t have to pay for an infant’s bad decisions.

Just, for God’s sakes, don’t let anyone raise your taxes.