Michigan budget problems - again - because of lower tax revenues

Fiscal experts say Michigan could have $434 million less than expected to spend on K-12 schools and other government services in the next budget year.

[Mad Taxpayer]

Then make the CUTS that have to be made ! Notice the Legislators NEVER took any CUTS to their salaries or benefits like they said they were going to? The people in Lansing continue to SPEND MONEY (OUR MONEY) that they don't have. This is Leadership? In November it is time to vote these leeches out of office. We need a Part-time Legislature with NO LIFE TIME BENEFITS ! Can't even balance a Budget, but can stick us with the BIGGEST tax increase in Michigan History, Stick the Businesses of this State with the MBT and a surcharge on top of that. And still not have enough money. What a BUNCH OF GOOF BALLS. Not enough money? Make CUTS like the rest of us has had to ! LETS THROW THEM OUT IN NOVEMBER !!!

[Hurley35]

LMAO, Fewer people buying cigarettes??? Wait a second... Didn't they just pass a law banning smoking from restaurants and bars? I guess the non-smokers will have to take up the slack LOL...

[Don]

They are too busy banning smoking in bars and text messaging girlfriends... or removing bowel obstructions.

[JUST ME]

fewer people buying cigs, no sh*t.they made it so you can hardly smoke on you own property, what do they expect! they pass all these laws and it makes them feel real good, like they are doing the right thing for us, but they dont think of the ramifications before they do it!and now we all are going to pay for it one way or another!!!

[Mad Taxpayer]

Don wrote:

They are too busy banning smoking in bars and text messaging girlfriends... or removing bowel obstructions.

That explains why they are so full of feces !

[Bob]

This is not becuase of "lower tax revenues."

This is because they spend way too much of my money!

[MrMunkey]

It goes to show you just how stupid,selfish and Greedy our Govenor and ALL OUR LEGISLATURES in Lansing are! First they Tax The H**L outta Cigarettes and want everyone to stop smoking,and by raising the taxes think they're going to make Millions of Dollars! Every single citizen of Michigan should NOT VOTE FOR ANYBODY FROM THE GOV ON DOWN for re-election! They all Are CROOKED and GREEDY AND ALL NEED TO GO! & The SOONER THE BETTER!! Next thing you know they'll PRIVATIZE EVERY DEPT IN THE STATE then watch Michigan go down the drain and to the DOGS REAL QUICK! The Problem is IN LANSING!! CLEAN HOUSE THERE THEN COME AFTER US OTHER STATE WORKERS IS WHAT I SAY!!!

[MrMunkey]

WHAT A SORRY BUNCH OF LOSERS WE HAVING RUNNING THIS STATE!! ITS A CRIME AND A JOKE AT THE SAME TIME!! GOV GREEDY GRANHOLM YOU SHOULD BE TOTALLY ASHAMED OF YOURSELF!!

[ToniQ]

Tire of hearing everything coming from the kids, tax cut to schools. Who do they think is going to run the country long after they are gone? Some dumb A S S who can't count because government cut spending on schools. OMG cut the food the kids get, find someone out there that knows what food is, for our kids have any of you tasted the food at schools lately?

Cut the government down to part-time work, make them get out and earn a living now. Instead of sitting on their bu t t, and inventing new laws. To much time is on their hands, they don't know what to do with it.
Go back to chain gangs= make the prisons work! Do the crime do the punishment! Don't let them live on US anymore. No more free TV, let them eat the crap thye feed to our children! Make them garden for their veggies. It will cut cost there too. I could go on more but I am just to da m mad right now!!!!!!

[Wake up Lansing]

There are Lower Tax revenues because people are moving away. People are moving away because BUSINESS is moving away. Buseinss is moving because there's no financial incentive to stay. Reduce government spending on social programs, get tough on illegal aliens sucking up resources by rounding them up and sending them home and REDUCE THE TAXES on business and individuals!! Government cannot spend it's way to prosperity!! Granholm has got to tossed out along with all her sociialist ideas and good conservative/libertarian ideals need to be implimented. Put time limits on foodstamps and welfare. Then provide one-way tickets for those who run out of time on those subsidies to anywhere in the US outside of Michigan. Let them become another State's problem. Stop this generation after generation of welfare babies and famlies. The biggest key is to cut government spending on social programs and create big incentives for businesses to come to Michigan. Granholm wasting our tax money to fly overseas to bring in a couple hundred jobs is her way of seeing the world while thinking she's doing good. Wake up Michigan. Stop voting in liberals and stop waiting for government to take care of everything!

[AMEN]

I was going to add my comments, but they are all covered already. I hope someone, ANYONE, in Lansing is reading this!!!

[Saif]

OMFG. We have to make do with less, and not just because of gas prices, but because they raised the personal income tax rate her in Michigan.

Last year after all the crying about a possible budget shortfall they ended up with a SURPLUS of $350 million.

With the increased amount of sales tax thay are collecting on a gallon of gas, they'll end up with another surplus again.

I am blown away.

[Oxymoron]

How can their be such a big group of idiots running us out of money? There's has got to be a better answer to these problems. I can't believe that Michigan relies on the cigerette taxes!!!!! GMAFB. We preach for people NOT to smoke. Crazy. People who smoke are in such bad health from it. I think it's one of my biggest hate's ever. I hate smoking.

[wth]

Do any "real" decent people ever run for office, because we need them. Everyone in our government should be replace by people who are smart and know how to do something and have a commen sense.

[turdface]

This just in! Confidential Memo fr Jennie to all tax and spend liberal polls in Michigan, We must RAISE taxes at once. Revenues from previous tax increases are not meeting expectations. ONLY answer is to again INCREASE taxes on cigs, beer, business and income. There are still some nitwits that feel we are not taxing them enought. Make it look like we are going after only the rich.
Thank you I know I can count on all of you to do your part as you have in the past.
Jenny

[kclh_thunk]

How much time did they spend fussing and sweating and worrying and re-working last year's budget mess only to find the extra money. Now we have a shortage again.

Gawd they are stupid and inefficient. Know who represents your district and do NOT put them back in. WE need to start FRESH. And Mrs. whatever your married last name should be - please move away.

Oh - and FORGET the police training center being proposed. We DO NOT NEED it. We already have schools in place for that.

[ann]

Get rid of the multi-lingual services (press one for English, driving tests in different languages, high-paid multilingual state workers). Use a part-time legislature like other states do. No more free health care for life to our legislatures (yes, that one really is true).

[turdface]

Firstly: To all my fellow posters on this forum, I am very sorry. You see I am responsible for this tax shortage. I gave up smoking, have not bought or sold a home recently, do not own a business, drive my wifes little itty bitty car now to save on gas expenses, and only pay income tax based on my paltry income. If you think it would help I would start smoking again and maybe even start drinking if that would help. I just keep wishing I could do more.

[Gentle Taz]

Hurley35 wrote:

LMAO, Fewer people buying cigarettes??? Wait a second... Didn't they just pass a law banning smoking from restaurants and bars? I guess the non-smokers will have to take up the slack LOL...

The trouble is that any law that they pass to get more revenues that would impact the non smokers will also affect the smokers. So the smokers will get to pay more again.

[Gentle Taz]

Oxymoron wrote:

How can their be such a big group of idiots running us out of money? There's has got to be a better answer to these problems. I can't believe that Michigan relies on the cigerette taxes!!!!! GMAFB. We preach for people NOT to smoke. Crazy. People who smoke are in such bad health from it. I think it's one of my biggest hate's ever. I hate smoking.

Maybe you'll get lucky and all those nasty smokers will die a premature death and you'll get to pay more taxes to take up the slack.