Recall Madness?

The real madness is expecting the taxpayers of Michigan to continue to follow the line that a tax increase is the answer to Michigan's problems. What is the poor taxpayer to do but take drastic measures, when the people they elect to represent them refuse to hear them. What I can not understand is why our elected officials feel put upon when they are expected to do their job within the financial limits of the state's income.

It also makes me laugh to hear them blame Leon Drolet, of Michigan Taxpayers Alliance, for everything. Do they honestly think that he can collect the thousand of signatures necessary to recall them by himself? While he is an effective spokesperson, every signature gathered is a statement on the part of a voting taxpayer. Every person who steps up to form a committee is an emerging leader/activist for the taxpayers of Michigan. Any legislator who complains because he/ she has helped solved a problem for a constituent in the past has lost sight of the fact that is what he/she was elected to do. By the way, Leon Drolet was a little young in 1983 when two senators were recalled. As far as tactics, huge pink pigs, signs and rallies get attention. Unlike the lobbyists, most taxpayers do not have large funds to draw on for an advertising budget.

If you need assistance or information just contact the WCTA. We will help coordinate in Wayne County. We will buffer, if you want anonymity, until the Recalls are necessary.

Recalls

Some of you have expressed a desire to recall your State Representative or Senator, if they vote for a tax increase. The WCTA will be glad to facilitate you buy filing the appropriate paperwork with Wayne County to form a committee, find out the number of signatures required to recall them from office, set up the proper documents to establish a bank account at LaSalle Bank for your committee and will even help you file a return if you collect more than $1000. (Chances are you will not even come close.) It will cost you very little, if you do it right. It will cost them a great deal to defend themselves.

We can act as a contact point to match up anyone interested in helping recall. Helping you contact each other is half the battle. We will answer any questions which you may have. All other facets must be done by the committee itself. Anyone else who is interested should call us or email us.

You may choose to file a committee and not follow through without penalty but with the proper help, the signature gathering while time consuming, is not difficult.

Ask your like minded friends for help. You may also wish to contact the Wayne County Election Division. You may do it from our website or click on this link www.waynecounty.com/clerk . You may give our number for the initial contact (313)-278-8383.


Rose Bogaert, Chair
Wayne County Taxpayers Association, Inc.

Standing Down Wind

Let me see if I have this straight. Governor Granholm is going on a five day fishing trip to Sweden and Germany to catch jobs for Michigan. She is trying to get more automotive
and alternative energy business.

Her trip is being paid for by funds solicited by the Michigan Economic Development Corp. Foundation whose members are recipients of taxpayer money through corporate welfare from both the state and federal government. Having received this money, they are now financially able to make a contribution to pay for the governors trip along with between 6-25 people from the governor’s office.

The governor contends that the passage of the Michigan Business Tax, which replaces the Single Business Tax, is supposed to be revenue neutral and will now allow different businesses to pass the taxes down to the consumers (taxpayers). Added with the states’ 21st Century Jobs Fund it will ensure that “our tool kit is very robust”. She indicates that it will lure more business to Michigan. She will be looking for companies that will be eligible for more taxpayers dollars
through the Michigan Economic Growth Authority grants.

According to the University of Michiganfrom 2001 to 2005, Michigan lost 308,900 jobs. There have been tens of thousands lost since then. This will be the Governors fifth trip overseas and thus far it has netted us 2,300 jobs. It would seem to me that it would be more productive for the governor to stay home and fix the problems of overspending, poor management and high taxes that exists in the state than to go traipsing all over trying to bring a few more jobs here to Michigan.

To lure these businesses here they are usually offered a tax abatement. That means all or a portion of their property taxes will be forgotten for a period of time. This would mean that the cost of government services would be transferred to the remaining taxpayers. Let’s face it business moved to other states for a reason. If we fail to address those problems, we can not expect business from abroad or from other states to locate here.

In June of 2003 the Mackinac Center for Public Policy put out a report entitled “Does the Michigan Economic Development Corporation Even Matter?” In that document they indicated that economist consider the Gross State Product (the value of goods and services
produced) to be one of the better indicators of economic health.

Every state in the union has an economic development program. In 1996 Michigan ranked 9th (in the top ten) in per capita spending on economic developmentand 24th in GSP. Texas
was dead last in economic development per capita but had ranked 18th in GSP. In 2001 Michigan ranked 20th in economic development expendituresand 30th in GSP. California was 41 in economic development expenditures and 8th in per capita GSP. These were only a couple examples of the study.

Through “regression analysis” The Mackinac Center came to the conclusion that there is no correlation between state spending on economic developmentand GSP.

Economic Development Funds create jobs for those companies that receive them and loose jobs among their competitors by giving those who receive the fund an unfair advantage. The success
of a business should not be decided by the governor or legislature but by owner competence.

Rose Bogaert, Chair
Wayne County Taxpayers Association, Inc.

Tax Hikers Deserve the Boot

On June 25, I attended the first of the "Recall Boot Camps" to teach people the law and procedures for recalling someone from office in the State of Michigan. The thing that amazed me is that over 50 people showed up and the legislature has not decided what taxes, if any, (besides those which will be passed on to consumers by business) to raise. People must really be upset by this do nothing legislature to make that effort.

As one who worked hard and almost recalled her senator in 1983, I know how difficult this is to do. At least, we caused him not to run for reelection. Chris Kliesmet and Orville Semyer from Citizens for Responsible Government in Wisconsin, who have helped recall 15 politicians in their state, are helping the Michigan Taxpayers Alliance educate Michigan citizens about their constitutional right to recall politicians from office by teaching state laws, and recall techniques and tactics.

Another boot camp was held in Lansing and now the next series will be held in three other locations across the state:

Monday July 16th, 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm:
Traverse City, MI
Park Place Hotel
300 E State St, Traverse City, MI
231-946-5000


Tuesday July 17th, 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm:
Mt. Pleasant, MI
Holiday Inn
5665 E Pickard Rd,
Mt Pleasant, MI
989-772-2905

Wednesday July 18th, 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm:
Kalamazoo, MI
Radisson Plaza Hotel
100 W Michigan Ave, Kalamazoo, MI
269-343-3333

If you have the opportunity you should take the time to attend. It is entertaining and informative. Most of all, a couple of these guys from both parties deserve to get dumped if they raise our taxes. It is already to hard out here for taxpayers. It seems we have been unable to stop them in the past but we sure slowed them down. Sacrifices deserve to be made even if it is some of them.

From the Chair

So Easy A Caveman Can Do It

So, the State Legislature has agreed on a revenue neutral business tax. While they figure out if it is truly revenue neutral and vote on bits and peaces to put it together, we have to keep in mind that business does not pay taxes. People pay taxes. Business just passes those cost down to the consumer. All the businesses that will flock here, according to them, will bring employees with them. Let's think about this.

The majority of the legislature still wants revenue enhancement (a tax increase). People are loosing their homes at unprecedented numbers, they are finding it difficult to meet their monthly bills, they are being attacked for money on every level of government and the unemployed have little luck in finding a job in this state. Why would anyone want to move here to pay more taxes?

A more pointed question is, why should we pay our elected officials so well to just raise taxes? If that is the best they can do, let them go home and earn a living in the real world. It takes no skill or talent to just get money when you need it. If you are lucky enough to still have a job, I challenge you to go into your boss and tell him of your economic woes. Inform your boss that there is no alternative but for him to give you a raise. Of course, if you think you know what he will say and feel you might jeopardize your job, I suggest that you go home and find ways to economize.

That is exactly what they need to do in Lansing. Economize! It amazes me that they feel so proud of themselves after doing so little. They are arguing not about spending less but rather about on what and who will cause the biggest reaction if they do not get enough money. After all, they can weasel it from the taxpayers by misrepresenting the effects and the necessity and still get contributions for their next run for office.

The budgetary crisis should be causing a reassessment of priorities. As an example, Chief Justice Taylor's budget is $160 million . It is small by state standards but they expect him to cut his budget by $2.9 million at last count. While state law prohibits salary decreases for judges, Judge Taylor and his other appellate court judges offered to reduce costs by eliminating use of state vehicles for private use. This is more symbolic given the size of the problem, however, his type of thing needs to be done throughout the various departments. While asking him to cut, they are adding a million dollars worth of new judges. Justice Taylor suggested the elimination of 10-14 trial judges and 4 appellate court judges. This would amount to real savings although it would limit the ability for political patronage by the legislature.

It behoves us to keep up the pressure on the legislature. They have a tin ear until they are personally effected. I know we will be if an increase in taxes happens.

Phantom Mills Strike Again

In February 2005 the Crestwood School District in Dearborn Heights and the Grosse Pointe School District, with very little turn out, and certainly little understanding on the part of the electorate, voted in millages in excess of the 18 mill limit on non-homestead property allowed under Proposal A of 1994. We were horrified to discover that this was not the first time this had happened and that it was becoming a way of life in districts across the state. We believed that this was a violation of the Headlee Amendment contained in Article IX of the State Constitution.
By holding mills off to the side and not levying them until after the rollback required by the Headlee Amendment, when revenue exceeded the rate of inflation, they could override the amendment years into the future without bringing it to a vote. This had the effect of compounding the effect of the value of the portion applied to bring the millage levy back to the 18 mills each year, since it would not be effected by the rollback and clearly was not legal under law or charter.
In April of that year, a request to the Attorney General was made on our behalf by Representative Fulton Sheen, who served as Vice Chair of the Tax Policy Committee. Along with that, an 11 page report was submitted in support of our position by the Anderson Economic Group out of Lansing. The report is still available under Special Reports on our website and is titled Phantom Mills.
An answer was not forthcoming from the Attorney General’s office. Our repeated requests were ignored. We had waited almost a year then we thought we could solve the problem with the “Stop Over Spending Petition” that was going to close the loopholes being used to get around Article IX Section 26 -32 of the Constitution. That petition effort was sabotaged by special interest. We collected over a half million signatures but deliberate multiple signatures (one signing as many as 11 times) caused the drive to fail.
Now "Phantom Mills" are spreading to sinking funds for schools, charter millages for cities and eventually counties, if this has not already happened.
The last month we have been attending meetings in Dearborn where their charter commission just voted to place a charter proposal before the council which would allow a 15 mill maximum levy with an additional mill used to override Headlee in the future.
We can not allow this to continue, the electorate will have no way to determine what they are voting for and the Headlee Amendment will become useless. The WCTA will start over to attempt to stop this.

Show Us All the Spending

The Michigan Taxpayers Tea Party in Lansing was a success. Hundreds for taxpayers showed up to tell the governor an legislature not to raise taxes. In the same spirit the Wayne County Taxpayers Association has joined a coalition of taxpayers from around the country in an effort how state money is spent.

As you may know, last year President Bush signed S. 2590, the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act, into law. The legislation creates a searchable online database that the general public can use to track the flow of hundreds of billions of dollars in federal grant and contract expenditures. We deserve the same access to state government finances.
Creating a similar website on the state level would entail little cost, but it would greatly increase transparency in the distribution of precious tax dollars and help hold all elected officials accountable for state spending. By acting now, we in Michigan have the opportunity to lead the nation in making spending more easily accessible to the public. Tell your legislator: "Show me the spending!"

By participating in the letter campaign you can help convince your legislator to support legislation. You can see pictures and a video of the rally and send letters to you legislator from our website. www.wctaxpayers.org

Recall 1983

It is almost upon us. Tomorrow, Wednesday April 18 at 11:00 AM, taxpayers from around the state will converge on the steps of the State Capitol to protest the the possibility of a tax increase. Just like in 1983 the people in this state find themselves faced with unemployment, foreclosures an an economic woes and the solution offered is to raise their taxes. The result in 1983 was the attempted recall of Gov. James Blanchard and the recall of two State Senators. A third senator was almost recalled but the campaign was sabotaged by those who wanted to put and end to the recall movement.

Just like then, people are plotting to sabotage taxpayer influence. The Michigan Federation of teachers and Artserve have changed their lobbying day to coincide with this rally. The Michigan Liberal Blog has sugested that their readers show up and behave outragiuosly before the media to convince them we are rightwing nuts. We suggest that you bring a camera and, if you see them, take a picture. You can also interupt an interview and tell them that this person does not represent you or the majority of other people at the rally.

Bring you camera, have a good time and we will see you there. I'm proud of you!

On the Road To Lansing

Momentum is building and people are calling and communicating that they will be in Lansing on Wednesday, April 18th at 11:00 AM, for the Michigan Taxpayers Tea Party. If you plan to come, and we hope you do, get there early. Bring your cameras and take pictures. There may be disruptive individuals or others taking pictures who may be trying to discredit participants of our rally.

These are not new tactics. They have been used before. There may be those among us who are on the side of the taxspenders. We have seen this behavior at other rallies and while people are trying to gather signatures for petitions. Don't forget your enthusiasm and commitment. You may be able to shape the future of this state. You may be able to influence the badly needed change in direction that this state needs.

Bring your sincerity and a smile. Bring your family, friends, a teabag for the Governor and a sign. Please leave the front of the capitol in the same condition as you found it (taxpayers have to pay to clean it). If you have time, visit your Senator and Representative while you are there and tell them NO MORE TAXES. Help us create jobs and economic developement through the proper environment and not selective government intervention.

SEE YOU THERE!

Governor and Taxspenders to Taxpayers: Game On!

Last week, a Lansing reporter informed Leon Drolet, President of Michigan Taxpayers Alliance, that a Governor's staffer had told him that the Gov was aware of the April 18 Taxpayer Teabag protest planned at the Capitol - and was preparing a "surprise" for protesters. What "surprise"?Turns out that the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) have moved up their lobby day in Lansing to coincide with our tax protest. They support Granholm's plan to mandate government preschool for all children. And they are not alone. An organization called "Artserve", which supports more tax dollars being spent on art, has also changed the day and time of their lobby day to April 18. It appears those that demand more and more spending and higher taxes will try to outdo taxpayers that day.

According to the AFT Michigan website, they are planning to bus public school teachers in from around the state. It is now even more important than ever to spread the word to all taxpayers about the Taxpayer Protest Rally! Everyday taxpayers need to show up at the Capitol in Lansing on April 18, bring a teabag that we will deliver to the Governor, and tell Lansing politicians to balance their budget by cutting spending and enacting reforms; NOT BY RAISING TAXES ON CITIZENS!

Get to the Capitol around 10:00am. Rally starts at 11:00am, but you will need time to park. Taxspenders are planning to hijack this rally, and demand more and more of YOUR money. We cannot allow the voices of everyday taxpayers to be drowned out. Take the day off work, clear the calendar, gather your family and friends, and head to Lansing on April 18!

Rallying the Taxpayer Troops

Our “Virtual Teabag Campaign” is moving along nicely. People are coming to our website copying our virtual teabag and sending them in emails to their elected officials in Lansing, Michigan. You can also locate your Senator and Representative from our site.

The Wayne County Taxpayers Association is also helping to sponsor a rally on Wednesday, April 18, at 11:00 am, on the steps of the state capitol in conjunction with the Michigan Taxpayers Alliance and Americans for Prosperity . We want to tell the State government – Hell No! Don’t raise our taxes. WE INVITE EVERYONE TO JOIN US!

Make sure to come early because parking may be difficult. We are also planning to have a truck and car caravan around the capitol building. We hope to have some local celebrities to attend and speak. BRING A TEABAG AND A SIGN. Don’t forget your enthusiasm.

Tea Party inspired by Boston

We are encouraging everyone to send their State Representative and Senator a tea bag. Remind them of the people they represent and their responsibility to represent them. Tell them not to raise taxes. In a state budget of $43billion dollars they should be able to find things to cut. With people leaving this state in droves, we do not need another reason to drive them away. We also don't need to drive away the business that is still located in this state.

For those of you who do not drink tea, you can use our virtual tea bag. Just right click on the bag, copy and paste it to your email. You can also locate your legislators email address by clicking on the links below the picture .

I hope we can generate enough interest to make them sick of tea and enough volume to to convince them not raise our taxes

Taxing the Tapped Out

It's time to fight back. I was in Lansing when Governor Granholm presented her budget. While there, I visited the office of my representative who happens to be Speaker of the House Andy Dillon. He provided me with a copy of this years budget and said see if you can find ways to balance the budget. I took it determined to try.

When I got home I began to look at what he had given me. Then it came to me. We are paying all those people up there very well to do a job. We, as their bosses, have a right to expect that they do it. We do not have a staff at our disposal or departments that can answer any questions we have or follow our directions. We can not order department heads to cut their budgets-but they can. We couldn't hand our bosses our bills and say adjust my pay so that all the bills can be paid and, by the way, include enough for some other things I want. Why should I go through all the trouble when it should be done by them and has been done by other larger organizations. They wouldn't take my advice anyway.

Our job is to set the financial limits of government and theirs is to decide the priorities. With that in mind, we have placed on our website a discussion between Frank Beckmann, WJR Radio host, and Economist David Littman on how to cut the budget. We also have a letter drafted on behalf of Michigan residents by the National Taxpayers Union which will enable you to easily contact your state senator and representative, so you can tell them not to raise your taxes.

State of the Mess Address

I suppose that Governor Granholm should be a cheerleader about the future of Michigan in her State of the State address but I was absolutely horrified at the number of times she used the word invest as a substitute for spend taxpayer money. Apparently she believes that those who still have jobs in this state should assume the burden of retraining everyone who is unemployed, pay for everyone's children to go to a community college and provide everyone with health insurance. I wonder if she is aware that those who are educated are already leaving this state in droves to get employment in other states. I am not saying that education is not important but education alone will not save us. It already receives 37% of every dollar the State spends and if it is exported after it is paid for by Michigan taxpayers it certainly will not help the State.

The govenor talked about taxpayer funded student loans which implies acquiring the bureaucracy that that goes with it to administer and collect the debt. She calls on local governments to consolidate and share services or threatens the loss of revenue sharing from the state. These are funds that are better administered by local units of government and are better overseen by local taxpayers. Who will be deciding the necessary criteria? She talks of the need for infrastructure repairs but the state is unwilling to lower the weight that trucks can haul which tears up our roads and bridges or to supervise the poor quality of material and workmanship of those who are repairing them.

She has requested that business pay its fair share. Businesses do not pay taxes. People pay taxes. Any costs must be passed on to the consumer. In addition to the cost of the tax we must also assume the cost to keep the records and file the returns. It should not be up to the governor or the legislature to decide who succeeds in business. It should also not be their job to decide who gets taxpayer money to operate. It is their job to create an environment where business can grow and prosper.

I look forward to seeing the governor's budget priorities.It is her job to submit a balanced budget under the State Constitution -not one that requires an increase in taxes.

Tax and Spend Experts

The membership of Gov. Granholm’s special commission on the budget reads like a meeting of tax increasers anonymous. As for bi-partisan, they belong to the party of tax and spend.

Lets start with the best known Republican, Gov. Milliken. He really is bi-partisan. He supported Dem. John Kerry in the last election for president. When he was the governor, he let us drink PCBs in our milk rather than chance a cut to state revenue.

Next we have Gov. James Jobs Jobs Jobs Blanchard. When he was Governor., he gave us a 38% increase in our income tax and caused the recall of two senators who supported him.
Former Rep. Senate Majority Leader Dan DeGrow we believe never met an increase in taxes for education, good or bad, that he didn’t support. He also lost the support of his party for his attempt to run for Attorney General.

Former Dem. Attorney General Frank Kelly, had a long run in office and knew how to play politics. He also was one of the main reasons there were so many violations of the Headlee Amendment allowed. (Article IX Sec. 26-32 of the State Constitution)
The list goes on. If Governor Granholm thinks those of us who have been around for a while thinks this is anything but making someone else responsible for her decision to raise taxes, she has another think coming.

Raising taxes should not be a consideration. Unlike in the past , the auto industry will never come back to its glory days in this state nor bail us out of this mess. We must look to other states to see how they have succeeded. We must diversify and compete with other states. We have to give our graduates a reason to stay in this state instead of leave for another.

In desparation to bring some sense to the issue we created an audio public service announcement on our website in hopes that people will forward it other in their address book. You can also contact your legislators from our website. I am hoping that others will take the time to do so as well.

An Appealing Year

If you are thinking about selling your home anytime soon, this is definitely the year to appeal your property tax assessment. The housing market across the state is tanking. Foreclosures are up for nonpayment of mortgages. They are also up for non payment of taxes. Since the State has changed the rules to allow foreclosure after two years of nonpayment of taxes, many people have lost their lifetime investment due to job loss or wage cuts. This is a buyer’s market. Home prices are dropping so they can be sold and be affordable. Tax increases are expected to be requested at all levels of government. (The worst solution possible)
Many people chose to ignore their right to appeal their SEV, which should be half of the true cash value, because they are being taxed at the Taxable Value which was capped with the passage of Proposal A in 1994. This limited the taxable value increases to the rate of inflation or 5% which ever is less. If you have been living in your home since Proposal A passed, you are likely paying more than 35% less in taxes than someone who just purchased a similar home. Remember, the assessment cap is removed when the property changes ownership. New owners are stuck paying taxes based on the State Equalized Value.
Don’t forget, if you live in the city of Detroit, you must first appeal to the Board of Assessors before mid February to appeal to the Board of Review in March. Everyone else should call their city or township and inquire when their Board of Review will be meeting. Make sure you do the work necessary to make a successful appeal. You should be able to get sales that have occurred in your area from a local real estate office or the city assessor. You should also be able to see the SEV of other houses in your area and the worksheet they keep on your home to insure accuracy of information.
If you need information on how to appeal you can contact us by phone, mail (include your phone number) or online.

Cobo Conspiricy

It seems like every two years Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick of Detroit suggests the expansion of Cobo Hall. This year he got his buddy County Executive Robert Ficano to do the deed for him. Its not that the idea is such a bad one, it is that the taxpayers never seem to get relief from the Cobo expansion project. They don’t seem to care what laws they break, what rights they trample or how much the taxpayer pays to achieve their goals.
At least the project has gotten less ambitious. At one time they wanted to build a new facility and attach a hotel without any idea what they were going to do with the old one. The price tag under Ficano seems to have dropped some as well, but we still have to consider that the bonds from the 1989 expansion will not be paid for until 2015. That has not been the only costs assumed by the taxpayers. We have been paying through Downtown Development, Tax Increment Financing and local taxes.
Of course, any new project must start with an Authority made up of individuals who have not been elected by anyone. Then, they are authorized by the legislature and appointed by some elected official(s). The State seems to want to be involved on this project too and will be represented if it flies. I think this is so the $16.2 million grant that was given to Cobo Hall in 2006 will not have to be given this year but rather extracted from taxpayers as is customary in a different manner.
It is proposed that this non elected body be given the authority to bond for this plan to the tune of $968 million for the 270 sq. ft. expansion. We should be grateful that this amount includes paying off the existing bond balance. Cobo Hall would then be turned over to private companies to be managed. Of course there is no guarantee that they will not buy $500,000 worth of artwork like the mayor did in 2002 when they were expected to lose millions of dollars.
Article IX Section 25 of the State Constitution says we should have the opportunity to vote on such matters. This is something they conveniently forget all to frequently and it certainly has not stopped them in the past. To insure that the counties and the legislature approve the plan, $233 million from the 22 year extension of the of the hotel and liquor tax would be split up between the 83 counties.
Few of these projects ever live up to their expectations (Pontiac Silverdome, Poletown Plant, first Cobo expansion, etc.). Cobo Hall loses tens of millions of dollars each year which leaves the taxpayer holding the bag. Even if they expand Cobo Hall there is no guarantee that the massive expendatures will produce the desired results.
If business is expected to benefit so much by this expansion, then they should be willing to foot the bill. Businesses are not the only ones who have been ravaged in this state. Taxpayers pay all the bills as consumers, even those imposed on business. With all the problems on the state and local level, more taxes for a car show or possibly a few more conventions makes no sense as a solution.

Blog, blog , blog , blog , blog!

While everyone is busy analyzing what has happened this election season, I would like to give praise to the bloggers. Both sides have their opinion about what happened but it is the bloggers who gave life to the dead. They are the ones who made the media readers more careful about what they said for fear of being exposed for their bias or errors. It is they who took to task the arguments and gave them a clearer or different perspective. Even those who do not have access to the internet were exposed to a more thoughtful discussion as a result of the bloggers.

Some of you are full of beans, but that only stimulates others to respond. Bloggers are unmerciful in their judgement of some and forgiving in your retribution of others. They are big enough to be inclusive and diverse enough to cause others to be conclusive. I for one am grateful to have someone out there watching my back against these very smooth people who represent and inform me. If we can maintain a tollerance for other opinions and truth, we might make this a better place to live.

This land is my land

In Michigan, Proposal 4 on the November ballot gives new meaning to the definition " this land is my land". How did we get here in the first place? How did we allow government to take our property as if it was theirs to do with as they choose? How did we allow them to give our property to private concerns for private benefit and to increase government coffers? For that matter, how do we allow government to take our homes, which we may have worked for our entire life for back taxes, after just two years, in a deplorable economy of their making? "Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely".

Proposal 4 is the first step in putting the people of Michigan back in charge. We hope the people of Michigan have the good judgment to Vote Yes on Proposal 4 and remind those in government that the people of this state are soverign.

Failure To Educate

The Michigan budget for 2007 contains $15.9 Billion for education. That is 37% of the State Budget. You would think that with that much money we could get better results. Maybe that is because a good number of our teachers, certainly not all, are more concerned about themselves then they are about their students and their job performance.

Given the language of Proposal 5, which mandates inflationary guarantees to education and limits local district responsibility for pensions, we can assume that must be the case. The Michigan Education Association, who was the major impetus behind the initiative, worded the proposal so that 2/3 of the increase will go to teacher pensions the first year and more each year as the state liability grows faster than the rate of inflation. Nowhere is there an indication that the money would be used to improve educational quality or accountability.

You would think we would learn that when they say "It's for the Kids" we sould put up our guard. Experience should teach us that it is usually not the case.