| 11:31: The House just welcome some guests of Rep John Garfield. A cloud passed overhead. Everyone continues to age.
12:05: Democrats are going into caucus. Republicans go into caucus. "Boo!" from the back of the room.
12:34: Speaker Dillon: "It's been a long 8 months, today is a rather historic day ...the eyes of the state are upon us ... the worst message we can send to our residents, this country, and the world, is that ... we as a state can't get our act together. I have spent the last 6 months working .. to find a bi-partisan solution .. unfortunately we haven't been able to come to an agreement .. instead we've been forced to a situation where we're just going to have to duke it out .. either we are going to walk out of here .. looking like we're bipartisan and responsible, or we're going to send a message that we are divided. And we're going to confirm the worst of people's thoughts about us. We're not very popular right now. We aren't doing our job here. Let's try to do it today ... I've tried to make sure everyone could be heard ... this House has moved out a lot of reform, more than the Senate, only one has come back ... I don't want just a result that is based on cuts and revenues, because it will be again, just a one time fix. There is no debate, and no one on my side of the aisle saying that there is no reform. ... There's nothing that we won't entertain to get us through ... at the end of the day, this is going to be a bi-partisan solution whether we like it or not. ... If we were to just pass a continuation budget .. the state will be insolvent by March of next year. ... I call on you to do what your voters sent you here to do, which is to make decisions that will be in their best interests."
1:02: HJR Z offered by Alma Wheeler Smith, allows the voters of the State of Michigan the opportunity to vote on a graduated income tax. HJR Z moved from first to third reading very quickly today.
"It's a fair tax, it's a tax that we all should consider, but we don't have to make that decision. We just have to send it to the ballot and allow our constituents to make that decision."
Rep Sheen: "This ain't no fair tax."
Rep Condino: This resolution allows Michiganders to decide. "I trust those Michiganders ... allow Michiganders to make this decision"
Rep Meltzer: "The people have spoken and said they do not want an increase in taxes."
Rep Vagnozzi: It is much fairer than the sales tax. "The income tax, as far as senior citizens are concerned, does not tax their pensions or their social security. This is the fairest approach, unless we want those drastic shutdowns that have been passed already in the Senate."
rep Garfield: "The taxpayers .. are asking us to reform government .. we haven't reformed government in years"
Rep Espinoza: "We still have soldiers in this state who are collecting food stamps because they qualify .. because we still have people saying they want to keep their extra 2 cents ... it isn't because we're overtaxed, that's .. poppycock! ... Taxes are the burden we pay in order to fund the infrastructure. ... "
1:19: Rep Tom Pearce: "I'm confused as to why this amendment is before us today. It won't help us today." We shouldn't be looking at things that will help us in the future.
(And if you look at what Pearce just said, that's the F-ing problem with putting Republicans in charge)
1:23:Rep Clack: "We have to stop thinking about ourselves and start thinking of the people we represent."
Rep Hoogendyk: "It is my belief that so much of the responsibility of reforming government is in the lap of the Governor ... she is the chief executive ... the department heads and the Governor make [spending] decisions ... I have been documenting .. abuse by department of human services, technology, management and budget ... the waste in the 3 departments .. amounts to hundreds of millions of dollars ... abuses that only the chief exectuvie officer can address ... I get a little exasperated that .. this Governor will not address ... mismanagement .. all the voters need to do ... is go to Auditor General website .. you will see massive abuse of taxpayer dollars."
Rep David Law: "To the taxpayers, hold on to your wallet, because Lansing is coming for more."
Rep Coleman Young II: "If you are constantly worried about re-election, you won't be worth re-electing. ... I bit the bullet and voted for these cuts that I basically thought sucked, because I thought we were getting revenues on the other end. Where are the revenues?"
1:30: Rep Coleman Young II: "It is Government that can put people back to work. ... We need a change! We need revenues, we need to balance the budget .. if Michigan is to survive, we must have revenues! .. What about the people who are making a killing and not investing?"
Rep Jack Brandenburg: "Detroit is the 8th highest taxed city in the US. ... I fail to see where a graduated income tax will help Detroit retain its population."
Rep Coleman Young II: "Thank my colleague for that question ... with a graduated income tax, Detroit will be protected ... they are not the ones making $250 grand a year."
Rep Sheltrown: "We voted on reforms. ... We don't see any action on those."
1:43: Rep Bert Johnson: My constituents "like to have a say in what happens to them. ... This is a very simple thing ... do we allow the people to have a say in what happens?"
Rep Brian Calley: If we are to allow people to make this decision, then we should disclose to them income levels and income rates. "I implore my colleagues to first share with the people of the state of Michigan what they intend to do with this amendment."
Rep Tobacman: We don't have the ability to publish the schedule because it depends on the legislature's vote (answering Calley's question)
Rep Ken Horn: "We're setting this up as a reform, what happens if they say no? ... We haven't seen a backup plan ..."
1:48: Rep G Cushingberry: "In support of a graduated income tax ... don't expect me to support 'right to work'" in exchange for support of a graduated income tax. "Those states .. doing so well without the graduated income tax are the ones where families are working 2 or 3 jobs ... the ones that fly the Confederate flag as examples of what Michigan should become ... no, I believe the states that do have graduated income taxes are the ones that are doing much better today. ... We have already passed public health care pooling, we have already passed ... [insert a bunch of reforms here that io can't keep up with] ... we've cut our own pay, we've cut the people who work for us, we've cut in terms of the future, that's why we ought to have a graduated income tax."
Now the vote ...
1:52: (IO may have just fallen in love with Cushingberry)
2:21: Real Player is screwing me hard. This is the 3rd system crash.
2:28: Currently voting on HB 5194
2:34: While we're waiting, here are some pics from this morning. (Click on the thumb to get the bigger picture)
Michigan Fiscal Responsibility Project was at the House to distribute copies of Profiles in Courage to our legislative leaders.
From left to right:
Kyle Caldwell, president of the Michigan Nonprofit Association, and Mike Boulus, executive director of the Presidents Council, State Universities of Michigan get ready to deliver copies of "Profiles in Courage" to legislative leaders
State Rep. Steve Tobacman, D-Detroit, was among 28 leaders given a copy of Profiles in Courage. With him are Mike Boulus, executive director of the Presidents Council, State Universities of Michigan and Kyle Caldwell, president of the Michigan Nonprofit Association
Mike Boulus and state Rep. Mike Nofs, R-Battle Creek, outside House chambers Friday morning
  
2:40: Update - House failed to pass the two bills that would put the graduated income tax and the sales tax on the ballot. (HJR X and HJR Z)
2:55: This is it. This is the battle for our future.
Who said that?
Wizardkitten, back on February 4 of this year, in a post about the Michigan budget.
And yet, the Republicans introduced yet another tax cut proposal for business in the Senate this past week. Amazing. They still don't get it. Instead of talking about reform and restructuring, which is what needs to happen, Republicans and the media cling to those boogeyman buzzwords, "raising taxes"- words that are only designed to scare everyone. Words that serve to immediately close minds and eyes to the solutions, which will in turn will leave the door open for the real monster to take over Michigan- that being a diminished quality of life for everyone as we fall further behind the rest of the country when it comes to attracting the kind of people and business we will need to succeed in the 21st century economy. The ultimate campaign begins this week, and our future is on the line.
And here we are in September ...
3:14: 5 hours in. The more I watch of this stuff, the less I like it.
3:30: Did you know that The Hooberman Company, a full service commercial real estate company, has recently purchased the Ann Arbor Commerce Center, a light industrial complex in Ann Arbor? On the purchase, James Hooberman said,
"We believe in Michigan's future and will continue to make acquisitions during these tough times, ... we particularly like the Ann Arbor environment and are confident that more businesses will relocate or expand to an area that is teeming with high tech professionals with an entrepreneurial spirit."
And on that note, I'm off to pick up lunch/supper/dinner .. whatever it is. For the two people who are interested, you can keep an eye on the House at the House TV site. :)
4:49: Still waiting around for HB 5194. IT looks like it will be held open indefinitely, while Democrats work the floor.
5194 would raise the income tax from 3.9% to 4.6%. Income tax would drop back down to 3.9% if voters approve a sales tax increase.
5:18: Remember wayback when the Gov came out with the "Two Penny Plan"? Yeah, 2% tax on services? Everyone went nuts because that's, oh, so much!
Yah .. the typical middle class family spends about $467.50. A two percent tax on that would be $9.35.
Good thing we put the brakes on that, or we might not be having all this fun today.
*sigh*
h/t Wizardkitten's February archives ...
Continued on the night shift ... |
