In two weeks Michigan voters will be asked to decide the fate of proposal 1 which would raise the states sales tax to help fund roads. Polls show that at this point Michigan residents are solidly against this proposal despite support from the governor and every major newspaper editorial board in the state.
As with any legislation there are obviously a number of issues that turn off various groups of voters. For example raising the sales tax is a regressive tax that will increase the burden on the poor. Do we really want to fund public roads on the backs of the working poor? The proposal is also based on a percentage which means when the economy is doing well the state will have plenty of money however as soon as the economy hits another bump in the road, legislators will again be looking for ways to pinch pennies. Shouldn't we find a solution that not only functions in the ideal situation but also when the state is struggling? Additionally proposal 1 changes the way in which taxes are collected at the pump allowing the legislature to avoid the voter approved constitutional amendment that requires a certain percentage of this money ends up in public education. Given that the governor already admitted that he and this legislature "cut k-12 education" spending can we really trust that this workaround isn't just another way to reallocate important education funds?
In spite of these and other problems with proposal 1 there are certainly things to like. It increases funding to improve Michigan's crumbling infrastructure which studies say could save Michigan families as much as $1,000 per year. The proposal also includes changes to the earned income tax credit that will benefit working class Michigan residents as well as an additional influx of money for public education.
While these are all important components to consider when making a decision regarding how to vote on proposal 1 they all pale in comparison to the one really damming issue at play in this special election - the reality that were it not for the cowardice of elected officials this trip to the polls would be completely unnecessary. The fact that the people voters tasked with making the tough decisions are so afraid of losing their jobs that they would put the desires of a fringe "no new taxes" group ahead of the needs of their constituents suggests that the real problem here is not road or education funding but a complete and total failure of leadership.
Polls show Michigan voters top two spending priorities are infrastructure and education yet currently Michigan spends less per capita on bridges and roads than any other state in the nation and this legislature has overseen a $648 cut to the per pupil foundation allowance.
Instead of focusing on voters preferences these legislators proved just how beholden they are to corporations by issuing a nearly two billion dollar tax cut to businesses while raising taxes on almost 50% of Michigan residents. Obviously most Michiganders would support these changes if it lead to massive economic improvement however studies show that the vast majority of jobs created over the past few years are not due to any actions by the Michigan legislature. In fact, even organizations that the governor cited in his bid for reelection said “Snyder’s overhaul has not yet prompted as much job growth”, and “his tax overhaul being hard on working families and seniors”.
Having said that a recent LinkedIn poll found that the top two drivers of economic development are having an educated work force and a well maintained infrastructure, while tax climate came in a distant fourth behind Access to Affordable energy. Additionally a survey of corporate executives found that the top consideration for where to locate was access to good roads while the previous number one concern was the availability of skilled labor. The data also show that the Republican legislative priorities of tax rates, job training, and "right to work" were all lower concerns when it came to finding a business location.
These findings suggest that if the Republican's goal was to make Michigan a more competitive state improving infrastructure and education not tax cuts and divisive "right to work" legislation should have been the legislature’s first order of business. This failure to understand the motives of corporations is perhaps why even with all of the efforts the governor and his Republican legislative counterparts claim to be putting in to make Michigan more attractive to business, Michigan still ranks as the 26th best state to do business.
The reality is that like refusing to vote for a tax increase, the legislative priorities of these elected officials has clearly been self preservation by enrich top contributors and ignoring constituents and best practices.
Of course failing to honor the will of the people is hardly a new thing for this legislature. When voters decided to eliminate the Emergency Manager Law, legislative Republicans quickly wrote a new law and tacked on some additional taxpayer dollars so they could call it a budgetary item which makes it referendum proof moving forward. This means whether voters like this law or not they are stuck with it. Similarly many of these same legislators have also been attempting to restrict a woman's right to an abortion as well as standing against same sex marriage despite polls that show opposition to these positions.
This astounding hypocrisy illustrates just how spineless these legislators are. They clearly don't trust voters to make the right decisions yet they would rather look incompetent than be seen as a Republican that supports a tax increase.
Making matters worse is the fact that this special election will cost the taxpayers around $10 million. That is $10 million that could have been used to fix a few roads near you. That is $10 million that could have improved the education for thousands of kids. That is $10 million that could have made the tax burden a little less overwhelming for Michigan's working poor. That is $10 million that this legislature squandered because they were too scared or self absorbed to do their job.
With all due respect to the many editorials written that find just enough to like about this legislation to ask Michiganders to vote yes, this vote is way bigger than simply properly funding roads and education. This vote sends the legislature a message about what voters will tolerate. As the old business saying goes, "If I have to do your job, I don't need you". Well, this legislature has proven over and over again that the needs of Michigan resident place a distant second to retaining their seat. Vote no on proposal 1 and tell the Michigan legislature that they either do their job or we will find someone else who will because this sort of continued ineptitude is completely unacceptable.
No comments:
Post a Comment