Comments on: The Michigan Squeeze

By: DLS

DLS — Tue, 02 Oct 2007 23:26:36 +0000

Michigan is also an instance where decaying (and often badly run) central cities cannot necessarily look to metropolitan area unification (wherein the central city annexes the suburbs, and their tax bases) to solve the city's financial problems. If it's any (cheap) consolation, Michigan is in bad shape right now but the same self-destructive, reflexive answer by bloated, arrogant, obsolescent governments that has been described this way,

Legislature (led by the Democrats) decides to squeeze the citizens even more. Shameful and sickening.

exists in other older states, such as in New York, where I last lived before moving to the Midwest. New York is full of government at all levels who choose to ratchet taxes ever higher, and who treat their jurisdictions as little fiefdoms; Albany, that famous example of big, bloated, beneficient-to-buy-votes government that even has a home that is a Communist-era colossal monument to government, is the government identified routinely in the state of New York by the word "dysfunctional." (Empire State Plaza is much more an affront politically than the we're-still-waiting-for-it Renaissance Center.)

By: DLS

DLS — Tue, 02 Oct 2007 23:10:06 +0000

Can you feel the LOVE for the big Motor City??? Doggone guys, go easy us Michigan peopleâ€¦blockquote> I prefer cruising over the Mackinac bridge and riding the Badger, myself. I remember on one trip through Detroit there were some parts of Sterling Heights that looked okay. (I was engaging in some "criticial tourism" related to a job I was considering taking in Sterling Heights.) Grand Rapids (former furniture and woodworking powerhouse, and vying for deer-crash capital of the Midwest from what I've seen before) is a place I've visited that has an interesting downtown area. The Interstate route from Detroit to Chicago has a lot of splendid countryside to offer anyone who goes off the Interstate highway itself. * * * Here's something I believe Detroit is doing that is "Cyanide Nation" sclerotic, obsolescent, and downright wrong: a city income tax and utility use tax. (Does that help people during the winter? And in a summer heat wave?) Detroit is not the only city that imposes income taxes on residents and wage earners (commuters). (One of those sites explains other Michigan taxes, in addition.)

By: Business Opportunities » The Michigan Squeeze

Business Opportunities » The Michigan Squeeze — Tue, 02 Oct 2007 23:08:53 +0000

[...] Peter Siegel, MBA wrote an interesting post today onHere’s a quick excerptTrying to start and maintain a small business in Michigan is difficult at best. If the taxes donâ€™t kill you, the regulations will. And our largest city, Detroit, is just a bastion of cronyism, terrible management, and bad attitude. … [...]

By: domajot

domajot — Tue, 02 Oct 2007 06:01:25 +0000

Many cities use the offer of tax breaks in order to lure businesses to move there from other localities, so I hope Michingan will explore that avene for renewal rather than put the burden on indiviuals.

There is somehting surreal about the ‘greatest nation on earth’ not being able to solve any of its problems. In cases like this, I think the federal government should move in to help instead of wasting money on useless prrk barrel spending. An economic disaster area needs as much help as one debastated by a sorm.

By: Jim Satterfield

Jim Satterfield — Tue, 02 Oct 2007 01:26:51 +0000

In a story this morning on NPR they were talking about this financial crisis in Michigan and one thing that was pointed out was the the tax system of Michigan is still structured as though it were a strong manufacturing economy with many services that would be taxed in another state being tax free. How much that is contributing to the problems I don’t know.

By: Chuck - The Populist

Chuck - The Populist — Mon, 01 Oct 2007 16:57:29 +0000

Can you feel the LOVE for the big Motor City???

Doggone guys, go easy us Michigan people…

By: Chuck Adkins › Michigan News: Major distruption in Government Services averted

Mon, 01 Oct 2007 16:48:27 +0000

[...] that even remotely qualifies as legit comments in my book was “T-Steel” over at Moderate Voice. He like, is from the area. He knows the deal. The rest of you idiots, need to stick to what you [...]

By: timr

timr — Mon, 01 Oct 2007 16:39:20 +0000

I left Traverse City in 2003 after getting a medical retirement for myself, and my wife losing her job with an auto parts maker due to factory relocating to Mexico. I was lucky in that I sold my house for more than twice what I paid for it in 1994, I sold it in 6 weeks for 30% over my asking price. In talking with friends who still live in Michigan, one thing stands out. The number of houses for sale, and how many are reducing their prices. I remember the downturn of many years ago when the saying was, Will the last person to leave, please turn out the lights. I think that this time it might be true. I moved to Texas, where I built a new house of twice the size and one half the price that I paid in Michigan. No state income tax, but pretty high sales tax. Property tax is high in some places, but my tax is comparable to what I paid in Michigan., Plus there is no winter here.

By: surakmn

surakmn — Mon, 01 Oct 2007 16:28:05 +0000

Michiganians? When I lived there I was taught “Michiganders.”