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Monday, May 5, 2008
Insult to Injury: Capital Outlay Budget Swells to $2 Billion Dollars
House Democrats already raised taxes by $1.4 billion, and now, adding insult
to injury, they want to spend another $2 billion that we can't afford to build more state buildings, and call it
a "jobs program." At this level of spending, Michigan will have to pay an additional $80 million a year for
the next 15 to 20 years in interest costs alone.
The Capitol Outlay Budget includes funding for state building
construction, parks, and airport projects. While many of these projects are needed, House Democrats decided to cram the
budget full of wasteful, pork barrel spending. The House Democrats plan to spend even more than the governor recommended,
so much so that they may have to raise the state bond cap, which is a limit on how much the state can borrow in order to prevent
overspending. Think of it this way: raising the bond cap is like maxing out your credit card, then just opening another
so you can keep on spending.
If we wan't to fix our economy, we have to get our spending under control. While
we may not be able to influence external forces in the global economy that affect Michigan in the short term, we
can make a healthy start by putting our own house (pun intended) in order. Fiscal responsibility, government
reform, and reduction of waste within our government are concepts that seem to fall on deaf ears of the current legislature.
Every citizen of Michigan should demand accountability from his or her representative regarding
how the state spends its money. If that representative's performance includes wasteful and fiscally irresponsible
spending, Michigan's voters can send a strong message this November by removing that "Big Spender"
from office.
9:58 am est
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