Not What A Rainy Day Fund Is For

Michigan Democrats are indeed profligate spenders.

The state's budget and spending has increased by 50% just under Governor Whitmer's term to date alone.

But that's still not enough spending for Michigan's Democrats.

Instead they want to increase it, and to do so have to tap into the state's emergency fund to do so.

The Detroit News: Michigan Senate dips into rainy day fund for $88B budget plan.

Everyday budgeting is not what a rainy day fund is for, but the Democrats see a pool of money and want to spend it now rather than wait for an actual revenue shortfall where the funds would be needed. 

That means under this budget state government spending is around $8,800 for  each and every resident of Michigan. If asked I don't believe most residents of Michigan would say they're getting their money's worth under this plan - especially those actually paying the taxes to cover it.

The 19 Democrats in the Senate voted for this increase, and 18 Republicans were opposed, so yet again the headline is a tad misleading.  It wasn't the Senate, but the Democrats in the Senate pushing this through.

The House has not approved this yet, so there's still hope that some responsible budgeting may yet prevail.

In Between Her World Travels, Social Media Shows, And Planning To Run For President

Someone might want to remind Gretchen Whitmer that she is still (unfortunately for us) governor of the state of Michigan.

The Detroit News: 'Big Gretch out?' Michigan needs a governor who's still in.

Then again, she may do best running away from her record here rather than running on it.

The results of her governorship makes that rather clear.

In Michigan under "Big Gretch" Whitmer, literacy and education scores have declined,  economic growth has gone down, and yet the state budget has steadily increased by 57% during her term in office, far in excess of the rate of inflation.

Now at $88.1 billion compared to the $56 Billion before she came into office, the budget now spends almost $9,000 per resident of this state. Even worse, it now spends around $21,487 per each and every one of the 4.1 million Michigan taxpayers actually paying for it - and not much to show in results for this excess and excessive spending either.

Michigan Dems' Plan To Bail Out Broke Dem City Proceeds Apace

You never have to say you're sorry, so long as there's still other people's money available.

The Detroit News: Highland Park, GLWA strike deal trying to buy time for final settlement

The tentative deal comes as state lawmakers have attempted to provide bailout money. The Senate Appropriations Committee last month approved a $35.4 billion budget for the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services that includes $20.3 million for Highland Park to use to repay the estimated $24 million with interest it owes the Great Lakes Water Authority for years of unpaid drinking water bills.

You see, the City of Highland Park doesn't just owe $24 million in unpaid water bills, they owe tens of millions more in unpaid water bills.  Their current annual property tax revenue - $9.6 million. That's a problem. But now thanks to the Michigan Democrats, it won't be the city's problem and there will be no consequences to it and it's leadeship for this rather bad decision.

After all, there's tax money available from the rest of the state's taxpayers to be diverted.

The fun question is what was the city government of Highland Park doing with all the water payments made by residents there to the City all that time when they weren't paying it to GLWA?

A more pressing question is why should everyone else in the state be bailing them out for their deliberate decision and failure to pay for their water bills?

Michigan Moronrail: Let's Talk About Choo-Choos for $100 Million Dollars

High-speed rail is a Democrat fever-dream they just can't give up on.  They problem is their only answer for their fever is instead of more cowbell is more of your tax dollars.

MLive.com: High-speed rail a $100m conversation starter in early Michigan budget 

The state Senate’s initial budget proposal for the Michigan Department of Transportation, which a committee on Tuesday passed to the full legislature for negotiations, includes $100 million “to encourage high-speed rail development.”

The catch, however, is that this number, which represents more than 14% of MDOT’s proposed budget increase, is “just trying to start the conversation,” says the lawmaker who took point on crafting the Senate’s transportation proposal for fiscal year 2023-24.

$100 Million to "spark a  conversation" about high-speed rail,  Not build it mind you, but to talk about and study it.

Given the stupidly high cost of Michigan's road repairs, that $100 million is about 100 miles of roads that could have been fixed for this money earmarked to study and "spark a conversation" about trains. Still, 100 miles of rebuilt roads is nothing to sneeze at and far more worthy than sending the money to discuss  high speed rail.

 Of course they want it to move leftists to places they like:

One proposal MARP has given lawmakers would expand passenger rail service into and out of Detroit, and another would create a route that goes from Ann Arbor to Traverse City and Petoskey.

Yep a subsidized a high-speed route for well-off leftists to travel between Ann Arbor and their cottages in Petoskey/Traverse City.  Maybe we can  name it the SWPL Rail Line - assuming it ever gets built for less than a few billion. 

I'd instead propose talking to them to about the cautionary tale of California's cost overrun budget-busting experience with building or in reality not building High Speed rail . I might also explain how California has a larger population to support such a project and they can't even make it work - except for the lovely amount of graft and pay that has been making its way to Democrat constituencies in the process. 

I'd even have an in depth "conversation" for a heckuva lot less than $100 Million dollars.

That State Surplus Is $9.2 Billion Of Your Money

Gov Whitmer of course, doesn't want this $9.2 Billion in excess state revenues  going back to the taxpayers, especially not to those who paid the brunt of it.

The Detroit News: Michigan surplus balloons to $9.2B as 'mild recession' looms

To be fair, some of it is also your federal tax money getting doled out to the states along with money borrowed and part of the federal debt that you are on the hook for paying back eventually.

After all, that surplus could be around a $900 check sent to every single Michigan resident whether taxpayer or not.  It would also be a lot higher if it went to taxpayers alone and would mean the cash back check to tax payers would be around $2,250 to each taxpayer, which is not chump change at all.

But, instead of giving it back to taxpayers, or using it to, you know, "fix the damn roads", Whitmer and the Dems want it to go to the tax-takers, of course.

On the upside, given the numbers, all Michigan citizens should see some minor tax relief as by law our state income tax due to this windfall should drop from 4.25% to 4.05% - be interesitng to see if the Democrats interfere with that existing law now that they have the state house, senate and governorship.

Of course, at the same time there is a surplus,  they are also now cheerfully predicting just a "mild recession" this year.  This means you better start battening down the hatches now as their predictions tend to be shall we say, a tad optimistic?  After all, as the saying goes, when the USA catches a cold, Michigan tends to catch the flu.

Game Of Vetoes: Michigan Governor Plays Budget Games

Michigan's Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer got upset when the Republican House and Senate here refuses to pass her massive tax increase. After first threatening to shut down the government, she backed away from that, and decided instead to only line item veto certain items in the Republican created budget.

And what interesting veto choices they are.

Whitmer campaigned and was elected on her promise of "Fix The Damn Roads".

So what did she just veto? Funding for roads.

Yes, really:

Whitmer vetoed $375 million in general fund spending targeted at road and bridge repairs, including repairs on four bridges that Whitmer recently visited and highlighted as in urgent need of repairs. She said the use of general fund money for roads hurts other priorities and is no substitute for a comprehensive road funding plan.

So instead of "Fix the damn roads" Its "Veto the damn road spending". You can't make this up.

Whitmer then went out of her way to try to make the most painful veto choices, harming many of her key constituents in areas such as Education and Mental Health spending.

She also took another swipe at education and free enterprise, ending tuition grants to any Michigan resident going to private colleges, but maintained it for public colleges - Michigan private college students scramble to replace scholarships cut by Whitmer

She also cut some public safety grants that keep sheriff deputies on the road, and tried to attack rural areas that are pro-Republican, because politics.

About the only useful veto she did was to veto the Pure Michigan ad campaign. This is a good thing, as the parodies are much better anyways.

So, we now know that not only is she ineffective at budget negotiations, she's petty and vindictive when she doesn't get her way, and she's petty and vindictive in a way that hurts Republicans but also her own core constituents and supporters.

That should work out really well for her come election season.