I took this yesterday outside the capitol building (yes the piggy out front is for real). I was bummed out when I heard our elected officials couldn’t agree to a budget after 8 months of deliberation, so the state may halt services people depend on. Then my friend Lisa and I got to thinking about it and maybe this isn’t so bad after all! Yeah, that’s the ticket, I think they are actually trying to promote Michigan with new benefits, here they are:
1. You can speed with greater ease… less state troopers to bother us with those pesky speeding tickets.
2. Docs will be even more appreciative when you come in for self pay services, since payments from the state for healthcare services they’ve provided will be delayed.
3. Camp for FREE! Who cares about a “closed” sign, no one will be staffing state parks to get in your way.
4. State lottery players can avoid the stress of not knowing if they have a winning ticket, since ticket sales will shut down.
5. If you’re visiting Michigan, you can leave your luck at home because you won’t need it, the casinos will be closed too.
6. Also if you’re visiting Michigan, we’re about to become the B.Y.O.B. state, since liquor regulators will be off duty.
7. Good news for Michigan residents! You’ll have more time to get those license plate tabs, since the secretary of State offices will be closed. But, don’t worry there won’t be enough police around to catch you.
Hey folks, lets think positive, any other benefits you can think of? Help me out and post them in comments.
Gee, I have a real hard time being positive with this one! Why is it that our legislators are some of the highest paid in the country and yet our State’s economy is in the toilet. Worse yet, the economy was weak when they voted themselves a big raise a few years ago.
Hey ladies and gentlemen in Lansing – instead of cutting all the services, why not cut your own salaries and benefits along with those of your staff? Maybe pay more into your healthcare program? How many millions could be saved if you did that?
Hmmmm, is that an upbeat message?
Comment by Cliff Yankovich — September 28, 2007 @ 4:43 pm
Great stuff Anne! I love your website!
Comment by Jon Stridiron — September 28, 2007 @ 8:37 pm
You’re right on with your comments about the legislature, Cliff. For guys subject to term limits, I don’t understand why they’re so focused on pointless posturing instead of rolling up their sleeves and taking care of business. Since they can’t even get done the one thing they should take most seriously, how about firing them? That’s what my boss would do if I failed to do the work I was hired for. After salaries, per diem, benefits, and staff reductions, dumping the legislature will save $54.3 million. That sounds positive to me.
Anne, thanks for your take on what the state government shutdown will mean to ordinary folk. Here’s another one: all those road construction zones should be less troublesome since there won’t be any work going on and that means fewer random lane closures.
Comment by cynicalsynapse — September 28, 2007 @ 9:58 pm
Well thank God they came up with a solution. What a revolutionary concept – bail the state out with more taxes. Great idea. Put a further burden on the people who are sticking it out in Michigan. Spank the ones who are playing nice a little bit harder. Don’t take a cut in pay yourself when you can just rachet up the taxes on the rest of us poor schlubs.
Fire them, indeed.
My wife and I have business. When times are tight, then we have to figure out how to do with less. Hmmm, now that would be a stupid way to run a state, wouldn’t it?
Comment by Cliff Yankovich — October 3, 2007 @ 2:28 pm
Hey Cynical – just read your posting about firing them. How do we do that? My take on the Dem vs Rep aspect is that they get us sidetracked with issues like abortion, prayer in school or whatever and in the meantime they are ALL laughing all the way to the bank.
Republicans need to remember that it was a very much Republican controlled state house and senate that voted themselves enough of a pay raise to make our Senators the second highest paid in the whole nation. For any Democrats who are gloating – the ONLY person to vote against the raise (he later changed his mind) was a Republican. The clue phone is ringing my fellow Michiganders. Party politics has to be put aside. We need to sweep out the dead wood. What is the answer? Libertarians? Green Party?? What can we do?
HA – our economy is in the toilet and our public “servants” collect wages second only to CA? That is one steaming pile of bull#$%&.
Comment by Cliff Yankovich — October 3, 2007 @ 2:34 pm