MICHIGAN: Shutdown

Way to be, lawmakers.

LANSING, MI (Associated Press) – Michigan’s state government stumbled toward a partial shutdown Thursday as one of the nation’s most economically battered states remained without a budget.

State lawmakers failed Wednesday to agree on deep spending cuts proposed to balance the budget by a midnight deadline.

They also failed to finalize a temporary budget that could have averted Michigan’s second shutdown since 2007.

via MICHIGAN: Shutdown (2009-10-01).

Granted, they did get a continuation bill passed 2 hours later, so the shutdown didn’t really materialize, but it’s so irritating that they even need such a bill. They should have had this figured out ages ago.

I have to side with the democrats and protest many of the cuts the republicans have proposed (especially to education). They say we can’t keep spending this way, and I agree – we need to find new methods of revenue for the state! Change the way we tax things, tax some more things in ways that don’t greatly impact people. A lot of great ideas are out there, but legislators/republicans are so worried about getting re-elected that they’ll never do what really needs to be done.

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