Balancing Their Problems on Our Backs

As Gov. Jennifer Granholm and the Michigan Legislature continue to create an overspending crisis by budgeting expenditures higher than revenues, talk has turned toward potential tax increases. Keep in mind that Michigan's unemployment rate has more than doubled since the 2007 tax hikes.

This Op-Ed by Michael LaFaive, director of the Center's Morey Fiscal Policy Initiative, appeared in the Dearborn Times-Herald Wednesday. Titled "Dear tax raisers: Please tell us where to cut," the piece includes a pie chart with a break-down of spending by a typical Midwestern individual or family. Since the political class is unwilling or unable to control its spending, LaFaive asks them for suggestions on what part of our spending we should cut in order to satisfy their thirst for higher taxes.

Permission to reprint this blog post in whole or in part is hereby granted, provided that the author (or authors) and the Mackinac Center for Public Policy are properly cited.