You may have heard this, but Chrysler is bankrupt, and GM is soon to follow.. In fact, it could have all happened last year, and might well have served you better in the end. But nope, Your representatives stood by your side and conceded little if anything that would lose you those benefits you’ve worked so hard for. So now you will get an extended vacation, unless you can pick yourselves up and put the sails to the wind. At least the lights are on… aren’t they?
“And thanks, especially, to Andy Dillon and legislative Democrats, cash-strapped Michigan families are about to take another punch to the gut. The Detroit News reports this morning that Consumers Energy will raise rates again. This week. 3.5 percent amounting to about $2.99 a month.
Of course industry doesn’t use electricity ever since we assigned energy policy to the center for climate strategies.. Oh wait.. yeah that’s right we ALL still use electricity.. Maybe the lights aren’t on after all? $2.99 may not seem like a lot, but to an unemployed worker who has lost all of his income because of a cut in workforce due to energy costs increasing in the manufacturing process, it is certainly more than a loaf of bread off the dinner table.
Of course energy policy is just a part of it. Overall STATE tax policy which helps to sway en masse, those businesses which might decide to settle in Michigan is sadly lacking. The changes in the last couple of years have helped cement a negative growth in the industrial sector, and given that it seems the car making employers are going to leave quite the vacuum in the budget, we are in some deep doo doo.
The Mackinac Center’s senior economist, David L. Littmann, speaks about the impact of the auto crisis on Michigan’s economy, and predicts:
“Revenues for the state will continue to plummet,” adding: “The automakers and suppliers were such a big part — I’m going to say between 26 and 30 percent — of the tax base of Michigan. And today that’s eroding to something on the order of perhaps 10 to 12 percent.”
Littmann also expresses concern that state officials are underestimating the severity of the economic and fiscal crisis and the need for significant policy change, explaining:
“They have to explain rationally to the voter and to the taxpayer why they think somehow heaven will change Michigan’s fortunes if bad policies persist.”… “The single most important element in reform — long-lasting, durable economic and financial reform — for this state, so that we can become a magnet for attraction of business and jobs, is to make it a right-to-work [state].”
So look at that last part. For the average Union worker, who for a generation or two has accepted that the gains in his paycheck have been the result of a strong union presence defending his position, it is an atrocity. How dare they take advantage of the worker?
Hey Dave, George, or Junior? I want to point out to you something.. Its the people you elect who are doing this. In Michigan, soft core tyranny which drives up costs in energy, living expenses, and general business overhead can be placed squarely at the feet of the union voter. Because the unions have carried so much weight in deciding Michigan political outcomes, it is logical to assume the policies which have been borne are a direct result.
While I point out this fact, I am not suggesting that union workers are bad, but that the leadership they have, is either self serving, or better put, simply corrupt. I like most in this state have relatives who have a direct interest in the survival of the auto companies and industry in general, and am furious that some of the national leadership your dues dollars supported now will provide cover for their activities.. And ultimately leave the workers with an undecided future.
So as the title asks.. “hows it working for you?” Are these results worth the $12, $20, $50 a week out of your paycheck? Do you suppose that maybe truly positive “change” is now a little farther than you had hoped?
