The buzz in Lansing finally started to die down a bit late yesterday.  They'd been in session so long, dealing with Democrat threats of an unnecessary government shutdown so long, working to hold the line (the Republicans in the House) or convince them to vote the party line (Democrats in the House) for so long that by late evening you could almost hear a giant collective deep breath finally being exhaled.  

And since downtown Lansing is a government town, not a big city with other things going on day and night, if you live or work inside that bubble you might think that the battle is over.  The Democrats won the day.  They got their massive $1.35 billion tax hike.  Game, set, match.  

You can see that "all's well" opinion starting to trickle out of the administration and into the press, too.  Take this example in a story discussing Michigan's overall tax burden in the AP:

The Washington-based Tax Foundation projects Michigan will have the 11th-highest state and local tax burden nationally once all the tax increases kick in, up from 14th.

State treasury officials, however, say Michigan's tax burden ranked 26th-highest two years ago and expects it will rise no more than four spots to 22nd under the new tax structure.

"We're certainly not out of the mainstream here," state Treasurer Bob Kleine said Tuesday.

The Lansing bubble.  Bureaucrats, lawyers, government shills... a Democrat's Disneyworld.  But from the outside looking in, when you've got folks like Bob Kleine running around claiming Michigan isn't out of the mainstream, it looks less like Disneyworld  and more like Pinocchio's Pleasure Island, where smoking those back room cigars and drinking the administration's water really turns you into a jackass.

Heee-haaaaw.

Not out of the mainstream, Bob?  A national unemployment rate of 4.6%.  Michigan's, 7.4%.  But we're not out of the mainstream.  Only state to have lost jobs last year.  But we're not out of the mainstream.  Only state to have had a net job loss since 2001 (six years now).  But we're not out of the mainstream.  Tops in the US in out-bound moves.  But we're not out of the mainstream.  Leading the nation in poverty and foreclosure rates and leading the nation in rates of increase in both.  But we're not out of the mainstream.  Tops in crime, dangerous big and medium sized cities and with thousands of fewer cops on the street since the Governor first took office.  But we're not out of the mainstream.

The only state in an economic depression and we're swiping $1.35 billion from the private sector, job makers and working moms and dads.  But we're not out of the mainstream.  Show me, Bob, where any other state can count itself our peer.  

Maybe the most telling signal that we're on Pleasure Island is this laughable statement towards the end of the article.

Granholm said Monday she didn't think there would be a need for any more general tax increases during the three years left in her term.

Yeah.  We believe you.  Because you kept that promise before...

Somebody's nose is growing.

Read on...