It's not just Democrats (although they are the MAJOR reason we are so screwed up), it's the Republicans who have their own set of welfare recipients. It's the GOP who won't reconsider their position on marijuana or prostitution. It's the legislators who actually believe that government schools can be improved by spending more money.

We need FUNDAMENTAL CHANGE; a new way to do business. New legislators need to be sent to Lansing, and Washington as well, who will empower people through small, constitutional government; lower taxes; less regulation. A citizens' right to do what they choose, as long as they do not infringe on the rights, or property of others, must be rediscovered. As long as our politicians who sit in these seats of power believe that THEY are the answer to this society's problems, we'll continue to create these problems.

Yes, the other 49 states seem to be doing well, while Michigan is in recession. This is not entirely true. They are just ahead of the curve due to the new jobs that were created by the "transplants." As I've said before, what the GOP does is that they get tax cuts pushed through, see an increase in revenues, and they get as excited as Dems to spend the new money. Budgets go up, and up, and up. Then, the day of reckoning comes, when a readjustment occurs, and revenues can't keep up with the increased spending. The "House of Cards" begins to collapse.

Cutting taxes is always the best decision. This should, however, be followed by MAJOR budget cuts - entire departments; like, Education, Drug Enforcement. Then, as unemployment drops, Social Services can be reduced and then eliminated. Eventually, government will be only doing what they are constitutionally authorized to do, and taxes won't have to be cut anymore, most of them will be able to be eliminated.

We should start with education and charity. By giving taxpayers a TAX CREDIT on their income tax for every dollar given to charity, or spent on private education, the power of government can be broken and people empowered.

A $700 million dollar increase over the previous year's budget???

Holding spending flat would've eliminated the "need" for an income tax hike.

Can someone tell me what is the difference is now between a Republican and a democrat in Lansing?

There is NO conservative party left in America. Now, conservatives exist within the parties (yes, Virginia, there are conservative Democrats - just not in MI), but the GOP's platform is meaningless.

I have joined the Libertarian Party. Do I think that the LP is the best choice? Hardly. There's plenty wrong with it. But, with the GOP kowtowing to Granholm and her ilk, nay...encouraging her, it's all but meaningless who runs things anymore. We might as well have Democrats in there, who will screw things up so royally that the voters will see progressivism for what it is - Marxism; class warfare. The problem is, as we have found out in the Communist countries in the past, the proletariat becomes poorer and poorer and poorer. Why? Ayn Rand explained it all in Atlas Shrugged. With the Producers being so penalized (or murdered, in the case of China and Russia), there is no one left to produce.

As in the parable of the Trees, found in Judges 9 of the bible, the productive trees refuse to be king, because their purpose is to produce, not rule. Finally, they ask the most useless tree, the thornbush, to rule; and he accepts. This is so true in politics - the useless rule, while the useful produce.

When the Useful stop producing, though, it leaves the Useless who rule to begin "producing" (that's called Socialism). Since they are useless, they are unable to produce - and the whole proletariat suffers. The bourgeoise get their comeupance, for sure - greedy buggers. The poor suffer though - because the Useless, the politicians, are unable to create anything. Their tax base is gone, and there is no one to steal from. Unable to produce, or to steal, there is only one choice left - begin killing the masses.

But I take issue with a couple things.  

First off, "transplants" to other states didn't create those jobs.  That's putting the cart before the horse.  Those other states (entrepreneurs - not government) created those jobs to which Michiganders flocked because of our sickly employment environment here.

I could not agree with Ed more about tax cuts and spending cuts.  When tax cuts generate more federal revenue (a rising tide lifts all boats), those surpluses should either generate more tax cuts OR quite literally be locked away to pay for the huge imbalance that will occur in Social Security and Medicare in just a few short years.

But neither will happen because elected officials of both parties just can't help themselves.  They'll spend and spend and spend - whether they have the money to spend or not.

One lie that the Dems started during the Reagan years was that jobs created by such enterprises as McDonalds are somehow not "real jobs." Their ignorance (or willfull LYING) fails to mention the thousands and thousands of jobs in distribution, food preparation, management, accounting, etc. that are high paying and accompany the growth of the "minimum wage" industries.