Posted yesterday below the fold in the Lansing State Journal, Grand Rapids Representative Mike Sak is looking to promote tourism in the state of Michigan... by raising taxes on hotel guests!

WHAT?!

And here's the kicker, Grand Rapids residents... this tax won't be applied to hotels all over the state.  Nope.  And not to hotels in Detroit and Oakland County.

The Grand Rapids native has decided that he'd like to raise taxes on Lansing and Grand Rapids hotels ONLY!

To the tune of $1 million a year.

His thinking, apparently, is that by raising taxes on people considering a visit to Grand Rapids or Lansing it'll actually increase tourism.  They'll look to run ads with the money they collect.

Did we all fall asleep some night and wake up in a bizzaro Michigna where up is down, love is hate and hello is goodbye?  (I've decided I use entirely too few comic book references...)

Raising taxes on tourists will increase tourism?  

Nope.  Sorry.  Doesn't work that way.

History seems to teach us that people vote with their feet and they vote with their pocketbooks.  

Maybe Sak missed that lesson.