Then again, that would require the House to actually propose a tax hike and (gasp) hold a vote.  As the Associated Press reports this morning, there's actually a chance that after 244 days it could finally happen.

The Democrat-led state House on Tuesday or Wednesday may vote on a proposal to raise taxes, part of a plan to eliminate a projected $1.7 billion deficit for the budget year that starts Oct. 1.

Several ideas have been discussed, but it's most likely the House will vote to raise the income tax from the current 3.9 percent to either 4.4 percent or 4.6 percent.

(Emphasis mine.)

Meanwhile, back across the hall where the big boys have actually been working for the last eight months:

The Republican-controlled Senate on Tuesday plans to unveil $1.7 billion in proposed spending cuts and government restructuring changes as an option if House Democrats don't initiate a tax increase...

"If these cuts can't be stomached by Democrats, they need to come up with some other alternative," Bishop spokesman Matt Marsden said, noting it's just as politically unpopular to balance the budget with only cuts and government reforms as it is with higher taxes.

And obviously, that's an appropriate note to make.  Though I'm forced now to believe that the Senate Majority Leader is an eternal optimist.  I think at this point he could walk into the Treasury with a suitcase containing $2 billion, enough hard cash to cover the pending deficit and then some, and the Democrats would still hold a press conference telling everyone that Republicans don't care about Michigan and that they're using one-time tricks and gimmicks to fix the budget mess.  Only a giant tax hike, they'd moan and scream, could really solve the state's problems.  

Then they'd look at Mike Bishop and tell him to leave the suitcase on the table and to go draft the tax-hike legislation himself because c'mon, they can't be bothered when they have all that money to count.

And if the Lansing Democrats didn't take that approach the Ivory Tower Democrats certainly would.  Look no further than this morning's Detroit Free Press, where they opine on the editorial page about how evil and wrong it is for Republicans to propose spending cuts without doing the work of the House as well.  The piece almost reads like a House Democrat talking points memo.  

No word, yet, on when the FREEP will officially call for a unicameral legislature via a complete and sudden abolition of the Michigan House of Representatives.  I mean, they don't seem to think the House has a job or a purpose in Lansing.  Why waste the tax dollars?

Just a reminder, by the way, of what's at stake when we're talking about trying to get a state economy moving again for the first time in five years, Michigan's biggest industry (besides the production of ejector seats for the U of M bandwagon), the domestic autos, are this close to bumping up against the expiration of their contracts with the United Auto Workers.

The Detroit News reports:

Contract talks between the UAW and the automakers typically run until the last minute. With the deadline falling on a Friday, talks could continue through the weekend with little consequence. If a deal isn't reached, one of several things could happen: the two sides could work under the existing contract as negotiations continue; the union could strike; or the car companies could lock down their factories.

On the bright side, the Big 3 and the UAW recognized that the latter two options are good for no one and that sort of saber rattling hasn't yet begun.  Hopefully it won't.

After last week's announcement that Audi and VW are spending $100 million just to leave Michigan for the east coast, a shutdown of the domestics, like a multi-billion dollar tax hike is something Michigan can't afford.