What better way to encourage economic growth, than to take the promises of business owners who cannot, or will not succeed without outside intervention, and throw taxpayer money at them?

As we have seen more often than not, the promises are seldom realized, and that there have not been sufficient metrics that demonstrate the worth of picking YOUR pocket, and putting the proceeds somewhere else.  As wonderful little investors these representatives may well be, they have a track record second only to Bernie Madoff.  Though some have limited business experience, many have made political office their primary home. At the same time, they remain envious of REAL money men who actually create jobs by investing their own capital.  The "Jobs Fund" lets them pretend they are helping to create business friendly environments, and creating real jobs, when in fact this micro managing has more adverse effect.

HIB-5477, introduced into the commerce committee by Rep Schmidt, and its partner HIB-5246 are expected to come up for a vote this next Tuesday.

A quick scan of the latter, reveals its primary function as renaming its core element, and revises the funding mechanism for those with their hand out.  It liberalizes the ability for rent-seekers to get their wad, by removing limits on matching funds.  All of this in order to secure the advantage for "COMPETITIVE EDGE TECHNOLOGY", and at the cost to Billy Bob's bait shop through taxes.  Much like the former Governor's blown away theme, this huffing and puffing up the rears of Michiganders, struggling to keep their businesses afloat will likely have the same effect.  And though the cool little line-outs of the lefty key word "Energy excellence" might  be replaced by the ambiguous "COMPETITIVE EDGE TECHNOLOGY", the result is the same.  Government will assign your wages to someone (or some entity) they deem appropriate.

THAT is what we call "Re-Invention", right?

And it gets better.  HIB5246 goes after the next best thing.  Advancing favoritism of alternative energy by enjoining with another Granholm invention, "NEXT Michigan."  The CERTIFIED ALTERNATIVE ENERGY PARK (previously a CERTIFIED TECHNOLOGY PARK ) will be born.

And through special expansion of authorities that will be allowed by this bill local taxing units (Schools, Libraries, other millages) may not be able to collect taxes for operations as the authority would be capturing any increase.  This results in a greater cost on other taxpayers, as the distribution of burden becomes more unequal.

There is a real cost.

As there is to nearly everything.  along with a lack of appropriate Metrics, added administrative costs to governments, added lobbyists, authorities that don't ever go away, added screaming at your local boards.  Stuff like that.

Stuff. Like. That.

And the Universities?  They love it.  More positions to place their "planning specialists" in.  If that was all, fine, but its even bigger.  Its about becoming the basis for the new authorities which spawn under the guise of economic development.

And they cannot even track the benefits with any certainty.

A few months ago, MSU-E and I went head to head in a county commission showdown.  Their Doctoral "expert" claimed a value of $17 return to the community for every dollar we would invest.  I argued for some real metrics, which produced what you might see on a pamphlet touting benefits of taking a particular drug.  What it did not have however, was the small print, which I was able to get the expert to admit. Finally.  The IMPLAN Model they were using created a wonderful array of feel good results, but had one primary flaw.

It did not allow for the cost of the money spent to be calculated. It did not take into account the benefit of the money spent by government towards the MSU-E program, if instead, those monies had been left in the hands of the taxpayer.  The entire equation was based on the benefits only.

This is how it is done.

And now rather than throw out the failed economic gerrymandering BS of the Granholm administration, Certain Republicans want to enhance it to fit with their own agenda.

The Trabant of the Midwest is getting a pinstripe.

As an FYI, this will happen fast.  Tuesday it is scheduled for a vote out of committee.  Shortly after that it might well be on the desks of those who really don't understand why central planning is bad mm-K?  Its up to you all to read up and explain.