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Tag: Proposal A

RightMichigan Exclusive: An Interview with Sheriff Mike Bouchard

By Nick, Section News
Posted on Tue Jun 23, 2009 at 12:02:07 PM EST
Tags: Exclusive, interview, Bouchard, Cherry, 2010, economy, MSP, part time legislature, Proposal A (all tags)

Oakland County Sheriff and 2010 gubernatorial candidate Mike Bouchard recently sat down with RightMichigan to speak with conservative activists and the Right Roots about his bid to become the state's next chief executive.

Bouchard becomes one of the most prominent voices in Michigan to advocate some pretty serious changes to the way things are being done in Lansing, from being open to "tweaking" Proposal A to openly advocating a part-time legislature.

Just a few of the highlights include-

RightMichigan: Thoughts on the new State Police Headquarters?

Sheriff Bouchard: "What good is a state of the art building if you can't inhabit that building with the men and women who are there to protect you?" ... "They should have put (the project) on hold years ago, frankly."

RM: The Americans for Tax Reform "No New Taxes Pledge?"

Sheriff Bouchard: "Clearly one of the first things you have to do is learn to live within your means... in fact, I was the first gubernatorial candidate to sign the taxpayer protection pledge."

RM: First specific thing you'd do, day one as Governor?

Sheriff Bouchard: "Stop the bleeding. I'll freeze all non-essential spending and begin to go through immediately where we can cut spending..."

RM: Should we tweak proposal A?

Sheriff Bouchard: "I think you have to constantly, in government or the private sector, look at what you're doing and make sure you're competitive." ... "In anything you have to constantly go back and reexamine it and make sure it's meeting your goals." ... "I'd be willing to look at a whole new tax and regulatory process."

RM: On the idea of a part-time legislature...

Sheriff Bouchard: "Based on what I'm seeing in Lansing and how broke Lansing is I'd be calling for a part-time legislature." ... "One of the fixes I'd suggest is that we go to a part-time legislature."

And much, much more...

(2 comments) Comments >>

Suddenly that population decline makes a little more sense

By Nick, Section News
Posted on Thu Mar 19, 2009 at 07:35:12 AM EST
Tags: Property Taxes, Proposal A, Senate Democrats, Andy Dillon, population, Wayne County, Grand Rapids (all tags)

Two days ago Republicans in the Michigan Senate attempted to pass a bill that would give voters a chance to prevent property taxes from going up when their home values drop. While a majority of the chamber voted to send the resolution to the House, Democrats were able to muster the votes needed to prevent an elusive 2/3 majority, effectively killing $253 million a year in property tax relief for cash strapped working families.

What a difference a day makes.

Yesterday the Senate gave it another try and managed to approve the measure 29 to 8.

Seems like common sense to give voters in the state the option of preventing their own taxes from going up while their home values go down but 8 Michigan Democrats have, apparently, never met a bit of financial sanity they couldn't refuse. Especially when lobbyists are in their ears arguing how much more desperately than homeowners they need $253 million.

Thank goodness someone in this state finally stood up for taxpayers, though, and told the lobbyists to shove it. The Detroit News caught up with the resolution's sponsor, John Pappageorge:

"Homeowners shouldn't be strapped with rising property taxes while watching their home values drop," he said.

Common, meet sense.

Because that whole status quo thing? Not working out so well and sending folks scrambling out of the state. The Ivory Tower reports this morning that metro Detroit has seen the steepest population drop of any region in the entire nation over the last two years.

Read on...

(1 comment, 545 words in story) Full Story