Granholm's state address optimistic without the details
Andrew Norton
Maybe we should nickname our illustrious governor "Jenny Blue Skies." It seems to her that if Michigan residents can be as optimistic as she is about our state's future that everything will fall into place and make Michigan's economy rebound. Yeah, and if ifs and buts were candies and nuts we'd all have a Merry Christmas.
She threw out a lot of dollar figures when talking about ambitious new programs. She didn't say how a struggling (projected budget deficit in 2008 of $3 billion, yeah that's billion) Michigan economy was going to provide the revenue necessary to run these fun sounding programs.
What I liked about her speech:
- A commitment to quit plugging holes in the budget by cutting school funding.
- Requiring cities and townships to consolidate purchasing/services with other local municipalities to receive increased revenue sharing payments from the state
Wow. I thought there would be more points that I liked, but after reading through the text that was all I could honestly come up with. There was a lot of talk and optimism, but not much at all in the way of facts to back up her accusations and financial solutions.
Her proposed state budget makes its debut tomorrow. It will be interesting to see her "tax boosts" and what will be cut in order to balance the budget.
I guess I just expected more in the way of hard numbers. Optimism is great, but optimism without facts to back up your reason for being optimistic is like skipping dinner and eating a sugary sweet dessert instead. Sure it tasted good, but it usually leaves you feeling sick and empty when you're finished.
See for yourself. You can read the text of her speech at the Lansing State Journal.