Counter-Teabag Protest TODAY!

Taxes, services, quality of life (0.00 / 0)

Michigan needs to have a debate on a fundamental issue: should businesses pay taxes. The educational value for the knee-jerk tax-cutters would be very worthwhile.

The teabag crowd says business taxes are passed through to Michigan consumers anyway, so we might as well repeal them. They seem to forget that some Michigan companies (like GM, Ford, Daimler Chrysler, Dow, etc.) have a few customers outside of Michigan.

They also have a problem understanding the budget. They seem to think that cutting legislative salaries, firing Dan Mulhern's staff and eliminating cars for judges can balance the budget. They also tend to be the folks who ask "whatever happened to the Lottery money?"

Michigan needs to re-mandate civics classes in our high schools - too many folks just don't have a clue.

Walt Sorg

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by: LiberalSpartan @ Tue Apr 17, 2007 at 18:44:30 PM CDT

Call it ... (4.00 / 1)

The Smell the Coffee Counter Protest.

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by: Progressive @ Tue Apr 17, 2007 at 20:10:18 PM CDT

Ooh! I like it! n/t (0.00 / 0)

"HAZEN S. PINGREE...He was the first to warn the people of the great danger threatened by powerful private corporations, and the first to awake to the great inequalities in taxation and to initiate steps for reforms. THE IDOL OF THE PEOPLE"

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by: Hazen Pingree @ Tue Apr 17, 2007 at 20:19:55 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Great idea! (0.00 / 0)

Ah, the wit needs to flow on this. . . Thanks!

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by: joan @ Tue Apr 17, 2007 at 20:31:05 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

"The wit needs to flow..." (0.00 / 0)

Thats good ... :-)

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by: Progressive @ Tue Apr 17, 2007 at 22:39:16 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Billboard (0.00 / 0)

I saw a billboard tonight on 95 west, headed toward Okemos, that said something like "Fix Michigan's Roads Now!" I only saw it for a split second. Does anybody know what this is about or who it is from?

Success is not final, failure is not fatal. - Winston Churchill  

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by: TJarrell @ Tue Apr 17, 2007 at 21:06:45 PM CDT

Gas Tax (0.00 / 0)

It is about raising the gas tax to repair our roads. 

The Michigan Chamber of Commerce and MITA are in favor (as well as other organizations).

For more information, please visit:
http://www.mi-ita.co...

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by: ProgressiveFemale @ Tue Apr 17, 2007 at 22:41:38 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

come early (0.00 / 0)

Come at 9 am for the ArtServe Michigan rally, the main advocate for the arts in the state. The rally is on the pedestrian mall on the west side of the capitol.
The arts of course will be represented and it will be fun.
Arts are the easiest to cut and are adversely effected statewide by the moritorium on grants. The budget is projected to be cut by 3.6 million THIS year and the same for 07 08. We now rank 34th in the country per capita in the arts nationwide. Down from like number 10.
It's disasterous.

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by: darwin @ Tue Apr 17, 2007 at 21:14:58 PM CDT

Toss the Coffee--Counter the Teabaggers!!! (0.00 / 0)

See you all in Lansing tomorrow.

Be sure and bring your own "Hooverville" used coffee grounds to throw at the teabaggers. Many of us plan to do so.

Since the teabaggers want to impoverish Michigan, shut down the government, stuff what money is left into their matresses and bring on their version of the Great Depression (like the late President Hoover did by shutting down the government in 1930), let's toss used coffee grinds in their direction. (In the slums and shanty towns of the Great Depression coffee was used and reused by the unemployed and hungry masses.)

Bean 'em with the coffee!!! See you all there.

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by: WMD @ Tue Apr 17, 2007 at 21:40:13 PM CDT

Support the Troops (4.00 / 1)

Pay your damn taxes....

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by: Nazgul35 @ Tue Apr 17, 2007 at 21:44:57 PM CDT

I wish I could be there! (0.00 / 0)

Good Luck!

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by: Progressive @ Tue Apr 17, 2007 at 22:42:53 PM CDT

See you there! (0.00 / 0)

I may even bring a friend or two! :-)

I want to change the world, not help people adjust to it. - Millie Jeffrey, MI - National Women's labor and Democratic activist, Presidential Medal of Freedom Recipient

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by: LiberalLucy @ Wed Apr 18, 2007 at 00:20:03 AM CDT

i can't go, got class (0.00 / 0)

but good luck!

Check out my mediocre blog.

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by: nirmal @ Wed Apr 18, 2007 at 04:30:20 AM CDT

college students join SUPERSEED (0.00 / 0)

Join SUPERSEED - Students United to Promote Enhanced Revenues Supporting Education and Economic Development

This effort is gaining momentum on college campuses across the state.  Help spread the word, join the effort, and sign the petition. Go to the website for updates and read responses from legislators.

http://www.geocities...

Dear Senator Bishop and Senate Republicans:

Cutting funding to education in a state in economic crisis is a step back in time. We urge you to comprehend that higher education is essential to advance in today's knowledge economy. There is no better tool than higher education to expose our society to new technologies, new creative opportunities, self-expression in a global context, and an understanding of similarities and differences across the world.

Reducing higher education funding, or shifting it to the future, will lead to higher tuition to meet institutional needs. And, higher tuition pushes out diverse and underprivileged populations already struggling to improve their chances for the American Dream. In addition, your proposed cuts to K-12 education will reduce youth preparedness for college, thus leading to more remedial classes, extending the time for preparedness to the workforce, and making the state of Michigan economically stagnant.

Cutting revenue doesn't solve the crisis; it balances the budget on the back of the future. We must find new revenue to invest in our future through education. Economic policy for Michigan's future should focus on INVESTMENT and NOT CUTTING. Raising revenue for education is an investment for the future.

We believe in vision for the future that rests with education and quality of life. Supporting business at the expense of education diminishes the education that benefitted business leaders in the first place. The people of Michigan need elected leaders who recognize new investment in higher education will improve Michigan's competitiveness in the knowledge economy and the global, tech-savvy world.

We urge you to support greater investment in higher education to improve Michigan's future.

Sincerely,
Name  City (voter reg.)  School
Scott Hirko  East Lansing  MSU
Lee Griffin  East Lansing  MSU
Jennifer Hodges  Lansing  MSU
Jeff Grim  East Lansing  MSU
Sheryl Mauricio  East Lansing  MSU
Sam McPherson  Williamston  MSU
Casey Ozaki  Okemos  MSU
Benjamin Weihrauch  East Lansing  MSU
Eric Jessup Anger  Lansing  MSU
Amy Jamison  Lansing  MSU
Ray Robinson  Hartland  MSU
Monica Marcelis Fochtman  Lansing  MSU
Debbie Chang  Lansing  MSU
Melissa McDaniels  Okemos  MSU
Chelsea Robl  Bruce Crossing  SVSU
Robert Niffenegger  Houghton  Mich Tech
Jesse Watson  Lansing  MSU
Adam Sohasky  Houghton  Mich Tech
LouAnne Snider  Middleton  MSU
Helen Keefe  East Lansing  MSU
Mel Hernandez  East Lansing  LCC, MSU
Dan Nowiski  Harbor Beach  CMU
Carolyn Pfeifer  Okemos  MSU
Joyelle Fobbs  Lansing  U-M
Amy Chavasse  Ann Arbor  U-M
Brian Lovy  Southfield  MSU
Craig Lane  Ann Arbor  MSU
Kevin Leonard  Lansing  MSU
Hilary Kozma  Sault Ste. Marie  LSSU
Derek Dykens  Battle Creek  Mich Tech
Matthew Osborne  Fraser  Mich Tech
Benjamin Marshall  Levering  Mich Tech
Karen Tabb  Ann Arbor  U-M
Patricia Thomas Dowker  Ann Arbor  U-M
Lisa Brausch  Ann Arbor  U-M
Katharine Van Treese  Ann Arbor  U-M
Matthew Borus  Ann Arbor  U-M
Donelle Goerlitz  Brooklyn  EMU, MSU
James Lucas  Lansing  MSU
Lacea  Ypsilanti  U-M
Connie Zhang  East Lansing  MSU
Katy Timmer  East Lansing  MSU
Lisa Reinbold  Haslett  MSU
Dennis Weeks  East Lansing  MSU
James Snyder  Clarkston  MSU
Amanda Carlisi  Canton  MSU
Gretchen Sanford  East Lansing  MSU
21 other individuals on petition request public anonymity

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by: shirko @ Wed Apr 18, 2007 at 06:40:44 AM CDT

Write a diary on this! (0.00 / 0)

shirko, if you write it, I'll promote it to the front page. This is good stuff!

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by: joan @ Wed Apr 18, 2007 at 15:34:26 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Re: Bean 'em with the coffee (0.00 / 0)

Please don't throw anything other than well-reasoned arguments at the opposition. It would be counterproductive - the media would focus in on anything that could be considered violent behavior rather than the core message of the state's need to invest in the future of Michigan.  Secondly, they could end up throwing something at us and the protest could escalate into violence. And, finally, you could end up getting arrested for assault. None of these are the outcomes we want.  We have reason on our side, we don't need to use violence.

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by: liberalmother @ Wed Apr 18, 2007 at 08:10:53 AM CDT

Warning, Q. E. D. (0.00 / 0)

From MichiganLiberal's Editorial Policies:

Behave Yourself

Personal attacks and insults, pure stupidity, unsubstantiated rumor presented as fact and utter mediocrity are not allowed. If you make a controversial statement of fact, be prepared to back it up with proof. Do not plagiarize: if you are repeating information from another source, always include links to the original document. More information on how to handle copywrited material is available from our Posting Guidelines.

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by: joan @ Thu Apr 19, 2007 at 12:47:04 PM CDT

It should be added (0.00 / 0)

that if you work for a politician or are using government (tax payer) computers to seed the internet with your bosses political viewpoints it is very easy to track back...

There are several people who have lost their jobs after they got caught and embarrassed their bosses politically...

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by: Nazgul35 @ Thu Apr 19, 2007 at 17:39:35 PM CDT

[ Parent ]