In the movie ‘Cool Hand Luke,? prisoner Lucas ‘Luke? Jackson (Paul Newman) is admonished by the captain of the road crew with the memorable words: ‘What we’ve got here is a failure to communicate.??
Those words rang true in the movie and frankly they are appropriate for the sordid state of affairs in Michigan government.
As the budget debate continues to fester we see that lines of communication are so severely broken that even a Wichita Lineman would be unable to repair the damage that the governor and the entire legislature have inflicted on the state.
Election results earlier this year in several municipalities have again demonstrated that our state is in dire financial straits as voters cast ‘no? votes on new millage proposals and, in some instances, even defeated millage renewals.?
The message from voters is clear:’no new taxes, and until the job market has some positive news, we will not support tax increases.’That message does not seem to have resonated with the governor and the legislature as every day we hear about new proposals to tax residents into oblivion.
The latest gimmick is to tax health club dues.’And this in the face of just learning from the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention that among the fattest states in the nation, Michigan ranks 11th.?
As health care costs continue to escalate shouldn’t we be encouraging our residents to pursue a healthy lifestyle by exercising?’It’s apparent with this myopic thinking Michigan will quickly be in competition to wrest away the number one position in pulchritude from Mississippi.
And with threats of closing down the government until a resolution is reached on the budget, our mental giants in Lansing who are better suited as candidates for the Rodeo Clowns Hall of Fame have introduced House Bill #5046, which will force retail stores to make ’employee only? restrooms available to anyone who can prove they are suffering from an unusual bowel illness.’To gain entrance to these private commodes one has to produce a doctor’s note.?
At least while Rome burned Nero played the violin.?
While Michigan smolders, our officials are passing legislation to accommodate residents with anal leakage.’Is it any wonder we have difficulty attracting new business to the state??
And while we are on the subject of rankings, the latest business survey of states from Forbes illustrates just how far we have slipped.’Michigan now ranks 46 out of all the states, even being eclipsed by those overweight Mississippians!?
In important categories that would normally be a magnet in attracting business such as cost of labor, energy and taxes, projected population growth and unemployment, we are near the cellar.?
The argument has been made by the governor that Michigan’s economy is challenged because for over 100 years it has been largely focused on the automotive industry and that we need to diversify.?
Having said that, the governor continues to exhibit a lack of leadership by barricading herself in the mansion emerging periodically to name another ‘Cool City,? travel to some foreign country in a feeble attempt to attract business and of course travel to Mackinac City for the annual Labor Day bridge walk.?
Leadership exhibited by our governor should be made to walk a plank, not a bridge.
So what’s the solution?’Frankly, there is none.’Like Dorothy in ‘The Wizard of Oz,? we will have to learn how to ride out this tornado of incompetence and complacency until another election season rolls around.?
As with Oz, the curtain has been drawn back to reveal a state government that is dysfunctional and out of control.’And in light of that,’here is the theme for the next election:’ANYONE BUT THE CURRENT INCUMBENTS!