I am a Demoncrat..... I don't like the fact that they would be raising taxes, whether hidden or outright altogether. The taxbase isn't there!!!

MI unemployment rate Dec 2007
http://www.milmi.org/

According to this website we have the second highest rate of unemployment in the country, behind Puerto Rico? Do we count them, rhetorical?  
http://www.bls.gov/lau/

These are the unemployment rates by the counties:
http://www2.fdic.gov/recon/ovrpt.asp?CPT_CODE=E40&ST_CODE=26&RPT_TYPE=Tables

(Take into consideration the aforementioned the fiscal quarters and the tourism, like Mackinac County, (my second home) during the winter months.)

Interesting program stats for the State of Michigan (link to michigan.gov/.pdf file will take long to load on dialup)
http://www.michigan.gov/documents/dhs/DHS-PUB-0170-2007_219125_7.pdf

I have been involved in food drives and clothes drives where I live in the 48439 zip code and the need is even strong "out here".

The foreclosure rates are astronomical:
http://absolutemichigan.com/homes/?articleid=2216

People are already pinching pennies so hard that Abe Lincoln has boogers coming out of his nose and/or he's screaming for pain killers.