STATE REPRESENTATIVE STEVE BIEDA (D-WARREN)

What is it with Michigan Democrats saying one thing before an election then doing another after?

Democrat state Rep Steve Bieda is about as classic an example of the two-faced political animal as you could hope to find.  Bieda currently presides over the powerful House Tax Policy Committee.  If you're looking at a list of the power players when it comes to tax hikes coming out of the House, look no further.  

Which is why it may have been encouraging for job makers and Michigan families when Bieda got the nod.  After all, just last fall while campaigning for reelection he told the Detroit News that he was not out to raise taxes on Michigan businesses.

Q: There's growing talk in Lansing about placing a sales tax on services that are now exempt.  Would you support that approach?

A: Generally speaking, I think a tax on services, with perhaps some very limited exceptions, is something that I do not support.

Emphasis mine.

Wait a second... that's funny... let me just double check something here.  Oh, yup.  I was right.  On House Bill 5198, a bill to tax services that were otherwise exempt to the tune of $613 million Steve Bieda didn't put his money where his mouth was.  He did manage to put Michigan taxpayers' money where Lansing's mouth is, though.  So that's something.  Bieda voted YES on on HB 5198.

Steve Bieda voted to raise taxes on astrology services, carpet cleaning, consulting services, investigation, guard and armored car services, janitorial services, commercial landscaping services, baby-shoe bronzing, bail bonding, balloon-o-grams, coin-operated blood pressure testing, coat check room services, concierge services, dating services, escorts, fortune telling, house sitting, coin-operated locker rental, palm reading, party planning, porter services, psychic services, restroom operation services, shoe shines, singing telegrams, wedding planning, wedding chapel services, scenic transportation services, skiing services, tour operator services, personal care services, security system services, mini-warehouse and self-storage unit services, business service center services, investment advice, consumer-buying services, discount-buying services, genealogical investigation, social introduction services, numerology services, pay telephone services, personal fitness training, personal shopping services, coin-operated photographic machines, phrenology services, packaging and labeling, specialized design services, passenger and ground transportation services, courier and messenger services and document preparation.

"Very limited."  Right.  

If he was playing kick-me-out-of-office-for-bad-public-policy baseball that's a solid single right up the middle.

It's no surprise, then, that Bieda also voted YES on House Bill 5194, a bill to raise the income tax on Michigan families by nearly $800 million a year.

Then again, it is a little surprising.  Bieda rode anti-Republican sentiment to overwhelming victory in 2006, like so many other Democrats in Michigan.  And like so many other Democrats in South East Michigan, his opponent didn't present much of a battle on the ground, in the money race or in public appearances.  

But he's from Macomb County, the home of fiscally conservative Reagan Democrats.  And the Michigan Taxpayers Alliance all but painted a target on his back from the start of tax-hike negotiations.  The odds of a general election defeat?  Pretty long.  The odds of a successful recall attempt?  A lot shorter.  Looks like Bieda just turned on the spotlight and pointed it directly at that bullseye.

Steve Bieda, take second base.

Then there was this bit from that same pre-election interview with the Detroit News:

Q: What's wrong with Michigan's economy and how would you fix it?

A: High unemployment.  Michigan needs to diversity (sic) its economy, recognizing the importance of the auto industry...

We already know how Steve Bieda works to "diversity" the economy.  That's an impressive list of Michigan job makers he just voted to tax.  But how, precisely, does he recognize the importance of the auto industry?

Turns out he's one heck of a multi-tasker.  While he was slamming Michigan families with $800 million in new taxes and small businesses with hundreds of millions in tax hikes that same exact Democrat tax-hike package really sticks it to Michigan's biggest industry.

General Motors Corp. stands to lose more than $100 million in state refunds under the budget deal approved by Michigan lawmakers early Monday -- in addition to paying tens of millions of dollars in new service taxes.

In all, automakers and Michigan car dealers will lose $350 million in refunds of sales taxes paid on demonstration vehicles and defaulted leases since 1999.

Wow... Bieda really flies around those base paths.  He just wizzed right into third.  But it can be tough to actually score that run.  Let's see what he's got left in him.  

If he's voting to kill Michigan jobs and strapping billions in new taxes on the backs of struggling taxpayers then the man must at least be a consistent vote for reigning in government spending, right?  Lets take a look.

On Senate Bill 418, a bill to save taxpayers and school districts $200-400 million by allowing them to collectively bargain for better insurance rates without changing coverage, a bill that big-government Andy Dillon himself voted for Bieda voted NO.

Earlier in the year the good Representative from Warren also supported HB 4580, a bill granting freshman legislators lifetime health insurance benefits.  He did not support a Republican bill prohibiting lifetime benefits for freshmen.  So at least he's consistent when it comes to burning cash.  He wants to line the pockets of union fat cats and his Democrat colleagues in the House.  

And with that, Representative, I encourage you to run home.