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    Who are the NERD fund donors Mr Snyder?

    Raise the curtain.

    You know, if you kill their businesses they won't be able to pony up for that giant tax hike


    By Nick, Section News
    Posted on Thu Dec 06, 2007 at 06:51:03 AM EST
    Tags: (all tags)

    You'd think after passing $2.4 BILLION in new job killing taxes the Democrats in the Michigan House and the Governor would probably look around at the economic devastation they've wrought and call it a day, maybe take the last month of the year off and get back to the business of driving people out of Michigan after the holidays are over.  But then you'd be wrong.  Andy Dillon's House moved yesterday to tell Michigan job makers how to do their jobs, dropping an unhealthy dose of micromanaging regulations and red tape into their Christmas stockings along with that massive tax hike.

    All that's missing now is the lump of coal.

    The House Democrats approved a statewide ban on smoking in the workplace.  And yes, that includes bars and restaurants.  According to the Ivory Tower:

    Gov. Jennifer Granholm has said she would support a workplace smoking ban.

    The 56-46 House vote was the result of months of hearings and lobbying by anti-smoking groups who argued that second-hand smoke is a health hazard.

    Restaurant and bar owners argued that many already choose to be smoke-free, but it should be up to establishments and their customers.

    Andy Deloney, Michigan Restaurant Association director of Public Affairs, said, "The MRA continues to support the ability of its members to make this decision for themselves."

    Nothing job makers like better than being told how to do their jobs.  And nothing Michigan residents like more than being told to go stand outside in the cold to light up their squares.  What's worse is the move is intellectually inconsistent.  So that's now item number one on my "grown up Christmas list."  (Geez, I hate that song!)

    Read on...

    Apparently smoking is bad for you.  Anybody going to argue that point?  Didn't think so.  But according to the House it is SO bad for you that you can't even allow other people to do it in your business... in social settings like bars and restaurants.  And they think they can get away with that because (they just circle back here) smoking is bad for you.  Bad enough that they have a responsibility to ban it.  

    OK.  So ban it.  Just make cigarettes illegal.  I dare you.  Grow a spine and be consistent!  If you're going to eradicate personal freedoms why stop at some goofy arbitrary point.  Just go the whole way.

    Actually, I should probably be careful what I wish for.  If you don't live in or around Grand Rapids you may have missed this one on the local news last night but it's worth sharing because it's big big news.  The Iraq war is over!  Didn't you hear?  Yeah, well, word's just starting to leak that the Grand Rapids City Commission voted on a resolution to end the war.  

    Grand Rapids WZZM 13 reports:

    The Measure passed 6 to 1. Commissioner Roy Schmidt was the lone opponent.

    The resolution calls upon the U.S. government to establish a timeline for a transfer of power to a legitimate Iraqi government and bring the troops home.

    And that's obviously all the administration was waiting for.  Now that Commissioner Paul Mayhue says "get out" I'd wager President Bush is working frantically to arrange an exchange of power with the terrorists.  Heck, if the Commission asked nicely the President might even personally go over and hand the keys to Bagdad over to a homicide bomber.

    Finally, in equally unbelievable news, Governor Granholm says she's not going to raise our taxes again.  Reports the Detroit News:

    Asked the biggest lesson she learned in 2007, the governor told AP: "The most important thing I learned is I'm never going to raise taxes again. It's too hard. It's too impossible. Especially in light of our economy and what we've been through. I just don't think there's anybody who's interested in proceeding down that path again. And I'm the first at the head of that line."

    Hold on, in light of our economy and what we've been through it's unwise to raise taxes?  You know, our economy wasn't any better back in September before you rammed these tax hikes through your Democrat controlled House and sweet talked a half dozen turncoats into helping the seventy-plus Dems carry your water.  In fact, it's only gotten worse.  We've since jumped to 7.7% unemployment and the forecast for next year looks bleaker and bleaker.

    But hey, I'm glad you learned your lesson.  You'll forgive me if I have a hard time believing you though.  After all, we've heard it all before.

    < Cracks Emerge in Planned Parenthood's Michigan Empire Due to the State's New Funding Formula | Thursday in the Sphere, December 6 >


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    You know, if you kill their businesses they won't be able to pony up for that giant tax hike | 11 comments (11 topical, 0 hidden)
    More big government (none / 0) (#1)
    by Republican Michigander on Thu Dec 06, 2007 at 10:06:37 AM EST
    I'm real tempted to light up a ciggy in the middle of the capitol building just as a middle finger to big government.

    And I don't even smoke ciggarettes.

    smoking ban (none / 0) (#2)
    by tenex22 on Thu Dec 06, 2007 at 10:25:06 AM EST
    First of all, I am not a smoker and really don't like it when I am enjoying a meal and somebody at the next table lights up. That said, I believe that they still have the right to do just that in a free society. Passing more and more laws is not the answer, just leads to bigger, more retrictive government (big brother). Who wants that?

    Answering Nick's challenge....... (none / 0) (#4)
    by PMOTVRWC on Thu Dec 06, 2007 at 11:22:46 AM EST
    I do not believe smoking is all that bad for you.  I think everyone is born with cancer cells in their body, what triggers the cancer cells to become active is anyone's guess.  Could smoking do it?  Yes, but then so could a lot of other factors as well.  

    My grandma died of cancer at the age of 76 and never smoked a day in her life.  Her son, died at 52, a five pack a day smoker, but he also worked on the Manhattan project during the war.  The rest of her family on the other hand, most of whiched smoked until the day they died were in their 90's and even 100's when they passed.  My mother was a smoker early inb her life, she quit before she was 30 and is now 85.  I had several uncles on my fathers side of the family as well that lived well into their 90's before they died, all smokers too.  It is in the genes that determine whether you get cancer or not.  

    Perhaps congress should be looking at passing a law that says you can only pass on your good genes to your offspring which would have about the same effect on the cancer rates as will this stupid smoking ban.  

    Laws banning stupid actions (none / 0) (#5)
    by Dutchsma on Thu Dec 06, 2007 at 01:17:13 PM EST
    I agree that smoking is a disgusting habit but other than educating people about the perils of smoking, government doesn't need to do more.  

    If government wants to ban all activities that they view as bad for you, then it should probably ban gas powered rotary lawn mowers.  How many people place their fingers beneath the deck of a running lawn mower every year?  The reasons for doing that are unknown to me but it's a dumb idea and affects numerous people.  When will they outlaw the lawn mower?

    Or driving?  How many accidents are there every year caused by who knows what while people are driving?  How many people die?  Since driving kills people, like smoking apparently does, shouldn't we outlaw driving?  I know, that would affect thousands of Michigan workers who would be out of a job because the state shut down the Big 3, but hey - no one else would die as a result of a driving accident.

    Seriously, I can't believe we pay these people nearly $80k a year to screw things up so badly (budget) and then take on issues that private business and people can address themselves.  If a person doesn't want to dine in a smokey atmosphere, then they can choose to dine somewhere else.  If a business owner doesn't want to expose his patrons to cigarette smoke, then the business owner can decide not to allow smoking in his establishment.  

    Thank you big brother (and sister).

    We just act like meanies when it comes to taxes... (none / 0) (#6)
    by rdww on Thu Dec 06, 2007 at 01:21:50 PM EST
    Asked the biggest lesson she learned in 2007, the governor told AP: "The most important thing I learned is I'm never going to raise taxes again. It's too hard. It's too impossible."
    Can't you just see her pouting in frustration while saying that?

    Come on people, this is all out control! (none / 0) (#8)
    by nickburns480 on Thu Dec 06, 2007 at 01:47:56 PM EST
    What you can and can not do.  Forget business.  Dems don't understand the concept of business.  Gov't will take care of all the problems.  Just ask a liberal!

    Again, (none / 0) (#9)
    by Keepin the Faith on Thu Dec 06, 2007 at 05:20:32 PM EST
    this is something that a free market will take care of.  Each business owner should have the right to determine how his business is run. . . . .  If his restaurant appeals to smokers and he has no problem with this it should be a "smoking allowed" restaurant.  If his clients prefer a non-smoking atmosphere and he wants his business smoke-free he has every right in the world to do so.

    Government has no place in regulating a business if it wishes to allow a legal activity.

    Who will they go after next?

    You know, if you kill their businesses they won't be able to pony up for that giant tax hike | 11 comments (11 topical, 0 hidden)
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