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Greed, graft, corruption... horse racing? Just another day in government spendingBy Nick, Section News
Almost a pity that the Second Annual RightMichigan Bloggers' Challenge starts June 1st and not today because this morning's headlines provide more unbelievable blog fodder than any day in recent memory.
There's the same-old, same-old that could seemingly (and probably will) carry a political conversation for an entire Presidential term with talk of restructuring in the Big 3; this morning we learn the UAW may be making concessions with General Motors. There's the steady and continuing escalation in jobless claims and applications for benefits. Autos and layoffs in Michigan. We've been down that road before and we'll be down it again. There's better... and more peculiar... news out there this morning, too, though. We've got Attorney General Mike Cox taking on Blue Cross, for instance, over their decision to again dramatically hike health insurance rates on Michigan senior citizens. According to the Ivory Tower:
Overall, average increases sought would be 56% for non-elderly people buying their own insurance; 42% for group conversion policyholders who purchase coverage they once had at work, and 31% for seniors with supplemental Medicare, also known as Medigap policies. The massive hikes would slam more than 400,000 Michigan seniors, folks on fixed incomes who can afford it the least. Of course, BC/BS claims they're caught between a rock and a hard place and can't afford NOT to hike rates. I get tough times. If you live in Great Lakes State then YOU get tough times. Baseball, apple pie, hot dogs and tough times. That's how we roll. The Attorney General doesn't think Blue Cross is quite as pinched as they're claiming, though. Remember, this is the same company that last year gave away more than $1.54 million in bonuses to members of their board of directors. And while we're on the subject of inappropriate use of scant resources, the Detroit News checks in with the Detroit City Council which continues to break land-speed records for inappropriate behavior and irresponsible spending. The City currently faces a $300 million budget deficit but the City Council has increased their own budget by 12 percent over the last three years and now spends over $6 million a year. Read on...
In the current spending plan, each council member gets a staff of four and, including his or her salary, has a budget of $656,158. The council president has a staff of eight, and a total budget of $939,772. The members, who make $81,312, also receive free use of a city vehicle. In other words, they live like kings and queens complete with their own taxpayer funded serfs.
The News filed a FOIA and uncovered some interesting spending habits. We've got members spending cash to bring staff with them on trips to Singapore and Puerto Rico, $3,250 being dropped on a new television set and a patronage program set up by Councilman JoAnn Watson who hired 13 additional staff members at or around $23 an hour each. And then folks wonder HOW the City could amass a $300 million budget deficit. Still, anyone being critical of the Detroit City Council should probably take a deep breath and thank his lucky stars that the City is better off than the state of Michigan. See, in Detroit they're talking about cutting salaries and reigning in the budget but in Lansing things are already well past the point of simple salary cuts. Weeeeeeell past that point. The Associated Press reports this morning that Michigan's budget woes are now threatening to wreak a new brand of havoc. Just when we thought things couldn't get worse we learn that... I'm sorry, this one has me a little choked up... we learn that... Michigan's horse racing office may have to cut the horse racing schedule this summer. *Sob* Yep. I'm awfully broken up about that one. Now WHY does Michigan have a horse racing office? Police. Firefighting and emergency response. Infrastructure. Horse racing. Beautiful.
Greed, graft, corruption... horse racing? Just another day in government spending | 6 comments (6 topical, 0 hidden)
Greed, graft, corruption... horse racing? Just another day in government spending | 6 comments (6 topical, 0 hidden)
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