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Tag: Dredging

Money for Dredging is a Problem?

By Corinthian Scales, Section News
Posted on Thu Mar 07, 2013 at 03:22:09 PM EST
Tags: Hooray for Hollyweird?, Bill Ford, Silverdome, EFM, Pontiac, Crony Capitalism, That's Bulls#!t, Waterways, Harbors, Harbor of Refuge, Commerce, Littoral Property, Watercraft, registration fees, gas tax, Sales Tax, Tourism, Dredging, HB 4197, SB 0164, One Term Nerd (all tags)

Consider this a double feature with CS, and Jarrett Skorup at Mac Center

The Disney blockbuster "Oz: The Great and Powerful" opens tonight. The film cost the studio about $200 million to make, but Michigan taxpayers chipped in substantially for the production through the state's generous film subsidy program. In fact, the state paid more per taxpayer than the average price of a movie ticket - Michigan residents should be seeing the film for free.
Michigan has 4.5 million individual taxpayers, and the state gave the film studio $39.7 million to shoot in Pontiac. That works out to a subsidy of $8.82 per taxpayer while average ticket prices nationwide are $7.96.
The subsidy was granted in 2010 when the program refunded up to 42 percent of Michigan expenses to film makers - essentially a check from the treasury to Hollywood studios. The program expired, but the Legislature, dominated by Republicans, overwhelmingly decided to keep it around.
Despite "conservatives" who claim to not like the government picking winners and losers and "liberals" who say government shouldn't benefit large corporations and big business, Michigan politicians continue to spend taxpayer money on the program. The state has budgeted $50 million this year with political leaders on both sides of the aisle pushing for more.
REST

What total crap. Lansing could only find a way to free up 29% of the monies for maintaining our waterways in comparison to what Hollywood ripped off on one movie filmed in a mismanaged broke-ass city with an EFM. You read that right. $11.5M, and STEALING $8.7M from projects already underway to pay for dredging.

The Governerd's half billion dollar piggy bank? Hands off. Damn near $40M in our tax dollars sent to Disney with assets totaling $74.8 Billion? No problem. The Water Wonderland? Take a hike.

This is why politicians are despised.

(7 comments) Comments >>

Wednesday Divertere

By JGillman, Section Multimedia
Posted on Wed Feb 13, 2013 at 11:04:20 AM EST
Tags: Michigan, State Senate, Tourism, Boating, Economy, Senator Proos, Taxes, Fuel Taxes, Donor State Taxes, Dredging, Say Please (all tags)

Given the previous article, I thought you all might enjoy this one.

Michigan State Senator Proos talks about dredging as it relates to water use tourism, and the dollars flowing in from it. Concerned about a boating traffic 'shutdown' he notes the economic costs of our great big bathtubs filling up with silt.

At the end, as always, our daddies in Washington are pleaded to, for consideration in getting some of our allowance money to pay for getting our toys into the harbor.

Comments >>

A Message To Our Legislators - Beware False Choices

Littoral Living: Highest Property Taxes in the State

By Corinthian Scales, Section News
Posted on Tue Feb 12, 2013 at 03:03:20 PM EST
Tags: Waterways, Harbors, Harbor of Refuge, Commerce, Littoral Property, Watercraft, registration fees, gas tax, Sales Tax, Tourism, Dredging, HB 4197, SB 0146 (all tags)

For the premium paid, why are funds for dredging even an issue?

Detroit News

The state Senate is considering taking $30 million from Michigan's rainy day fund for emergency dredging of harbors and waterways this year to relieve shallows that threaten the state's boating industry as a result of historic low levels in the Great Lakes.
That proposal was unveiled Tuesday as part of a broader set of options for dealing long-term with the recurring need to dredge the state's 90 recreational harbors that cater to recreational boating. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers use federal funds to maintain appropriate depths in commercial harbors handing 100 million or more tons of cargo per year.
Lawmakers portrayed it as a quicker and more robust alternative to Gov. Rick Snyder's call for $22 million in emergency funds that would be used to address the problem in the current budget and $8 million the following year. That was included in the governor's budget plan.
MORE

The article goes on to state that MDOT's budget may be tapped. Perhaps, that's not out of the question considering how many boats I see filling up at gas stations paying road tax. Well, at least the ones not using Rec Gas, and Off-road Diesel like I do, anyway. Better question is where in the Hell has all the registration fee monies gone? Has anyone actually sat down and looked at the Watercraft Fee Schedule? It's got-damn obscene. Add insult to injury, the article glosses over reviving a local tax grab scheme too.