STATE REPRESENTATIVE: JOHN ESPINOZA (D-CROSWELL)

Voting the Democrat party line is one thing, but actually buying the Democrat party line?  That takes a special kind of person wearing a special set of blinders, blocking truth, justice, the American way and all around common sense.  When you're at that point you've reduced yourself to official "puppet" status, as evidenced, coincidentally, by the great looking and semi-official Espinoza puppet created by his biggest fan Shirley Dennison and pictured, not coincidentally, to the left.

It's like she read my mind.  Well, either read my mind or she knows Espinoza well.

Some politicians lie.  Some politicians break campaign promises.  Some politicians shill for their special interest friends.  But those aren't the primary problems with the thumb-area Democrat.  Not that he isn't a shill for his buddies with the trial lawyers and the MEA (he's a big trial-lawyer-enhancement act guy and voted NO on MESSA reform).

The thing that jumps right out at you in his case is the fact that he takes the party line as gospel truth.  Which wouldn't be a problem if it had even a kernel of truth to it.  

Now sure, lots of people buy the Dem line and it's always frustrating but what's the big deal really?  Well, when you're an elected Representative in the state legislature and you're voting on the biggest tax hike in the history of the state of Michigan it suddenly becomes a real serious, real expensive problem.

Espinoza's got a history on that tax hike thing too.  He led the charge earlier this year in spiking tipping fees, increasing the tax on Michigan residents by thousands of percentage points, and, just as importantly:

The Michigan Waste Industries Association said the higher dumping charge would hit residents hard, strain local government budgets and put businesses at a disadvantage.

"The proposal by House Democrats to raise the cost of doing business in Michigan now is completely out of step with the obvious need to improve the state's business climate and create new jobs and investment,"' said Dan Batts, president of the group...

He followed up on his early tax-hike verve by voting YES on a nearly $800 million income tax increase and by voting YES on over $613 million in new taxes on services, all told taking nearly $1.4 BILLION out of the pockets of hard working Michigan moms and dads as they struggle to make ends meet in the middle of a single-state depression.

But that only proves so much about Espinoza's blindness to reality.  For the kicker we'll go to the Representative's own words.  When the hometown Port Huron Times Herald caught up with the lawmaker following the October 1st State Government Shutdown he had this to offer:

Rep. John Espinoza, D-Croswell, followed the party line, saying the tax has been levied on "discretionary spending," and the new service industries affected should contribute to the state's infrastructure.

"If we did not do (this), then it would mean higher income taxes," he said.

Never mind the fact that his assertion about "discretionary spending" is patently false, there's a much larger fallacy in his subsequent statement.  Espinoza is so enamored with Governor Granholm and Andy Dillon's tax-hike mantra that he's lost his bearings and offered a false premise, that there was only one choice and that it was between raising the income tax MORE than $800 million and levying a sales tax on services.

He ignores the cuts option completely.  According to John Espinoza there is nothing left to cut.  We really have cut to the bone.  He went even further several days ago when speaking to the same newspaper about efforts to repeal a portion of the massive Democrat tax hike:

Rep John Espinoza, D-Croswell... said every state representative "shares the unease" with the tax, but to eliminate it means another $600 million in cuts.

The current budget "maintains just critical services."

Hook, line and sinker.  If he hadn't repeated it as often as he has, and consistently backed it up with bone-headed job-killing votes I wouldn't think he was serious.  The saddest part may be that he is.

According to John Espinoza a $250,000+, fully staffed office of the First Gentleman is a critical service.  

According to John Espinoza burning over $100 million in construction and lease payments to one of the Governor's top fundraisers for a new MSP Headquarters that MSP doesn't want, replacing a building we currently lease for $1 a year represents a critical service.

According to John Espinoza MESSA provides critical services.  After all, he voted to keep paying them $400 million a year to do nothing, though "nothing" hardly seems "critical."

According to John Espinoza providing unlimited welfare benefits for able-bodied adults is a critical service even though every other state in the region has capped benefits, leaving us the only state in violation of federal standards.

According to John Espinoza offering $109 million in raises for public employees in the middle of a depression represents a critical service.

According to John Espinoza it's critical that the state use millions in tax dollars to lobby itself.

According to John Espinoza it's absolutely critical that he and his colleagues have lifetime healthcare benefits.

According to John Espinoza it's absolutely critical that he not take a pay cut.

According to John Espinoza it's absolutely critical that contracts be allowed to balloon by thousands of percentage points and billions of dollars.

Because we've cut to the bone.  Hello, John Espinoza.  Say goodbye to your credibility.