Department officials propose 5.1% water and 15.8% sewer rate increases for Detroiters. The suburbs would see wholesale increases of 8.9% for water and 2.4% for sewer.

The final decision on rate hikes rests with the Detroit City Council.  The same racists who are currently trying to resolve their battle with Jay Leno after that jerk white guy decided to play the Palace of Auburn Hills for free instead of a place like, oh, Cobo... leaky roof and all.

(Channeling my best game show announcer's voice) But wait, there's more!

The Grand Rapids Press reports on another new "bipartisan" tax hike plan that has Lansing bureaucrats in a dizzy, because, apparently, they're in the mood to get us coming and going this week.

The plan would do away with the need for a sticker in the window of your vehicle to enter the state parks and also eliminate the $24 annual fee. Instead, you would pay an extra $10 with your annual vehicle registration.

Your Michigan license plate will be your official entry pass the parks. If you don't want to pay the extra $10 on your vehicle registration form, you can check a box to opt out.

I know what you're thinking... `wait, Nick, that says you can opt out!'  Yep.  You can opt out.  And if you've ever renewed your vehicle registration you've seen those forms they send in the mail.  They're already about the most confusing pieces of paper the state could possibly print.  Now they're going to add a checkbox somewhere in fine print, no doubt, with a lot of legal mumbo jumbo that most folks will simply overlook.

And if you think snookering taxpayers into accidentally paying more isn't the goal please don't admit it out loud and prove to everyone you're an idiot.  State Park stickers raised $10.7 million in 2008 charging $24 for an annual pass.  This new $10 annual pass is expected to raise $47 million a year.

That's $37 million they weren't raising otherwise and an extra 4.2 million Michiganders paying taxes they would have avoided any other year.

We learned yesterday that sales tax and income tax receipts were both down dramatically during the first few months of 2009.  What do we get from the tax-hungry politicians?  Out-right theft on property taxes with a stubborn refusal to even hear appeals, spikes in water and sewage taxes (hardly luxury items) and now an extra tax on driving.

Give the nobility... shoot, no, no apologies... give the nobility a little credit... at least they're finding new and creative ways to make sure they get theirs.  If only they'd enable the rest of us to KEEP ours.