Michigan’s meddlesome, socialistic governor, Jennifer Granholm, won her showdown with the state legislature and residents will now feel the sting of increased taxes. The WSJ has the story here.
This is another wonderful example of the shortsightedness of politics. Michigan is suffering from too much government. It has a reputation as a state that’s unfriendly to business. That won’t be overcome with cute ads entreating firms to consider locating there; per contra, firms already there will be burdened with higher costs. Investors are apt to put their money elsewhere.
Leftists have a great blind spot: They just can’t see that constant interference with people’s affairs in the name of government planning gradually strangles the life out of the economy.
Maybe Michigan will find its Margaret Thatcher, but I’m not optimistic. Speaking of Britain, though, back in the days when the old Labour Party was in control throughout most of the sixties and seventies, the futurist Herman Kahn predicted that by 2000, Britain’s standard of living would have fallen to the level of Albania’s. Something like that is probably in store for Michigan.
