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Tim Skubick: 'pot For Potholes' Has A Nice Ring, And A Majority Of Michiganders Agree


bobandtorey

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Even if you did not indulge during the drug-ravaged 70’s, you must admit the slogan is a dandy: Pot for potholes.

With 64 percent of the citizens saying they would vote to tax marijuana to fix the roads, compared to only 43 percent who would raise the sales tax to do it, maybe the governor should take a second look at his May ballot proposal.

Of course, he can’t, because that die is already cast. Besides, he doesn’t like the other idea.

“I don’t see marijuana being the solution,” he opines after getting a peek at the first statewide poll on how to fix the roads.

The survey was conducted for a pro-marijuana coalition, and when asked about the sales tax, 49 percent said forget it. 

Now the governor is correct in stating that “we’re early in the process,” but his proposal is under water. Normally if you are pushing any ballot proposition, you want support in the high 60’s so that when the opposition starts to bang away, there is room for your support to come down but still not fall below 50 percent needed for passage.

The CPA governor rejects this notion, saying, “I’ve never necessarily subscribed to conventional wisdom."

Either way, if the survey is right, he’s got a real challenge, and one group that might help him has already bailed.

If the sales tax passes, there’s a $200 per pupil increase that goes to the schools. So wouldn’t you think the teacher’s union would be all over this?

Think again.

“We don’t have the money," reports Steve Cook, who runs the largest teacher’s union, the Michigan Education Association.

He indicates the union is coming off an expensive election last fall, and when Republicans blocked the schools from collecting union dues, that forced the union to shell out its own money to do it. Hence he adds in case the governor missed it the first time, "The cupboard is bare."

The MEA may urge a yes vote next May, but the governor needs cold hard cash in addition.

But back to the survey. There isn’t one age group that backs the sales tax hike. It is most popular with those between 18 and 34, but everybody knows they're way too busy fiddling with their iPhones to vote.

Not even women, who are usually sympathetic to schools, back the plan.

The governor says he will not let the survey results get him down.

“It doesn’t deter me,” he optimistically asserts.

 

http://www.mlive.com/opinion/index.ssf/2015/01/tim_skubick_pot_for_potholes_h.html

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did anyone actually look at the survey results?

read them for yourself.

 

http://www.surveyusa.com/client/PollReport.aspx?g=68675611-5a23-4370-b2ed-58e184b7f765&c=188

 

its pretty scary, to be honest. and i'm not talking about the pot question but the idiot tax question!

 

would you vote yes or no to new 1% increase in sales tax?

yes.......43 %

no........49 %

not sure...8 %

 

what the efffffff? 43% people would vote yes???? whats going on? who are these people??

 

republicans would vote yes 47%!

the party made up of half grover norquist "no new taxes", who actually sign a document stating that they will not increase taxes, and half libertarians "no taxes" and ron paulies "end the fed", not to mention conservatives who want smaller government ... wants to vote yes for more taxes.

 

i cannot fathom this.

 

 

 

riddle me this though.

 

18-34 would vote yes to more taxes 49% ?????

i guess they arent as jaded / cynical as the older people?

 

 

more confusing,

 

people surveyed who only completed high school would vote yes 34% (makes sense)

some college 48%

4 year college 42%

 

so community college grads/students would vote for this?

 

income:

under 40k/year 38% yes (people with less money dont want higher taxes, its simple)

40k-80k 43%

people making 80k/yr+......47% yes seriously , the rich want to be taxed more. unbeliveable.

 

 

i really should read more polls, i think we maybe myopic in our view of our fellow michigan citizens and how they feel and think about government.

 

i think the sound bytes on the tv are there just to make us all fight each other.

 

 

 

people who vote republican want more taxes than people who vote democrat.

let that settle into your brain for a while.

Edited by t-pain
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My concern with this "pot for potholes" is the dollar signs the government sees if the state of Michigan lets a Canadian company come in and solely grow for patients,taking the home growers out of the equation.

Another concern is if the Provisioning Centers fly,will they be the only ones that can do the growing for patients,again getting rid of the middle man that they can`t collect taxes on

Government is greedy,give them an inch and they take 100 miles

I`m all for children having safe access to medical marijuana oils an such I only hope the home growers aren't being used as a bargaining chip by any of those that speak on behalf of the medical marijuana community in Lansing

I know this last paragraph has nothing to do with pot for pot holes I just thought I`d throw that in there

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pot for potholes being legalized marijuana. hopefully not treading on the medical marijuana.

(which is already being treaded upon by judges, prosecutors and police)

 

a monopoly or licensed grows could be a problem, especially when people think that the medical growers will compete somehow. its something that will have to be carefully followed.

 

of course no one has actually proposed legalizing marijuana so far, so its still just a pipe dream. although the poll is very nice.

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income:

under 40k/year 38% yes (people with less money dont want higher taxes, its simple)

40k-80k 43%

people making 80k/yr+......47% yes seriously , the rich want to be taxed more. unbeliveable.

 

 

I makes perfect sense to me.  Wealthy people are generally at least kinda smart, and as such, they recognize an increase in sales tax for what it is - a regressive tax that affects lower income people disproportionately.  Wealthy people prefer a sales tax over income tax or capital gains tax.

 

The "rich" people don't want increased taxes (overall), but they recognize that an increase in sales tax is better for them than any other tax increase. 

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I makes perfect sense to me.  Wealthy people are generally at least kinda smart, and as such, they recognize an increase in sales tax for what it is - a regressive tax that affects lower income people disproportionately.  Wealthy people prefer a sales tax over income tax or capital gains tax.

 

The "rich" people don't want increased taxes (overall), but they recognize that an increase in sales tax is better for them than any other tax increase. 

 

 

Great point 

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