Apparently, Mr. Rogers "took the lead" in a letter from five MI GOP Members of Congress to Senator Bishop and Minority Leader DeRoche, urging them to hang tough against a tax increase reminding them of all the swell things they're working on in Washington:
The letter highlights the Congressional delegation’s efforts at the federal level to help Michigan’s economy, including a battle to support the struggling U.S. auto industry, and moving forward a crackdown on illegal Chinese trade practices like currency manipulation, counterfeiting products, and stealing intellectual property.
Perhaps there would be more resources available to support the auto industry (or even something frivolous, like better funding for children's health care or secure borders) if our nation wasn't spending over $453 billion -- and counting -- on the Iraq War.
Mr. Rogers even had the temerity to roll out an old Friedman/free market chestnut:
“Keeping taxes low will stimulate the economy and help create jobs to keep Michigan citizens living, working and raising families in Michigan,” Rogers said. “You cannot tax your way to prosperity.”
A quick reality check:
(1) Michigan's income tax was last cut in 2000, from 4.3 to 3.9%. Remind me again how the Michigan economy has been doing in the last seven years?
(2) The federal budget has a global current account deficit of roughly $800 billion -- almost 7% of our GDP.
(3) The rosy scenario that our budget deficit is "on track" to decline from a record $412 billion in 2004 to $244 billion this year leaves out the fact that Bush blew a several billion dollar surplus when he took office in 2001.
Mike Rogers also took office in 2001. Since then, he has unwaveringly supported the Bush administration's adventures in finance AND in Iraq. With a track record like that, he has no business giving budget advice to the Michigan legislature.
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The Republicans continue to hand Bush a blank check for Iraq and there's no end in sight - in fact, Bush has plans to keep us in Iraq for years to come. From TPM:
A new Congressional study finds that President Bush's plans for the U.S. in Iraq over the next several decades will reach the trillions of dollars, on top of the approximately $567 billion the war has already cost.
TRILLIONS. I don't want my tax dollars being spent on Bush's lie. The Republicans are enablers who don't care about Americans here at home. Start bringing our troops home, cut off the funds, and spend some of our tax dollars on people here at home.
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