Opinion Page
The Daily Oakland Press
PO Box 436009
Pontiac, MI  48343
Editor:

The headline on this morning’s paper is “State Shutdown Looms.”  Most of us know people who do an honest day’s work for an honest day’s pay under auspices of the State of Michigan; we also know people in the private sector who work conscientiously to make a living.  And let’s face it, the public sector depends on the private sector to generate the wealth required to provide state services.

According to the accountants, the state of Michigan is falling short of paying for these state services by roughly $1.7 billion.  In a previous letter I suggested we decriminalize drugs, especially marijuana, thereby eliminating roughly $1.2 billion in unnecessary costs immediately.  Then by legalizing agricultural hemp (the natural strain of cannabis that does not get anyone high) you create a lot more revenue from thousands of new family farm operations.

Budget problem solved: not a single state worker or teacher or even policeman needs to be let go (though quite candidly, particularly at the higher administrative functions in government social services, law enforcement, and education there is a lot of dead weight that could be trimmed).  So do we lay off teachers or prison guards?  You make the call.

That’s the contextual Libertarian solution, and for the life of me I cannot understand why the Republicans and Democrats aren’t putting that on the table.  I really think a few Republicans will cross over and Lansing will reach some kind of compromise tax hike or shift.  Either way the state goes—tax hikes or cuts in service—my fear is the hikes or cuts won’t fall on the unproductive fat cats (private sector or public sector) but on the average worker trying to make an honest living.

 

Brian Wright
Novi