http://www.clickondetroit.com/news/29653227/detail.html
Where in the hell is the taxpayer money going?
Welcome to the future of Michigan. Can't even afford to get a drunk off the road. Free for all everyone... Hope it ain't your child, or your parents, or your friends or famly that one of these idiots kill or seriously hurt!
This is an insane world, and do not underestimate the extent of its insanity. -A Course In Miracles
Here is an example of what happens when you live in an area that is shrinking. Taxes shrink at a rate greater than the needs. With fewer folks working, more abandoned homes, less folks spending money, the tax revenues are down so services have to adjust.
Don't like it? I don't either. However, if you try to get the state legislature to open up Headlee and Proposal A, you will find even more push back.
Quote:
Originally Posted by DetroitPlanner
But wasn't Livingston County the county in Michigan that grew the fastest this past decade? Sprawl growth, of course, but still grew...
they were too busy handing out tickets on US23 to people doing 10 over or making right turns on red when they put a tiny sign up that says no.....
The growth in Livingston was modest at best. THe cost of homes are well below what they were going for in 2005. There are significantly more living in poverty now as well. This means less property and sales taxes streached over a growing area.Quote:
Originally Posted by iheartthed
*edit: In addition the feds, states, and cities with income taxes have seen a drop in taxable interest that folks who had a bit of a nest egg would pay. When banks ain't paying interest, there is nothing to tax*
I have posted this here before:
Two years ago I was in a meeting with a very well-connected Lansing lobbiest. He was talking about State and city budgets. He said the following:
In 2010, the belt-tightening would be negligible because the State had millions in stimulus funds to distribute. But 2011 and beyond - "armageddon in Michigan." Now its the armageddon for the state and its cities. In Detroit, few streetlights and no money to fix system, people mover at risk, buses not being fixed, SMART Transportation cutting back 20%.
It wouldn't be so galling if we weren't also giving billions of dollars' worth of tax cuts to Michigan's "job creators." Hahahaha.Quote:
Originally Posted by SWMAP
Just reading this saddens me but all know that Detroit is flat broke but now every community surrounding Detroit is catching hell too. Years and years of ignoring Detroit have come home to roost.Quote:
Originally Posted by SWMAP
They are probably busy trying to bust medical marijuana users as well. Gotta keep them streets safe.
I don't see the big deal. Deputies were tied up on a crime scene. It helps to know something about geography and drive time before you jump to conclusions.
And there's no guarantee the driver was intoxicated. It was only the caller's suspicions which are not grounds for a stop.
The main thing to remember is that officers failing to respond is NOT a common occurrence in Brighton, nor in most places in Livingston County. Unless you have a severely overstaffed police force there are going to be some times when officers are not able to respond quick enough to lower priority calls.
People call 911 over suspected drunk drivers all day everyday. Most of em are probably on their cell phone.
About 5 years ago, my car's left-front balljoint started to go, so i swerved to the right shoulder and waved the people behind me forward. I kept driving slowly because I didn't want to be stuck on the side of a pitch black two-lane hwy where people going under 65 are considered a nuisance. Tecumseh was only a mile or so up the road. Someone called 911 on me and the next thing I knew, 3 COP CARS roll up and surround me, one of them with their gun drawn, and I spent the next twenty minutes trying to convince them i hadn't a drop to drink. They tried really hard to find a reason to ticket me, but after running my record, searching me, my passenger, my car, they got a call over their radio of another suspected drunk driver and they took off. Never even bothered to direct me to a save place to put the car.
Are all of us upset that their aren't enough cops to baby-sit drivers who don't stay between the lines 100% of the time?
No.
Between Proposal A and Headlee, we are looking at severely limited funding for local governments in the future.Quote:
Originally Posted by SWMAP
Once we hit bottom, property tax revenues can only grow at the rate of inflation or 5%, whichever is less.
Every entity that bases its revenues on property tax are well aware of the 'new reality'. Last year a grand total of 1 local government saw property values rise in the region.
They could have more cops on duty if they just put them in 401K instead of pension. Most officers can retire at 45 w 75% of their pay.
Here is a better written story:http://www.livingstondaily.com/apps/...=2011111010310
The homicide was a multi-jurisdiction investigation from what I read. The trailer park was in Oakland County and the vehicle was found in Livingston County if I remember correctly.
So true...Quote:
Originally Posted by Goose