SE Michigan battles to lure Sears headquarters, 5,000 jobs

[illwill]

Let's just hope this doesn't become a war of one state going after the other states businesses. Although Chicago has attracted most of Michigans biggest and brightest talents, they've never purposely stooped as low to target our residents or businesses. If this becomes an issue of one location purposely going after anothers assets, this could hurt michigan even more.Hopefully the going after another states assets will cease. Otherwise Michigan is sure to take the biggest hit.

[davewindsor]

Sorry, my 3rd link didn't work...
here's the copy/paste version..

AUSTIN -- Texas ranks near the bottom of all states in taxing and spending per capita, but is dead last in the percentage of adults with a high school diploma, according to a study released Tuesday by a panel of mostly Democratic lawmakers.
The biennial study, "Texas on the Brink," compared Texas to the rest of the country based on various functions of government, including public education and taxing, and other measures, such as air quality and health concerns.
It was compiled using information from numerous government and nonprofit reports including census data, the National Center for Children and Poverty and the Kaiser Family Foundation. The report didn't list how other states ranked.
Lawmakers who serve in the Legislative Study Group, which prepared the rankings, called Texas' performance "abysmal" and urged the state's Republican leadership to use the poor showing as inspiration to improve.
Texas has the highest percentage of uninsured children and ranks near last in the amount of state and local money spent per student in public schools. It also found that Texas "has the dirtiest air in the nation," said Rep. Elliot Naishtat, treasurer of the 35-member panel.
The group took over the study this year from a retired El Paso lawmaker, former Democratic Sen. Eliot Shapleigh, who began releasing the study in 2003. At the time, Texas ranked near the bottom in almost each category, and "sadly this is still true today," said Naishtat, D-Austin.
"We've earned a reputation as first in jails and last in schools. Given that we lead the nation in the number of people we execute and the fact that we're last in high school graduation rates, I'd say that we've lived up to our reputation," Naishtat said.
Conservatives quickly criticized the report.
"This report makes for some interesting trivia, but if Texas is such a horrible place, why have 4.5 million people moved here in the last decade?" questioned Arlene Wohlgemuth, executive director of the Texas Public Policy Foundation, a conservative think tank.
"Because what people care most about are jobs -- and on that measurement, Texas ranks first," she said, referring to recent unemployment figures from the Texas Workforce Commission.
The report ranked Texas first among U.S. states in carbon dioxide emissions and for the amount of hazardous waste generated, second in the number of students enrolled in public schools and seventh in teenage birth rate.
Texas ranked 33rd in the average salary of public school teachers, and 46th and 47th respectively for tax revenue raised per capita and tax expenditures per capita. The state ranked 49th in both average credit score and the percent of its low-income population covered by Medicaid. Texas was ranked last in the percent of pregnant women receiving prenatal care in their first trimester.
Democratic Rep. Alma Allen, a former teacher and principal, was disappointed by some of the education-related rankings, including that Texas ranked 44th in the amount of state and local money spent per student in public schools.
"As an educator, I'm appalled today," Allen said. "The rest of the country is moving forward and Texas children are being left behind ... The proposed budget will only exacerbate that problem."
Rep. Lon Burnam, vice-chairman of the group, warned not to expect improvement. The Fort Worth Democrat noted that Texas was facing a revenue shortfall of more than $15 billion, which was largely caused by an overhaul of the state's tax structure.
"We're going to get worse because of our budget crisis, created by the people that are in charge of state government," the Fort Worth Democrat said.


Paul

Really? Reading this article from a Democratic think tank, I thought they were talking about the City of Detroit. Detroit has had a their city income tax for half a century and once had the highest income per capita half a century ago and how has that income tax policy fared for the city? Metro Detroit's suburbs don't have a city income tax and they are getting far better graduation results.

Click on Detroit says Detroit has the lowest high school graduation rates in the country http://www.clickondetroit.com/educat...36/detail.html

"In Detroit's public schools, 24.9 percent of the students graduated from high school..."

Remember this one from a month ago on here? 47% of the City can't even read. http://detroit.cbslocal.com/2011/05/...ers-cant-read/

Yet, let's keep the high taxes that will cause more businesses to leave and further reduce the city's tax base.

[313WX]

davewindsor, if you hate Detroit, and I know you sure as hell hate Canada which is closer to the socialist structure than America, why don't you move to Texas, or better yet, Haiti or Somalia? I'm sure they'll welcome people like you with open arms.

Really, you remind me of this guy who lives and reaps the benefits of life in Massachusetts yet whines about how bad taxes and big governent is.

[davewindsor]

davewindsor, if you hate Detroit, and I know you sure as hell hate Canada which is closer to the socialist structure than America, why don't you move to Texas, or better yet, Haiti or Somalia? I'm sure they'll welcome people like you with open arms.

Really, you remind me of this guy who lives and reaps the benefits of life in Massachusetts yet whines about how bad taxes and big governent is.

I don't hate Detroit, I just hate taxes. You're putting words in my mouth again.

[PaulieG63]

"Really? Reading this article from a Democratic think tank, I thought they were talking about the City of Detroit."


Dave, when you admit to becoming confused reading an article about the dismal results of education for the ENTIRE state of Texas...thinking it [[the article) was talking about the City of Detroit...well, I've think you've stated my case against corporate tax havens, and the devasting results on their citizens, more succintly than I ever could...thank-you.

Paul

[Patrick]

My cousin lives in Texas and yes, he loves it there...or at least he did until the day his son came home from school asking all these questions about man co-existing with the dinosaurs. I guess his teacher is one of those bible literalist fanatics who wraps himself around the flag while buying cheap Chinese-made goods lol.

Texas-Taliban-atcha

[davewindsor]

"Really? Reading this article from a Democratic think tank, I thought they were talking about the City of Detroit."


Dave, when you admit to becoming confused reading an article about the dismal results of education for the ENTIRE state of Texas...thinking it [[the article) was talking about the City of Detroit...well, I've think you've stated my case against corporate tax havens, and the devasting results on their citizens, more succintly than I ever could...thank-you.

Paul

That's not what I meant and you know it.

If Detroit's high taxes have devestating results, what's the point of imposing them? It does more damage overall than not imposing them.

[PaulieG63]

"That's not what I meant and you know it."

You made the comparison my friend.

Paul

[p1acebo]

My cousin lives in Texas and yes, he loves it there...or at least he did until the day his son came home from school asking all these questions about man co-existing with the dinosaurs. I guess his teacher is one of those bible literalist fanatics who wraps himself around the flag while buying cheap Chinese-made goods lol.

Texas-Taliban-atcha

Haha bazinggggg, Stupid Texas.

[Novine]

"I don't hate Detroit, I just hate taxes. You're putting words in my mouth again."

This is why people are wasting their time trying to reason with this guy. The anti-taxers have a religious belief in their anti-taxation viewpoint. No amount of logic is going to sway them and they'll excuse away any kind of data that shows that their anti-tax beliefs don't match up with the facts. davewindsor holds out Texas and its no income tax position as proof that low taxes grow the economy. But then how do we explain the unemployment in Nevada or Florida, both of which have higher unemployment rates that Michigan? davewindsor even posts an article espousing the benefits of Texas's anti-regulation view in state government when the same article touts the benefits of Texas's strict regulation on home loans. Contradiction anyone? But I'm sure davewindsor will spin some excuses why what is good for Texas didn't work in Florida or Nevada. Remember, it's dogma that matters to these guys.

[Novine]

Another good debunking of the "all is golden" in Texas mythology.

http://www.tnr.com/article/politics/...nomy-gop-texas

[Hypestyles]

mayor bing should make a pitch to bring them to urban detroit, downtown or midtown..

[davewindsor]

"I don't hate Detroit, I just hate taxes. You're putting words in my mouth again."

This is why people are wasting their time trying to reason with this guy. The anti-taxers have a religious belief in their anti-taxation viewpoint. No amount of logic is going to sway them and they'll excuse away any kind of data that shows that their anti-tax beliefs don't match up with the facts. davewindsor holds out Texas and its no income tax position as proof that low taxes grow the economy. But then how do we explain the unemployment in Nevada or Florida, both of which have higher unemployment rates that Michigan? davewindsor even posts an article espousing the benefits of Texas's anti-regulation view in state government when the same article touts the benefits of Texas's strict regulation on home loans. Contradiction anyone? But I'm sure davewindsor will spin some excuses why what is good for Texas didn't work in Florida or Nevada. Remember, it's dogma that matters to these guys.

Data please.

And how do you explain the higher than Michigan unemployment in Nevada or Florida? Nevada is a gambling state. Most of their economy is based on gambling and tourism. Most of Florida's economy is based on tourism. When the Dept. of Homeland Security makes it hard to fly to these tourist destinations after 9/11, those respective economies will take a huge hit. Plus a lot of states are legalizing gambling, so gamblers don't need to go to Vegas or Reno anymore. And, yet the unemployment rate still isn't as bad as the higher tax City of Detroit.

I don't what you're talking about with regards to strict regulation on home loans in Texas and how that compares with Michigan and what that has to do with taxes.

Lower taxes and less regulation do grow the economy. Look at the huge population gains in Texas vs. Michigan losses over the past half century. Yet, the unemployment rate is lower in Texas. How is it that Michigan loses people, Texas gains people and Texas' unemployment rate is still lower? Gee, I guess it has nothing to do with lower taxes and less regulation.

[davewindsor]

mayor bing should make a pitch to bring them to urban detroit, downtown or midtown..

Mayor Bing: "Oh please, Sears, move to our higher tax urban city. Ignore lower tax Oakland County. It'll make me very happy."
President of Sears: "Hahaha, I just fell out of my seat laughing."

[DetroiterOnTheWestCoast]

The other article cites Texas as only in the middle of the pack unemployment wise, and as having the highest percentage of minimum wage jobs. Sounds like Texas is the U.S. version of polluted low wage China. Now that's success!

[Novine]

"And how do you explain the higher than Michigan unemployment in Nevada or Florida? Nevada is a gambling state. Most of their economy is based on gambling and tourism. Most of Florida's economy is based on tourism."

Thanks for making my point. The anti-taxers always claim that taxes matter until the data shows otherwise. Then we get excuses.

"I don't what you're talking about with regards to strict regulation on home loans in Texas and how that compares with Michigan and what that has to do with taxes."

If your going to use an article that claims that less government regulation is the key to a better economy, it's contradictory for that article to point to how stricter government regulations on home lending was one of the keys to economic success.

"Gee, I guess it has nothing to do with lower taxes and less regulation."

Nothing? I would never say nothing. But the facts are that there is almost no correlation between tax rates and employment numbers. In Engler's last term, the state legislature started a reduction in state income tax rates that continued through Granholm's first term and into her second. Yet during that time period, we lost jobs and unemployment increased, not decreased. Engler passed strict tort reform laws that you claim are a key to growing the economy. But since those laws were passed, Michigan's economy has continued to decline, not grow. Those are facts, not anti-taxer fantasy world views of how the world works. I'm sure you'll find more excuses to explain away how those facts don't line up with your simplistic view of the world.