Quote Originally Posted by BrushStart View Post
I think it all really depends on whether Rick takes a sensible, non-politcally polarized approach to problem solving. Most of the issues in Michigan are not really political until politicians get involved. If he can bring the republicans closer to the center, he might actually accomplish a lot that will benefit SE Michigan. I think the biggest thing Snyder can do is not back away from his campaign promise of restoring Michigan's central cities, in which he stated mass transit was a critical element. He needs to paint mass transit as not neccessarily only part of a liberal agenda, but can be part of a conservative one as well. That would really benefit Metro Detroit.
Rick Snyder understands that his vision for a "re-invented" Michigan is impossible without a thriving Detroit serving as an economic engine. The problem is, hardly any of the outstate Republicans that will be calling the legislative shots for the next few years agree with him.

Even though the state money that Detroit receives through revenue sharing has been dramatically reduced over the last 15 years, the city still receives many tens of millions of state dollars every year that fund a menagerie of Detroit-only programs. Literally every such dollar will be on the Republican chopping block when they [[probably belatedly) start paying attention to the epic $1.6 billion hole projected for the next fiscal year.

Republicans were able to cynically campaign on the patently false premise that the Gov. Granholm and Michigan Democrats were taxing Michiganders to death despite a 13% reduction in the number of state employees and a 16% reduction in the state general fund over the last ten years. Now, when they actually have to govern and pay for the cost of government [[not to mention all of the tax cuts that everybody apparently deserves) the freeloaders in Detroit are going to get everything cut off. All that entrepreneurship and opportunity for young people encouraged by Mr. Snyder [[and which almost always needs a successful urban center to thrive) will have to take a back seat to tax cuts for Baby Boomers and retirees in places like Brighton Township and Hillsdale.

Rest assured though, even when the budget slogging gets tough, the less government is better crowd that now controls Lansing will find the time to pass a few "tough on crime" measures that principally serve to prop up the inmate population numbers rather than our quality of life.