Ben Franklin once said the only thing certain in life is death and taxes. Although he said this during the 1700’s, it feels truer today for a lot of us than any other time in history. Death is the case for all of us, but what if we told you that taxes affect some people more than others? This happens to be the case with federal income taxes. A resounding 45% percent of Americans paid no federal income taxes this past year. 45%! That is roughly 77.5 million Americans. To put that in … [Read more...] about The Federal Government Does Not Want Your Income Taxes
Why You Should Care About Taxpayer Funded Lobbying
Without you knowing, you are funding tax increase proposals regardless of if you agree or disagree with the initiative. It may not sound real, but unfortunately it is true. This is the definition of taxpayer funded lobbying. Various government agencies are using your tax dollars to lobby on the behalf of their wishes, often times to line their pockets. Here are three ways in which taxpayer funded lobbying has effected your life. Rick Snyder makes $159,000 as Governor of our state. It is … [Read more...] about Why You Should Care About Taxpayer Funded Lobbying
Uber HealthCare in Michigan
One of the biggest worries on the minds of Michigan families is the cost and availability of healthcare. Unless you are part of an elite group, we all stress over the effects of healthcare on our family. It's safe to say that our stress levels have only increased the past few years. With the expansion of Obamacare, we have been met with an increase in premiums and out of pocket costs. Some of us can no longer see the doctor of our choice, and even for those of us who can, it may now be … [Read more...] about Uber HealthCare in Michigan
Michigan Is The 24th Freest State… But Why? (PT. 1)
This week, the CATO Institute posted their rankings of "how free is your state?" Michigan came in as the 24th freest state, down 7 spots from their last ranking in 2012 But why was Michigan ranked 24th? According to CATO, it is because Michigan has "decent" policies and nothing that sets us apart from others. To make Michigan a freer State, CATO argues for new fiscal, regulatory, and personal policies that can help our State thrive. In our Part 1 of 3 series, we examine their policy … [Read more...] about Michigan Is The 24th Freest State… But Why? (PT. 1)
The Detroit News Is Correct: Break Up Bills
Today, The Detroit News published an article titled "Want legislation to pass? Break up the bill." The author of the article, Karen Suhaka, argues that breaking up legislative bills into separate bills would make them more acceptable and easier to pass. This is a common sense solution to a problem that we often see in our government. Huge bills that contain pages and pages of information are ripe for government pork. Instead of a bill solely focused on an income tax cut, it may contain … [Read more...] about The Detroit News Is Correct: Break Up Bills
Why You Should Care About The Proposal To Tax Motorists
A few weeks ago, The Washington Post broke a very important, but under-looked story; a group of East Coast states are looking to tax motorists for the miles they drive instead of taxing their gas. This is a dangerous precedent, and one we should care about in Michigan even if currently it isn’t being discussed by our government. Here’s a few reasons why you should care about this radical proposal: … [Read more...] about Why You Should Care About The Proposal To Tax Motorists