FeedsThe day after pigs fly
There was a strange scene in the City of Plymouth on Monday night.
A wind-up flying pig—flapping wings and all—could be seen hovering over a few locations and a score of the stuffed pink things decorated City Manager Paul Sincock’s desk.
Both were in celebration of the closing of the sale on the old Bathey property, a run down, vacant landmark that has vexed the city for decades. Our first Plymouth paper—more than seven years ago—predicted a settlement in the tax delinquency case.
Now it has finally been sold for development, bolstering the fund balance and brightening the future of that land-locked community.
This deal has been pending for so long, many quipped that it would only be finalized, well, when pigs flew.
Then, Tuesday morning, State Rep. Marc Corriveau hosted a press conference in front of Central Middle School in Plymouth with Jim Ryan, superintendent of the Plymouth-Canton School District, and representatives from the Wayne-Westland and Northville school districts, too. The purpose, according to the press release we received, was for the education community to praise him for his budget vote.
Sure enough, platitudes were spoken, backs were patted, hands shook and, as the Monty Python group might say: ‘There was much rejoicing.’
Well, this must be a first: a legislator calling a press conference for (barely) doing his job.
Approving a balanced budget is the one thing the Michigan constitution requires of our state lawmakers. The Democrats have controlled the House all year, and yet they couldn’t get anything approved until it became evident that the government would have to shut down. Even then, they only avoided it by passing one of the largest tax increases in Michigan history, both through a jump in the personal income tax and by spreading a sales tax to what can best be described as an eclectic group of services.
We doubt there will be similar press conferences taking place in front of palm reading shops, or much gratitude coming from those who post or peruse advertisements for escort services.
It’s a foregone conclusion that there won’t be any press conferences in restrooms—either the ones at freeway rest stops that nearly had to close or the ones where ‘rest-room operation services’ will now be taxed. And what exactly is a restroom operation service, anyway?
It’s not a janitorial service—that falls under a different category, according to the list passed out by the state. But those services—which many cash-strapped districts are looking at privatizing to save money—just got more expensive, too. School officials aren’t sure yet if they’ll have to pay the tax on those services, should it
come to that.
Corriveau voted against the sales tax portion of the budget ‘solution’ because he said he didn’t agree with the types of services or know how the list originated.
But let’s be serious. There’s nothing to celebrate here. There are no accolades—real or imagined—that should be handed out.
Legislators forced this make-believe, 11th hour drama and now they are toasting the concept of politics before progress. Yippee!
Just wait until Plymouth and Northville residents get the new bill for their landscaping services—which are now subject to a 6 percent sales tax. We know of people who spend more on their landscaping than many people make in a month.
Or when financial advisors start adding that tax to their fees.
Add that to the new tax bills the mostly affluent people in Corriveau’s prime communities will receive; they’ll be hit doubly hard. Do you think anyone will still be willing to thank him or any other of the legislators responsible for this last-minute ‘victory’?
Only if those flying pigs are still around….
