Vegas
04-18-2007, 08:09 PM
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070418/UPDATE/704180469/1003/METRO
LANSING -- On a chilly morning hundreds of anti-tax protesters gathered on the lawn of the state Capitol Building today urging lawmakers not to raise taxes as they struggle to resolve a state budget crisis.
The crowd carried signs saying "Cut YOUR budget," "recall Granholm," "you suck too much money out of my wallet already," and "not another penny Jenny."
They chanted: "No new taxes, we want jobs."
A papier mache pig, measuring 8-by-12 foot, had signs on its side that read: "No Tax hikes," and "stop the pork."
Some protesters carried tea bags symbolic of the Boston Tea Party.
The really was sponsored by the Michigan Taxpayers Alliance and Americans for Prosperity.
Former Republican state Rep. Leon Drolet, who is now a Macomb County commissioner, addressed the crowd from the Capitol steps under a large banner proclaiming: "Hey Lansing, cut your budget."
"This is a day for us. A day we send a message to lawmakers there are consequences if they want to raise our taxes again," Drolet said.
Lawmakers seeking to plug a $686 million shortfall in the current budget year have talked about raising a variety of taxes. The most frequently mentioned are increasing the income tax, putting a new tax on services, taxing utilities and boosting the gasoline tax.
There was also a small band of counter protesters who said Lansing has already cut enough out of the state budget and that new taxes are needed to maintain essential services.
"We've been cutting for seven years now. If this rhetoric about cutting taxes to business brings more business to the state (were true) we would have seen a turnaround by now," said Lee Parks, a retiree from suburban Lansing. "We're now cutting to the bone."
LANSING -- On a chilly morning hundreds of anti-tax protesters gathered on the lawn of the state Capitol Building today urging lawmakers not to raise taxes as they struggle to resolve a state budget crisis.
The crowd carried signs saying "Cut YOUR budget," "recall Granholm," "you suck too much money out of my wallet already," and "not another penny Jenny."
They chanted: "No new taxes, we want jobs."
A papier mache pig, measuring 8-by-12 foot, had signs on its side that read: "No Tax hikes," and "stop the pork."
Some protesters carried tea bags symbolic of the Boston Tea Party.
The really was sponsored by the Michigan Taxpayers Alliance and Americans for Prosperity.
Former Republican state Rep. Leon Drolet, who is now a Macomb County commissioner, addressed the crowd from the Capitol steps under a large banner proclaiming: "Hey Lansing, cut your budget."
"This is a day for us. A day we send a message to lawmakers there are consequences if they want to raise our taxes again," Drolet said.
Lawmakers seeking to plug a $686 million shortfall in the current budget year have talked about raising a variety of taxes. The most frequently mentioned are increasing the income tax, putting a new tax on services, taxing utilities and boosting the gasoline tax.
There was also a small band of counter protesters who said Lansing has already cut enough out of the state budget and that new taxes are needed to maintain essential services.
"We've been cutting for seven years now. If this rhetoric about cutting taxes to business brings more business to the state (were true) we would have seen a turnaround by now," said Lee Parks, a retiree from suburban Lansing. "We're now cutting to the bone."