Wait, how much was that again?

Buried in an AP article about the Michigan budget crisis is the Democrat's real desired solution: either raise income taxes by 18% or raise sales taxes by 17%. Perhaps it's just me, but the idea of nearly of 20% increase taxes makes me wonder if this is really where we need to go.

Perhaps there are other options:

1) Repeal Michigan's Prevailing Wage Law. Currently in Michigan it is illegal for an employer who is working on state projects to pay less than Michigan's set "prevailing wage", even if the worker is willing to take less and even if the total cost of the contract is significantly less. How much do these increase wages? Drywall tapers, for example, will make over $40 an hour in some counties under the law. General laborers can make over $37 an hour. Plasterers can make over $42 an hour under the law. I'd expect that if you were going to build a house for a private individual, you can get someone to do the drywall taping for quite a bit less than $40 an hour.

2) Move road funding to users fees. The individuals who use roads should be the ones to pay for them. Identifying which roads could benefit from either privatization or, at least, a move to toll roads could save the general fund significant money which is being diverted towards road and bridge work that should be paid for by dedicated funds.

3) Competitively bid-out more services the government uses. Janitorial, IT, accounting, HR - whatever nonessential service functions which are utilized by the state that can be out-sourced should be considered for out-sourcing. Private companies can do the job cheaper, more efficiently, and more effectively than the state so we should leverage that advantage as much as possible.

Legislators miss ballot deadline, budget stalemate continues
Detroit News

LANSING, Mich. (AP) - Hours of closed door meetings and rare displays of public pressure on Thursday failed to resolve Michigan's state government budget crisis.

The state Senate adjourned shortly after 10 p.m. without any deal being reached to fill an estimated $1.7 billion shortfall in the budget year that starts Oct. 1. The House stopped voting shortly after 11:15 p.m.

Thursday was the deadline for placing any part of a money-raising plan before Michigan voters in November.

House Speaker Andy Dillon, D-Redford, and Senate Majority Leader Mike Bishop, R-Rochester, blamed each other for the stalemate and a looming, possible shutdown of state services.

Dillon said he proposed a plan that would include an income tax increase and a sales tax on services, followed by a tax-related ballot initiative that would be decided by Michigan votes in November. Bishop rejected the plan, saying it was unconstitutional and too complicated.