Michigan Needs Jobs, Not Gimmicks

The execrable Mark Brewer, leader of Michigan democrats, has announced his party's latest scheme to cling to power.

State Democrats propose $10 minimum wage in 2010 ballot package

They are considering a number of ballot proposals trumpeting benefits while hiding the costs.

Lansing -- Raising the minimum wage to $10 and mandating that all employers provide health coverage are among five ballot proposals the Michigan Democratic Party is considering for next year.

"It's pretty obvious from this whose side we're on. We're on the side of people who are suffering," Party Chair Mark Brewer said.

It's pretty obvious Mark Brewer is on his own side and doesn't care how many people he hurts. Does anyone who actually cares about "people who are suffering" go around talking about how much they care? People who talk about how much they care, care about feeling morally superior to others.

But Rich Studley, president of the Michigan Chamber of Commerce, called the proposals "anti-jobs, anti-growth" and said they may be used by economic development directors in other Midwestern states to discourage businesses from locating or expanding in Michigan.

The ballot proposals would:

• Raise the minimum wage from $7.40 an hour to $10 an hour and remove exceptions in the law that allow employers to pay less than minimum wage to some workers.

Why not $100 per hour? Why not a million dollars per hour? Because it would destroy jobs, that's why. 'Minimum wage' laws are nothing but bans on low-paying jobs. How is this going to help the 15% of Michiganders who don't have jobs at all? See also: The Case Against a Minimum Wage

• Cut utility rates by 20 percent.

Why not cut them by 100%? Let's make everything free! If rates are below costs, utilities will stop selling electricity. We could call it the Brewer blackout.

• Require all employers to provide health coverage or pay a fine.

We had better also require that all employers can't go out of business. And how does this affect the unemployed?

• Increase unemployment benefits by $100 a week, extend benefits by six months and make all workers eligible for unemployment. The maximum unemployment benefit is now $387 a week.

Why not make them $1000 a week for life?

• Impose a one-year moratorium on home foreclosures.

Why not forever? Why not require that nobody ever have to pay bills?

"I'm not sure Mark Brewer understands he's playing with fire," Studley said. "The political and economic uncertainty caused by this publicity stunt can do immediate damage to economic development in this state."

Brewer said an online survey will be used to determine which initiatives to pursue.

Brewer said the proposals are not necessarily intended to drive up Democratic turnout during next year's elections, which will feature a race for governor, but said these ballot initiatives may in fact do that.

That's exactly the point, of course.

He didn't rule out running petition drives for more than one of these ballot plans.

The Democratic Party was behind a controversial ballot proposal in 2008 that would have changed several parts of the state constitution, including the structure of state courts and how the boundaries of lawmakers' districts are drawn. State courts ruled the proposal was unconstitutional because it was too broad, and it never made the ballot.

Brewer also did not rule out going to voters with a similar government reform plan next year.

Brewer lied about that proposal too: The Democrats' Court-Hacking Scheme

More unemployment, higher taxes, bigger government, and blackouts. It's pretty obvious that Mark Brewer has it in for Michigan.