Dear Editor,
I am empathetic with State Rep. Jamie Green and her commentary a couple of weeks back, about too much frivolous state spending and pork projects. Rep. Green listed a hundred and thirty million in questionable project spending in this year’s budget. I can relate to her concern over the questionable expenditures of hard-earned taxpayer’s dollars by our present Governor. It doesn’t matter if you’re an employee or an employer, tax dollars are a drain on our economy. I can relate to Rep. Green’s angst over pork giveaways in our state. I had much the same feelings when Gov. Snyder donated $480 million to the Ilitch Corporation for the construction of a sport complex in Detroit. Gov. Engler also donated millions to the Ilitch Cooperation for the construction of Tiger stadium. I believe those millions of dollars could have updated our aging infrastructure and/or replaced a lot of lead shedding service lines supplying water to a substantial number of our resident’s homes. Gov. Snyder could have taken a page from Mitt Romney’s play book when Governor of Massachusetts; he initiated a $500 million small business start-up fund. A fund that created small business and jobs through the state. Some of these jobs were actually manufacturing jobs, not just service jobs you find in a sport complex.
The Ilitch Corporation knows how to turn a profit. Our grandkids attended a basketball game at the sport complex; they paid $40 to park, they purchased 8 slices of pizza and 4 drinks, and the bill was $96 plus 4 tickets to the game!
Rep. Green has doubts about spending millions on green buses, and the serviceably of them in our area. I agree. For urban use, a hybrid diesel/electric bus makes more sense, it makes numerous stops picking-up and discharging passengers. A hybrid when coasting to a stop, charges its battery, recovering some of the expended energy.
I would hope Rep. Green would have the same negative feelings about frivolous projects and pork spending if or when she is in Lansing with a Republican governor.
— Tom Janicki
Almont
