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Adam Ford
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This article is pretty partisan. To be fair I'm sure some if not many Repulicrats went along with this.
http://www.rightmichigan.com/story/2008/5/16/1052/68158
"Granholm's "Hollywood Relocation Program" Scores Big! Again!
By Nick, Section News
Posted on Fri May 16, 2008 at 10:05:02 AM EST
I take it all back. Or at least I'm willing to consider a full retraction. See, if they'd just planned these projects out a little bit better and led off with Haylie Duff I might have never criticized them in the first place.
We laugh through tears at the Governor's latest pet-project, cutting checks to Hollywood actors and big-wigs to convince them to visit Michigan for a few weeks at a time and both responses are entirely valid.
Anytime you hear that the State government is spending $127 million in a fiscal year to "create jobs" and "generate revenue" only to find out that the expected return on that investment is a meager $10 million tears are justified. We are, after all, firmly entrenched in the mother of all single-state recessions. Reading that lawmakers are "surprised" by the cost and the light return on the investment only makes those tears taste that much more bitter.
And when the Democrats big coup de grace is the announcement that Dawson from Dawson's Creek is coming to town, well, it's either laugh or fuel up the car for a one way trip to Indiana. With gas prices what they are it's a good thing I've got a good sense of humor.
But maybe we can just chalk it all up to unfortunate timing. MLive has some awfully exciting news:
The Hollywood Reporter just announced that "Tug," the romantic comedy set to film in West Michigan in June, is in negotiations with Haylie Duff and Sam Huntington to star, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Haylie Duff!
That's Hillary's older sister, by the way. You know, Lizzy Maguire? She was Hannah Montana before Hannah Montana was Hannah Montana? She was a worldwide pre-teen phenomenon for years. Like David Cassidy except a girl and thirty years later.
See? This is a big deal!
Plus, hey, seriously, I'm a big fan. I loved her in 7th Heaven. Haylie that is. Not Hillary. Hillary's not coming to Michigan. Besides, Haylie is... well... did you look at that picture?
(Is this how Liberal Lucy felt when she heard James Van Der Beek was on his way?)
Bonus, the budget of the project is less than a million dollars. That means you and I are only going to have to write Lizzy's sister a check for $420,000, max. That's nothing but walking around money for this incarnation of the State Legislature. Couldn't buy any new books, raise teacher salaries, fix a few roads or hire six or seven case workers to look after the abused kids in the State's Foster program or anything like that.
This is money muuuuuch better spent." |
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Fri May 16, 2008 10:04 am |
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Dave Starr
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| I heard - can't remember where - that the movie money will reduce state aid to cities. |
_________________
I used to care, but I take a pill for that now.
Pushing buttons sure can be fun.
When a lion wants to go somewhere, he doesn’t worry about how many hyenas are in the way.
Paddle faster, I hear banjos. |
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Fri May 16, 2008 11:14 am |
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Shawn Chittle
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Isn't revenue revenue? I mean anything that comes into Michigan is still revenue. There are certainly no drawbacks to letting Hollywood do more business here. Frankly Michigan, when you look at a US map, is one of the most distinctive states. All that coastline, and lots of great cities, and the fact that upstate is a whole different world.
To a filmmaker like me it makes perfect sense to shoot in Michigan. Since everyone in Hollywood is shooting in Canada anyway, at least we've moved to a border state... progress! |
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Fri May 16, 2008 3:18 pm |
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Flinn's Journal
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| My personal fantasy is that an action film is made in Flint in which the climatic scene involves the destruction of Genesee Towers. |
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I HAVE SEVERED MY TIES WITH FLINTTALK.COM BECAUSE TROLLS CANNOT BE CONTROLLED ON THIS BOARD. |
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Fri May 16, 2008 3:43 pm |
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Shawn Chittle
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| LOL, I'm no After Effects wizard, but I know people who could do that scene. Are there windows on the east side of the Mott Building? I'm sure they'd love a view instead of seeing a building. |
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Fri May 16, 2008 5:21 pm |
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Adam
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quote:
Shawn Chittle schreef:
Isn't revenue revenue? I mean anything that comes into Michigan is still revenue. There are certainly no drawbacks to letting Hollywood do more business here. Frankly Michigan, when you look at a US map, is one of the most distinctive states. All that coastline, and lots of great cities, and the fact that upstate is a whole different world.
To a filmmaker like me it makes perfect sense to shoot in Michigan. Since everyone in Hollywood is shooting in Canada anyway, at least we've moved to a border state... progress!
I had this forwarded to me today. Revnue that you have to pay for is not the same.
"Dear J. D. Sheill,
Many have questioned the value of the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC). This publically funded body was created by the Engler administration ostensibly, to promote Michigan within and outside the state to potential job providers and to encourage expansion of existing businesses in the state. The results have been dismal, at best.
The Mackinac Center for Public Policy has been monitoring the MEDC as to their effectiveness in bringing new jobs to this state. Below is an edited report from Michael LaFaive. The full story will appear in the June issue of Budget and Tax News, a publication of the Heartland Institute, www.heartland. org.
Does Central Planning Work in Creating Jobs?
Since 1999 Michigan has operated its Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) and a variety of other expensive programs designed to create or keep jobs in the state. According to Gov. Jennifer Granholm's (D) 2008 State of the State Address, more such programs are in the offing.These efforts call to mind two popular tales-The Wizard of Oz and 'The Emperor's New Clothes'--because they represent a marriage of blustery theater and a deliberate disregard for reality.MEDC officials and their apologists want us to believe these programs 'create' jobs. The truth is that while MEDC was appropriated more than $1.6 billion in federal, state, and other dollars to facilitate its mission, Michigan between 1999 and 2006 shed 244,000 jobs, and the state's unemployment rate is the highest in the nation, at 7.6 percent.Scrutiny of MEDC job-creation claims may lead the public to wonder why the department even exists. Perhaps this is why legislators have tweaked language in the state budget guiding audits of MEDC job-creation claims.In 1993 and 2003, Michigan's state auditors criticized the state's development agencies for their job-creation claims. For instance, in 2003 the auditor general reported recipients of MEDC job training grants were supposed to have created 635 jobs, but only 222 were verifiable.In 2004, the Michigan Economic Growth Authority (MEGA) was claimed to have created more than 28,000 jobs. Finding those numbers suspect, I made repeated attempts to obtain an explanation from MEDC. Those requests were ignored or rebuffed until several state legislators practically compelled MEDC to explain itself. Once it did, it was clear the jobs numbers were practically pulled out of thin air.This is not the only example of the agency trying to take credit for jobs that did not exist. The Hemlock Semiconductor Corp. in 2004 actually disavowed job-creation claims made by MEDC on a project for which it had received a MEGA deal.While such programs are little more than public relations opportunities whose actual impact must be hidden, they continue because politicians don't care about job creation as much as they care about the perception of it. That is why it is so important for the political class to quash any reasonable accounting of job-creation claims.The naked truth is that the public might realize lawmakers are not job-creating wizards capable of great feats, but are more like the tired old man trying to distract his audience with fire and smoke, desperately praying there are no 'Totos' around to pull back the curtain.
Michael D. LaFaive (lafaive@mackinac. org) is director of the Morey Fiscal Policy Initiative at the Mackinac Center for Public Policy in Midland, Michigan." |
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Sat May 17, 2008 10:16 am |
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Shawn Chittle
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Sir,
The Morey Fiscal Policy Initiative? You have got to be kidding me. That stuff is nothing but right wing Republican "privatize everything" drivel. Absolutely worthless.
Reagan has been dead a while, please bury those tired old failed economic polices with him. Didn't the stock market crash during his presidency?
Let's do some math, shall we?
MI provides a 40% rebate to film companies correct? That leaves an effective 60% tax rate. 60% of $1 is .60.
60% of $0 is .00, which is what we get when film companies DON'T come here.
I'll take $.60 on the dollar any day to $0. |
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Sun May 18, 2008 5:01 pm |
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Adam
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Didn't it work pretty well under Clinton and kennedy? If tax breaks (smaller government) doesn't work than why are we cutting rebate checks to stimulate our economy.
Reagan was definately to the left of me. From my understanding Reagan didn't cut government and his drug war was very expensive. I'm more of a Ron paul Republican than a "liberal" Reagan republican.
Your math is invalid. It appears to me we are paying to creat jobs.
http://www.legislature.mi.gov/documents/2007-2008/billanalysis/Senate/htm/2007-SFA-1177-N.htm
http://www.legislature.mi.gov/documents/2007-2008/billanalysis/House/htm/2007-HLA-1168-5.htm
Senate Bill 1168 would amend the Michigan Business Tax Act to provide a credit against the tax for certain companies involved in the production of motion pictures, television programs, music videos, interactive games, and similar productions in Michigan. Credits would be available to companies that apply to and enter into agreements with the Michigan Film Office and would require the concurrence of the State Treasurer. Credits could equal 42 percent of "direct production expenditures" for a production in a "core community;" 40 percent of those expenditures in a part of the state other than a core community; and 30 percent of "qualified personnel expenditures."
The credit would be refundable; that is, if it exceeded tax liability, the state would pay the excess amount to the company.
The bill applies to productions initiated after February 29, 2008. "
In other words we are paying for these jobs to be created. These companies may not pay ANY taxes and we will have to pay them.
For the real math.
Film company spends $1 but doesn't make any money. Michigan has to pay them 40 cents.
I think even Mao, Stalin, or Karl Marx could come up with a better program than this.
If it makes you feel better the majority of Republicans probably went along with this. |
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Sun May 18, 2008 6:15 pm |
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Flinn's Journal
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quote:
Shawn Chittle schreef:
LOL, I'm no After Effects wizard, but I know people who could do that scene. Are there windows on the east side of the Mott Building? I'm sure they'd love a view instead of seeing a building.
Yes, there are windows on the east facade of the Mott Foundation building. |
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I HAVE SEVERED MY TIES WITH FLINTTALK.COM BECAUSE TROLLS CANNOT BE CONTROLLED ON THIS BOARD. |
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Tue May 20, 2008 10:12 am |
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