密歇根新闻广播 削减所得税提议被否决 低分学校仍有可能被关闭

First, Michigan Republican legislators proposed phasing out the income tax over a 40-year period, then that was changed to reduce it from 4.25% to 3.9% over four years. This week Michigan Speaker of the House Tom Leonard, R-DeWitt Township brought it up for a vote and in the wee hours of the morning on Thursday, it failed.

Joe Haveman, a former Republican State Representative who served as Chair of the House Appropriations¹ Committee, and Vicki Barnett, the former mayor of Farmington Hills and a former Democratic legislator, joined Stateside to analyze² the week's political news.

Haveman said Leonard wanted to show that a majority of Republicans were in favor of an income tax rollback. Barnett said the bill would have destabilized the entire budget.

Pundits³ have suggested Leonard's push for an income tax rollback is motivated by a desire to run for Attorney General. Haveman dismissed that, saying Leonard was just responding to budget realities.

"We've got a budget surplus," Haveman said. "We put money in our savings⁴, and we've brought down pension debt. Maybe it's time to give a little bit back to the taxpayer⁵. There's nothing wrong with that."

Barnett pointed⁶ to lingering problems with Michigan's roads, infrastructure⁷, and public schools as an indication that "we've balanced the budget on the backs of the infrastructure."

School closings?

Earlier recommendations by Governor Snyder's School Reform Office indicated 38 schools may close due to low test scores. This week, he released a statement delaying that decision.

Barnett said standards required by state laws are not met in this instance. As a result, some schools districts filed lawsuits⁸ "to say a law was passed to deal with this and you've not followed that law."

Haveman said that while the bottom 5% of schools in the state need to be held accountable, closing them without a plan may not be wise.

"I think the governor made a good call," he said.

Listen above for the full conversation.

1 appropriations   

n.挪用（appropriation的复数形式）

参考例句：

• More commonly, funding controls are imposed in the annual appropriations process. 更普遍的作法是，拨款控制被规定在年度拨款手续中。 来自英汉非文学 - 行政法
• Should the president veto the appropriations bill, it goes back to Congress. 假如总统否决了这项拨款提案，就把它退还给国会。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件

2 analyze   

vt.分析，解析 (=analyse)

参考例句：

• We should analyze the cause and effect of this event.我们应该分析这场事变的因果。
• The teacher tried to analyze the cause of our failure.老师设法分析我们失败的原因。

3 pundits   

n.某一学科的权威，专家( pundit的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The pundits disagree on the best way of dealing with the problem. 如何妥善处理这一问题，专家众说纷纭。 来自辞典例句
• That did not stop Chinese pundits from making a fuss over it. 这并没有阻止中国的博学之士对此大惊小怪。 来自互联网

4 savings   

n.存款，储蓄

参考例句：

• I can't afford the vacation,for it would eat up my savings.我度不起假，那样会把我的积蓄用光的。
• By this time he had used up all his savings.到这时，他的存款已全部用完。

5 taxpayer   

n.纳税人

参考例句：

• The new scheme will run off with a lot of the taxpayer's money.这项新计划将用去纳税人许多钱。
• The taxpayer are unfavourably disposed towards the recent tax increase.纳税者对最近的增加税收十分反感。

6 pointed   

adj.尖的，直截了当的

参考例句：

• He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
• She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。

7 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

8 lawsuits   

n.诉讼( lawsuit的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Lawsuits involving property rights and farming and grazing rights increased markedly. 涉及财产权，耕作与放牧权的诉讼案件显著地增加。 来自辞典例句
• I've lost and won more lawsuits than any man in England. 全英国的人算我官司打得最多，赢的也多，输的也多。 来自辞典例句