How to Dress Like a Conservative

By: Lorilea Zabadal

1. Leggings are NOT pants
Spandex is not the answer. Leggings simply are not pants. The only purpose they serve is to cover you up a bit more when you’re wearing a miniskirt or a tunic. There are about 5 people in the world with the figure to wear spandex, and 4 of them walk the runway for a living. Read more

Motivated by Reform, the Cleaver Falls on Welcome Week

By: MaryKate Carter

As rumors of a proposal to shorten welcome week buzz around campus, Provost Kim Wilcox works to hammer out the programming details for next year’s confirmed abbreviated welcome week. It’s official, starting 2009, freshman students will move in on Sunday, followed by upperclassmen on Monday, and classes will begin first thing Wednesday morning.
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The Tax Limitations Illlusion

By: Don Higgins

With Election Day just around the corner, voters across the nation will decide the direction of the country. The voters of Ingham County are not disregarded here as they too will have the decision on their hands.

The Ingham County Board of Commissioners has put a proposal on the ballot for this coming Tuesday. This proposal is being labeled as a “tax limitation.” According to Norm Shinkle, a former member of the county tax tribunal, this is something the voters should be worried about.

“This proposal is going to roll back the tax limitations,” said Shinkle. “It is a massive tax increase on Ingham County that is going to be around four million dollars.”

The old tax limitations were voted on in Ingham County in 1970. Since then, voters in Michigan have approved the Headlee Amendment and Proposal A. These two were supposed to reduce the property tax rate and continue to lower the taxes from the time they were adopted until very far into the future.

“Headlee was put in place to make sure that the milage (property taxes) in the county did not get out of control,” said Shinkle. “It was approved because it kept the milages in pace with inflation. If the milages went up faster than inflation, it was Headlee’s job to roll them back.”

If this tax limitation is approved, the taxes in the county would be too high and the businesses in the area would be left to foot the bill that is left over from the taxpayers. The Ingham Country Board is willing to do whatever they can in order to get this four million dollar increase passed.

“It just so happens that the Board’s budget is four million dollars,” said Shinkle. “Now it may just be a coincidence, but the Board doesn’t want to cut programs so they go right for the pockets of the taxpayers? And how much are they asking? Four million dollars. That just doesn’t seem right.”

Ingham Country voters are being asked to stop the reductions put in place by Headlee and Proposal A and revert back to the old, higher taxes of 1970.

“The County Commissioner’s office has confirmed that this is exactly what the plan is going to do if approved,” continued Shinkle. “Let’s hope we don’t end up with outrageous taxes like they have in Detroit.”

This Tuesday, the voters will have the choice whether or not to pass this proposal. The Board of Commissioners calls it a limitation when in fact it would raise taxes on Ingham County as a whole. If approved, the taxpayers would have more of a burden on their hands.

“If the Board calls this a ‘limitation,’ I would hate to see what their version of an ‘expansion’ would be,” concluded Shinkle.

Protest at Obama Rally Causes Stir

By: Katherine Rohr

Michigan State University’s campus was teeming with life on Thursday October 2. Whether you were for him or against him, students, faculty, and nearby neighbors knew that presidential candidate Barack Obama was visiting MSU’s Adams Field, bringing his “change” signs with him. Read more

‘09 Wrangler Offers Style, Ruggedness

By: Tim Henkel

Before I start my review, I feel I should give you a little background on me. My family owns a car dealership (go to Henkelauto.com for great cars at great prices), and I’m there during the summer. Read more

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