Both Michigan and North Carolina have Democratic governors with Republicans controlling at least one branch of the legislature. In both states, there has been a budget fight between the different political bodies. The two states have close to the same population — about 10 million citizens in Michigan and 11 million in North Carolina.

But revenue and spending in these two states are dramatically different. The budget in North Carolina today is $69.6 billion while the state budget for Michigan is $83.9 billion. It is unlikely that Michigan citizens are getting roads, schools, health care and prisons that are 20% better than those in North Carolina.

For the coming year, the Republican-led Michigan House has passed a budget of $79.3 billion. But those wanting more taxpayer money are still squawking.

The state’s taxpayer-funded Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) put out a statement saying the House Republican budget “is simply irresponsible ... puts Michigan’s environment and public health at serious risk ... guts the very workforce responsible for protecting our air, land and water ... slashes funding ... [will] effectively stop economic development and job growth.”

If passed, the budget will lead to unsafe drinking water and contaminated sites, said EGLE director Phil Roos. It would lead to pollution in the Great Lakes and other natural resources, bringing environmental emergencies and harming the long-term health of residents.

These statements are about a state budget significantly larger than North Carolina’s. The Tarheel State has greater job and population growth with a lower unemployment rate than Michigan.

And all this will happen because EGLE is set to lose 150 positions. That would bring the department back to the size it was in 2023. The House proposes a budget for EGLE of $839.1 million – that’s hundreds of millions of dollars higher than it had from all of 2010 to 2020. I don’t recall any of the devastation laid out above.

Entities reliant on tax dollars are good about naming all the scary things that will happen if they ever see a budget cut. When you put it in proper context, this just shows they are really bad about prioritizing their use of taxpayer dollars.

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