密歇根新闻广播 为什么你从政府那里得到的越来越少?

If you've been living in Michigan for a while, chances are that you have noticed a drop in the quality of services you are getting from local government. I'm not just talking about distressed¹ cities like Detroit or Pontiac, I'm talking about everywhere.

Well, guess what. You think you are getting less because you are. Some of that has to do with the mentality² that all taxes are bad, even when not levying³ them costs us more than the tax would, as is the case with the roads.

But it also has to do with a flawed financing system and a now-dead insurance executive who sponsored a measure that has played havoc⁴ with government funding.

I got the exact dimensions of the problem this weekend from Bill Anderson, a government and finance operations specialist for SEMCOG, otherwise known as the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments.

He posted an article on SEMCOG's blog with the shocking details.

Spending by all units of government has declined dramatically over the last quarter-century, and especially the last ten years, compared to the rest of the nation. We are definitely paying public servants comparatively less. We were the 13th best state for public salary levels in 1992; twenty years later, 37th.

There may well have been some fat in the system, but it is clear that for a talented young administrator⁵, government service is a lot less attractive than it was.

But not all governments have suffered equally. State payrolls⁶, for example, have increased only about half as much as the national average, but they have kept pace with inflation.

However, the bottom fell out for Michigan cities, towns and villages. They saw their total payrolls cut by one-third over a single decade, from 2002 to 2012. We're not talking about inflation-adjusted dollars either. They've been providing less in the way of services because they haven't had the money to do it. Much of this was due to the great recession.

But here's the insurmountable problem they face. To quote SEMCOG's Anderson: “The concern of Michigan's local governments in that the state's financing mechanisms⁷ … do not allow a recovery from the impact of the recession.” This is largely because of something called the Headlee Amendment⁸, the brainchild of the late insurance executive Richard Headlee.

Headlee was a flamboyant⁹ conservative who lost a race for governor in 1982. But four years earlier, he was far more successful at getting voters to adopt something called the Headlee Amendment, which puts severe limits on the property tax revenue collected by local governments.

Some limits were, in fact, probably needed at the time. But the problem is this: Revenues fell like a rock when property values plunged¹⁰ during the Great Recession. But Headlee puts huge restraints on the ability of government to recover those revenues once values start increasing again. What goes down doesn't go all the way back up.

The result has been a disaster when it comes to services we want government to provide. The prognosis, as Anderson notes, is that unless we change the state constitution: “(Our) ability to provide basic services … are likely to continue on a path of decline compared to the rest of the nation.” Good luck attracting new jobs to our state.

Jack¹¹ Lessenberry is Michigan Radio's political analyst¹². Views expressed in his essays are his own and do not necessarily reflect those of Michigan Radio, its management or the station licensee, The University of Michigan.

1 distressed   

痛苦的

参考例句：

• He was too distressed and confused to answer their questions. 他非常苦恼而困惑，无法回答他们的问题。
• The news of his death distressed us greatly. 他逝世的消息使我们极为悲痛。

2 mentality   

n.心理，思想，脑力

参考例句：

• He has many years'experience of the criminal mentality.他研究犯罪心理有多年经验。
• Running a business requires a very different mentality from being a salaried employee.经营企业所要求具备的心态和上班族的心态截然不同。

3 levying   

征（兵）( levy的现在分词 )； 索取； 发动（战争）； 征税

参考例句：

• The high tax will be given levying to the foreign country car. 对外国汽车要予以征收高税。
• Levying estate income tax are considered to be goods tax. 遗产税是在财产所有者死亡后所征收的税。

4 havoc   

n.大破坏，浩劫，大混乱，大杂乱

参考例句：

• The earthquake wreaked havoc on the city.地震对这个城市造成了大破坏。
• This concentration of airborne firepower wrought havoc with the enemy forces.这次机载火力的集中攻击给敌军造成很大破坏。

5 administrator   

n.经营管理者，行政官员

参考例句：

• The role of administrator absorbed much of Ben's energy.行政职务耗掉本很多精力。
• He has proved himself capable as administrator.他表现出管理才能。

6 payrolls   

n.（公司员工的）工资名单( payroll的名词复数 )；（公司的）工资总支出，工薪总额

参考例句：

• Indices of employment, payrolls, and production steadied in February 1931931年2月，就业、工资额和生产指数稳定。 来自辞典例句
• Wall Street responded to the payrolls figures with gusto. 华尔街对就业数据作出了积极的反应。 来自互联网

7 mechanisms   

n.机械( mechanism的名词复数 )；机械装置；[生物学] 机制；机械作用

参考例句：

• The research will provide direct insight into molecular mechanisms. 这项研究将使人能够直接地了解分子的机理。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He explained how the two mechanisms worked. 他解释这两台机械装置是如何工作的。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 amendment   

n.改正，修正，改善，修正案

参考例句：

• The amendment was rejected by 207 voters to 143.这项修正案以207票对143票被否决。
• The Opposition has tabled an amendment to the bill.反对党已经就该议案提交了一项修正条款。

9 flamboyant   

adj.火焰般的，华丽的，炫耀的

参考例句：

• His clothes were rather flamboyant for such a serious occasion.他的衣着在这种严肃场合太浮夸了。
• The King's flamboyant lifestyle is well known.国王的奢华生活方式是人尽皆知的。

10 plunged   

v.颠簸( plunge的过去式和过去分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降

参考例句：

• The train derailed and plunged into the river. 火车脱轨栽进了河里。
• She lost her balance and plunged 100 feet to her death. 她没有站稳，从100英尺的高处跌下摔死了。

11 jack   

n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克

参考例句：

• I am looking for the headphone jack.我正在找寻头戴式耳机插孔。
• He lifted the car with a jack to change the flat tyre.他用千斤顶把车顶起来换下瘪轮胎。

12 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。