Michigan state Representative and advocate for making Michigan a Right to Work for Less state, Mike Shirkey, has been busted for showing higher than normal level of Republican hypocrisy (“GOPocrisy”) today. Todd Heywood of Michigan Messenger reports that Shirkey benefited from a tax abatement involved with creating a “Tool and Die Recovery Zone”. The tax break gives his nonunion company Orbitforms up to 15 years of operation free from state and local taxation. When he applied for the tax break, Shirkey “told MEDC officials he believed the abatements would allow him to create as many as 12 jobs”.
Why is this hypocritical? There are several reasons. First, since he began receiving the tax break, Shirkey has actually laid off nine workers. Also, Shirkey’s company received a $2.6 million government loans from the federal Recovery Act after condemning President Obama and saying his supporter are drinking “idiot juice”-laced Kool-Aid.
Shirkey is also a strong proponent of making Michigan a so-called Right to Work state, often referred to as “Right to Work for Less” or “Right to Freeload”.
Mike Shirkey hasn’t paid state taxes in six years. According to Republicans, this should make him an effective job creator. Instead, he’s laying people off. Apparently, he is willing to benefit from government help but isn’t actually creating jobs and wants to kneecap Michigan unions in the process.
In other words, Mike Shirkey is a poster child for GOPocrisy and the myth that the key to job creation is to cut taxes.
