#comebackstate

Mark Schauer would 'drive' Michigan irresponsibly back to Lost Decade

By Darren Littell - Developing a responsible and commonsense budget is a daunting task. It requires a thoughtful and competent person to make the necessary and tough decisions. Unfortunately for Democratic gubernatorial candidate Mark Schauer, he is not that person.

As a member of the Legislature, he voted lock step with ex-Gov. Jennifer Granholm and passed budgets that cut funding for schools and vital services and increased taxes and fees on Michigan families.

One of those obnoxious fees Schauer supported: driver responsibility fees. In an attempt to balance the state budget, Schauer thought it was as easy as imposing fees on drivers.

The law that was supposed to create an incentive for individuals to drive in a responsible manner backfired and instead created a vicious cycle that hurt the pocket book of Michiganians. The regressive nature of the fee was particularly tough on low-income individuals who could not afford to pay.

In some cases, the law’s unintended consequences incentivized some to break additional laws just to get to work.

Perhaps driver responsibility fees didn’t seem like a big deal to Schauer ,who received a special tax break only available to legislators who lived at least 50 miles from the Capitol – Mark Schauer lived 57 miles away. According to reports, “Eligible lawmakers end up saving on average between $8,000 and $10,000 a year depending on their tax brackets.” Mark Schauer took the “driving” tax break every year as a member of the State House.

This was hardly Schauer’s first rodeo, he voted to increase fee and taxes over 40 times as a state legislator.

It is a very difficult undertaking to develop a responsible state budget. It’s not enough to only identify problems. One has to work with limited resources and work through a political and budgetary gauntlet.

Schauer and Michigan Democrats can attest to the difficulty. During their Lost Decade, they left Michigan with a $1.5 billion deficit and a Rainy Day Fund that was virtually gone. Detroit’s financial mismanagement was never properly addressed, and the only way to save the city was through a total financial restructuring. Rather than put in the work, they thought it’d be a much easier option to increase taxes and fees – easier, yes, but not within a million miles of being a viable solution.

By Darren Littell - 

Last week, we found out Michigan added over 275,000 private sector jobs since 2011. This was a surprise to no one who knows Michigan or the work ethic of Michiganians.

We saw our ingenuity during the early 1900’s as Michigan gave birth to an industrial age that forever changed our state and the world. Through the hard work, talent, and dedication of Michiganians like Henry Ford, we became a beacon of light and an example of American ingenuity.

Our state and its citizens prospered for many decades. Our population grew, new industries emerged, and our economy thrived. Folks from around the world came to Michigan to take advantage of the opportunity we had created.

Gov. Rick Snyder and Michigan Republicans are once again giving Michigan an opportunity to reinvent itself and again become the great state we all know it can be.

Since Snyder took office less than four years ago, he’s created an environment that is incentivizing business investment in Michigan.

A few months ago we saw the total capital under management among Michigan-based firms increase by 45% since 2009. Entrepreneurs and businesses see an opportunity in our state and are betting on Michigan to succeed.

In February, Snyder announced a $20 million business initiative that will focus on creating jobs and economic growth in Detroit. The program focuses on creating opportunity for Michiganians who want to open a small business and help grow the economy.

Michigan Republicans are not only implementing policies that encourage innovation throughout the state, we’re also putting forth policies that invest in families. Through programs like the Michigan Advanced Technician Training (MAT²), Republicans are working to help bridge the skills gap through training and educating.

Just last month, we saw Michigan add 4,500 manufacturing jobs in May – more than any other state in the nation.

By eliminating the Democrats’ short-sighted, job-killing taxes and burdensome regulations that hurt businesses, we’ve set our state’s fiscal house in order and are on the path to once again re-invent ourselves.

We’ve created opportunities for all Michiganians. By regulating less and innovating more, we are seeing personal income grow and more people working.

Michigan saw the failed and irresponsible policies of the Democrats’ Lost Decade hurt Michigan’s economy, talent and resources. As folks were losing their jobs and leaving our state for better economic environments, Democrats focused on partisan policies that catered to special interest groups. Michigan lost 600,000 jobs and unemployment skyrocketed to 14.2% during this time.

Education will be an important topic in this year’s election because it speaks to a candidate’s plan for Michigan’s future. Gov. Rick Snyder has laid out a clear, sensible plan to continue and expand upon the progress our education system has made these past three years – which is a stark contrast from what his challenger, Mark Schauer, has offered.

Starting with childhood education, Snyder made a $65 million investment in 2013 that allowed 16,000 new kids to attend preschool. Not stopping there, his 2015 budget includes an additional $65 million for early childhood education.

In K-12, Michigan is continuing to set a high bar for innovation and investment. Spending has increased every year for the last three years, increasing per-pupil spending by more than $660 per student. What’s more, K-12 education funding has increased by $1 billion since Granholm let us down for one final year in 2010.

In fact, education spending is at its highest point in Michigan’s history at $13.36 billion, according to the non-partisan Senate Fiscal Agency.

This unprecedented investment in education has had tangible results. Since 2011, the number of Michigan students graduating high school has risen 2.63 percent.

Snyder has developed and implemented education policies that effectively utilizes our existing resources and create new and exciting opportunities for our children’s future.

The reason it’s so critical to have a comprehensive plan is to ensure we are educating our children for the world they will inherit, not the one that exists today.

Throughout the years America’s economy has changed dramatically, and Michigan was no different – career options became more demanding and started requiring more technical training.

With Snyder’s background, he understood this changing relationship and found new ways to bridge the gap between employers and job seekers.

In 2012, the Pure Michigan Talent Connect was launched to connect individuals to good-paying careers in a variety of growing industries – including careers in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).

By collaborating with innovators, we've recognized the type of jobs and skills employers are looking for. These relationships have allowed Michigan to build a strong foundation that addresses the future educational needs of our children.

Snyder’s proposal for the future encourages voluntary programs to extend classes year-round to help ensure students are making continual progress, teacher evaluation effectiveness reforms that ensure we have the best teachers teaching our kids, and the list goes on.

Snyder promised to reform our education system and that’s what he’s done. By looking at long-term solutions, rather than short-term political gimmicks, Michigan is creating an environment of opportunity for this generation and future generations of Comeback State kids.

Michigan has come a long way from the failed policies of Mark Schauer, a chief architect of the Lost Decade. On the other end of that decade, Schauer’s inability to provide a detailed plan for our children is not what Michigan needs or deserves.