Don't Stop Michigan's Comeback

By all measures, Michigan is making a comeback. And as The Detroit News writes in an editorial today, "Don't Alter Michigan's Course." 

Their recommendation? Vote "YES" on Proposal 1 and "NO" on the rest.

Here are some facts about Michigan's comeback:

Unemployment has dropped 4.9 points since its 2009 high. Our income growth is the 8th best in the nation, while our GDP growth is 6th best. Our economy is at a 10-year high, home sales are up 10 percent, and there are 65,200 more jobs in our state since Governor Rick Snyder took office.

The policies that helped get us here? We have balanced the budget two years in a row. We eliminated the job-killing Michigan Business Tax. We reformed Michigan teacher pensions, and we created the tools to help rescue cities and school districts from fiscal crisis.

There's more that we can and must do to reinvent ourselves, but we can't do it if we tie our hands and enact policies that send us backward in time.

That's why Michigan voters should say "YES" to Proposal 1 and "NO" on the rest.

Proposal One: Why Michigan Needs Its Emergency Manager Law

At a town hall in Detroit on Thursday, Governor Rick Snyder explained how Michigan's emergency manager law benefits our cities and schools -- and how it helped make sure that kids in Highland Park could attend school this year.



In this first video, Governor Snyder introduces Roy Roberts, the emergency manager for Detroit Public Schools. Thanks to Roberts' efforts, Detroit's schools are finally pulling themselves out of debt and improving education for students in the city.



In this second video, Governor Snyder explains the dire straits in Highland Park schools, how students there were in danger of not having a school to attend this year, and how the Michigan's emergency manager law was able to turn that school district around.

If you support Michigan's emergency manager, vote YES on Proposal One.

Grand Rapids and Detroit Chamber Presidents Urge "NO" Vote on Proposal 6

In an op-ed for MLive, Grand Rapids Area Chamber president Rick Baker and Detroit Regional Chamber president Sandy Baruah urge Michigan to vote "NO" on the Maroun-funded Proposal 6 ballot initiative:

There are 31 million reasons and counting to vote “no” on Proposal 6. That’s the amount of money – $31 million – reportedly committed by Ambassador Bridge owner Matty Moroun on Proposal 6. Why would one person spend such an unprecedented amount of money trying to thwart Michigan’s economic recovery? The quick answer is he wants to buy your vote so he can protect his lucrative monopoly.

The Detroit Regional Chamber and Grand Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce represent hundreds of organizations and thousands of businesses from East and West Michigan that are united on this issue. Proposal 6 is bad economics for Michigan and will result in disastrous public policy. Our members are committed to moving the economic needle and moving Michigan forward, but Proposal 6 would be a giant step backward.

Live at 6: Town Hall with Governor Snyder, Hosted by Stephen Clark of WXYZ

Join us from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. for a live town hall with Governor Rick Snyder, moderated by WXYZ's Stephen Clark.

The town hall will be streamed at WXYZ.com.

“I Was Undecided, and He Changed My Mind"

Governor Rick Snyder stopped at a coney island in Northville this morning, and The Observer and Eccentric reports that he's seeing success in sharing his message of "Yes on 1, No on the rest" with Michigan voters.

Bob Kenyon, a tax consultant from Northville, didn’t know what way he was going to vote Tuesday on the bridge proposal until he met Gov. Rick Snyder this morning while eating breakfast at George’s Senate Coney Island Restaurant in Livonia.

“I was undecided, and he changed my mind,” said Kenyon, who now plans to vote no on Proposal 6, which would amend the state constitution to require a statewide vote on “new international bridges or tunnels."

Snyder visited George’s Senate Coney Island as part of his four-day statewide bus tour to discuss the six ballot proposals with citizens. Snyder is encouraging residents to vote “Yes on 1, No on the Rest.”

Why You Should Vote "YES" on Proposal 1

Governor Snyder continued his "Yes on 1, No on the Rest" bus tour in Southeast Michigan today with a town hall in Macomb where he was joined by Allen Park emergency manager Joyce Parker.

Proposal 1 is a referendum on Michigan's emergency manager law, which gives our state the tools to step in and rescue a city from a financial disaster before it's too late. Voters must vote "YES" on Proposal 1 in order to keep the emergency manager law.

Under the law, known as Public Act 4, the state has an early-warning system to alert us of potential fiscal problems in cities, villages and school districts. In especially bad cases, the governor can appoint a manager to take actions to help get that local government get back on its feet.

In a town hall with The Oakland Press today, Governor Snyder explained why Public Act 4 is so beneficial:

The reason I feel strongly about "Yes on Proposal 1" is that Public Act 4 is working. Under the old law, we didnt have an early warning system in place. Now we have one. The second thing we did is that if there is a true emergency, the manager can go in, do their work, fix the problem, and get out. 

LIVE WEB CHAT: Join Governor Snyder on Thursday at 11:45 a.m.

Live broadcasting by Ustream

The Oakland Press is hosting a live Web chat with Governor Rick Snyder on Thursday, November 1, at 11:45 a.m.

Submit your questions now or Tweet them at #AskSnyder

Click here to join the chat live.

Ballot Proposals Would be "Economically Devastating"

In a town hall at Northern Michigan University in Marquette on Tuesday, Governor Snyder explained that the ballot proposals coming before Michigan would be "economically devastating" and encouraged voters to join him in saying "YES" to Proposal One and "NO" on the rest. The Mining Journal reports:

Some of the proposals to appear on the Michigan ballot Nov. 6 could be "economically devastating" and are "terrible" ideas, according to Gov. Rick Snyder. 

Answering questions from the crowd, Snyder said Proposal 2 - which would place collective bargaining rights in Michigan's constitution - and Proposal 5 - which would require a two-thirds majority vote of Michigan's legislature to enact tax increases - would be the most economically devastating to Michigan if they were to pass.

Governor's Bus Tour Heads North

On Tuesday, Governor Rick Snyder's Ballot Proposal Bus Tour went to the Upper Peninsula, where the governor delivered his "One's a 'YES' and 'NO' on the rest" message in a Marquette town hall. ABC 10 reports:

Governor Rick Snyder is in the Upper Peninsula, hosting a live/interactive town hall meeting on the six statewide ballot proposals. The meeting is being broadcast to four sites across the region from Northern Michigan University. 

While he will be physically present on the campus of Northern Michigan University in Marquette, NMU will host the live/interactive satellite session in town hall locations in Houghton, Iron Mountain and Escanaba. This can provide greater opportunity for U.P. residents to participate and receive answers to their questions directly from the governor. These satellite town hall locations will also spotlight new and efficient opportunities to improve communication across our state.

5 of 6 Ballot Proposals Would Be 'Economically Devastating' to Michigan

In an interview with Dave Murray of MLive, Governor Snyder said that five of the six proposals on Michigan's ballot next week would be “economically devastating” to the state.

Murray asked Snyder what's so threatening about the proposals. Here's his response:

I wouldn’t use the word threat. I call it people who are pushing back when they are challenged when we say ‘Let’s move forward.’ When change comes, people can resist change. People adapt to change at different rates. And this is a case where we have a number of special interest groups that simply don’t like moving forward and looking toward the future. They’re trying to bypass the Legislature by simply putting stuff in the constitution that doesn’t belong there.

Traverse City Job Creators Say Ballot Proposals Would Harm Business

Governor Snyder traveled to Traverse City today to meet with job creators. They say that the ballot proposals would have a harmful impact on their business -- and that's bad news for Michigan's workers.

In this photo, Governor Snyder listens to Alex Mowczan, President of Summerside Properties, LLC, who says that the Pure Michigan campaign has been important to tourism in Northern Michigan and that the ballot proposals would have a negative impact on our state.

The solution? "YES" on 1 and "NO" on the rest.

Governor Snyder Starts Ballot Proposal Bus Tour

This week, Governor Rick Snyder will travel across Michigan in order to spread the message about the proposals on the November 6 ballot. His message? "Yes" on Proposal One and "No" on the rest.

INFOGRAPHIC: Who Wins and Who Loses on Michigan's Ballot Initiatives

Yep, there are SIX, count 'em SIX proposals on Michigan's ballot this year. Check out this handy guide to see who wins and who loses in the ballot initiatives. Click below to see the full-size PDF.

Job Creators, Newspapers and More Support the New Bridge to Canada

One billionaire monopolist is trying to say "NO" to the new bridge to Canada, so he wants you to vote "YES" on Proposal 6. But there are more than 160 job creators, newspapers and leaders who support the new bridge to Canada.

View the full list at BuildThisBridge.com.

If you SUPPORT the new bridge to Canada, you should vote "NO" on Proposal 6.

Detroit Free Press Agrees: Yes on 1, No on the Rest

The Detroit Free Press writes in a new editorial that on the ballot initiatives, Michigan should vote "YES" on Proposal 1 and "NO" on the rest:


Detroit Free Press Endorsements: Of the six statewide ballot proposals, keep one, discard five

Plunging tax revenues and soaring legacy costs for retired workers have pushed hundreds of communities and municipalities across Michigan to the brink. Now more than ever, elected officials need new tools and maximum flexibility to provide the services their constituents expect without bankrupting the treasuries they oversee. Yet this November an array of special interests — including two whose causes this newspaper has long championed — will ask voters to endorse ballot proposals that would restrict the authority of virtually every elected officeholder in the state, dramatically complicating the task of governing Michigan’s counties, cities and school districts.

Even more alarmingly, most of these proposals would lock their restrictions into constitutional concrete that would make it almost impossible for policymakers to adjust to changing circumstances and political sentiments. 

Read More at Freep.com.

Join Governor Rick Snyder on his 2012 Bus Tour Across Michigan!

Traverse City Town Hall
Monday, October 29 at 6:00p.m.
Grand Traverse Resort - Michigan Room A

Click here to RSVP >

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Marquette Town Hall
Tuesday, October 30 at 8:15 a.m.
Northern Michigan University - University Center, 2nd Floor

Click here to RSVP >

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Saginaw Town Hall
Wednesday, October 31 at 1:00p.m.
Saginaw Valley State University - Curtiss Hall

Click here to RSVP >

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Sterling Heights Town Hall
Thursday, November 1 at 9:45 a.m.
Penna's of Sterling Heights

Click here to RSVP >

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Detroit Town Hall
Thursday, November 1 at 6:00 p.m.
Madison Building

Sorry, We are at capacity for this event.

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Stay Tuned for More Events!

RSVPs are required for all events. A photo ID is required at event check-in.

The People Are Speaking Out on Proposal 6

Proposal Six says "the people should decide," but the people of Michigan are already speaking out against Proposal 6 --- and in favor of the new bridge to Canada. See what they have to say in letters to the editor in The Detroit Free Press:

Monopolists can make a lot of money from monopolies, and monopolists will do just about anything to preserve their monopoly power. The latest case in point is the series of misleading TV ads for Proposal 6. The monopolists who own the Ambassador Bridge have spent millions and millions of their monopoly profits on these ads, and on buying the signatures that got Proposal 6 on the ballot in the first place. 

The clever slogan of these ads is "let the people decide." Oh, please. This isn't about letting the people decide; it's about perpetuating monopoly profits. It would be closer to the truth to say "let the millionaire monopolists decide." The proposed new bridge will provide thousands of construction jobs in the near term, and a greatly improved transportation link with America's biggest trading partner in the long term. Better yet, the Canadian government is willing to foot the bill. Economically, the new bridge is a winner for Michigan. 

But the politics of the new bridge are at least as important as the economics. If Michigan voters are hoodwinked by this ad campaign, it will erase any doubt that our institutions are for sale to the highest bidder. If Proposal 6 passes, we may as well declare Michigan a monopolist-ocracy. I'm voting against this stinker of a ballot proposal. 

Charles L. Ballard Department of Economics, Michigan State University

Read more of the letters on Proposal 6.

Town Halls with Governor Snyder!

Governor Snyder is holding town halls all across Michigan and will be in Detroit's M@dison Building on Thursday, November 1. Details are below. Click here to RSVP and to see other locations!