Over the course of this campaign, I have focused on a single key issue: how to rebuild Michigan’s economy and get our people back to work. As part of this effort to shine a spotlight on Michigan’s economic challenges and opportunities, over the last eleven weeks I’ve laid out a comprehensive plan – one week at a time – to reposition Michigan on the cutting edge of a new century and give our workers the tools to compete and thrive in a globalized knowledge economy.  Today I want to connect the dots of the previous eleven weeks to provide a Blueprint for how we get from the Michigan of today to the state we need to build for tomorrow.

If we’re going to turn our state around, we need new leadership in Lansing that understands the global forces impacting Michigan’s economy.  Here are eleven ideas to get Michigan back on track:

* Focus on economic fundamentals – fiscal discipline; a competitive and predictable tax structure; and investments in human capital.
* Build on Michigan’s strengths by promoting our competitive advantages in the areas of  renewable energy; agriculture and agricultural processing; health care and biosciences; and advanced manufacturing.
* Promote Michigan’s vibrant and growing tourism economy, including the creation of the Michigan Tourism Investment Corporation, a public-private partnership to take the politics out of tourism promotion.
* Investing in Michigan’s working families by promoting efforts to “Hire Michigan First,” and expand the “No worker Left Behind” program for workers who have seen their jobs disappear.
* Expand efforts to promote broadband and high-speed internet access, ensuring we’re allowing local businesses and individuals to connect to the global economy and building the infrastructure of the 21st Century.
* Push hard on renewable energy efforts that are already paying dividends locally with new jobs in Northwest Michigan.
* Build the globally competitive workforce Michigan needs to compete in the new knowledge economy.
* Work to create the competitive and predictable business climate Michigan needs to attract investment and create jobs.
* Streamline outdated and redundant regulations to boost Michigan’s competitiveness while ensuring worker safety, environmental protection, consumer safeguards, and retirement security.
* Stand up for small businesses by working to develop new economic development tools and boosting incentives to create a new entrepreneurial culture in Michigan, and
* End the political delays that harm Michigan’s economic outlook by insisting on common-sense economic and budgetary leadership instead of the same old partisan gimmicks.

This Blueprint represents a comprehensive, cohesive approach to rebuilding Michigan’s struggling economy, and working to build a Michigan that is well-equiped to compete in our global economy.  And this focus on Michigan’s economy has not only been the defining theme of my campaign, it will also be my central priority as our next State Representative.  While my opponent attempts to change the subject to something – anything – other that our economic proposals, I understand that local voters deserve a State Representative who will work every day to create jobs, attract investment, and get Michigan’s economy back on track.

(Part 11 in an 11-week economic plan to get Michigan moving again and get our people back to work)

With all the challenges facing Michigan’s economy, the first thing the legislature needs to do is to make sure it’s not making a difficult situation even worse. Michigan citizens deserve a state legislature that is willing to work in the best interests of the people of Michigan – and not simply doing the bidding of a political party, the special interests, or a narrow ideological perspective.

As our next State Representative, I will insist on common-sense economic and budgetary leadership instead of the same old partisan gimmicks that have done so much to get us into our current economic mess.  We need new leadership in Lansing that is working every day to make sure we’re communicating a consistent message that all of us – Democrats and Republicans alike – are united around a common goal of boosting Michigan’s economic performance.

Unfortunately, that has not always been the case in recent years.  Two years ago, in a move that seemed designed much more to promote partisan interests than the public good, the State Legislature repealed the old Single Business Tax without any indication of how – or whether – the $1.9 billion in lost revenue would be replaced.  The uncertainty this political gimmick unleashed led two Wall Street ratings firms to downgrade Michigan’s credit the next day, making it more difficult – not to mention more expensive – for our state to borrow money for key projects like the 21st Century Jobs Fund.

Last year, the legislature made a bad situation worse, waiting until four hours past the last minute to enact the new Michigan Business Tax, which included a laundry list of services that would be taxed for the first time ever.  Before the ink was even dry on the MBT, however, the legislature was already talking about replacing the services tax with a different mechanism.  This uncertainty led to businesses across Michigan having to spend tens of thousands of dollars to prepare to collect a tax that was unlikely ever to be collected, costs that could have been directed to hiring new employees or providing health care to Michigan workers.  At the last minute, the legislature scrapped the services tax for a surcharge on the Michigan Business Tax’s base rate, a move that eliminated the savings under the new system for many businesses across the state.

Regretably, this same politicization of basic economic decisions continues even now.  After the legislature came together across party lines to swiftly enact the best-in-the-nation incentives to bring film industry investment to Michigan, the major film studios responded.  According to an article in yesterday’s Ludington Daily News, Michigan is likely to see $350 million spent this year on film production.  However, legislation has been introduced in the State Senate that would limit the amount available under the incentives.  Think about that for a minute: the fact that we’re even having this discussion shows just how effectively these incentives are working, and now we want to limit their impact.  Indeed, according to Rick Hert, the executive director of the West Michigan Tourism Association, since the legislation was introduced, the interest in making films in Michigan has “died off.”

At this time, we simply cannot afford more of the same political bickering that harms our state’s economic outlook.  We need to work together – across party lines and across the state – to provide the certainty all businesses need to make critical decisions about whether to expand existing plants, whether to invest in Michigan, and indeed, whether to remain here.  Uncertainty kills business.  We need a legislature that understands that basic fact, and works to eliminate the political delays that are holding us back.

(Part 10 in an 11-week economic plan to get Michigan moving again and get our people back to work)

Any effort to get Michigan’s economy back on track has to pay special attention to small business. Small businesses are the backbone of our economy and are essential to strong main streets, strong communities, and a stronger Michigan. Unfortunately too often, small business issues are left out of the political discussion with politicians focusing far more on how to help Wall Street than Main Street. Here are some common sense ideas on how to support Michigan’s small businesses.

First, we need Michigan state government to address some of the core issues affecting whether or not Michigan’s small businesses remain competitive. These include ensuring adequate infrastructure – whether roads or high-speed connections – to connect small businesses to the global economy; quality schools and training programs to ensure an educated workforce; affordable transportation and housing options for Michigan workers; and efforts to market Michigan to the world, connecting small businesses with potential customers. No small business could possibly afford to do all this on their own, and we need a state government to provide these essential services effectively and efficiently.

In addition, small business needs a state government that will work to make Michigan’s overall business climate more competitive and predictable. We should also streamline regulation to reduce the amount of time business owners must spend filling out paperwork and get them back to doing what they do best: running their business. We can also do much more in Michigan to promote an entrepreneurial culture, including tax incentives for potential small business owners that are ready to make the leap. We should also expand our efforts to enhancing the vibrancy of our communities, downtown business districts and neighborhoods. People on the street mean people in the stores, and efforts such as the Michigan Main Street program are good examples of the positive role state government can play in keeping our main streets strong.

Finally, small business needs a state legislature that understands how best to use economic development tools to approve our local and state economy. As an advisor to a new community investment fund, working to create jobs in our area, I have direct, relevant experience in using new tools to make Northwest Michigan more attractive for businesses deciding whether to locate and expand here. My experience serving as co-chair of the economic development committee for the Northport-Omena Chamber of Commerce also gives me first hand experience with local efforts to improve our economy, including efforts to expand high-speed internet availability, working with local businesses to identify economic development goals and working to build awareness of existing local businesses across the local community.

As our next State Representative, I look forward to continuing to build relationships with our small business community, and making sure they have the representation they deserve in Lansing.