Dingell chimes in on Obama's planned visit to Ann Arbor

Below is his full statement.

"The President is always welcome in my District. I am delighted, but not surprised that the President will visit Ann Arbor, Michigan, to discuss the important points of his State of the Union address. Like the President, I believe we must strongly focus the 112th Congress on the need to build our country and economy to be competitive with our neighbors.

"Michigan is a microcosm of what we need in this country to revise unworkable old mentalities and explore new ways to get America back on track. In fact, the four pillars of his central mission for our country have been the keys to Michigan’s continuing recovery. The president wants to build American manufacturing, with more jobs, small businesses and more products labeled ‘Made in the USA’; expand American energy like we are already exploring in Michigan with alternative fuels, advanced technology vehicles and renewable energy sources. He also wants to improve the skills of American workers with education and training that will allow them to compete vigorously in a globalized economy. The University of Michigan is one of the top universities in the country that has trained students for a variety of in-demand careers — health care, alternative energy, engineering, and science among others. Finally, last but not least, he wants us to return to American values, and I again agree with him.

"We need to reward hard work and responsibility to ensure all Americans are contributing their fair share, and guarantee all Americans and American companies play by the same fair rules that our competitors do. The people of Michigan are doing this. I applaud him for coming to our 15th Congressional district and I commend his achievable blueprint for America.”

Ryan J. Stanton covers government and politics for AnnArbor.com. Reach him at ryanstanton@annarbor.com or 734-623-2529. You also can follow him on Twitter or subscribe to AnnArbor.com's email newsletters.