Gubernatorial candidate Rick Snyder tells Ann Arbor crowd Michigan needs a nerd
Michigan gubernatorial candidate Rick Snyder, a Republican venture capitalist from Ann Arbor, rolled up his sleeves and talked candidly with Southeast Michigan residents at Thursday evening's standing-room-only town hall event at Cobblestone Farm in Ann Arbor. It was Snyder's fourth town hall appearance on his campaign.
Ryan J. Stanton | AnnArbor.com
Ann Arbor businessman Rick Snyder said other kids — and even parents — laughed at him when they heard about his educational plan as a teenager.
What did he do about it?
"I started in community college," he said. "Then I came up to the university here and I got my bachelor's when I was 19, my MBA when I was 20, my law degree when I was 23, and I was an adjunct assistant professor of accounting in Michigan's MBA program when I was 24. Now if that's not a nerd, I don't know how you define that."
Just as he appealed to voters in a Super Bowl ad last month, the former president of Gateway Computers played the "nerd" card Thursday evening as he asked an Ann Arbor crowd to support him in his bid for Michigan governor.
Making his fourth town hall appearance in recent weeks, Snyder shared his 10-point plan to reinvent Michigan with a standing-room-only audience of more than 200 people who turned out for the free event at Cobblestone Farm in Ann Arbor.
"Our government is broken. Bureaucracy needs to go," Snyder said, getting a round of applause. "The role of government should be to treat you the citizens as the customer - look at life through your eyes and say, 'How do we help you be more successful and how do we get out of your way?'"
Snyder called himself a "proud Republican," but said his campaign is focused on moving beyond partisan lines.
Based on the tone of the questions asked, Thursday's crowd appeared mostly conservative. But one Ann Arbor resident, Dylan Goings, a self-described young, educated liberal, asked Snyder how he planned to appeal to voters like him.
Snyder said he will work to unite Republicans and Democrats, a goal that has led some to question whether Snyder isn't more of an independent.
"It's not about partisanship," he said. "Why in the world would I go out of my way to make negative statements about anyone in the Democratic party when I want to work with them? That's just dumb. That just shows how messed up our system is."
A man who identified himself as a devout Catholic asked Snyder his opinion on when life begins. Snyder responded social issues are not on his agenda, but acknowledged he is pro-life and pro-family.
Another person asked Snyder to give examples of leaders he admired. Snyder cited former Michigan governors William Milliken and George Romney.
Snyder, who calls himself a "good green Republican," said Milliken worked to frame an important discussion about the environment.
He said he admired Romney for his background as a businessman and for helping to get Michigan back on the right track. He said he plans to do the same if elected.
"We are at a defining moment in Michigan's history. We are at an all-time low point," Snyder said. "Sometimes people want to argue and bring up the Depression. We had 47 other states with us on that one, folks. We're on this one on our own. And unfortunately, if we don't change, we're still going downhill."
Snyder, a virtual unknown in Michigan's political circles before last summer, is now tied for first place in the Republican primary race with U.S. Rep. Pete Hoekstra and Attorney General Mike Cox, according to a recent poll. At Thursday's forum, he billed himself as the alternative to "career politicians."
"If you believe our government works right today, if you like how our political system operates, I'll tell you flat out you should vote for one of those people," he said. "If you believe our government system is broken, our political system is broken, I am running to provide us that alternative."
Before Snyder's speech, Mark Boonstra, chairman of the Washtenaw County Republican Committee, warmed up the crowd by asking, "Is anybody here as sick of politicians as I am?" The crowd cheered as Boonstra went on to say Lansing could use someone like Snyder with business sense.
Snyder said Michigan has seen a fundamental lack of leadership that has led to the shutdown of state government in two of the last three years. He said state officials haven't structurally balanced a budget in seven or eight years, only appearing to do so by using accounting gimmicks, federal dollars and rainy day funds.
He hammered on the first point in his plan to reinvent Michigan, which includes creating more and better jobs. He said it's not the role of government to create jobs but to create an environment where free enterprise works and jobs flourish.
He said he wants to eliminate the Michigan Business Tax entirely and replace it with a flat corporate income tax of 6 percent, amounting to a $1.5 billion tax reduction on Michigan businesses.
"People are getting angry about government," Snyder said. "And if you look at what's the underlying driver of that, largely my belief is there's a perception that when you write a tax check or you send in your money, you think you might as well be dropping it in the fireplace."
Snyder called Michigan's road system a "travesty" and said the state needs to find an additional $1 billion to $1.5 billion to keep up with basic maintenance. He drew a gasp from the audience when he pointed out the reason why road crews have been putting up plywood underneath bridges around Detroit: "To keep the crumbling concrete from falling on your vehicle."
He cited the East Stadium Boulevard bridge spans in Ann Arbor as examples of a failed funding system. The city has reduced traffic to two lanes and removed parts of the bridge that are starting to crumble.
"While we have two lanes shut down on one of the critical arteries of our city, at US-23 and Plymouth, the world's nicest park-and-ride lot is going in," Sndyer said. "So you've got pavement, trees, lights, shelter going in while we have a crumbling bridge. What's wrong with this picture?"
Ryan J. Stanton covers government for AnnArbor.com. Reach him at ryanstanton@annarbor.com or 723-623-2529.
Comments
snapshot
Sun, Mar 28, 2010 : 11:28 a.m.
Out with the old, in with the new. I'm all for voting for anybody WITHOUT government experience. Those experienced folks are doing so well in governing, aren't they Tom Weider? And to Dennisd49, unions didn't create a middle class read up on your history. That's "union rhetoric" and if everybody else is making 5 bucks an hour, you should be too. Unions are out of control. If there's is no money to pay your inflated salaries and benefits what makes you think you deserve to pick my pocket to feed your lifestyle? Oh, yeah it's a "union entitlement" which I read as consumer and taxpayer supported "welfare". Goverment is going to hell in a hand basket, full of corruption and self serving politics, that there is no concern for the citizens anymore. Some of those "citizens" are to blame also for their narrow mindness. Take for instance the person who asked Snyder about his position on abortion. To take a small issue which affects minimal life on the planet and make it an issue where you're willing to sacrifice the health and lives of "tens of thousands" of people just to save a handfull of unborn fetuses is an example of the "morality" of a narrow minded ideology. Those folks wouldn't know "morality" if it hit them in the face. What they seek is control and conformity to their own perceptions. Even though I'm pro choice, I'm OK with Snyder being pro life if it's for the betterment of the state. But maybe I should vote pro choice and to hell with the state or the country as long as I get my way. That's how you pro lifers are acting. My stubborness will kill fewer people than your stubborness. Now who's in the "moral majority"?
timjbd
Sat, Mar 27, 2010 : 1:04 p.m.
TAX CUTS, EVERYBODY! Well, for businesses, anyway. It's always the answer! The business tax rate in this country has plummeted since the Reagan administration but what has that done for our manufacturing base? Particularly in Michigan? Has it gone up or down in the same time frame? No doubt tax cuts have have led to skyrocketing PROFITS but those profits have been used to ship jobs overseas as fast as possible. So one of Rick's answers to the devastation in the Michigan employment situation? Business tax cuts. What else? Also "Restructuring" the government workforce, aka: firing a bunch more workers. Teachers, cops, firemen, utility workers, trash collectors, etc. Typical republicanism. Spend years destroying government, then crow that government doesn't work. The Ann Arbor Superintendent has announced the need to unload 50 teachers: _______________________ http://www.annarbor.com/news/ann-arbor-superintendent-announces-proposed-budget-cuts/ Quote: "Ann Arbor Superintendent Todd Roberts proposed budget for the 2010-11 school year would eliminate 50 teaching positions, 22 support positions and nine administrative positions to shed nearly $16 million from the budget. But unless the district is able to get another $4.5 million in savings from wages and benefits concessions from its unions - including the teachers union - it will likely need to eliminate another 36 teaching positions, three middle school counselor positions, one central administration clerical position and two custodial administration positions." ________________________ I could only guess Rick means to add to that total teacher loss significantly. From his website: ________________________ http://www.rickformichigan.com/vision-plan/policy-central/government-efficiency-transparency Proposed "Reforms" and Potential Annual Savings Local Government Local Government Consolidation & Service Sharing $100 million School District Consolidation & Service Sharing $300 million Local Government Benchmarking $100 million Revenue Sharing focused on Implementing Efficiency Measures $250 million State Government Structure IT Management & Procurement Practices $100 million Reduce MDOC Overtime to Historical Average $50 million Total Public Compensation Tightened Pension Eligibility & 401K-Style Retirement Plans $265 million Increasing Public Employee & Retiree Co-Pays to National Average $700 million Healthcare Benefits Pooling for Public Employees & Retirees $500 million __________________________________ In business, "Efficiency" means have fewer people do the same amount of work for the same (or less) pay. Who hasn't felt that in their jobs these days? Yet the CEO's salaries seem to rise and rise. Trying to figure out Snyder's management acumen is tough. About the only thing you can glean from his long time at Gateway is: Snyder hitched his wagon to rising star founder, Ted Wiatt in 1991. He hung around in the wings as the company peaked and started to flounder. Then as Wiatt tried a series of unfortunate tangential ventures, Rick left (but stayed on the board). Then came back, ousted founder Wiatt, left, came back and finally left as CEO having sold off a company- and the good jobs with it- lying in ruins around his feet in 2007. With the bulk going to the Taiwanese conglomerate, Acer: _____________________________ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gateway_Computer On October 16, 2007, Acer Inc. completed its acquisition of Gateway for approximately US$710 million.[4] Its final share price of US$1.90 was far below the US$4.00 average price in the mid 1990s and drastically below a high of US$84 in late 1999. The US$1.90 per share was just barely over half of the split adjusted IPO price of US$3.75 in 1993. ____________________________ Didn't exactly pull the company up by its' boot straps. Compare that to competitor Apple Computer over the same time frame: 1991- Today. Which company do you think benefitted from competent leadership? So he wants to cut $1.5 billion from business tax base (because when you cut business taxes, the jobs just start materializing out of nowhere!), add $1-1.5 billion in road construction, slash the government workforce and services, pension benefits, health care, etc. So basically, this is a plan to grab services and benefits from the middle class and poor, slash public schools, pensions and health care all so he can provide EVEN MORE tax cuts to big business. Not what Michigan needs at this time.
Anonymous Due to Bigotry
Sat, Mar 27, 2010 : 10:52 a.m.
Another source on union salaries: "The average salary for union auto worker jobs is $135,000. Average union auto worker salaries can vary greatly due to company, location, industry, experience and benefits." http://www.simplyhired.com/a/salary/search/q-union+auto+worker Please try to tell me that that is reasonable. Not exactly minimum wage is it?
Anonymous Due to Bigotry
Sat, Mar 27, 2010 : 10:49 a.m.
@dennisd49: The thing about unions is that they have a legitimate purpose when they're first formed, but eventually they become corrupted by power and way too greedy. Similar things happen to other kinds of organizations. If the unions really aren't just looking for someone to screw over then they should have no problem with their members accepting partial ownership in their employers. That should eliminate a huge conflict of interests. That way, if they want to screw over the auto companies by demanding a completely unreasonable degree of compensation then they have to screw themselves over as well. "Yes, the UAW will forgo most pay raises for the next two years, but their $25 an hour is still 50% better than what the average plant worker now makes. UAW workers still get free health care. They also have pensions; half of manufacturing workers and most employees don't. Perhaps most astounding, the $752 annual premium that their retirees will pay for family medical coverage is just one-fourth the contribution that the average working family pays in the U.S." http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/05_45/b3958038.htm That's pretty far from minimum wage.
voiceofreason
Fri, Mar 26, 2010 : 6:09 p.m.
A vote for anyone other than Snyder is a vote for complacency.
GB
Fri, Mar 26, 2010 : 3:07 p.m.
I am happy to see Mr. Snyder enter the gubernatorial race. From his comments and position on the issues, I think he has a great chance. Good luck Mr Snyder.
Alan Benard
Fri, Mar 26, 2010 : 2:45 p.m.
Alan, you do realize that George Bush was the youngest naval aviator in WWII?I was imprecise. I was speaking of George W. Bush, who kept the skies over central Texas safe during the Viet Nam War... when he wasn't driving into shrubbery.
a2huron
Fri, Mar 26, 2010 : 1:54 p.m.
I normally vote Democratic, but anyone who spends half a minute following the news should know that our next governor won't be a Dem. Out of the options available, Snyder does present a compelling case. Cox is a sleaze who is just one more infidelity scandal from having to resign from his current job let alone be able to run for another. I for one am willing to give serious consideration to non-politicians this year. This state needs something different.
81wolverine
Fri, Mar 26, 2010 : 12:50 p.m.
Snyder is the type of person Michigan needs in the Governor's office right now. The career politicians in Lansing are among the most ineffective of any state in the nation. That's a good reason why we're at the bottom of the 50 states in employment levels. Granted, they didn't create the auto industry collapse, but they utterly failed to create a business environment in the state condusive to attracting and keeping new businesses. Just one example of this is the point made by Rick Snyder about the roads in the state. It's a travesty of underfunding over the years. And poor infrastructure WILL scare businesses (and people) away from the state. True, local government has made some questionable decisions of late resulting in the Stadium Bridge fiasco. But, if you want to find the real problem in why Michigan's roads are in such horrendous condition, look no further than the incompetent state legislature in Lansing. Turning around the state's economy is far and away the #1 priority in this state. And Snyder is the best of the group of candidates out there to do that.
John of Saline
Fri, Mar 26, 2010 : 12:23 p.m.
Alan, you do realize that George Bush was the youngest naval aviator in WWII?
Alan Benard
Fri, Mar 26, 2010 : 11:47 a.m.
@AtticusF -- You trollin'? I thought war heroes made great GOP leaders... like Ronald Reagan... and Dick Cheney... George Bush... Karl Rove... the list goes on. But seriously, his CIA work bothers you MOST? Re-read the article and try again, please.
Ram
Fri, Mar 26, 2010 : 11:46 a.m.
Bush's endorsement = more of the same. Count me out.
Atticus F.
Fri, Mar 26, 2010 : 11:38 a.m.
Alan Benard, we dont want some CIA war monger as our governer. That would be a one-way ticket to a republican loss.
Alan Benard
Fri, Mar 26, 2010 : 10:48 a.m.
We don't need a nice guy, and nerd Granholm was a mess. How about a principled man who isn't out to make friends? http://www.metrotimes.com/news/story.asp?id=14893 John Joseph Henry Schwarz grew up a Republican. He supported the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Earlier, he served in Vietnam, and, afterward, went back to Indochina with the CIA. He supported his friend John McCain for president two years ago, and twice was endorsed for Congress by George W. Bush. This year, he is thinking about running for governor. And my fairly well-educated guess is that he might easily be the best we could get at this point in our history, if he can only get elected.
Atticus F.
Fri, Mar 26, 2010 : 9:49 a.m.
Anybody but Mike Cox!!!! That being said, I will still be voting democrat.
dennisd49
Fri, Mar 26, 2010 : 9:05 a.m.
The only influence that Michigan can have over those "Policy's" is in the hands of our LawMaker's and the Gov's office to influence those in Washington. All I'm saying is that, though I agree with part of your comment, we need a Governor that can work with and influence them to get the job done. What you just said, in my opinion, is that even Mr. Snyder won't be effective in doing this. Based on what i've seen the Republican Party do recently, and the fact that Washington is now in the hands of the Democrats. Mr. Snyder doesn't stand a snowball's chance to change things here in Michigan.
Dan H
Fri, Mar 26, 2010 : 9:03 a.m.
If you are a swing voter, this coming year is your one shot to make a difference. I repeat, Rick is never going to get the liberal vote. Yes, he'll pull many republican votes, but that's not enough. It's going to be people like you and me, the swing voters, who generally do not vote because we don't come down squarely on either side, who are going to have to step up so we don't end up with another liberal nightmare in Michigan.
Ram
Fri, Mar 26, 2010 : 9:02 a.m.
I agree that dennis brings up good points. We definitely need a strong manufacturing sector in America. However, I don't see a boost in manufacturing in America happening until we start truly running out of oil, which is coming sooner than we think. The cost of oil will cause a sharp increase in transportation costs, reducing the benefits of lowered labor costs in outsourced manufacturing.
dennisd49
Fri, Mar 26, 2010 : 8:58 a.m.
Here's a question Gribble. Are you part of Mr. Snyder's campaign staff? You seem to be by your comments.
dennisd49
Fri, Mar 26, 2010 : 8:49 a.m.
Lol I don't think that that the majority of the Republicans commenting here quite understand. You can't build an economy on the infrastructure. There has to be a manufacturing base...what we have now is a swing to the service side of "Goods and Services". We need a manufacturing policey in this country that insures and assures that there is a balance in trade. We don't have that now. A few thousand workers improving roads and bridges will not "reinvent" Michigan. I'm not suggesting a move to protectionism...it didn't work. I am suggesting that we put in place a balanced trade deficit, a manufacturing policy that insures that balance. AND a return to a balance of goods and services. Otherwise we will continue to see the same things tried over and over and that is a sure way to go down, not only here in Michigan but across our entire Country.
Barb
Fri, Mar 26, 2010 : 8:41 a.m.
Good questions, Gribble. These are the sorts of things we really need to know.
Ram
Fri, Mar 26, 2010 : 8:41 a.m.
What do you mean, the rich get off easy? I just don't understand why you think the rich are getting off easy. When you say that you believe some people get rich because the system benefits them, I must assume you are talking about special interests in government. I completely agree the we need to get lobbyists out of our government, so that they can make the best decisions for all, not just what benefits the special interets. This goes for both corporation lobbyists and labor lobbyists (remember, the greatest donator to state and federal campaigns in 2008 was the NEA, the teachers union). The process of government picking winners and losers so that politicians can get reelected with corporate or union money is something Rick talks about often, and is a reason he is not taking special interest funding to finance his campaign.
Ram
Fri, Mar 26, 2010 : 8:32 a.m.
I believe Snyder's involvement with Ann Arbor SPARK has been extremely beneficial to the community, and is something that I would like to see him expand in communities across the state. Tom: I'm pleased you followed the link, and now I'm happy to agree to disagree. I think Snyder is on the right track by taking the perspective of: if we lower state taxes and reduce the size of state government, nurture the growth of businesses communities in Michigan, bring more income into the pockets of Michigan citizens, have citizens pay local taxes to the areas that truly provide needed services that taxpayers are willing to pay for, then we will have a much more productive system. The current system of a large bureaucracy is not working and we all know it. That being said, we can't just eliminate the state government of course - we need large infrastructure, we need regions in Michigan to work together, etc.
Tom Wieder
Fri, Mar 26, 2010 : 8:11 a.m.
@stunhsif- "what has he ever done for his community or state". "A hell of a lot more than either you or I Tom. Look at his charitable giving for one thing. The other is he pays more in state and federal taxes than your and my gross incomes combined so don't simply make ignorant statements without the facts. The guy has brought jobs to A2 as well." I don't know anything about your income or charitable giving, or Rick Snyder's, and you certainly know nothing about mine, so this comment is based on....well....nothing. He supposedly pays more in taxes than you and me. If true, I guess it's because he's richer. So, being rich and paying your required taxes is a mark of doing something for your community? Many local entrepreneurs have, as part of operating a business to make money for themselves, brought jobs to their communities. It means they know how to operate a certain business, not that they know how to run a government, where service, rather than profit, is the goal.
Dan H
Fri, Mar 26, 2010 : 8:04 a.m.
It doesn't matter if Rick is saying the "right things." The only thing that matters are actions and experience gained that are based on them. The problem with our broken government, and here I am not just talking about Michigan but the entire country, is that people for too long have judged politicians on their rhetoric. As such, generally speaking we've ended up with a bunch of Ivy League law schoolers who had no authentic real world experience. Especially crucial, most of them have no real world experience in starting or growing a company in the private sector. Are you an entrepreneur, in the true sense of the word? (Not to be confused with "businessman" who abuse and use government to further their own agenda and market position) Then you're an entirely different species compared to a typical politician, who make careers out of creating rules and regulations entrepreneurs must abide by without even understanding what it's like to have to abide by them or the hurdles they create. Rick seems shrewd and I really like his background. I don't think Rick is going to get in on just appealing to Republicans. (I have never voted Republican or Democrat in my entire life). I think if he wins, it's going to be the swing voters like me who are just sick and tired of this whole rotten, corrupt system exploiting the productive class who compete on true merit not nepotism or government favoritism. I have gone through Rick's web site and even though I don't agree with all of his views, I am seeing him as our shining shot at making a real--POSITIVE---difference. I am going to hear him speak locally. And if I warm to him even more, I will even throw my own time, energy, and resources behind him. Rick will never be able to appeal to the entitlement-minded leeches that now so permeate our society. But hopefully there are enough swing voters like me out there who are going to shake things up at this vital juncture. Go Rick, go.
Tom Wieder
Fri, Mar 26, 2010 : 8:01 a.m.
Ram- I followed your link. Not impressed. First, Rick seems a bit confused, talking simultaneously about the cycle of "tax hikes" and "dramatically declining revenues." Huh? Fact is, we've been cutting taxes in Michigan, based on the GOP view that this will magically create jobs. Michigan's economy is in the tank primarily because of the problems of the auto industry, which has little to do with the level of state taxation and more with global market conditions. I looked at Rick's "Government Efficiency and Transparency" paper. Of $2.365 billion in proposed savings, $1.465 billion is from reducing pay and benefits for state employees, and $750 million comes out of the hide of local governments. The only proposed efficiencies in state government - all of $150 million - are reducing Dept. of Corrections overtime and improving Information Technology management and procurement policies. So, state employees and local governments will fund the business tax cuts, build the new roads and take care of the multi-billion-dollar structural deficit. Yeah, right!
Ram
Fri, Mar 26, 2010 : 7:59 a.m.
Gateway shipped jobs out of the country when Rick Snyder was CEO? I was not aware...care to share some evidence of that please? fjord: As I said, please check out his policy papers to see where he plans on getting his money. The figures are there.
dennisd49
Fri, Mar 26, 2010 : 7:53 a.m.
It's amazing how Unions go to the top of the list of most peoples favorite whipping boy. If it was left up to the right or the "Right to Work" folks we'd still be making $5.00 / hour with no benefits. While I will agree that there are some union workers that don't put out a real effort the vast majority DO! You have the same situation in most work situations. Without Unions there would be no "middle class", no company paid benefits, no minimum wage. Ask yourself...."could I survive, feed my kids, pay for schools, own a home, pay for health care, or any of the things that the "middle class" takes for granted? Minimum wage is BELOW the poverty level in this country. Mr. Snyder has not given us one differnt idea that we haven't seen by Republican in the past. It's the same Businessmen that ship thousands of job outside of the state and outside of the country every day that he would give "BREAKS" to. How many jobs did Gateway move to another country. What did he do to help his worker's then. Even if he wasn't CEO of Gateway at the time these jobs left he could have brought them back....did he? Ask yourself...Do you want More OF the SAME?
Top Cat
Fri, Mar 26, 2010 : 7:51 a.m.
I've said before that I've been hesitant to support Mr. Snyder as he is a political novice. However, I'm warming up to this guy, especially seeing how another "political novice" Dave Bing has been doing in Detroit. We need someone who can credibly put out the welcome sign to business development and jobs for our people.
stunhsif
Fri, Mar 26, 2010 : 7:36 a.m.
@TomWeider, "what has he ever done for his community or state". A hell of a lot more than either you or I Tom. Look at his charitable giving for one thing. The other is he pays more in state and federal taxes than your and my gross incomes combined so don't simply make ignorant statements without the facts. The guy has brought jobs to A2 as well.
Ignatz
Fri, Mar 26, 2010 : 7:29 a.m.
Wasn't Gov. Dukakis a nerd? I'll still keep an open mind about Mr. Snyder.
Diagenes
Fri, Mar 26, 2010 : 7:27 a.m.
Great turn out last night. The crowd asked good questions, (very few softballs). Rick is an impressive person. He appears to have a well reasoned plan to move Michigan forward. I believe he has the intellectual power and experience to be an effective chief executive.
Tom Wieder
Fri, Mar 26, 2010 : 7:26 a.m.
For Snyder's sake, I hope that this article doesn't capture the essence of his campaign, because there's really nothing there. He wants to cut business taxes by $1.5 billion and spend $1-1.5 billion more on roads, using a state government that is starved for revenue almost down to 1960's levels. The only overspending he identifies is a park-and-ride lot. This is the same kind of "fuzzy math" we've been getting from Republicans since Reagan, which has resulted in massive new debt, stagnant middle-class incomes and huge increases in the income of the richest 1%. Let's see a proposed budget, Mr. Nerd! He says that "social issues aren't on his agenda." Nice dodge, but the next time a draconian restriction on a woman's right to choose passes the Legislature, will he sign it, or veto it, as every recent Democratic governor, and one of his heroes, Bill Milliken, would have done? His 10-point plan for Michigan is just the same platitudes any politician would offer: Create jobs, cut taxes, protect the environment, enhance Michigan's image....blah, blah, blah....but not a single specific. Besides getting personally rich in business, what has he ever done for his community or the state? What demonstrates that he knows how to make government work?
Do not taunt Happy Fun Ball
Fri, Mar 26, 2010 : 6:34 a.m.
Rick's Resume' is far better than those he is running against - on either side of the isle.
plhjr
Fri, Mar 26, 2010 : 6:33 a.m.
I'm a self labeled progressive and will vote for Mr. Synder if he can get make it through the GOP primary. He has the best ideas for turning around the state with a much needed centrist viewpoint. Sorry unions, but everyone else in the country has to work hard for their pay and benefits, so should you.
Ram
Fri, Mar 26, 2010 : 6:15 a.m.
I urge everyone to get informed about the candidates running for Governor of Michigan. I was there last night and I was really impressed with how Rick answered the crowd's questions. Rick Snyder has my vote!
a2grateful
Fri, Mar 26, 2010 : 6:15 a.m.
Great educational background in pertinent government-related areas... Party affiliated, yet oriented to system and relation reform... Sees government as a provider of NEEDED service to constituents... Sense of "self grandeur" ends at the word nerd... Knows that MI has a chance to sink far lower in this decade-long miserable spiral, if it continues on its "same old path"... Has a plan for MI's turnaround... I wish we had more leaders like him... Best to Mr. Snyder!
AlphaAlpha
Fri, Mar 26, 2010 : 6:06 a.m.
Mr. Snyder appears to be saying the right things. He has an excellent chance.