December 09, 2005
December 9, 2005
Governor Highlights Necessary Actions in Radio Address
LANSING – In her weekly radio address, Governor Jennifer M. Granholm today expressed her disappointment with the Bush Administration for telling Michigan’s auto manufacturers they are on their own when it comes to unfair trade practices and the high cost of pensions and health care.
“This is an unacceptable response to our manufacturing crises,” Granholm said. “Our manufacturers and our workers are being asked to compete on a global playing field where the rules are not fair.”
In an Internet congressional committee testimony on Tuesday, Granholm outlined specific actions Washington leadership should take to level the playing field and assist not only automakers but the hundreds of thousands of workers and families who rely on Michigan’s manufacturing economy.
“We are working hard in Michigan to help our manufacturers, but we need to have a partner in the federal government,” Granholm said
The Governor’s proposed actions included:
• enforcing our trade laws, ending currency manipulation to compel other countries to play by fair rules, and strengthening intellectual property protections;
• reducing administrative burdens on employers and treating our manufacturing sector fairly so pension promises made to workers can be kept; and,
• alleviating high health care costs for our manufacturers by making health care information a priority and creating a catastrophic insurance pool.
Granholm also outlined these actions last month during a meeting with Michigan’s Congressional Delegation. The meeting resulted in a bipartisan consensus on several recommendations to help domestic manufacturers now.
The Governor’s weekly radio address is released each Friday at 10:00 a.m. and may be heard on broadcast stations across that state through an affiliation with the Michigan Association of Broadcasters. The address will also be available on the Governor’s Website on Mondays as a podcast for general distribution to personal MP3 players and home computers.
Broadcasters Note: Governor Granholm’s radio address can be accessed through Sunday evening exclusively through the Members Only page of the Michigan association of Broadcasters website.
Publishers Note: The text of today’s address is attached.
