March 09, 2007
March 9, 2007
LANSING - In her weekly radio address, Governor Jennifer M. Granholm today discussed the common ground found with citizens from across the state in a series of town hall meetings this week. Granholm also previewed her trip to meet with executives and business leaders in Germany and Austria, part of her ongoing effort to bring jobs to Michigan.
"We all want to make Michigan economically competitive and to ensure that our state creates opportunity for all our people and for our kids," Granholm said. "With all this common ground, the big question we faced in the town halls, and that we face now as a state, is: how do we get to that vision?"
Granholm highlighted the aggressive economic plan that she has already set in motion and the steps she has laid out to kick the plan into overdrive. The governor is pushing for more investment in affordable college, in job training, and in diversifying the economy.
In order to move forward with Michigan's economic plan, it is critical that lawmakers take swift action to solve Michigan's fiscal crisis. Granholm reiterated the importance of reaching a resolution with the Legislature by March 16. If an agreement is not reached by then, the governor will ask the leadership to work together non-stop with her administration until an agreement is reached.
Granholm also said she will continue to go anywhere and do anything to win investments that will diversify the economy and bring jobs to Michigan. This week the governor is traveling to Germany and Austria to pursue private investments in Michigan that will create jobs and bring cutting-edge technology companies to the state.
"I'll meet face-to-face with business leaders and executives to persuade them that Michigan is the best place in the world for them to grow their businesses," Granholm said. "I'll be fighting for investments and new jobs for Michigan citizens so that we can keep pushing forward."
The governor's weekly radio address is released each Friday morning and may be heard on broadcast stations across the state through an affiliation with the Michigan Association of Broadcasters. The address will also be available on the Governor's Web site 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 Web site.
Publishers Note: The text of today's address is attached.
# # #
Governor Jennifer M. Granholm
Friday, March 9, 2007
This is Governor Jennifer Granholm.
All week I've been meeting with residents at town halls across the state to talk about Michigan's future.
In the course of our conversations, which have included a great cross-section of opinions and perspectives, three common points have emerged. First, Michigan is facing unprecedented challenges - no one disagrees. Second, none of us want to give up on our state. Third, and most important as we push forward, we have a shared vision for Michigan's future, we all want to make Michigan economically competitive, and to ensure that our state creates opportunity for all our people and for our kids. We want Michigan to be the best state to live, learn and earn.
With all this common ground, the big question we faced in the town halls, and that we face now as a state, is how do we get to that vision, to the next Michigan where our people prosper, our kids have bright opportunities, our industries thrive in the global economy?
Michigan already has an aggressive economic plan - the most aggressive in the nation in fact. It's rooted in the simple notion that in order for our state to be competitive in the future, we've got to invest in our people to give our people the tools they need to be successful. That economic plan is already underway and I've laid out the next steps to kick that plan into overdrive - more investment in affordable college, in job training and diversifying the economy. But - as I've shared with citizens across the state that economic plan - and the things we have to do to give Michigan a chance to really compete in the future - is threatened by the state's budget crisis.
The citizens I've met with this week clearly understand this crisis. Many of them told me they're already feeling the pinch of programs that we've had to trim as part of the $3 billion that I've already cut from our state budget over the past four years. While we didn't reach a consensus this week on how to solve our fiscal crisis, I think we did agree that we need to act and we need to act soon. A legislative team is working with the administration on a resolution. If this resolution doesn't happen by March 16, I'm asking leadership to meet nonstop with me until we have an agreement to resolve this crisis.
At the same time we work in Lansing to make sure that our state's budget crisis doesn't prevent us from implementing the kind of economic stimulus Michigan needs, I'm going abroad to bring jobs back home. I've said I'll go anywhere to bring jobs to Michigan. So next week I'm traveling to Germany and Austria where I'll meet face to face with business leaders and executives to persuade them that Michigan is the best place in the world for them to grow their businesses - and the best place in the world to expand and to create jobs.
I'll be fighting for investments and new jobs for Michigan citizens, so that we can keep pushing forward.
Thank you for listening.
