Tomorrow Gov. Snyder will deliver his second State of the State speech, and we’ll hear a lot about what a great job he thinks his administration is doing. Before we get ahead of ourselves though, let’s look at a quick recap of 2011:
- At last year’s State of the State, Gov. Snyder famously said, “Job one is jobs.”
- But instead of working together to actually create good jobs that pay a fair wage, the Legislature decided to attack our students, seniors and working families.
- The new $343 million tax on pensions will mean less money for seniors living on a fixed income to pay for gas, groceries and prescription drugs.
- In fact, the average retiree will pay an extra $870 in new taxes this year.
- That ultimately means less money in the pockets of small business owners to hire more workers – which in turn will hurt our local economies even more.
- After a year on the job, this administration has failed to offer a bold, aggressive plan to make Michigan a worldwide leader in clean energy sources like wind and solar – which have the potential to create thousands of good-paying jobs right here in Michigan.
- Perhaps the biggest power grab of the past year was the new Emergency Manager law, which gives unelected political appointees unchecked power to run our communities, take away collective bargaining rights, sell off parks, schools and other public assets, cancel contracts, and oust local elected officials. Let’s not forget that many of these so-called “financial emergencies” were created by the Legislature’s drastic cuts to public schools and local community services.
Perhaps just as troubling as Gov. Snyder’s year of broken promises in 2011 is his inability to hold himself to the same standards he sets for others. According to the Detroit Free Press, only six of his 21 dashboard measurements include information from his term as Governor. Meanwhile, Gov. Snyder has forced local governments to produce identical dashboards on a strict deadline with updated information, regardless of whether they already had effective metrics in place.
Is this what Gov. Snyder meant when he spoke of “shared sacrifice” and “holding everyone accountable” on the campaign trail?
Gov. Snyder has forgotten that what’s good for the goose is good for the gander. Join us in our live-chat of Gov. Snyder’s State of the State address and help us hold Gov. Snyder to the same standards of transparency and accountability that he sets for everyone else. Together, we can make sure Michigan has the right priorities in 2012.
You can watch Gov. Snyder’s State of the State live-stream, enjoy a choice selection of tweets and Facebook posts from around the state while participating with the hashtag #MISOTS, and comment and engage with other Michiganders looking to make a difference – all in one place!
Although he would never describe himself as a politician, Gov. Snyder has apparently been too busy politicking with his big business buddies, placating the far-right ideologues in the state Legislature, and kowtowing to the Mackinac Center to spend any time holding himself accountable to the goals he laid out at his last State of the State.
When it comes to protecting Michigan’s working families, it’s clear Lansing politicians – especially Gov. Snyder – have the wrong priorities, and our state is headed in the wrong direction.
We didn’t let him off the hook in 2011 and aren’t going to let him off the hook in 2012. Join us tonight and give your response to Gov. Snyder’s State of the State.