FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
News from Progress Michigan
October 28, 2013
Contact: Sam Inglot, 616-916-0574, sam@progressmichigan.org
Progress Michigan Calls on Gov. Rick Snyder to Come Back to Reality
Snyder’s policies have made Michigan anything but the “Comeback State”
DETROIT — As Gov. Rick Snyder testifies today in the historic and unprecedented Detroit bankruptcy hearings, he is also on trial when it comes to the court of public opinion. Snyder has been pushing a “Comeback State” mantra, claiming that things in Michigan are on the up-and-up because of his policies. The judge and jury in this case — the people of Michigan — know that Snyder and his policies are guilty of failing the state.
“While Snyder takes the stand, it’s important to note who he has taken a stand for throughout his tenure — big business and the far-right. Snyder has continually attacked the working families of Michigan in order to push his corporate-minded agenda. It’s time Governor Snyder came back to reality,” said Lonnie Scott, executive director of Progress Michigan. “His right-wing policies are only benefiting his buddies in big business, while they leave working Michiganders behind.”
The results of Snyder’s policies are clear: They’ve resulted in increasing unemployment, less money in the pockets of working Michiganders and uncertainty about the future of the state. While Snyder’s rhetoric may make it sound like Michigan is the “Comeback State” the numbers tell a different story:
–A decrease in media household income, making Michigan the worst in the country
–A $1.8 billion tax cut for big business — paid for by school children, seniors and working people
–Failing to mention that half of Michigan’s initial $1.5 billion deficit was because of his tax cut for corporations, and deposit into the Rainy Day Fund
-An increase in the per-capita debt burden from $2,373 to $2,646 in 2012
-A 0.4 percent decrease in the per-capita income last quarter
-A decelerated gross domestic product, dropping from 3.5 percent to 2.3 percent in 2012
“The governor rode his high horse into Lansing proclaiming himself to be a businessman who would turn Michigan around and be the most transparent governor in history,” continued Scott. “All he has shown us in three years is that he is a run of the mill politician who can’t produce on any of his legislative priorities, that he is truly One Weak Geek.”