Snyder focused on jobs in second State of State

By Kathy Barks Hoffman Associated Press LANSING (AP) -- An upbeat Gov. Rick Snyder said Wednesday in his second State of the State address that Michigan is now adding jobs, living within its means and poised for an even better year ahead if lawmakers approve new projects boosting the economy such as a bridge linking Canada and Detroit. The Republican didn't propose many sweeping changes for the year ahead, saying he wanted to focus instead on finishing what didn't get done last year. That includes putting an exchange in place so the uninsured can shop for health insurance, raising $1.4 billion more for road and bridge repairs, outlawing elder abuse, fighting obesity, lowering crime rates and getting more computerized teaching used in classrooms. The speech got lots of applause from GOP lawmakers but drew disappointed comments from Democrats and those who wanted more emphasis on dealing with issues such as poverty, education and the tens of thousands of residents still looking for work or better jobs. They criticized the speech for being largely a rehash of the governor's pro-business initiatives and not about the problems affecting average Michigan residents. "Snyder's speech was heavy on happy talk and light on specifics about how we can put people back to work," said Todd Cook of We Are the People, a coalition that unsuccessfully fought efforts to lessen jobless and workers compensation benefits last year. "It's clear the governor wants to give even more handouts to big corporations that outsource jobs at the expense of our kids, seniors and working families," Cook added. "To get our economy moving again, we need our elected leaders to stop the partisan games and start working together to build an economy that works for everyone." Democrats opposed the cuts the Snyder administration and GOP lawmakers made to public schools, universities and local governments and want the state to offer free college tuition to high school graduates, noting rising tuition costs have made it harder for many to attend school. Snyder didn't offer any spending specifics, however, leaving those plans for his Feb. 9 budget presentation. Instead, he praised private businesses for helping improve Michigan's economy last year by adding 80,000 manufacturing, service and other jobs, helping to push the unemployment rate down to 9.3 percent. That's the lowest the rate has been since September 2008 and is nearly 2 percentage points lower than when Snyder took office a year ago. Some of the drop is attributable to people who have stopped looking for work or moved out of state. And not all sectors have seen growth. Michigan lost 13,000 government jobs last year as public schools, universities and local governments handed out pink slips because of state cuts. "A lot of the positives he took credit for, like the lowest unemployment rate since 2008 and the comeback of the auto industry, were the result of President Obama's policies, not his," said Democratic Sen. Bert Johnson of Highland Park. Snyder's new priorities in 2012 include asking the Legislature to put the Education Achievement Authority that will oversee failing schools into statute so its legal authority is clear. An EAA has been created to oversee failing Detroit schools starting in September, but more schools in the state could fall under its wing once the law is in place. Snyder also wants to work with the Legislature to pass new laws requiring candidates and political groups to file campaign financial reports more frequently and banning public employees in charge of government contracts from going to work for a company that gets government contracts for at least six months after they leave their government job. He didn't blame Republicans who have blocked his drive to build the New International Trade Crossing over the Detroit River, but urged them to reconsider. "Let's not let special interests hold back a great opportunity for job creation, especially since this project can be done without any Michigan taxpayer dollars," he told lawmakers. "We need to continue our efforts since it's not a bridge issue, it's a jobs issue." Snyder recapped the changes made during his first year in office, including cutting business taxes by over $1 billion, asking retirees and other individual taxpayers to pay more, strengthening the powers of financial managers overseeing failing cities, requiring schools and local governments to look for ways to operate more efficiently and creating a state website that will help workers find jobs and figure out the skills they need to succeed. Critics are collecting signatures to try to put a referendum on the financial manager law on the ballot in November because the managers can throw out collective bargaining agreements and take away powers from elected officials. Snyder defended the law, saying it has been used rarely since enacted and won't be used to place a financial manager in Detroit if city officials and unions can agree on how to get the city back on its feet. Snyder said the cost of doing business in Michigan has been lowered in the state, encouraging businesses to start planning expansions and new investments. Democratic lawmakers and others criticized the move, however, saying businesses have been helped at the expense of workers. Snyder tied other aspects of his speech to job growth, such as his 2012 focus on driving down crime rates through a combination of new jobs and other improvements. Snyder plans to give a special policy speech on the topic in March. He also expects to focus on energy and the environment, with a policy address planned for fall. "We cannot afford to slow down," the governor said in wrapping up the 52-minute speech. "We must maintain the sense of urgency we had all of last year. We must finish what we started." Published: Fri, Jan 20, 2012