groups. Facing a large number of tough issues in the Legislature, my votes are guided by the values developed over my lifetime living in the West Branch area and my vision for improving the quality of life in northern Michigan. Below is a list of the major issues currently facing state government and a summary of my positions. For a more in-depth view of my voting record, including the bills and amendments I have introduced, please visit the independent and non-partisan website:
www.michiganvotes.org.
Creating Jobs
Job creation in northern Michigan is Priority #1 and we are making progress at re-building the region's economy with a greater degree of diversity and seasonal stability than it has ever had in the past. The opening of the new aircraft repair hanger at Oscoda and mulch manufacturing plant at West Branch are two recent examples. Plans to build an ethanol plant in McBain and a long awaited year-round amusement park project between Grayling and Roscommon are well underway, providing exciting new opportunities for
northern Michigan tourism. Hospitals such as the West Branch Regional Medical Center and St. Joseph Health System in Tawas City are providing new medical careers as well as innovative patient services. By attracting these high-skill, living-wage service and manufacturing job opportunities we are building a future economy that is more resistant to economic fluctuations and outsourcing.
Tax Incentives and Investment
It has become obvious over the past decade that a passive approach to job creation through general tax cuts does not yield results. Instead, Michigan must take an active approach to investing in the state's future by providing the infrastructure and resources that will attract new business to our state. Targeted tax incentives are also part of the solution. The new film production incentive, for example, has attracted $233 million in revenue in just nine weeks through film production contracts. Investments in alternative energy, aerospace and bio-science are also returning big dividends.
Improving Education
Our schools should provide a relevant education to all of our students, whether they choose to study at a 4-year college, a community college or begin work after graduation. Michigan should support opportunities in career technical programs to ensure that our students graduate with the skills employers need. Graduation requirements must reflect the needs of students and their future employers and not simply be targeted toward standardized tests. We must fully fund public education, particularly in rural schools and schools with declining enrollment to provide the individual attention and resources necessary to provide a quality
learning environment. Finally, we must support the rights of parents to offer an alternative means of education if they find it in the best interest of their children.
Developing Energy Alternatives
Michigan's energy strategy should be affordable, domestically produced and renewable. The spiraling
increases in gasoline and diesel show the very negative impact our dependence on foreign oil has on the economy. We must begin to wean ourselves off of petroleum. Bio-diesel and ethanol, particularly ethanol produced from wood cellulose rather than corn, offer a short-term solution while development continues on all-electric and fuel cell technologies. Tax incentives for both consumers and producers along with progressive requirements for renewable fuels will provide the incentive for the implementation of future fuels. Increasing the use of renewable electric sources such as hydroelectric, wind turbines, and solar along with nuclear power will provide clean and economically stable alternatives to volatile energy costs.
Expanding Recreation Opportunity
Northern Michigan's natural resources attract many visitors and new residents to the area. Providing expanded outdoor recreational opportunities is key to economic growth. Recognizing that different communities have different needs, providing local control over recreational access issues such as ORVs/ATVs on county roads and the use of public road ends on inland lakes makes more sense than a
one-size-fits-all approach. The state must restore general fund support to outdoor recreation programs rather than relying on huge increases in user fees. Hunter retention is a major challenge as well and is being addressed through new policies providing for no-net-loss of public hunting lands, the creation of special hunting seasons for youth and the disabled, expanding opportunities during the current bow season and improving the quality of the state's deer herd. Work is also underway to protect recreational fishing from the threat of cormorants to fish populations in the Great Lakes and larger inland lakes and large-scale water withdrawals that threaten cold water trout streams.
Veterans
The state has a duty to provide support for all veterans: from honoring those who saved the free world during the Second World War, providing medical assistance to those who acquired disabilities during service in Korea and Vietnam and offering higher education opportunities and readjustment support to our men and women returning from Afghanistan and Iraq. Our state's military veterans of all past and current wars, conflicts and peacetime service have made an extraordinary contribution to all of us and they deserve
special social and legal distinctions.
Protecting Private Property Rights
Property ownership is at the heart of the American Dream. Over the past two years, efforts have been underway to better protect the rights of private property owners. These include legislative efforts to better control recreational trespass and privacy as well as placing limits on the theft of land through adverse possession. Adapting regulations to the needs of property owners though private lot timber management, wetlands mitigation and beach grooming allows property owners to make better use of their land while
minimizing environmental impact.
Defending Basic Values
From simple things like the community identity created though high school sports to much larger issues like the defense of human life, we must remain committed to defending our basic beliefs in a quickly changing world. Classic American values such as personal responsibility, providing opportunities for common people to improve their lot in life through hard work, treating the elderly with respect and Constitutional protections such as the right of individuals to keep and bear arms are far from outdated concepts. It is these values which will continue to make America a "shining beacon" in the world long into the future.
