My friends in Michigan: I need your help re: Snyder's record...

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

A friend and colleague of mind, very smart and fairly progressive, is working in Flint on a detail that covers homelessness, poverty, and urban issues. Well, I was shocked to learn that she really likes Snyder. In fact, she says that despite the state basically overruling democratic elections in Detroit, he has done a "great job" for Detroit and Flint.

I don't much about this guy, other than he's a Teabagging idiot! But I thought he screwed up the state's budget, laid off so many teachers and other state employees. Has he expanded Medicaid?

I need to be able to counter my colleague's proclamation and need your help on Synder's record:

-education
-jobs
-poverty
-budget/state deficit (I'm sure state constitution requires a balanced budget)
-social programs
-environment

Anything you can send for my "opposition research", I would be grateful to have in my information arsenal.

Thanks in advance! GOTV!!



LS71

[louis-t]

1. State Constitution DOES require balanced budget.

In his ads, Snyder says he was handed a $1.5 bil deficit. He was. What he doesn't tell you is that the previous repug gov (Engler) left Dem Granholm a $4 bil deficit, and she got it down to $1.5 bil. Engler used accounting tricks to pretend to balance the budget, putting off some things until the following year which left Granholm blindsided by the debt when they discovered it during an audit.

Snyder HAS cut education money. He is in favor of charter schools which are no better than public schools and in some cases have been found to be corrupt.

He finally did agree to expansion of Medicaid, not sure if fully implemented yet.

He did agree to raise the minimum wage S-L-O-W-L-Y. By the time it gets to $9 or wherever they ended up at, it will have minimum effect on the economy or peoples' wallets.

He also gave his staff (about 150 people I think) a huge raise, as did Engler ("We have to attract good people" was his excuse).

Oh, and let's not forget, he cancelled most of the movie industry incentives which immediately put 4,000 people out of work or forced them to move to a different state. The number of startup businesses that were affected (casting companies, location companies, transportation related, housing, catering, etc) is in addition to the 4,000. Studios were being built and people were investing millions in our state. Snyder said 'we can't afford it' and now Ohio and Georgia are benefiting from his stupidity.

[catbyte]

2. Not to mention his Right to Fire worker betrayal & his dinging disabled & retired people by taxing

pensions to the tune of $1.87B only to give it to his buddies in business to the tune of that very same $1.87B. Despicable.

[Festivito]

3. held back medicare expansion for a few months.

That probably only killed a few persons.

Changed us to a right to work (more for less pay) state after decades of lawmaking surrounding protected workers.

Engler left that deficit and lower tax rate that took effect AFTER he left office. In the mean time, he reduced services putting the mentally ill out on the streets. Mostly Detroit was burdened with the cost.

Then our sales tax went from 4% to 6%.

We had a surplus in our catastrophic insurance fund. So, it disappeared. Now we have high rates and are told we have to go forward with capped benefits.

Snyder raised taxes on retirees. That should be his Achilles heel.

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

5. But it seems like Michiganers are drinking the kool-aid and supporting him

AGAIN. There was no reason why Verg B. should not have beat him. He turned Lansing's failing economy around, but was defeated in 2010 because not enough people showed up to vote.

I know Snyder is the devil but I cannot understand how Michigan went from a great governor like Jennifer Granholm to a snake like Snyder. I just can't understand that.

[Festivito]

6. Media matters.

The media drilled into us that Granholm was doing nothing to create jobs. Then she got sick. And where was she? She was on a trip getting jobs. Suddenly, they quit saying she wasn't trying to get jobs.

Term limits forced two new candidates unknown to us. There was one debate. No one saw it. I tried to find it and couldn't. I wanted to talk about it. I never even found commentary on the debate That supposedly happened!

We may end up looking like we're drinking kool-aid. But the re- publicans will drink swill as long as their benefactors, tell them it tastes good.

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

4. Everyone, thank you so much for these points. They are helping me to put together

arguments to present to my colleague.

I really appreciate this.