Although it is not on par with the excitement and press attention surrounding the State of the Union address in early January, Governor Jennifer Granholm’s upcoming State of the State address could be just as important not only for her career, but for Michigan Democrats in the future--and for good reason, as Michigan faces the nation’s highest unemployment rate for months, an auto industry that is still facing enormous challenges, and a public school system in Detroit that is consistently rated as one of America’s most under-performing districts.
The stakes are high for the Governor to not only defend her eight year record, but to lay the foundation for proposals that could propel a Democrat to the GovernorsMansion in 2011. She may have her work cut out for her, as Republican Gubernatorial candidate and Attorney General Mike Cox is currently poised to win over Democratic candidates according to a recent poll.
As she takes the podium for her eighth and final time as Governor, she will undoubtedly attempt to pass the blame for a variety of social and economic issues that have remained during her tenure. For one thing, Granholm will have to explain her plan to create jobs in the state, as Michigan experiences a nearly 15-percent unemployment rate. While the careless lending by banks was the major factor in creating the crisis in the first place, Granholm’s management in office seems to have exacerbated the problem. A $1.58 billion deficit in the 2011 budget has been created, likely because of increased spending (which hasn’t stemmed the unemployment rate) and falling tax revenues. Tax increases seem to be inevitable, which will put further strain on the middle class and small businesses. It will take a grand effort for her to pass the buck and play the victim on Wednesday night.
Granholm needs to explain the now-common trend of growing union membership in the Michigan government. According to newly released data by the MackinacCenter for Public Policy, a think tank in Midland, union members in governmental jobs jumped nearly five percent from 2008 to 2009. Nearly 315,000 out of 710,000 government employees in the state belong to a union. This trend is troubling, as increasing union membership will not only put more strain on the already-fragile Michigan budget, but will conveniently politicize the civil service workforce, allowing Democratic causes to be advanced, even if Republicans take Lansing in 2011. Michigan has historically been friendly to unions, but as union membership in the private sector has fallen across America, Granholm simply appears to be catering to unions in the public sector for political gain.
One of the most glaring problems among students that taints Granholm’s record is rising tuition costs at Michigan universities. It is true that the tuition hikes are not as severe as in the University of California system (where tuition rates will have risen 30 percent for undergraduates by summer 2010), but in a state where the Great Recession has been fully unleashed, students are feeling uncertain about their economic futures upon leaving Ann Arbor. Additionally, students are upset about the future of the Michigan Promise Scholarship, a merit-based scholarship that provides up to $4,000 for in-state students to attend Michigan universities. So far, it has been alleged that over 6,000 U-M students will lose this tuition supplement in the coming year. To be honest, however, it simply appears that the money is not coming back. Granholm should simply say “I’m sorry” to Michigan students. That proposal could be a little dicey, however. It is even being speculated that up to 1,000 students will be standing outside of the capital during Granholm’s address, protesting the rising costs of higher education.
This is a ripe time for Michigan Republicans to ride upon the difficulties within the Granholm administration. Democrats will have to save face in order to avoid a rout come November. Granholm can take a large step in the right direction by moving to the center, focusing on tax-cuts, deregulation, and small government solutions to Michigan’s problems. Unfortunately, we expect the Governor to continue her habit of spinning the facts and reframing her image for political gain.
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