CMU lets late lead slip away against BGSU, 1B
Monday, Nov. 1, 2010
Get to know issues, candidates on each page inside
Central Michigan Life
Mount Pleasant, Mich.
[cm-life.com]
Back Bernero
On Tuesday, Virg Bernero and Rick Snyder are up for election. One will be Michigan’s ...
Support Snyder
Brad O’Donnell Columnist
Nathan Inks Columnist
V
irg Bernero has the plan and the experience to make Michigan work again. Bernero has a No. 1 priority, and that is jobs. Jobs for the currently unemployed, and a job for you and I after college. Bernero has come up with incredibly innovative ideas on how to get businesses up and running, and most importantly, hiring again. One idea Bernero has is a Michigan-owned state bank. It is no secret that the giant Wall Street banks have redlined Michigan business because they think Michigan is doomed to failure. A Michigan-owned bank would partner with community banks and credit unions to offer lines of credit to businesses, so that they can expand and hire more workers. Only one other state in America does this, North Dakota. North Dakota currently has an unemployment rate of 3.7 percent; America as a whole has an unemployment rate of almost 10%. The results speak for themselves. Another fantastic idea is Bernero’s “Make it in Michigan for free” proposal. The idea is simple: in targeted areas throughout Michigan, if a business chooses to redevelop an abandoned factory into an advanced manufacturing plant, they can do so without paying any taxes whatsoever, for up to 12 years with no state or local taxes of any kind. This idea is particularly exciting because it is fighting fire with fire: China has been doing this for 10 years, and obviously they have had monumental results. Bernero also has a commitment to college and university funding. Bernero knows Michigan has a responsibility to young people, so he supports a restoration of the Michigan Promise Scholarship and college funding in general. As far as Bernero is concerned, education funding is in itself economic development. He has controversially proposed a university tuition freeze, proving that education funding is a Bernero and a Michigan value. If families have to tighten their belts, universities should as well. A question that will arise in a rational mind is, even if the gubernatorial candidates have ideas, how will they get them passed? A Bernero| 10A
[inside] IN FOCUS Check out our collection of images of costumes from this Halloween, 3A SPORTS Soccer advances to second round of MAC tournament, 1B CM-LIFE.COM Watch the site for this week’s episode of SportsLine before next issue, 1B
Weather High 50/ Low 28 Sunny
M
illustration by Kim Patishnock
NEXT GOVERNOR By Maria Amante Staff Reporter
M
ost gubernatorial pre-election discussion has focused on jobs and the Michigan economy, but Maxine Berman, Griffin Endowed Chair and Gov. Jennifer Granholm’s director of Special Projects, said there are other problems which should not be overlooked. “I’ve never seen an election where the economy isn’t a big issue, but voters would be remiss in not expecting candidates to talk about other major issues,” said Berman. She said higher education, K-12, the environment and corrections are all also integral to this campaign season. An EPIC/MRA poll of 600 likely voters was conducted Oct. 23-26. It gave Republican Ann Arbor businessman Rick Snyder 55 percent of the vote, and Democrat
Lansing mayor Virg Bernero 37 percent of the vote. Another EPIC/MRA poll names the economy as the most important issue to 58 percent of 600 likely voters, followed by education and funding for public schools. Economy Bernero dubbed his platform the “Main Street Agenda.” His “Make it in Michigan for Free” initiative abates taxes for businesses for 12 years if they make older buildings viable. He wants to create a “Main Street Bank” to free up capital for small business. He and Snyder both want to eliminate the Michigan Business Tax. Snyder would replace it with a six percent corporate tax, said his campaign spokesman, Bill Nowling. Small companies, currently taxed at 1.8 percent, would be exempt from the tax and not be
charged the alternative profits tax. Higher Education Bernero wants to freeze tuition at Michigan’s public universities. “The governor puts together a budget for the universities (through state funding),” he said in an interview with Central Michigan Life. “I believe we can pressure the universities and university presidents to do the right thing.” Bernero said he would search for spirited people with education expertise representing the geographic and demographic diversity of the state to serve on university boards. Nowling said Snyder wants to look at the value of the money taxpayers are sending to higher education. “How do we provide exceptional value, for whatever service, at the best A Race | 2A
2010 GUBERNATORIAL TIMELINE w Jan. 7: Lt. governor John Cherry announces he has left the governor’s race w Feb. 7: Ann Arbor Businessman Rick Snyder’s "One Tough Nerd" Superbowl Ad airs. w Feb. 8: Lansing Mayor Virg Bernero announces his candidacy. w March 5: Andy Dillon, D-Redford Township, announces his candidacy. w Aug. 3: Primary season ends, with the Democrats electing Bernero and the Republicans Snyder as nominees w Aug. 25: Snyder announces State Rep. Brian Calley, R-Portland, as his lieutenant governor choice. w Aug. 25: Bernero makes a surprise appearance on CMU’s campus. w Aug. 27: Bernero announces Southfield mayor Brenda Lawrence as his lieutenant
governor choice. w Sept. 2: Associated Press reports Snyder has given his campaign $6.1 million. w Sept. 8: Snyder makes a Town Hall appearance on CMU’s campus. w Sept. 13: Snyder and Bernero announce there won’t be a debate this electoral cycle and both hold the other accountable as to why. w Sept. 13: Bernero appears unexpectedly at a Snyder Town Hall. w Sept. 22: Eleven days after announcing there will be no debate, the candidates agree to face-off. w Oct. 10: The candidates debate, but the polls remain unchanged and pundits agree there is no clear winner. w Oct. 25: Endorsement recap: Newspapers have begun announcing their
endorsements of candidates: Detroit Free Press, Detroit News, Grand Rapids Press and Bernero’s hometown paper, Lansing State Journal, all endorse Snyder. w Oct. 25: Snyder has a radio interview where he is asked if he’s open to selling the Mackinac Bridge. His answer: “Everything’s on the table.” w Oct. 26: Bernero appears at Mackinac Bridge to slam Snyder’s stance on the landmark. w Oct. 28: Most likely the last poll to be released before the election, EPIC-MRA announces Snyder ahead 55 percent to Bernero’s 37 percent. w Oct. 30: Snyder appears at CMU’s campus during a tailgate.
ichigan is in economic peril. The economy here was bad before the nation fell into a recession, and when things got worse around the country, they got especially bad here. Politics as usual failed the state, and it is time to bring a fresh perspective to government. Rick Snyder is the person to bring that fresh perspective. Michigan needs someone with a background in business to understand what the government needs to do to make Michigan appeal to businesses. When Forbes magazine ranked the best states for business, Michigan came in 49th place. This is unacceptable and without major changes, Michigan will not recover. The first step in rescuing Michigan is to make our state more attractive for businesses. Rick Snyder will do this by accomplishing two things: reforming our regulatory system and reforming our tax system. Snyder will streamline the regulatory process as well as remove unnecessary regulations that accomplish nothing other than creating piles of bureaucratic paperwork. This will ensure not only that Michigan’s citizens and environment are protected, but also that businesses are not unnecessarily burdened. Regulations are important because we must ensure that we protect the great resources and beauty of our state, but when the regulations focus too much on paperwork instead of getting results, the intent of the regulations has been lost. Snyder will also push to change the way Michigan taxes businesses, by working with the legislature to eliminate the business-killing Michigan business tax and replace it with a friendlier flat corporate income tax of six percent. A flat corporate income tax is a proven revenue method that is working in other states with economies much better than Michigan’s. In addition to making Michigan friendlier for businesses, Snyder will reform the government, ensuring that we cut wasteful spending and instead focus on issues that are important to Michiganders. He has already outlined a plan that would cut over $2 billion from the budget by making government more efficient. Additionally, the state’s finances and performance reports would be placed online,
A snyder | 10A
Trick-or-treaters spend holiday around Mount Pleasant Door-to-door tradition children’s favorite By Hailee Sattavara Staff Reporter
Children shuffled down North Drive Sunday evening hollering and yelling the usual Halloween phrases. “Whoa, look at that taco!” said Holly Decker, as she pointed to the nearby house. Decker’s children, Fiona, 9, and Justin, 5, were in awe of the creative costume and gasped in unison upon sight. This was the first Halloween the Decker children
have had enough patience to trick-or-treat with Decker and her husband Terry. “This is the first year that (Terry) gets to walk up to the door with them,” Decker said. “Last year, they were so excited that they just ran up.” She carried a bowl of candy with the family as they were trick-or-treating, passing it out to other children. The Deckers traveled from Weidman for Mount Pleasant’s festivities, “There are more houses here to trick-or-treat at,” Decker said. At the east end of North Drive, a garage was filled with stone-like statues. Abraham Lincoln, Michael Myers and Jason stood
motionless waiting for trickor-treaters to make their way in. Jason gestured to the candy bowl Michael Myers was holding, while Abraham stood in the background with a hand on his heart. “I wasn’t scared at all,” said Justin, dressed as a knight, after leaving the Halloweenthemed garage. “My favorite part of Halloween is trickor-treating.” With a sword, he had nothing to worry about, Holly said. After handing out a few pieces of candy to a young child in the doorway of a nearby house, Holly said her children picked their own costumes this year. She was A HALLOWEEN | 2A
victoria zegeler/staff photographer
Weidman residents Justin Decker, 5, left, and his sister Fiona Decker, 9, trick-or-treat at neighboring houses Sunday night on North Street for Halloween. “Trick-or-treating is our favorite part of Halloween,” Fiona said. “Aside from dressing up.”