G4G Talking points for 10-10

[SharonRB]

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 10 (28 Days until Victory 2006)

Debate Tonight: The second gubernatorial debate will be broadcast live from WOOD-TV in Grand Rapids on many NBC affiliates as well as CSPAN tonight at 8pm. There will be a webcast at http://www.woodtv.com/ as well.


What to Expect: After a very disappointing first debate performance, Dick DeVos will likely come out on the attack. He needs to answer questions directly, and he needs to give Michigan citizens specifics, making up for time he wasted in round one when he refused to do either of those things.


What to Expect II: Governor Granholm will continue to discuss her comprehensive economic plan, as well as her detailed proposals for making college or technical training affordable and accessible for every Michigan student, and creating universal access to affordable health coverage for every Michigan family.


While Governor Granholm has real solutions, Dick DeVos can only evade and criticize, and try to avoid discussing his checkered past.

Headlines from Around the State

Associated Press: Levin critical of DeVos on China trade
Sen. Carl Levin says the conditions Amway Corp. agreed to so it could sell products in China undermined work by Michigan lawmakers to tear down trade barriers there against U.S.-made goods. Levin, a Detroit Democrat, told the Associated Press in a recent interview that Amway acquiesced to discrimination against U.S. products by the Chinese government and restrictions on selling U.S.-made goods on the Chinese market. He takes exception to comments made by Republican gubernatorial candidate Dick DeVos that, while he was Amway president from 1993-2002, he "competed in China and won." The direct-sales company invested $200 million in China to build a factory there because China would allow Amway to sell only goods that were made there… Said Levin: "That characterization to me is so off the mark, runs so contrary to what we have to do, what we need to do, to reduce this trade imbalance. "That's not competing and winning for Michigan," he said… Levin said he recognized that not "any one company can knock the barriers down. But when a candidate for governor calls that competing and winning, he is undermining the effort to knock down these barriers." The U.S. has a record $202 billion trade deficit with China and critics say China's currency is undervalued by up to 40 percent, making Chinese goods cheaper for American consumers and U.S. products more expensive in China. Michigan lawmakers also have criticized the country's record on intellectual property rights, accusing it of leading to billions in dollars in lost revenue because of counterfeit auto parts.
Click here to read the full article... http://www.mlive.com/newsflash/business/index.ssf?/base/politics-0/116042756599020.xml&storylist=mibusiness&thispage=1

Battle Creek Enquirer: Tax repealed, but at what cost?
Jim Hettinger, who heads the development organization Battle Creek Unlimited, said because there is no clear replacement for the SBT, employers are turned off by the area. "We've got a couple of projects that should be moving much faster," he said, declining to identify the potential employers. BCU is trying to bring in hundreds of white collar jobs, Hettinger said. However, since staff cannot describe the tax burden to the potential employers, "no one in their right mind" will enter the area. According to state Rep. Lorence Wenke, R-Richland Township, repealing the tax was a good political move that was bad for business. "I think we need something soon," said Wenke. "I think it's a real detriment to trying to sell Michigan to out-of-state business right now." George Erickcek, a senior analyst for the WE Upjohn Institute, agreed that uncertainty over the new tax "has made economic developers' lives more difficult." Furthermore, the state is deprived of its chief financial offering to companies without a tax plan in place, according to Erickcek. "The major incentive the state provides for businesses that consider moving has been an abatement of the single business tax," Erickcek said. "Without that, there's no real incentive program available." … Gov. Jennifer Granholm, however, criticizes the Legislature, saying it committed an act of "fiscal irresponsibility" by repealing the tax without having a replacement plan. The Democratic governor said she wants to switch from a value-added tax to a profit-based tax, and to close off loopholes that exist under the SBT.
Click here to read the full article...http://www.battlecreekenquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061010/NEWS01/610100320