The big problem we have to wrestle with is that on one hand we have to take care of those who have been tossed aside, in some cases without a safety net. On the other, we have a huge need to invest this money in a way that builds a future for Michigan.
Possibly the most sensible thing I’ve seen about all this was what Governor Jennifer Granholm told the Associated Press last week. “A real strategic part of this is a careful investment in the things that will create permanent jobs,“ she said, adding,
“You cannot use this to fix a budget problem and (then) in two years find yourself in the same position.” That was speaking from bitter experience. Two years ago, the state disgracefully sold off $900 million dollars in future payments from the tobacco settlement fund for less than half that, to plug a budget hole.
Now, we’ve got a much bigger hole. Kevin Elsenheimer, Michigan’s new House Republican Minority Leader, also said something else that was eminently sensible. “I think we need to resolve our current budget situation as if the money from Washington is not coming. That’s really the only responsible thing to do.”
If what has leaked out about the proposed stimulus package is accurate, Michigan would get about $1.4 billion in aid to public school districts. Another $1.2 billion would go to what they call “shovel-ready” infrastructure projects, such as rebuilding bridges and roads.
I don’t have a major quarrel with any of that, though if we’ve learned anything from the Wall Street bailout, it is that if we need anything worse than the money, it is strict oversight, by both federal and state authorities. Schools should have strict guidelines for how this money is used, and somebody should be watching over them.
Frankly, I would like to see far more poured into infrastructure improvements. Too many streets in Detroit and Highland Park and some of Michigan’s other older cities look much like Berlin in 1945. Tens of thousands of buildings need to be torn down. Contaminated sites need to be cleaned up, if these places are ever going to be able to attract new business and residents.
There are other things we need, however; higher education of all kinds is the key to attracting the jobs of the future, and Michigan residents have less education than the national average.
Congressman Gary Peters, who was often a leader on economic issues in the state senate, said something else the other day worth noting: “Some people see education and economic development as separate issues, but they really are the same.”
If our state and national leaders continue to show this much common sense, there may yet be hope for us, after all.
Although jobs and education are execrably linked, a lack of higher education is not the the problem in Michigan. Many native Michiganders are highly educated and highly motivated, however, there are is no motivation for them to remain in the state after graduation, other than a sense of state loyalty.
Where are the bustling metropolitans or hip gentrified small towns? We all know the condition of Detroit and the struggling hamlets that dot the Great Lake state. The closest thing that we have to a 'place to be' in the state outside of a college town, is Grand Rapids and possibly Hamtramck. Saugatuck has been over run by Chicagoans and Lansing has become the Baltimore of the Midwest.
What this state needs, is an efficient light rail system and a spotlight turned on the forgotten peninsula. With a speedy way to cross the state (under 3 hours) taking a vacation in Michigan might become an option for many Americans. If the U.P. is strong, then by golly, the rest of the state is strong.
That is where the 1.2 billion dollars should go, into our future. I know that you have called for a light rail many times. But I think this is the time to push for it.
Posted by: Abbie Fillmore | January 27, 2009 at 12:02 PM