The annual Mackinac Policy Conference is here again as local and state elected officials and business and community leaders prepare to head to Mackinac Island to brainstorm ideas for overcoming crucial problems and moving Michigan forward. At a time when college graduates (tomorrow’s leaders) are leaving the state because political leaders have not been able to convince them to stay, it is critical now more than ever to tackle the issues our state is facing.
For years some have debated if in fact this convergence on the island is a talkfest or a real meeting to offer workable solutions to the troubling problems confronting the state. I contend that for the most part it has been a talkfest or political picnic for those who see the gathering as a gateway instead of an avenue to boldly and honestly answer the challenges facing our communities.
This year, as never before, Michigan cannot afford a political picnic at the expense of families and businesses hanging on by a thread due to a faltering economy. We either sink together on the Titanic or swim because there will be no coming of a political messiah to deliver us from the untoward behavior of those in charge of the ship of state. It is evident that there has to be a game change in government and what its role ought to be.
Taxpayers, who through their hard-earned dollars oil the wheels of the state machine, have long been waiting for a return on their investment.
Whether they live in Detroit, Royal Oak, Romulus, Birmingham, Grand Rapids or any other place in the state, they don’t expect political games and grandstanding by those who are paid by taxpayers to provide answers to the sometimes debilitating problems they face. They want real, straightforward and practical solutions. Sadly, too many political leaders have continuously demonstrated that they only have the “can do spirit” if it works in their favor. In a real sense, the Mackinac Policy Conference can offer a chance for a game change from those who say they were working in our best interests.
One example of wrong thinking is the gutting of the Michigan Promise, a program that would help needy students go to college on scholarships. While the program is not the final answer to the education crisis, it was a bold and meaningful step toward securing the educational future of our young people. It was a message that helped bring home the fact that students matter because the future rests on their shoulders. But unfortunately, lawmakers in Lansing shamelessly cut the Michigan Promise during the so-called budget fracas, leaving thousands of students from disadvantaged backgrounds without an option.
Yet these same leaders expect students to remain in the state after graduation when their actions show that education is not a top priority on their legislative agenda. Why should graduates stay when education has been tossed to the side by legislators who believe that maintaining their salaries and giving themselves raises is more important than funding for higher education? These trying times demand our collective responsibility and sacrifice. Lawmakers in Lansing must prove they comprehend that reality by seriously cutting back on their financial perks.
That is what leading by example means. We cannot allow our leaders talking from two sides of their mouths. My jaw almost dropped when a leading Republican gubernatorial candidate, Pete Hoekstra, told me in an interview that he would not reinstate the Michigan Promise if he is elected governor. But he quickly said he will refund students who were in the Michigan Promise program.
We have to be clear about what we believe in and what our priorities are. Do we believe in the future or not? And if we do, then we must demand at the island conference that those seeking public office and the ones already in office show a commitment to what matters most, including education. The crisis of the Detroit Public Schools, for example, can no longer be a political vehicle for the opportunists and those who want to ride majestically on the crisis of DPS into public office.
Don’t come into Detroit and other communities with struggling school districts and talk tough about education reform and what we must do if education is not high on your list of priorities if you are in office now or hope to be in the future.
We have allowed the cycle of deception to go unchecked for far too long. Many of those entrusted to work on our behalf are largely responsible for are where we are today. We have heard so many discussions focused on creating a conducive environment for businesses in the state — topics ranging from providing incentives to changing the tax code.
Yes, big business needs to operate in favorable climates, but most of the time those discussions leave out small businesses. The time is now to focus on the this most important sector of the economy — small businesses — which every report has shown hire more people than any other kind of business.
If there is one thing we can leave the island with, it should be a demonstrated dedication to making small business the prime target for support from the state and local levels. That is why I am impressed with the new president of the Detroit Regional Chamber, Sandy Baruah. His focus is on small business. The two times I have sat down with Mr. Baruah, first at Chamber headquarters and then at the Chronicle, I‘ve sensed an urgency to embrace and support small businesses.
Clearly his vow to put small businesses at the forefront of the Chamber’s work is evidence of Baruah understanding the undeniable role these businesses play. And certainly Mr. Baruah’s background as the former head of the Small Business Administration at the U.S. Department of Commerce shows the Chamber’s willingness to anchor a major part of its operation to these businesses.
Because of the intricate role small businesses play in our economy and knowing that many have failed due to being unable to afford health care for their employees, it is absurd to watch the Republican challenge against the historic health care legislation. Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox, who is running for governor, joined several Attorneys General from the around the country to overturn the mandatory health care legislation on the grounds that people should have a right to reject it. Cox has also been touring the state with the Tea Party Movement.
The historic legislation is a leg up in the national push for health reform. It is laughable to talk about support for small businesses and yet mount a legal case against a legislation that would keep these businesses going so they can continue to employ Michigan families.
This double standard meant to prey upon the emotions of people and exploit their anger must be called out for what it is. We cannot talk about how important small businesses are, and yet sit on the fence as they find themselves under assault, whether or not that was the intent. Given the dire circumstance of the economic landscape and the little promise it holds for the state, the governor’s election this year will prove to be the center of transformation. Whoever is in charge in November will have the single most important role in turning things around. That is why we cannot ignore the governor’s race and allow political fatigue to turn us off from the list of often boring, unimpressive and uninformed candidates.
The candidates must be made to show their worth and knowledge in changing things for
the better. The next governor, whether Democrat or Republican, will have to face the reality of a Michigan that young people are having less confidence in because education has been put on the back burner. We need a governor who understands the all-encompassing problems of the state and what cities like Detroit are dealing with to render pragmatic solutions. Michigan needs all the help it can get and because of that the state cannot afford a governor who will grandstand by rejecting stimulus packages or federal dollars from President Obama simply because they don’t like the administration. Yes we can and must do better because we all have a stake in doing so.
Watch senior editor Bankole Thompson’s weekly show, “Center Stage,” on WADL TV 38, Saturdays at 1 p.m. This Saturday, May 29, will feature a roundtable with leaders of the law enforcement community discussing fighting violent crime in Detroit. On the panel are Barbara McQuade, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan; Thomas Brandon, special agent in charge of the ATF in Detroit; and Steven Dolunt, Detroit police commander for the Eastern District. Thompson is the author of the forthcoming book on President Obama and Black America. E-mail bthompson@michronicle.com.
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