Gov. of Michigan '06

Candidates were asked to summarize their backgrounds in 75 words and were allotted 75 words to answer each question. If the candidate did not reply by the required date for publication, the words, “Did not respond in time for publication” appear under the candidate’s name.

How do you propose to bring additional revenue into the state of Michigan budget?
What new measures would you advocate to preserve Michigan’s natural resources, including the Great Lakes?
Beyond creating an attractive business climate, what specific proposal would you offer for increasing jobs in Michigan?

Dick DeVos, Republican
I was born and raised in Ada, Michigan. I graduated from Forest Hills Public Schools and received a Bachelor of Business Administration Northwood University. I led Amway/Alticor as president for nine years, and I am currently the president of The Windquest Group, a private investment company. I have been involved with many community revitalization projects in Grand Rapids through the Grand Action committee.

1. Making Michigan’s business climate attractive to job providers is vital to our state budget. As governor, I will create a pro-jobs tax structure that will end Michigan’s reputation as an unfriendly business climate and make Michigan more competitive with other states. To ensure that we can provide funding for important state services such as education, public safety, road projects and Medicaid, we must create in Michigan a climate that fosters job creation and economic growth.

2. Any conservation strategy for Michigan must start with the Great Lakes. It is absolutely essential that we keep our water clean, safe and plentiful. As governor, I will fight against polluters, guard against water diversions and work to stop dangerous invasive species. I also believe in the importance of practicing conservation for people, not from people. My administration will fight to ensure access to our natural resources and protect Michigan’s strong outdoor heritage.

3. In The Michigan TurnAround Plan (www.TheMichiganTurnAroundPlan.com), I outline 134 specific steps that will bring jobs to Michigan. For example, we must make state government a friend of job makers by creating one-stop shopping for businesses. We must make sure job training results in a job. We must improve our education system to make sure every child has a chance. Finally, we must do more to sell Michigan-made products around the world resulting in more jobs.

Jennifer M. Granholm, Democrat
I previously served as federal prosecutor in Detroit, where I had a 98 percent conviction rate, and as Wayne County’s chief lawyer, where I reduced taxpayer funded lawsuit payouts by 87 percent. Elected Attorney General in 1998, I continued to protect consumers and Michigan’s families by cracking down on gas gougers and prosecuting nursing home employees who abused elders. My husband Daniel Mulhern and I have three children.

1. I balanced the state’s budget, despite inheriting $4 billion in deficits, without a general tax increase. I will not shift the tax burden from corporations to working families. I am bringing in additional revenue by going anywhere and doing anything to bring jobs to Michigan. I made government more efficient and improved our business climate. I have improved our quality of life, workforce, and infrastructure - the most important factors in business location decisions.

2. I am modernizing Michigan’s economy with pro-environment investments in alternative and renewable energy. My administration is drafting a statewide rule that will reduce harmful mercury emissions by 90%. I recently signed landmark laws to protect the Great Lakes from water diversion and from ships who dump toxic chemicals, and I will vigorously enforce these laws. I will continue to enforce steep penalties on polluters and fight to keep out-of-state waste from being dumped in Michigan.

3. My $6 billion Jobs Today, Jobs Tomorrow plan is the nation’s most aggressive economic plan. My $2 billion 21st Century Jobs Fund has already funded 61 startup projects, creating thousands of jobs in growing industries. Our stringent new high school curriculum and my proposed $4,000 scholarship for every child will give Michigan the world’s most qualified workforce. I am putting Michigan to work today by speeding up construction projects and training workers for existing openings.

Douglas Campbell, Green
A graduate of Ohio State University and a registered professional engineer in Michigan, I am currently employed as a white-collar autoworker and am a member of IFPTE local 2001. Like all Green Party candidates, I accept only individual contributions. No PAC, soft, corporate or other special-interest money and the expectation of payback it brings. Only by funding campaigns with clean money can elected officials remain loyal to The People, not corporate special interests.

1. I propose redirecting Michigan’s priorities away from current corrupt and unjustifiable practices such as corporate welfare and incarcerating people for simple possession, and back toward the fundamental business of the State. Ending the siege of Iraq will free up Michigan’s eleven-billion-dollar share of the cost. I also propose closing loopholes such as the Diesel fuel road tax subsidy, eliminating tax exemptions, revitalizing the estate tax and taxing money, not people.

2. Existing law is adequate if vigorously enforced. New measures are unnecessary and will be ineffective if inadequately enforced. We need more investigators, more field personnel and above all, whistleblower protection. The working people at facilities potentially threatening Michigan’s natural resources are best positioned to know what’s going wrong; we need to assure them they will not lose everything for speaking up and reporting wrongdoing. We need to permanently set aside wilderness areas.

3. “Creating an attractive business climate” is a thinly-veiled code phrase for corporate welfare: Giving away tax dollars to large corporations and transferring the tax liability to individuals. It has never increased the number of people employed and it never will. I will hire people directly, WPA-fashion, to do the State’s business. Reopen the Lafayette Clinic and the Recorder’s Court, clean up environmental disasters, build roads to a Michigan specification, operate public transit systems ...

Bhagwan Dashairya, US Taxpayers
I have a BS degree in Mathematics from Allahabad University, BS in Mechanical Engineering from Banaras Hindu University, PhD in Engineering from Mississippi University and MBA in Entrepreneurial Management from Davenport University. I am President and CEO of Dashairya & Associates, a management consulting firm and Executive Director of the Council of Organizations of Asian Indians in Michigan. I have been married for 32 years and have 3 children who have attended U of M and MSU.

1. Bring good paying manufacturing jobs back to America by replacing the Federal Income Tax with revenue tariffs. Reduce government by privatizing services. Part-time pay for part time legislature. Every department will have an indexed budget relationship proportional to tax revenue creating a balanced budget forever. Eliminate all advertising and media expenditures by state government. Eliminate economic development grants.

2. The natural resources are our nation’s wealth and hence, must be preserved and protected physically and environmentally from foreign invaders, natural or manmade. We believe the natural resources should be used to benefit our people.

3. Bring good paying manufacturing jobs back to America by replacing federal income tax with revenue tariffs. Eliminate single business tax. Privatize government services. Eliminate all taxes for seniors. Privatize all education. Part-time pay for part-time legislature. Use U.S. Constitution as a guide to conduct our business with only one motto “Government of People, Government for People, and Government by People”. Indexed Budget.

Gregory Creswell, Libertarian
I was Born and raised in Detroit Michigan. I have been married for 24 years, and am a father of two. I graduated from Chadsey High School in 1975, and attended Wayne County Community College. I am a member of Brass Roots and a donor to numerous free-market and individual rights groups. I attend a Baptist church and have volunteered numerous times for certain causes. My family has supported charities for years.

1. The politicians do not need additional revenue; they need to stop wasting our money. Prisons should only be used to protect the public from dangerous criminals; everyone should be free to engage in any peaceful, honest activity. Libertarians advocate tearing down barriers to entrepreneurism, economic growth and privatized education. Instead of maintaining the welfare system, we should establish a dollar-for-dollar tax-cut for charitable donations.

2. Libertarians advocate privatization to preserve and protect all of Michigan’s natural resources, along with making all polluters (not other taxpayers) pay for clean-ups. The great lakes are threatened by the introduction of non-indigenous wildlife. Ships that have passed through international waters should be required to prove they have purged their ballast prior to being admitted to the Great Lakes system.

3. A free-market economy, not government planning, is the best way to create jobs, keep the cost of goods down, and provide a better standard of living for everybody. To that end, Libertarians support eliminating the single business tax and replacing it, not with new taxes, but by making necessary budget cuts. Libertarians oppose corporate welfare and burdensome regulations that keep small businesses from being competitive. We oppose all attempts to regulate and tax internet transactions.or township clerk.

These are the running mates of the candidates for Governor.
They were not sent separate questionnaires.

Republican
Governor – Dick DeVos
Lt. Governor – Ruth Johnson

Democrat
Governor – Jennifer M. Granholm
Lt. Governor – John D. Cherry, Jr.

Green
Governor – Douglas Campbell
Lt. Governor – David Skrbina

US Taxpayers
Governor - Bhagwan Dashairya
Lt. Governor - Carl G. Oehling

Libertarian
Governor - Gregory Creswell
Lt. Governor - Scotty Boman