`wir-7E1111110- Special Report PRIMARY ELECTION 2010 Governor's Race from page 25 mandates. I opposed No Child Left Behind because I saw it as the federal government taking a one-size-fits-all approach to education, when in reality the needs of kids in Detroit are different than the need of kids in Birmingham, Holland or Marquette. We can ensure top-flight instruction and education by reinstating parental involvement and choice, expanding flexibility, adding competition and eliminating bureaucratic barriers. A: I have traveled the state on my 100 Michigan Jobs Tour, working different jobs and listening to the people of Michigan. Doing so allows me to see the real impact gov- ernment has on peoples' daily lives. The overwhelming message has been "get gov- ernment out of the way." I do not believe that it will take a generation to turn around Michigan. With the right leadership in Lansing we can create a culture where elected officials and bureaucrats know they are working for the people they serve, not the other way around. I believe we can make an immediate impact. Q: Young Professionals — What would you do so more young people will choose to remain in Michigan and contribute to our economy and society? A: We need to improve the economic environment in the state to keep our educated, taxpaying workforce. Michigan has everything it needs to attract young adults and families. It has been doing it for decades. They want to stay in Michigan, but they are forced out because the lack of jobs. To create that environment that attract invest- ment and job creators, my priorities are to get the bureaucracy out of the way, cut costs, streamline the government and overhaul the tax code. By lowering the tax bur- den and getting bureaucracy out of the way we will establish a culture that promotes innovation, entrepreneurship and opportunity. Q: Prison Propaganda — What can be done to monitor and filter mate- rials coming into our prison system so it doesn't become a recruiting ground for Islamic extremists and domestic terror? A: I have been fighting in Congress to ensure that radical jihadists are kept off of U.S. soil. I have led the effort in Michigan and in Washington, D.C., against the Obama administration's proposed plan to transfer terrorist detainees from Guantanamo Bay to a state prison — be it Michigan or anywhere else in the U.S. I believe doing so would endanger Michigan families. I have been outspoken and a leader on stopping any type of homegrown terrorism. Q: Bipartisanship — What would you do to restore confidence in the ability of our elected officials to embrace bipartisanship to address important issues and govern effectively? A: Right now we have a lack of leadership. With the right leadership, vision and experience, we can break the gridlock and pass much needed reforms for our state. I have a record of working on a bipartisan basis with some of the most liberal members of Congress, including Rep. Barney Frank. I also had the honor of being asked by Speaker Dennis Hastert to serve in leadership as chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. After Sept. 11, I worked closely with my Democratic counterparts on the House and Senate intelligence committees — Sen. Joe Lieberman and Rep. Jane Harmon — to reform the intelligence community. Speaker Hastert enlisted my leadership capabilities and bypassed several more senior members of the committee. I look forward to bringing that same leadership and bipartisanship to Lansing and get results for Michigan. Q: Michigan/Israel Cooperation — Would you lead/support efforts to promote trade, security cooperation and cultural exchanges between Michigan and Israel? A: In my position as chairman and now ranking member on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, I have developed a deep understanding of the importance of the relationship between the U.S. and Israel. My immediate focus as governor will be Michigan's economy and job creation. Any opportunity to boost our economy and create jobs will receive consideration, particularly with those whose values and views we share. However, I want to get government out of the business of picking winners and losers. Q: Creationism — Should "intelligent design"/creationism be part of the science curriculum in public schools? A: I do not believe that government should make those decisions. We have to empower parents, teachers and local communities to determine what is best for their respective kids. Faceless bureaucrats in Washington and Lansing, who don't know the names of the children in our schools, cannot possibly respond to the unique needs of students in local school districts. Michigan needs a vibrant public, private, parochial, and home school K-12 education system that makes our children's needs top priority. Q: Welfare — What would you do to maintain a solid "safety net" for those most affected by Michigan's economic downturn? A: I recognize the need to protect the most vulnerable members of our society, how- ever, we can also improve the lives of all Michigan's people by creating the opportu- nity for good paying jobs. Our unemployment rate across the state is unacceptable. Leadership that is serving the people that elected them should be focused on job cre- ation first. The solution to the challenges we face is not more government bureaucra- cy and new programs. Instead, the first order of business is to focus on creating good jobs that keep people in their homes and allow them to provide for their families. Q: Jobs/Economy — What would you do to get people jobs that can sup- port a family, and how long will it take? 4 Q: Nonprofit Support — With shrinking state funding for social ser- vices, how must the state support and facilitate the efforts of nonprofits that are picking up the slack? A: I am strong supporter of the work performed by nonprofits and would continue, as governor, to encourage a streamlining of state bureaucracy in favor of nonprofits that produce better results. Often times, nonprofits are more successful in fulfilling needs because they do not have the strings attached to funding that comes from working with the government. Nonprofits need to remain flexible. RICK SNYDER Republican Rick Snyder, 51, is CEO, chair of the board and co-founder of Ardesta LLC, a high-tech venture capital firm located in Ann Arbor. He was an accountant before becoming presi- dent and CEO of Gateway computers. By age 23, he had received BA (1977), MBA (1979) and JD (1982) degrees from the University of Michigan. Snyder and his wife, Sue, live in Ann Arbor. They have three children. Website: www.rickformichigan.com Q: Education — What would you do to ensure adequate funding and top-flight instruction in our public schools? A: Our schools need to reduce overhead costs, track real results, reward good perfor- mance, fix failing schools and leverage the private sector to improve the quality of education. We should implement a data collection and support system similar to the one currently used in Florida. Michigan needs to tie school funding to specific goals and reforms and the private sector should contribute through philanthropic efforts. We need to adopt a system of merit-based pay that rewards better performing teach- ers and schools and should quickly address failing schools. Q: Young Professionals — What would you do so more young people will choose to remain in Michigan and contribute to our economy and society? A: The first priority for state government to help keep youth in Michigan is to create a business-friendly and globally-competitive Michigan, which will provide the career opportunities young workers desire. A second priority is to restore our cities, espe- cially Detroit, to provide the quality of place that many young people seek. Retaining our youth is a problem of special significance for the Detroit Jewish community since the community's median age is 49 years old. In order to maintain the vibrancy of the Jewish community in Detroit, a community that has produced so many of our finest leaders and innovators, we need to adopt the right policies to enable our youth to pursue their careers of choice right here in Michigan. Q: Bipartisanship — What would you do to restore confidence in the ability of our elected officials to embrace bipartisanship to address important issues and govern effectively? Governor's Race on page 28 26 July 29 e 2010 I