Opinion

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Dry Bones

Editorial

A OIRIST1AN
MINISTER IN
AMERICA
THREATS/ED

Snyder For Governor

E

very election is important. We

learned this from our democracy-
loving parents and the bombard-
ment of political messages through virtu-
ally every medium imaginable. But this
year, we have a gubernatorial election that
is important and critical to our collective
future in Michigan.
The innovation, creativity and calcu-
lated risk-taking that initially transformed
Michigan into an agricultural and manu-
facturing powerhouse have been sub-
merged for decades by a culture of entitle-
ment, growing government bureiucracy
and protectionism. Facing fundamental
structural changes in how the world does
business, Michigan and its leaders have
chosen to continue to hang on, by their
fingernails, to a bygone era.
The result? According to the Federal
Bureau of Labor Statistics, one in five
jobs in Michigan have disappeared since
2000. Over the same period, 24 percent
of all private-sector job losses in America
occurred in Michigan. Is it any wonder
that our Detroit Jewish community is
declining and our children are leaving the
state in search of jobs elsewhere?
Michigan needs a governor who lives,
eats, sleeps and breathes jobs. It needs
a governor who understands that state
government doesn't create jobs ... rather,

it provides a tax and regulatory climate
entrepreneurial
that stimulates the private sector to do so.
landscape will
It needs a governor who is willing to cross
see Snyder's
all lines — Republican/Democrat, urban/
imprint. Most
suburban, Western Michigan/Southeastern impressively,
Michigan — to rekindle our state's inno-
Snyder was
vative and entrepreneurial flame.
the founder
It needs a governor who isn't beholden
and currently
to special interests, be they Big Labor or
chairs Ann
the Chamber of Commerce. It needs a gov- Arbor SPARK, a
ernor who understands the importance of nationally rec-
education for retooling our workforce. It
ognized model
needs a governor who has a vision, a plan
for business
—and who will be relentless in implent-
incubation,
ing it. It needs a governor who will give
business relo-
our children reason to stay in, or move
cation, job
back to, Michigan to work, live and play.
creation and
At this critical moment in its history,
workforce
Michigan needs Rick Snyder for governor. cultivation
Syder's improbable rise in the primary
that is helping
and polls from obscurity to election front- to transform
runner is testimony to his ability to con-
Ann Arbor and
nect with voters — Republican, Democrat Southeastern
and Independent — about a vibrant, vital
Michigan.
vision for Michigan's future ... not one
Can a "tough nerd" succeed in the
that pines for the good old days of the
rough-and-tumble world of Michigan
1950s when China, India and Brazil were
politics? Snyder can articulate a compel-
still economic backwaters.
ling vision and draft a bold plan. The
Snyder's success at Gateway computers,
key will be having bipartisan support in
from its launch to returning to reinvent
the Legislature and government agencies
it after it stumbled, is the stuff of legend.
committed to implementing the plan.
Anyone who monitors Michigan's current
While some in the Jewish community

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TO BURN A
COPY OF THE
KORAN!

ti

DryBonesBlog.com

have reasonable questions about Snyder's
positions on certain social issues, he has
stated repeatedly that his focus is on
job creation and reinventing Michigan's
economy. We believe a Snyder victory on
Nov. 2 provides our state, and Jewish com-
munity, with the best hope of vibrant and
vital futures. The Jewish News endorses his
candidacy.

❑

Why Do I Stay In Michigan?

T

his summer, I traveled to Chicago,
San Francisco, Toronto, the Erie
Islands and Cleveland — for
business and for pleasure. In every city
I traveled to, I thought, "Why do I come
back to Detroit?" There are so many
things to see and do in these cities — not
just from a lifestyle perspective, but in
business, too.
Michigan, after all, is my home; and
I am proud to proclaim that I am from
Detroit and I am from Michigan. I was
born here; I went to college here. I even
served as the spokesperson for the city
and for its mayor. This is where I found
a job, started several businesses and now
started raising my own family.
However, although my friends and fam-
ily are here, and there is a certain lifestyle
I have grown accustomed to, the only
thing keeping me in Michigan is a job. In
fact, a few years ago, I explored new job
opportunities, not just in Michigan, but
also in any state that welcomed me.
As I visited each of these cities over

the summer and talked with
my brother who lives in Los
Angeles and my brothers and
sisters-in-law in San Francisco,
New York and Zurich, I realized
that in virtually every city, state
and province, we share the same
problems: People are abandon-
ing their homes because they
can't afford them; they lost their
jobs because their employers
could not afford to keep them;
and scandals and corruption
continue to plague their govern-
ments (not just ours).
In each of the cities I visited, I also real-
ized that I was a tourist. I left Michigan
with a destination in mind, always know-
ing I would return home, if not in a day,
then in a week. As tourists, we see places
differently. We do our homework — we
make a list of things to do and places to
visit. I knew that if I lived there, I would
not necessarily do all the things I set out
to do. Perhaps I would take my children

to the zoo, the hands-on muse-
urns or for various factory
tours, but I would live my life
as I do here in Detroit.

Stay True To Detroit
I often hear Detroiters say, "I
wish Detroit was more like
Chicago, San Francisco or
Toronto." But what I learned
this summer is that we should
never pretend to be somebody
we are not. It will be a long
time and take a lot of work to
be like a Chicago although it,
too, has the same problems we have.
Instead, we need to be true to our brand
and continue to focus on our strengths. It
is time to stop being something we are not
and instead focus on the problems and
solutions we need to move forward.
On Nov. 2, voters throughout this nation
will choose new leadership. While voting
in any election is important, this elec-
tion comes at a crucial juncture in our

history and in our lives. The government
we select next week will draw the lines
of legislative and congressional districts
that will govern our nation for the next
decade.
The leadership we choose will deter-
mine how our taxes are spent and what
services we will receive. They will go out
and attract new businesses here and cre-
ate jobs and hopefully provide us with the
opportunities to start a business or grow
the ones we are currently in.

State's Challenge
If the next governor does not work with
the Legislature to create an environment
where not only jobs are created, but also
business opportunities are incubated,
then Michigan's economy will continue
to fail. Our future will not just depend on
the economy, it will hinge on the partner-
ships we create, the role our universities
will play in our success and in the capital
that can be attracted to help businesses
grow and thrive.

Why do I Stay on page 45

44 October 28 • 2010