6BWednesday, October 27-2010 // The Statement CANDIDATES FOR THE 18TH DISTRICT SENATE SEAT FOCUS ON THE STATE'S ECONOMIC REVITALIZATION BY RACHEL BRUSSTAR 0 0 7 Wedesda, Ocober27,. 010s/o Th Staemen news in review Five of the most talked-about stories of the week, ranked in ascending order of actual importance s the general election for the 18th District state Senate seat approaches, Democratic can- didate Rebekah Warren and Repub- lican candidate John Hochstetler appear to agree on one primary issue - the need to revitalize Michigan's economy. They just have different ideas on how to go about doing so. Throughout the campaign period, Warren - who currently represents the city of Ann Arbor as the state tnpresentative for the 53rd House District - has focused on environ- mental issues, while Hochstetler has pushed to expand localized agricul- ture in Michigan to boost the state's economy. As a candidate for the state Senate, Warren continues to emphasize the issues she advocates for in Lansing, like legislation to facilitate the cre- ation of new jobs in Michigan. She stressed that of all the issues her cam- paign focuses on, economic develop- ment and job creation are at the top of her list. "I am dedicated to investing in education and job training programs, expanding the Venture Michigan Fund to give technology start-ups access to capital and closing outdated corporate tax loopholes that have only benefited a small group of spe- cial interests," she said. Warren served as chair of the House Great Lakes and Environ- ment Committee, through which she Norked to protect Michigan's natural resources. "I am proud of my work to pass the Great Lakes Compact, which protects the Great Lakes Basin's water sup- ply," she said. "I also look forward to continuing to work toward the pres- ervation of our farmland and green spaces and the elimination of invasive species like Asian carp." Warren has held various other positions within the state House since 2007, as co-chair of the Legisla- tive Biotechnology Caucus, member of the Subcommittee on Biosciences Industry Development and co-chair of the Mental Health Caucus. Michael Traugott, professor of communication studies and politi- cal science at the University, said fie thinks Warren has a "considerable advantage" in the election because of this experience in the House. Hochstetler, a resident of Man- chester, Mich., wants to focus on restoring the business climate of Michigan by supporting local agri- culture and other small business in the state. if elected to the state Senate, Hoch- stetler said he hopes to generate jobs in farming, shipping, distribution and A story about Democratic Rep. Billionaire George Soros donated $1 Gene Taylor of Mississippi went vi- million to the campaign to legalize ral this week after he told the Biloxi, marijuana one week before citizens Miss. Sun Herald that he voted for voted on a Calif. ballot measure GOP candidate John McCain over that would allow anyone 21 or Democrat candidate Barack Obama older to grow and possess up to an in the 2008 presidential election. ounce of marijuana. A** Senate Republican nominee and for- A crowd of 14,000 at a sold out mer CEO of Hewlett-Packard Carly Women's Conference booed Fiorina will not be able to take part in California Republican gubernatorial her final week of campaigning. She candidate Meg Whitman after she was hospitalized yesterday because verbally attacked her Democratic of an infection from reconstructive opponent and refused to take down breast surgery she had last summer. her negative television ads. A volunteer for Kentucky Republi- can Rand Paul's Senate campaign stepped on a liberal activist's head outside a debate in Lexington. The volunteer was dismissed and Paul's campaign fired its Bourbon County campaign coordinator. LEFT: FILE PHOTO/Daily RIGHT: CoURTESY OF THE HOCHSTETLER CAMPAIGN Democrat Rebekah Warren (left) and Republican John Hochstetler (right), candidates for the 18th District state Senate seat. inspection by creating start-up pro- grams. In particular, he emphasized the importance of buying food locally from farmers for the benefits to the state's overall economic situation. The 10 Percent Washtenaw cam- paign - an initiative working to expand the business of local agri- culture within the county - has been one of Hochstetler's priorities throughout his campaign. In response to Washtenaw county residents spending upwards of $1 bil- lion on groceries each year, the cam- paign aims for the county to locally produce 10 percent of all of the food consumed here, creating a business that would generate $100 million each year and create 1,500 jobs for Michigan residents to grow, process and deliver the food, Hochstetler explained. "Agriculture in America is shut- ting down," he said. By purchasing foods at a local level, Hochstetler argues, consumers would stimulate the state's economy while reaping the health benefits of foods that are naturally produced. The national initiative to phase out genetically modified foods, which would ostensibly help the campaign for localizing food production, has already started in some grocery stores, including Wal-Mart. This could be a major flip in the economy, Hochstetler said. Part of ensuring this progress will be edu- cating the public and showing people what is really going on in the industry of food production, which, he said, operates under a veil of secrecy. Hochstetler also advocates for tax reform and a lower level of regulation of businesses throughout the state. PROPOSAL 1: CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION TO DRAFT REVISION OF STATE CONSTITUTION BY JOSEPH LICHTERMAN 0 1 11 11" 1 21 1 1 :1 i4 56781 quotes of the we keon the cheap "Do you want a senator that strikes a pose, or do you want a campaigning on a budget senator that's a certified public accountant, to preserve the bottom line and protect the American Dream for the future?" JOE DIOGUARDI, New York Republican candidate for Senate, during a debate with his opponent Democrat Kristen Gillibrand about her recent spread in Vogue magazine. "We're just a bunch ofwusses." ED RENDELL, Democratic governor of Pennsylvania, about how his political party should stand by the issues it supports. "He could take his endorsement and really shove it, as far as I'm concerned." PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY KATIE EBERTS FRANK CAPRIO, Rhode Island Democratic candidate for governor, after President Barack Obama did not endorse him. ith elections finally here, it's more important than ever to show your support V to help your candidate of choice pull out a last-minute win. But it's not always necessary to break your budget doing it. the rules One of the most expensive ways to show your support for a candidate is to buy apparel from their campaign. But there are other ways to wear your support without spending so much money. Try making your own T-shirt. Ask a bunch of friends and/ No. 278: No. 279: No. 280: or fellow supporters to put in a large order of apparel at a local printing shop so you t's alright liberals, Yes, we've already Vote. (Or at least can get a bulk discount. Or, if you don't have friends to order with, just take a plain T-shirt and It'sairlht es, e've(Orat last paint your candidate's name on it. we know you're registered. Stop say that you did.) Also, if you want to raise awareness for your candidate, you don't need to have a professional voting for Snyder. asking. sign made. Instead, make a creative and colorful sign with items you already have around the house, like an old sheet or a piece of poster board you used for a project. You can also make use of social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter to get the word out without spending a dime. Have advice for life on the cheap? Let us know E-mail onthecheap@umich.edu. by the numbers COURTESY OF BBC.COM The number in billions of dollars that the House The percentage of Republicans who say The percentage increase of funds that Congres- and Senate candidates have nearly spent cam- they are more excited about this midterm sional candidates for the House are spendingecom- paigning for this election. election than they have been in the past. pared with the 2008 race. L ansing Mayor Virg Bernero, the Democratic candidate for gover- nor, and Republican nominee Rick Snyder agree on very little. Howev- er, they are unified in their opposi- tion to Proposal 1. Prop. 1 is a constitutionally man- dated measure that appears on the ballot every 16 years and requires Michigan voters to decide whether or not to convene a constitutional convention to rewrite the state's constitution. This will be the third time since the state's constitution was rewrit- ten in 1962 that a proposal for a ConCon has appeared on the ballot. The two previous proposals were handily voted down in 1978 and 1994. All indications show that this year will be no different. According to an article in the Detroit News, a poll conducted earlier this month by Mitchell Research and Communications revealed that 44 percent of Michi- gan voters oppose a constitutional convention, while 25 percent sup- port it. Thirty-one percent of voters were undecided. In an interview with the Daily, Communications Prof. Michael Traugott said the proposal will likely not pass. "My suspicion is that this is an issue that involves a lot of inertia and the public will probably con- clude that the risks (of having acon- stitutional convention) outweigh the probable benefits, and therefore it will fail again," Traugott said. Bernero said he opposes Prop. 1 for financial reasons. Estimates show that the ConCon could cost the state $45 million and Bernero said the state simply can't afford that at this time. "Writing a whole new constitu- tion diverts state leaders' attention from what should be every leaders' top concern right now - creating jobs," Bernero wrote in an e-mail to the Daily. "Also, a constitutional convention could cost tens of mil- lions of dollars, money the state doesn't have right now." Snyder, meanwhile, said he believes the ConCon would cause special interest groups to bring up controversial issues that would divide the state at a time when the state should focus its attention on things like the economy and job creation. "The reality is that special inter- ests from across the country would flood into Michigan and turn the whole convention into a circus at a time when our state, both elected officials and citizens, need to be focused on the immediate eco- nomic and government fiscal crisis before us," Snyder said on his cam- paign website. on the other hand, Traugott said, ConCon supporters argue that a constitutional convention would allow the state to address issues with the legislature, the state bud- get and the economy. "The people who support this argue, primarily, that the current constitution is outdated," Traugott said. "We need to have a general revision to update the constitution to be able to deal with contempo- rary economic issues in particular." Democratic Gov. Jennifer Gran- holm is one of the main proponents of the ConCon. Graham Davis, a spokesman for Gov. Granholm, said in a telephone interview that Granholm supports Prop. 1 because she believes the current constitution is outdated. "Gov. Granholm is supportive of Proposal 1 because she believes the state of Michigan is very dif- ferent than it was in 1961 and we need a foundational document that reflects the 21st century," Davis said. "Having a constitutional con- vention would set the stage for a streamlined government that moves Michigan forward in a com- prehensive way." If the measure passes, another election will beheld within the next six months to elect 148 delegates to the ConCon. One delegate from each state House and Senate dis- trict would be elected. Then, after the new document is drafted by the convention, another statewide vote would be held to ratify the new con- stitution. Ultimately, nobody knows how long the process of rewriting the constitution would actually take. In 1962, the process took seven months, but according to The Detroit News, some estimate it could take over a year to complete, and ratify, a new constitution.