The Guv in her own words
From Time’s “10 Questions,” we get some idea of how our Governor thinks. Is there a theme running through these responses, perhaps?
We won’t pay for you to get a degree in French or political science…but we will pay for you to get a degree in something that is of need, like nursing….
The same people who bend steel to make cars can bend steel to make wind turbines. The same people who program machines to build car parts can program machines to build parts for solar panels….
You can’t give tax credits to everybody, because somebody’s gotta pay for them. We have targeted six sectors….
As a politician, of course she knows what skills workers today need. That’s her particular area of expertise, somehow.
Then there are the statements that leave you scratching your head (even after you see the questions that prompted them):
But I can tell you I will have had a lot of experience in leading during a time of sustained crisis….
Leading? Surely she jests.
Better leadership decisions than in Michigan
Recently the Dallas Morning News ran a very interesting article regarding the 160-year-old Michigan State Fair. Prior to being cancelled this Labor Day, the Michigan State Fair was the oldest, and many said, the most critically acclaimed state fair in all the land. But because of recent budget cuts, the fair was permanently put out of business. Compare this with what Texas has done, which now has “the country’s longest and largest fair…at least $5 million in profits each year based on about $70 million in revenues.”
As the author says, in these recessionary times, “other fairs are seeing their budgets dry up as governments spend precious dollars elsewhere.” “Unlike several other state fairs, the State Fair of Texas doesn’t receive government funds. But for the fair to continue making money on its own, officials have to keep things fresh to attract the crowds.” In other words, the profit motive has kept the Texas state fair alive, while the lack of such an incentive has caused the Michigan State Fair to go extinct.
“We’ve tried to keep the product relevant by constantly changing the product,” said Errol McKoy, fair president. “We preach innovation.” This innovation has included renovating the world famous Cotton Bowl in order to keep the traditional Red River football rivalry between the Universities of Texas and Oklahoma on the state fair grounds as it has been for the last eighty years.
The fair is using its profits to pay for this and other projects. “So, the pressure’s on to keep the money rolling in.” And the Texas State Fair has been able to keep the money rolling in because of a board of directors “who expect business results.”
Interestingly, the article quotes Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm saying that “while they are a wonderful tradition, the state fairs are not an essential purpose of government.” We agree Governor. So why not follow Texas’ lead and let the private sector preserve Michigan’s wonderful tradition?