G4G '06

Ordered bumper stickers and a T-shirt off the Granholm for Governor website. Got yours yet?

DeVos on health care

Sunday's GR Press had this little bit in the Polpourri column (Sorry, the online Polpourri hasn't been updated since May 14.) Excerpted:

Doctor disagrees with DeVos Rx -- When it comes to curing Michigan's health-care ills, Republican candidate Dick DeVos has the wrong prescription. That's the diagnosis of Dr. Paul Farr, a Grand Rapids gastroenterologist and president of the Michigan State Medical Society. Farr introduced DeVos at the Medical Society's leadership summit in Lansing last week. There, DeVos advanced the idea that the best solution to the health-care crisis is for more people to get jobs ...(emphasis mine)

Farr went on to point out: "The model of employment being the only model of health care insurance is really not working ..."

It discourages me to see a candidate portrayed as thinking so shallowly when we need vision, imagination and courage to push for creative solutions that go beyond the traditional health insurance model. So I checked out DeVos's blog to see if there was evidence of any more in-depth thought on this.

In a word, um ... no.

From DeVos's blog (Excerpts. emphasis mine; comments in italics):

Health care costs are hurting Michigan families and handcuffing Michigan job makers ... Michigan needs a change. Here are just a few things Dick DeVos will do to get Michigan back on track: (Gotta get that "job maker" theme in there ...)

Create a 21st century health care system

The time for new technologies in health care has arrived. The resources are in place to create a streamlined, technology-driven health care system. This system will make medical records more efficient, reduce hospital errors, and provide Michigan citizens with the tools to better manage their own health care. (Uh oh, watch out for this "managing our own health care" bit. It's the new code for fewer choices, less flexibility, more costs passed on to consumers.)

Improve access to healthcare and make it more affordable

Dick will work to reign in the cost of health insurance for working families and job providers. The more that individuals are empowered, and medical professionals are empowered, the better our health care system will be. (I think it's "rein," Dick. A little freudian slip here?)

Our legal system is a substantial part of the problem. We are going to have to reign in law suit abuse in Michigan. (Uh, maybe this is part of the cost problem, but does it relate to access? Oh, and there's that "reign" word again. Copy editor, please?)

Reform Medicaid and its sluggish bureaucracy

It is clear that Michigan's current Medicaid system desperately needs reform. Today's Medicaid is no longer providing the poorest and neediest with the coverage they need. Dick's reforms will help the needy, not the greedy. Dick will provide more accountability and oversight to a system that spends much of its money on fraud, waste, and inefficiency. (Groan ... I can hear that sound bite echoing across the state now ...)

These are excerpts, but they're pretty indicative of overall "substance." So far sound bites and empty rhetoric seem to be all we're getting from Mr. DeVos.

More "Diaries ..."

The Governor returned home yesterday after what sounds like a pretty productive trip to Japan focussed on bringing more jobs to our state. From Thursday's diary/blog:

At the end of my journey, I feel enthusiastic and optimistic about the future of Michigan. I’m so pleased by the jobs we’ve been able to bring back from this trip! I am pleased to tell you that we have commitments for more than 400 new jobs and over $84 million in investment from 12 companies.

Good stuff to go along with the other initiatives the Gov's got going on, like:

• Affordable, universal health care
  
• Health care for the uninsured
• Boosting requirements for high school graduation
• Increasing state dollars available to college students who meet grade requirements
  

Maybe I'm not paying close enough attention to her opponent (I have a hard time listening to him after surviving his reign when I worked for the family company), but all I've heard so far is his ill-considered johnny-one-note rant against the SBT ...

You go, Gov.

The Granholm Diaries

Our Gov. is in Japan this week meeting with Japanese companies and getting commitments from them to bring jobs to Michigan. Here's an excerpt from her diary/blog on Tuesday:

I’m pleased that we nailed down four commitments to expand and grow in Michigan. Those commitments will bring 151 jobs to communities across the state over the next year.

* Konica Minolta recently bought American Litho in Grand Rapids. Today, they committed to an additional expansion. Among its many products, Konica Minolta produces medical imaging equipment – a natural fit for our life sciences corridor. (emphasis added)

* Meiden America, which already has a sales office in Novi, is planning to build a new facility which will employ 50 people.

* Shikoku Cable Company will expand their Novi operation, adding two more jobs.

* Taichi-S, an automotive seating manufacturer, will expand their Farmington Hills engineering facility to add 20 jobs.

These projects, which are expected to bring almost $34 million in investment, are great news for our communities.

Good work, Governor -- keep it up! Your enthusiasm is inspiring and contagious.

Love the blog, too. What a great way to remind us that we've got a say -- and that we all can be part of the effort!