G4G Talking points for 09/14

[SharonRB]

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 14 (54 Days until Victory 2006)

Governor Granholm visited the site of an alternative energy partnership between Wayne State University and two private companies to develop a synthetic fuel.


The initiative is part of the first $100 million of the $2 billion 21st Century Jobs Fund that will diversify Michigan’s economy and create cutting edge jobs in areas like alternative energy. Many people have talked about diversifying Michigan’s economy; Governor Granholm took action and her comprehensive jobs plan is starting to pay dividends.


Dick DeVos came out with another deceptive ad in an attempt to combat the charge that he eliminated Michigan jobs and created jobs in China. He can't escape the truth, though. Click here to read our fact check of the latest DeVos...http://www.granholmforgov.com/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=8953&news_iv_ctrl=1641

Headlines from Around the State

The Detroit Free Press: Governor looks over WSU energy projects
Fuels of the future and alternative energy topped the agenda of Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm's visit to Wayne State University in Detroit Wednesday. Granholm met with students and faculty and congratulated WSU for having been awarded five grants totaling $7.2 million from the state's 21st Century Jobs Fund initiative. She also took a tour of the university's College of Engineering and saw some of the alternative energy projects being developed. More than $2 million of the money granted to WSU was awarded to professor K.Y. Simon Ng, director of alternative energy technology, for a project to develop synthetic fuel to power mobile generators for the military. The collaboration is a public-private partnership between WSU, Detroit-based Titan Energy Development Inc. and the National Automotive Center. The 10-year, $2-billion program was established in January to help create as many as 70,000 jobs in the areas of alternative energy, life sciences, advanced automotive research and homeland security. The initiative also will encourage the commercialization of technologies and products from Michigan-based companies. Last week, Granholm announced that $100 million in grants would be shared by 61 awardees as part of the first round of funding for the jobs program.
Click here to read the full article...http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060914/BUSINESS06/609140327/1019/BUSINESS

Saginaw News Letter: Level playing field
The policies of the Bush administration have a great deal to do with the reasons that so many manufacturing jobs have been lost in Michigan. Gov. Jennifer Granholm has repeatedly stated that the administration needs to "level the playing field." The following example illustrates her point. Last year, South Korea sent 730,000 vehicles to the United States while the U.S. exported only 4,000 vehicles to South Korea. These are hardly equal numbers and are the result of trade barriers that discriminate against U.S. vehicles. Granholm also noted that the Chinese use trading practices which help them to gain an economic advantage. Currency manipulation and the failure to provide basic worker protection have cost the United States more than a million manufacturing jobs in the last five years, and increased our trade deficit tremendously. On the other hand, Dick DeVos, the Republican candidate for governor, has consistently supported Bush economics of unfair trade. As the head of Amway, DeVos cut nearly 1,400 Michigan jobs and created tens of thousands of jobs in China. Now DeVos is endorsing outsourcing jobs outside of Michigan. He recently supported a tool and die company owner's decision to possibly move his operation to Tennessee.
Click here to read the full article...http://www.mlive.com/columns/sanews/index.ssf?/base/news-0/1158155425134410.xml&coll=9&thispage=2