G4G Talking points for 09-22-

[SharonRB]

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 22 (46 Days until Victory 2006)

Fighting for Working Families: This morning Governor Granholm will sign into law a historic tax credit for working families, putting more money into the pockets of low-income workers. More than 660,000 Michigan families making $35,000 or less will get up to $880 a year from the tax credit.


More Glossy Books, Still No Details: Dick DeVos released his plan for seniors yesterday, and once again attempted to hide from the organizations, people and policies that he has a long history of backing. As with other issues including unfair trade, DeVos does not mention in his 8-page glossy picture book on seniors that he has supported organizations like the Acton Institute that want to cut Medicare.


Responding To DeVos’ Attacks on Seniors: Governor Granholm created the nation’s first multi-state bulk buying pool for prescription drugs, lowering costs for tens of thousands of Michigan seniors. Yesterday was the second anniversary of the Governor’s MiRX prescription drug discount card extended drug coverage to thousands of seniors. And she has taken steps to protect senior citizens by requiring background checks for nursing home employees, and she is fighting for sprinkler systems in assisted care facilities.


What About Social Security? Governor Granholm fought back against President Bush’s plan to privatize Social Security. DeVos does not take a stance on privatization in his seniors booklet.

Headlines from Around the State

Detroit Free Press: Republican strategists cringe as the real DeVos stands up
Mayday! Mayday! All hands on deck! Full astern! OK -- so maybe Dick DeVos' handlers didn't really shout those things Wednesday when their candidate told the Associated Press he'd like to see more public schools make a religious doctrine known as intelligent design a part of their science curricula. But the urgency with which top GOP strategists moved to limit the fallout from DeVos' public embrace of creationism was striking in a campaign that has been mostly smooth sailing. . . . The AP story broke on freep.com and other newspaper Web sites around lunchtime. By midafternoon, DeVos campaign manager Greg McNeilly and spokesman John Truscott were phoning reporters and editors around the state, challenging headlines that described DeVos as a proponent of intelligent design and insisting that his comments had merely reiterated his long-standing support for control of public school curricula. . . . To find out what most candidates are about, you need only look at who's bankrolling them and why. But in DeVos' case, it's at least as instructive to look at whom the candidate himself has bankrolled over the years. DeVos' status as one of the Republican National Committee's preeminent financiers is well known; without his patronage, our current president might be just another name on the lecture circuit. But what DeVos and his wife, Betsy, have given to politicians pales beside their generosity to conservative religious organizations working to outlaw abortion, prohibit gay marriage and adoption and promote school prayer, religious displays in government buildings and the teaching of intelligent design in public schools.
Click here to read the full story...http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060922/NEWS05/609220348

The Associated Press: Governor signs bills to protect property rights
Gov. Jennifer Granholm signed legislation Thursday aimed at strengthening Michigan landowners' rights when government wants to take their property for economic development. The legislation is designed as a complement to a proposed constitutional amendment that will appear on the November statewide ballot. The ballot proposal essentially reinforces a 2004 state Supreme Court decision that keeps state and local governments from taking property for private economic development purposes. The legislation signed Thursday places the burden of proof on the government to show property has a public use, restricts its ability to designate property as blighted and requires the government to pay property owners at least 125 percent of the fair market value of land taken by eminent domain… Eminent domain typically is used to clear space for highways, airports or schools. But governments also use the power for economic development projects that may attract jobs and tax dollars.
Click here to read the full story... http://www.mlive.com/newsflash/business/index.ssf?/base/news-37/1158875345232580.xml&storylist=mibusiness

The Lansing State Journal: Health care professionals pull for Granholm re-election
Health care professionals across the state threw house parties Thursday for Gov. Jennifer Granholm's re-election. The events were scheduled to celebrate the second anniversary of MI-Rx, the state's discount prescription drug program. Granholm planned to join the parties via a conference call.
Click here to read the full story... http://www.lsj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060922/ELECTIONS/609220325/1411/election