Knox College Student: State Governors are Successful Republicans
Where will the Republican Party look for solid, successful leadership?
Knox College student Alex Uzarowicz opines that it is from the GOP list of state governors:
…Love him or hate him, Governor Rick Snyder from Michigan turned a dismal deficit into a surplus. He reversed a $1.5 billion deficit to a close $500 million surplus that will be spent into additional programs in the new budget on additional K-12 and college education spending of around 2 percent, public safety spending with 1,000 more police officers, and even avoiding furlough pay for union employees. He infuriated union bosses by making Michigan a right to work state prohibiting mandatory union membership, but is “prioritizing” public spending by helping many public employees that would have lost their jobs if it wasn’t for the surplus.Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker did something very similar in his own state changing a $3 billion deficit into a $300 million surplus. Even though his jobs numbers may not be as impressive, he is a leader at diminishing the encroaching influence of many powerful public unions around the state of Wisconsin. He earned his praise from conservative talking heads.
However, successful stories are not just Midwestern. Governor Susana Martinez is sparking her own success in the state of New Mexico. After her popular speech at the Republican National Convention last year, Martinez is making a lot of improvements within her state. She lowered the corporate tax rate from 7.6 to 5.9 percent over five years along with many other tax cuts for small businesses, denied the access to driver’s license for illegal immigrants, and she eliminated the locomotive tax allowing for the building of a “$400 million hub” from Union Pacific Railroad. Martinez cut government spending by cutting down on the governor’s staff and attributes such as luxurious jets.
These Republican governors act fast and live up to their promises. They also innovate in public policy. Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell signed a trade agreement with China, for example, to invigorate Virginia businesses. He also eliminated the gas tax but leaving for some revenue increases to promote transportation spending like that of President Eisenhower. Innovation is key.
That’s the kind of leadership and ingenuity Republicans should focus on. Governor Chris Christie was right in saying this week on Morning Joe that “We’ve got 30 of 50 Republican governors in this country. Why? I think that’s because at the state level, they see the Republican Party as being doers – that we actually get things done for people.” Christie has done plenty for New Jersey especially with the Hurricane Sandy recovery, cutting taxes and spending, and taking on teacher’s unions. That’s not even mentioning balancing New Jersey’s budget every year in office.
Comments
I’ll have to show this article/essay to my sister-in-law. She’s a teacher, and so in bed with the unions that she was part of the recall effort that failed to have Snyder removed.
His crime? Wanting to put teachers under the same restrictions as the rest of us non-union saps (merit-based raises instead of guaranteed increases, annual reviews that mean something, the ability to be removed/fired if underperforming [always a thorny issue for teachers], etc.).
A lot of people *do* hate him because the things that’ve been pushed through are a lot of tough love. But frankly, Granholm did such a grand job of digging us an even deeper trench that this budget surplus probably will also go to paying down deficits that I’m sure are present. I don’t have numbers or anything, but I’ll bet that the state’s got its own nice cloud of debt overhead.