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Granholm announces her own summer vacation plans

By Nick, Section News
Posted on Tue Jul 10, 2007 at 11:57:31 AM EST
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Not bothered by the fact her office swiped $13 million from the taxpayers' pockets for executive travel last year, Governor Granholm announced this morning she's planning to take her summer vacation in Europe again this year.

Oh, but I shouldn't sell her short. She's also going to give a speech at a chamber of commerce and try to convince a few businesses that the new MBT, which raises taxes significantly on companies located outside of Michigan, is actually a good thing.

And here's the kicker... on her swing through Sweden (because there aren't any jobs to poach in, oh, South Carolina or Arkansas) she's going to be talking to automotive companies. Yeah, that's the ticket. We have such a hard time building cars in Detroit... it's just not something we're any good at. Hopefully the Swedes can set us straight.

Meanwhile, the legislature continues to be scolded by the governor for abandoning Lansing to take a summer break of their own. Of course their trip to the beach didn't cost the taxpayers a dime.

< Presidential politics heating up in Michigan | Granholm to Europe, Dem Legislature back to the beach and McCain's Michigan op heads for the exits? >

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Granholm announces her own summer vacation plans | 16 comments (16 topical, 0 hidden)

Nick, you wouldn't be looking (5.00 / 1) (#1)
by PMOTVRWC on Tue Jul 10, 2007 at 01:34:51 PM EST

for someone to "caption this photo" like the Freep does? This picture is creaming out for a caption and I'll provide you with the first one.

"What's that, I'm tone deaf to the concerns of the taxpayers."

OK, I know we should be above such nonsense, but when presented with an opportunity I sometimes fall to the temptation.

nonsense? Nonsense. (5.00 / 1) (#2)
by Nick on Tue Jul 10, 2007 at 01:56:58 PM EST

"Speak up, I can't hear you over that sucking sound coming from the southern border..."

Nick, don't we... (5.00 / 1) (#3)
by SJapinga on Tue Jul 10, 2007 at 02:24:33 PM EST

spend millions of dollars on advertising for PURE MICHIGAN?

we spend millions (5.00 / 1) (#4)
by Nick on Tue Jul 10, 2007 at 02:37:16 PM EST

of dollars advertising for Pure Michigan INSIDE Michigan, yes.

Don't know if they're running the ads in Germany and Sweden just yet.

haha... by SJapinga, 07/10/2007 02:58:59 PM EST (5.00 / 1)

For What It's Worth . . . (none / 0) (#6)
by sandmman on Tue Jul 10, 2007 at 03:31:20 PM EST

or, for that matter, if it can be believed (!), Lansing State Journal reports, "Granholm said this morning taxpayer money won't be used for the trip. It will be financed with funds raised from businesses through the Michigan Economic Development Corp."

http://www.lsj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070710/NEWS03/707100350&GID=dKEzZQ8blWQSzHCrKmiB 3QVLLbdRXeL8/nIbCOVE34E%3D

Ah, excuse me, (5.00 / 1) (#7)
by PMOTVRWC on Tue Jul 10, 2007 at 04:06:35 PM EST

but isn't the German unemployment rate almost twice as high as Michigan? If the Germans could create any jobs, don't you suppose they would do so in their own country?

And isn't the money from the this fund actually tax dollars? I haven't heard of any Michigan company throwing money into this pot voluntarily. I could be wrong on that though.

Maybe you don't know... by elviscostello, 07/11/2007 09:25:40 AM EST (4.00 / 1)

Don't bother by NoviDemocrat, 07/11/2007 09:33:43 AM EST (1.00 / 1)

That whole "unemployment thing" by John Galt, 07/11/2007 10:37:33 AM EST (5.00 / 1)

yes, yes it is... by gnu2u, 07/11/2007 05:38:44 PM EST (5.00 / 1)

Voluntary Money (5.00 / 1) (#8)
by John Galt on Tue Jul 10, 2007 at 07:46:40 PM EST

It's the new government campaign slush fund. Just see if Mike Bishop can pull money from the MEDC to fly somewhere.

Campaign Finance laws say that incorporated companies can't donate money to campaigns. I'm not sure what rules of Government accounting (ala Dept. of Treasury) cover "donations" from Businesses, though. But you can imagine this McNamara-protege' would use whatever means necessary to take money and bribes.

I want to know SPECIFICALLY which companies donated to the MEDC to make the trip possible. I want full accounting, Campaign-Finance style. I want to know WHICH COMPANIES donated who recently got nice "tax abatements" and other kickbacks.

Something smells seriously fishy if the money came from MEDC "donations" and not "taxpayers".

you're right (5.00 / 1) (#11)
by Nick on Wed Jul 11, 2007 at 09:46:51 AM EST

the fact that there are foreign owned companies that have jobs in Michigan proves that the governor should spend a couple weeks going to Germany for a third time and Sweden in the middle of a budget crisis (while she criticizes the legislature for not being in Lansing).

But wait, wouldn't that mean that the fact there are Indiana and Ohio and Nebraska and West VA owned companies with jobs in Michigan necessitates job hunting missions there too?

When was the last time the governor went to another state to try to get jobs?

Mitch Daniels, the governor of Indiana came to MI to get Delphi and he was successful.

I guess scenic Cleveland isn't as nice a vacation destination as Sweden in the summer.

Trolling your own site? by NoviDemocrat, 07/11/2007 10:37:32 AM EST (1.00 / 1)

The point? Spend taxmoney on vacations. by John Galt, 07/11/2007 10:42:41 AM EST (5.00 / 1)

Exactly, THE COMPANIES ARE ALREADY HERE! (5.00 / 1) (#16)
by Republican Yankee on Thu Jul 12, 2007 at 06:14:37 PM EST

The fact that NoviDem and his friends can continue pretending to be fooled by these kind of PR stunts from the governor's office is a joke that strikes to the core of their credibility.

Are there companies from Germany and Japan that are already here? YES!!! But that's the whole point. Everytime she goes "overseas" to "bring jobs back" to Michigan, she announces expansions of German and Japanese company sites that are ALREADY IN MICHIGAN. So why does she need to go to those countries to secure this expansion?

The deal is these companies are planning to expand anyways because MEDC cuts them a deal with tax abatements before Granholm even goes over there. Then she embarks on a "jobs mission" and announces all these new jobs that she "brought back" as if her trip overseas was the sole reason this occurred.

It's all BS. This is a governor who can't get earned media by simply being a good governor, so she has to STAGE events like this to make it look like she's actually doing something when she's not. It's just more theatrics. Want proof?

Check out what happened in Indianapolis last fall. The Japan-Midwest Association, an association with the purpose of increasing business cooperation between Japan and Midwest states held a summit in Indianapolis in September. Over 600 business leaders were in attendence. Governor Taft from Ohio made it, so did Governor Daniels from Indiana, but Governor Granholm couldn't seem to find the time.

There was an article in the September 10, 2006 edition of the Indianapolis Star if any of you have access to it.

I guess meeting with Japanese businesses in Indianapolis just isn't as "cool" as meeting with them in Japan.

Granholm announces her own summer vacation plans | 16 comments (16 topical, 0 hidden)

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