Ann Arbor’s Rick Snyder Running for Governor

I’m Running For Governor, By Rick Snyder

Posted on July 20, 2009 at 10:16 am by Rick Snyder

One million. That’s the number of jobs Michigan is projected to lose this decade.

Twelve minutes. That’s how often a family is moving out of this state.

17th to 34th. That’s how far our per capita income rate has dropped relative to the rest of the nation.

15.2%. That’s our current unemployment rate and it’s still climbing.

We are an in economic disaster and we’re becoming a smaller and poorer state compared to the rest of the nation. These aren’t just statistics. This is the reality that is devastating to all of us. We are watching our neighbors, our families and our children struggle to find a job and flee the state.

While our state has declined, this administration and the career politicians in Lansing have failed to provide leadership, long-term solutions or a clear vision for our future. This is unacceptable and it’s time to say we’ve had enough. It’s time for bold action and a major transformation in Michigan.

That’s why I am announcing today that I am running for Governor. We need to reinvent Michigan and start a new era in this state, an era of innovation. That’s why I chose to make my announcement at Thomas Edison’s Menlo Park Laboratory, a place that embodies the inventive spirit we need to embrace. We need to focus on innovation so we can have a diverse and growing economy that will create more and better jobs. We will improve our quality of life and provide the environment and opportunities needed to keep our youth, our future, in Michigan.

It’s not a fairy tale, we’ve done it before. In the 1800s we used our natural assets like fur and timber to start an prosperous era in Michigan, which I call the era of natural resources or Michigan 1.0. In the 1900s we revolutionized the world with the automobile industry and created the middle-class. I call that our industrial era or Michigan 2.0.

Today, after a period of complacency has turned into a period of fear and frustration, we need to move into an era of innovation, Michigan 3.0. In order to do that we need to change how Lansing operates so that citizens and businesses are treated like customers and encouraged to succeed. We need to reform our tax system to make it simple, fair and competitive and get rid of burdensome regulations so that we can create a environment conducive to growth. We need to replace destructive politics with bold ideas, long-term solutions and a common vision.

So today I announced my campaign and kicked off my statewide announcement tour in our new campaign bus which will take me through Flint, Lansing, Grand Rapids on Tuesday.

On Wednesday, I’m headed to Kalamazoo, my hometown of Battle Creek, the birthplace of the Republican Party in Kalamazoo and will be at the grand opening of our new campaign office in Ann Arbor.

Thursday, we’ll take the bus to TechTown in Detroit, Oxford, Lapeer, Frankmuth, Saginaw and Midland.

Friday the bus rolls up to the UP as we make stops in Traverse City, Charlevoix, Cheboygan, St. Ignace, Sault Ste Marie and Marquette. The tour concludes on Saturday with stops in Gwinn, Houghton-Hancock, Iron River, Iron Mountain and Escanaba.

Please join me on my announcement tour. You can RSVP here.

Please continue to visit this campaign website to learn more about me, my vision and our campaign.

Please join the Reinvent Michigan Team and stay connected with the campaign through Facebook or Twitter.

Check out my top 10 guiding principles to reinventing Michigan. And continue to send me your thoughts, suggestions and comments through the new MichiganTalks section of the campaign website.

I know that reinventing Michigan is more than a one-person task. We have to work together to make our state great again.

Thank you and I look forward to seeing you out on the campaign trail and here at RickForMichigan.com