From: Whipple, Deb (GOV)
Sent: Wednesday, December 23, 2009 4:38 PM
Subject: What the Governor is talking about today
What the Governor’s Talking about Today
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
 
NOTE: This is the final edition for 2009.  We will resume daily issuance on Monday, January 4, 2010.
 
Governor Calls 2009 ‘Watershed Year’ in Effort to Diversify Economy, Educate, Train Citizens

During her traditional year-end discussion with reporters yesterday, the governor said 2009 was a watershed year for the state of Michigan, saying that the “perfect storm” of the financial crisis and global recession left the state with no choice but to diversify its economy and increase educational attainment. 
 
“There’s no question that 2009 was a critical year for our state,” the governor said.  “It was a year in which we had some of the toughest challenges we’ve faced, from the General Motors and Chrysler bankruptcies to state revenues falling to a 45-year low when adjusted for inflation.  Those challenges were painful, but they underscored that we have the right plan to give citizens new opportunities for a secure way of life.”
 
Key messages:
 
•  The governor pointed to a number of positive developments that validate the state’s efforts to diversify Michigan’s economy in the sectors of advanced manufacturing, clean energy, defense and homeland security, life sciences, film and tourism.
 
•  These include an emerging advanced-battery industry in Michigan; a growing solar energy industry, particularly in the Saginaw Valley; investments in electric vehicles by GM, Ford and Chrysler; a burgeoning film industry; and enrollment topping 105,000 in the state’s No Worker Left Behind job-training program.
 
•  The governor emphasized the crucial assistance the Obama administration provided to Michigan in 2009, saying we’re grateful for a partner in the White House that has helped us weather this economic storm and move the state forward.  From the GM and Chrysler rescue to the Recovery Act, the Obama administration has provided a lifeline for Michigan during these tough times.
 
•  The governor added that Recovery Act dollars have enabled Michigan to retain or create thousands of jobs and also have boosted education, job-training, health care, public safety, road construction and unemployment insurance.
 
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