Right to work will reignite state's economy

By Michael Bouchard

Michigan is truly at a crossroads. After a decade of high unemployment, staggering job losses, and declining home values, we have to make a decision: move forward and confront the realities of the 21st Century or stay mired in a broken status quo where jobs continue to leave the state and our children are forced to follow.
Unfortunately there is a lot of wishful thinking in Lansing, but a stunning lack of leadership.  It’s time to fix Lansing and get Michigan back to work.  From day one as governor I will make the tough choices even if they are not popular with the entrenched special interests suffocating our state’s economy.  It’s time to focus on the next generation instead of the next election.
Throughout my campaign I’ ve travelled across the state talking with people from all walks of life.  I’ ve engaged business leaders and economic experts both in Michigan and outside the state about the types of reforms we need to engage.  It took a long time for our state to get this way and there are no simple fixes or easy solutions to turn Michigan around. From the contraction of the auto industry, to the disgraceful conduct of Kwame Kilpatrick; and from the dysfunction gripping Lansing to the special interests fighting for the status quo, the belief among job-providers is that Michigan is closed for business.
To move forward we need bold, dramatic change that sends a message to the rest of the world that Michigan is serious about competing for jobs. That everything is on the table to allow families and their children to have a future here. One such dramatic move would be passing a right-to-work law and paycheck protection for employees.
Why would companies look to locate here if they know their workers could be forced to join a union to get a job’   Even more, once they are forced into a union, money is pulled from their paycheck without their permission to go towards the union’s political activities.
Some Michigan workers may not have a choice right now, but businesses do and they have left our state in droves to find more business-friendly environments to their business.
Consider the hard facts.  There are currently 22 right-to-work states in America.  The Bureau of Labor Statistics  shows the average unemployment rate in theses states stands at 8.4 percent. In Michigan, we are at 13.6 percent.
How many more factories have to close, homes foreclosed, children forced to leave Michigan because they can’ t find a good job before the politicians in Lansing will have the courage to stand up to the special interests and union bosses and say enough is enough’ 
As governor, my top priority will be creating jobs and the economic environment to foster growth and prosperity.  The entrenched special interests in Lansing may not be ready to make the tough choices, but I am, and I will.
In an ideal world, right-to-work would be handled at the local level where every locality would have the option of making their jurisdiction a right to work zone. But given the critical state of our economy, the enormous power of the union bosses and their strong opposition to right to work, this may not be feasible.
Passing a right-to-work law will send a clear message: Michigan is once again open for business, ready to compete for jobs.  We have tremendous resources, infrastructure and a workforce whose work ethic and talents are second to none throughout the world.
Change won’t be easy, but fighting the status quo and special interests never is. I fully expect to encounter roadblocks along the way, but we cannot afford to let the status quo reign. If the politicians in Lansing are unwilling to put Michigan’s future first, then I’ ll work to prepare a ballot initiative and let the people decide at the ballot box.
We owe it to all the families struggling, our neighbors who are suffering and to our kids who want the choice to stay here and start their lives to act decisively.  No more watching and waiting, a new day is dawning in Michigan and we will make the tough choices to get us back to work.
Some may say Michigan’s best days are behind us. I’m ready to prove them wrong.
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Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard (R) is running for governor of Michigan.