In response to "Another update from ineffectual governor" (SN 1/25), Jeff Wiggins attempts to paint Gov. Jennifer Granholm as a portrait of ineffective leadership. The problem is that the facts portray an entirely different story, which is being muddled by Wiggins' unclear grasp of the past three years of Granholm's leadership.
Wiggins rightfully focuses upon the issue of jobs, an issue which the governor has a very clear record on. Wiggins ignores the numbers that have come out of the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, which clearly state that the efforts of the Granholm administration have created or retained 327,000 jobs in Michigan.
The greater issue was not building jobs in Michigan; rather it was stemming the loss of manufacturing jobs leaving the state and the country, due to failed federal policies. These are policies that Granholm has little to no control over.
These are the same federal policies which Republican Dick DeVos, Wiggins' preferred candidate for governor, wholeheartedly supported when he made the decision in 2000 to eliminate 1,300 Michigan jobs, in favor of expanding operations in China. I usually prefer a candidate who supports the workers of the state of which he or she is seeking to govern. But that is just my personal preference.
The second major issue that Wiggins focuses on is the MEAP scholarship. Again, Wiggins chooses a very important issue to focus on. And again, he ignores the facts surrounding the governor's innovative policy changes on this issue. The governor is seeking to alter the timing by which the MEAP scholarship is awarded. This change would allow the scholarship to be doubled as an incentive for completion of a two-year or four-year degree. The reason behind these changes is not to "weed out" those who discover college is not for them, but rather to increase the overall level of college graduates in Michigan.
As I'm sure Wiggins, a history junior, is aware, the record of states with the highest degree awardees also happen to have the most vibrant economies. In fact, this is a policy change which has been wholeheartedly supported on a bipartisan level in the state legislature.
Although I am not a partisan loyalist, I do know when someone is fighting hard for me, for my family, and for my state. Granholm has a clear record of doing all of these things. Others do not appear to have as clear of a record.
Erin Ruth
second-year human medicine student
