Michigan Governor Rick Snyder Gives State-of-the-State Address

Michigan Governor Rick Snyder held his second State of the State Address last night in Lansing since taking office.  He called it more of a report card, reviewing what has been accomplished at the state level over the past year.  Snyder says the number one issue had been jobs and unemployment  in the state has dropped from 11.1 percent to 9.3 percent.  And his second point was obesity, which he says has not done as well with an increase of one percent higher in Michigan population.  Number three on his list, was college readiness, which increased from 16 percent to 17 percent, which is unacceptable he stated.  And, while crime statistics in the state improved,  Michigan continues to have four of the top 10 cities on the most violent crime list for the United States which includes Flint, Saginaw, Pontiac and Detroit.   He also addressed the budget and the need to realign government. The governor says he plans to present a two-year budget to the legislature and complete the budget process by May 31.  His budget proposes eliminating the Michigan Business Tax and replacing it with a 6% corporate net income tax.