Monday, July 12, 2010
Will You Be Voting for Andy Dillon or Virg Bernero
With the primary fast approaching on Tuesday, August 3, 2010, have you made up your mind who you are going to vote for? If so, who will you be voting for and why? And why won't you be voting for the other guy? We would like to know your take on the pros and cons for each candidate.
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I am still undecided. I like Bernero's agressive can-do style. Dillon seems so laid back. However, we need a Democrat who can win in November and Dillon may be able to draw more votes. Dillon was endorsed today by Dennis Archer and that may bring Detroit voters to him.
ReplyDeleteWhere do the candidates stand on gay rights?
ReplyDeleteI am leaning towards Bernero. I see little difference between Dillon and Cox. They even look alike.
ReplyDeleteVirg Bernero. He has legislative experience, he is Mayor of a large City, and I truly believe he echoes the disenchantment and frustration of middle class Michiganians who have lost their jobs, had their pay frozen, and saw thier purhcasing power eliminated while ex state politicians live on lavish pension benefits and corporate elite have been given obscene bonuses for outsourcing work and shipping it to South America or the Far East.
ReplyDeleteDillon has proposed a heath care scheme that even public employers are skeptical ablout. He has made public comments and genralizations that State Employees have better pay and benefits than private sector workers yet he is selective about the period of time he makes the comparisons and fails to point out what comparable positions in the private and public sector pay. State police, for example, do not come close to recieving the generous pension benefits that law enforcement personnel in local units of government receive. While much controversy is made about health insurance for teachers no one looks at the pay of faculty at some of our major universities or as stated previously pension benefits of other public employees. Lastly, Dillon's approach to bipartisanship is to adopt the turnaround plan of the Business Leaders For Michigan. What did Dillon get from Bishop over the last several years? Archer called him a bridge builder. I hope he doesn't work on the project slated for construction over the Detroit River. Instead of selling you down the River you will fall into it after he collapes it.
In Harlem, wonderful advancements in student attendance and achievement have been made by increasing the length of the teaching day and by only taking off August for a summer vacation. I suppoert out teachers. However, I would support them a whole lot more if they would adopt the Harlem program.
ReplyDeleteBut all of these achieving Harlem schools are charter schools which means they are non-union. I support unions, but I think that some changes are in order.
I don't see Bernero giving this idea any consideration. He is totally owned by the unions.
Right now, I am leaning towards Dillon. Bernero reminds me of Feiger when he ran against Engler and we know what a disaster that was.
ReplyDeleteI am not a big fan of Dillon's, but I am a Democrat and I will vote for the Democratic candidate, so Dillion it is although this is not like voting for Obama or even Wadsworth where I was and am truly committed.
I have already voted for Virg Bernero. Dillon double crossed the teachers and we will not forget.
ReplyDeletePresently leaning toward Bernero. Dillon was ineffective against Bishop and failed to make Bishop out to be the obstructionist that he was. There comes a time when trying to compromise amounts to complete surrender.
ReplyDeleteUnions are what created the middle class in this country and Bernero is for unions which is what Democrats have supported for decades and vice versa. Vote for Bernero to bring union jobs with a decent wage and decent benefits back to Michigan.
ReplyDeleteJim Embree
ReplyDeleteI'm a banker and a business man, but I've been a Democrat all my life. i'm supporting Andy Dillon. I've met both candidates, heard both speak and I believe Dillon has a more realistic grasp of state budget and financial issues than any candidate Republican or Democrat. He represents the only chance of Democrats retaining the governorship this year. The alternatives are Hoekstra, Cox, or God forbid, Rick Snyder.
The above comments say it all. Banker/business man Democrat for Dillon versus union worker Democrat for Bernero.
ReplyDeleteI don't believe Bernero when he says that he can prevent blue collar jobs like mine from going over seas. However, I don't believe Dillon's ads that he is pro labor. I remain undecided.
Who is the least worse of the two? Not a good way to decide is it?
Promising jobs to everyone is absolutely absurd!!! There are more applicants for jobs than there are vacancies and in my opinion it will remain that way becasue our Federal Government through its pathetic economic policies has encouraged the dismemberment of the Americn Middle class by standing like the house by the side of the road as jobs were exported to other parts of the world for cheap labor.It's no accident that many young people with college and post graduate degress wind up having to work as waiters and waitresses. Even highly skilled tech jobs have been outsourced to other countries and I am not refering to unionized jobs either. There are many white collar jobs that would pay very good here in the USA but when you can send the job for which you sent your son or daughter to college to receive an education for is not avialable why would a company want to pay your child $45 to $50,000 per year when it can pay someone in another country around $23,000 to $30,000 per year? Ask people in Texas who worked for Dell Computer what happened to their jobs.
ReplyDeleteI am not convinced that extending the school day or keeping a student in school 11 months out of the year has proven to be the solution for student progress or mastery of the skill sets needed to survive as an adult. I have never read or heard about a correlation between parental involvement and student achievemnt. Could it be that parents who send their children to charter schools play an active role in reinforcing what is taught in the environment of the school day? Catholic Central in Novi begins school in August and at one time did not hold classes on Fridays during the Winter months and they get out of School in Late May. Teachers are the first ones to get the blame for low student progress. A teacher only has the child for about 35 to 45 minutes per period. Parents have to reinforce good learning habits and the subject matter the chld was taught during the day. Did our society have the distractions 50 or 60 years ago that we have today? Heck there adults who don't know who their State Representative is and some don't even know what the Supreme court is or its role in our government. Yet these same folks blast teachers for their children's intellectuall lethargy.
I will be voting for Bernero. Here's why...the extorsion is still going on. Listen to the republican logic that permeates our current public discourse. If we will only just give more "Freedom" more "Tax Breaks" to the economies decision makers all will be well. The definition of insanity comes to mind. Dillon still thinks negotiating on behalf of the people from a position of weakness will somehow get us a different result. Bernero in his Heart knows that if he can change the negotiating dynamic to a true carrot and stick approach that he can right the ship and steady our great state back from the brink of a depression. Following Dillon's mainstream approach will only temporarily slow our decline because lets face it. As bad as it is now, we are not as poor as the peoples of the world that are getting our JOBS. So...ask yourself; do you have the COURAGE to vote for the guy that makes the the power people nervouse and scared the way the power people have made you!
ReplyDeleteI've already voted for Bernero. First off, Dillon is 100% pro-life. Now he says that he has no pro-life agenda, but how will he act as Governor if pro-life legislation gets to his desk? Can we trust that he will veto it? I don't think so.
ReplyDeleteSecondly, I see no vision from Dillon. He is quite knowledgeable about the budget with all of the current limitations, but he sees no solution to fund needed services like schools, police, and fire. He dares not talk about restructuring taxes, except to promise tax cuts for businesses. This is a sure path to making Michigan into the next Arkansaw or Mississippi.
Bernero's heart is in the right place. He sees a Michigan future where schools and other basic services must be adequately funded. He believes that we have the where-with-all to fight through this and create a new vibrant economy, and he has an urban revival agenda.
This may be more than just talk. I have been traveling to Lansing for the past 8 years, and in the last 5 Lansing is showing some significant signs of revitalization. The downtown has a host of new restaurants, condos, great park space, and people actually out and about.
Finally, Bishop outmaneuvered Dillon multiple times in their budget battles. Dillon just doesn't seem to have the fight in him to go for what I find important.
Dillon's pro-life stance and backing immediately take him our of contention.
ReplyDeleteI am definitely voting for Virg.
ReplyDeleteI have met Virg 2 times. For those of you who are not aware, he is the ONLY PRO-CHOICE candidate. Granholm has used her pen many times to veto detrimental anti-choice legislation that would take away women's rights. In addition, Virg understands the need to reinstate middle class america and values. He comes from a true middle class family - his father came over from Italy and worked for General Motors. Virg retained and increased business in Lansing and balanced the budget, which Andy hasn't done in congress. Virg may not meet the needs of every issue for each of us, but I know he would be open to your ideas. If you haven't had the chance to meet him, please view his website and try to attend a fundraiser, if you can afford, to meet him. Virg is the only true democrat running.
Andy is a republican in disquise as a democrat. The congress continually has trouble balancing the budget, while it may not be solely Andy's fault I'm not sure he has done much to attempt middle class solutions. He voted to stop cushy benefits for congress after 6 years of service, but for those going forward, not him or his colleagues.
Please investigate each candidate fully as I truely fear if Dillon wins we are in real trouble.
I voted for Binero. I find him a little on the crude side, but he appears to be more aggressive than Dillon.
ReplyDeleteBut what made it a sure choice is hearing that Dillon is "pro-life" and anti stem-cell research.
Anyone who has been following what is happening to women's choice can find all sorts of restrictions and other impediments to their decision to have an early abortion. So, if the "pro lifers" get the legislature to enact a law that a woman must see a designated consultant or/and see an X-Ray of her uterus before she can get an abortion, one must presume that Dillon would sign it.But his opposition to stem cell research is even worse, our society has had enough Catholic interference with science, and stopping research because of some Catholic dogma at this late age is intolerable.
I have been told that Dillon is a nice person. I understand that people would have enjoyed having a beer or whatever with George Bush. Enough said.
I have been a CPA for 35 years. I was a member of the Retail Clerks Union in the 70's. This union association allowed me to get a full scholorship to USC for my college education.
ReplyDeleteI feel the Unions have a purpose in our business community. I don't feel that union members should be layed off due to monitary constraints or acrossed the board percentage layoffs. I do however feel they should be subject to the same continuing education requirements that professionals are expected to complete. An individual does not grow in their job if they don't keep up with the changes in their job or profession.
I believe we need a governor with some business experience to take this state into economic reality. I believe this can be done without killing the unions. Sucessful businesses uses all their assets; capital, human resourses and efficiency of work systems.
I am partial to Andy Dillan because he has been part of a company that acquires business and makes them profitabble through employee efficiency and capital asset profitability.
We need to run government as a business. After all, that is what they are. The private sector could not survive if they organized as the state does. Businesses survive on a limited amount of money. When our contracts are decreased the only fall back we have is to cut expenses. This is done through changes in materials used and labor efficiencies.
I have spent the last year making my office more efficient. Not because I want to but because that is the rule of the game. If i don't go this route, I am closing my doors.
we can not allow any more business to go under. Our unemployment will only go higher if don't find a way to support the business base that is already here.
In many government organizations we need to understand that our people are our assets. We need to development them into thinkers that obtain the most production for the least amount of time.
There is much waste in the Michigan government. I have seen this many times in my CPA business. There are many state employees that are either not given the proper education to perform thier jobs or are in the wrong position.
I want to see a budget that gets rid of the wasteful departments and spend their money on the departments that can bring our economy out of the crapper.
I am partial to Dillion because he has had to deal with the tough job of deciding what is needed to keep the companies he is involved in viable. Lets educate our state employees so they are interested in creating efficient department and get rid of the repetition that does nothing for the internal controls of the department.
We need to weed out our state employees and keep the people who want Michigan to succeed in growing our ecomony and can bring companies into the state that create jobs and a secure tax base.
We h ave very good people in Michigan. There is much talent here. Let's use it to the best of our ability
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DeleteIrene Piccone has spoken and that is good enough for me. I am voting for Bernero.
ReplyDeleteBernero is my choice, and he supports women
ReplyDeletehaving a choice! He also respects gays and
their choice. Dillon is not progressive enough for me.
I read the Free Press summaries of the canditates' stance yesterday. It is hard to believe that in this day and age only one candidate for governor in the State of Michigan is for stem cell research and a woman's right to choose - Virg Bernero.
ReplyDeleteI know that this is not the only important issue, but I cannot imagine taking a step back on either of these.