Mich. governor faults White House policies on manufacturing

February 05, 2006|Associated Press

LANSING, Mich. -- President Bush's policies have abandoned workers dependent on manufacturing jobs, Governor Jennifer Granholm of Michigan said yesterday in the Democrats' weekly radio address.

Granholm called for changes in trade agreements and healthcare policy and for other overhauls she said would help businesses, especially automakers crucial to her state. She said Bush did not offer much help to them in his State of the Union address Tuesday.

Directing her comments to Bush, she said: ''On behalf of citizens in Michigan and around the country -- citizens who may or may not share your views of the state of our union -- I ask you, with due respect, to fight for them. Fight for fair trade. Fight for our manufacturers. Fight for our automakers. Fight for our American workers."

Granholm said US businesses need the federal government to enforce international trade agreements, help curb the rising cost of healthcare, and protect pensions. And she noted that Americans are being squeezed by the high price of gasoline and home heating fuel.

Michigan has been hard hit by a sluggish economy, in part because of auto industry woes. The state's December unemployment rate, 6.7 percent, was one of the nation's highest.

Bush unveiled a $5.9 billion ''American Competitiveness Initiative" in his State of the Union address. The plan seeks to position the United States against fast-growing economies like China and India.

In his weekly radio address yesterday, Bush said the United States should not be complacent and must invest in basic research and business innovation and give students a good foundation in math and science.

Bush said both China and India ''are making great strides in technology." But he said Americans have nothing to fear, because ''we intend to shape our economic future."