MFB debuts 6-part video series on 'Common Sense Solutions' to fix Michigan
Contact: Tonia Ritter, (800) 292-2680, ext. 2048
LANSING, April 29, 2010 - The 2010 spring edition of Michigan Farm Bureau's (MFB) quarterly video newsletter "FB Update" is devoted to MFB's government streamlining initiative which calls for "Common Sense Solutions" to fix Michigan.
For easy viewing, the video newsletter has been posted to MFB's YouTube channel and broken into six short video segments, each focusing on a different aspect of state government and the state budget.
To introduce the series, Part 1 explains how government streamlining became a priority policy issue for MFB, and how the organization is focused on: working with others to address Michigan's budget challenges; keeping the Michigan Department of Agriculture (MDA) as a stand-alone state department; and endorsing, electing and engaging legislators deemed "Friends of Agriculture."
Also in Part 1, Michigan Chamber of Commerce Vice President Jim Holcomb discusses how the agriculture industry and general business community share similar concerns about state government's role in business and job growth.
Part 2 examines the cost of human services and strategies for finding a balanced approach for funding. The segment features interviews with Elizabeth Garcia, a senior consultant with Public Sector Consultants, and John Roy Castillo, executive director of the Cristo Rey Community Center. The pair discuss, among other things, challenges associated with Medicaid.
Part 3 is devoted to Michigan's Department of Corrections and ideas for reforming the state's corrections system, including making changes to sentencing guidelines and privatizing some prison services. Phil Power, founder and president of the Center for Michigan, is featured in this segment.
Part 4 explores state spending on higher education and K-12 public schools from the perspectives of Lou Glazer, president of Michigan Future, and John Strycker, superintendent of New Lothrop Public Schools.
In Part 5, farm owners Fred Leitz and Monte Bordner describe why MDA should remain a single state agency because of the essential services the department provides for all citizens of Michigan.
The series concludes with Part 6, which touches on how legislative term limits and the upcoming general election might influence tough budget decisions. The segment, which includes an interview with MFB President Wayne H. Wood, also emphasizes the importance of Farm Bureau member involvement in interacting with legislators and implementing MFB's government streamlining policy.
Additional information about MFB's government streamlining initiative, MFB policy, and Farm Bureau-supported reform measures is available on a special "Common Sense Solutions To Fix Michigan" page of MFB's Web site.
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