A friend asked me the other day about the difference between the economic calamity that grips our state and nation today and what we experienced during Great Depression. The answer to me is clear: the New Deal and the Great Society. In 1932 there was no Social Security, no Medicare or Medicaid and no Unemployment Insurance to shield Americans, especially the most vulnerable among us, from the ravages of a massive financial meltdown. Without those protections, 2009 might have witnessed a catastrophic collapse in spending and employment similar to the one my grandmother used to tell me about.
These policies are the legacy of progressive movements in our country, beginning with the Progressive Era in the early 1900s in which President Teddy Roosevelt broke up corporate trusts and began curtailing the ability of companies to unduly influence political campaigns. You’d think at a time when we are living with the terrible consequences of erasing New Deal era regulations that kept our banking system stable, the last thing we’d do is give corporate America a green light to pour millions of dollars directly into political races, thus diminishing the chances that Congress will have the fortitude to restore sanity to our banking system. Someone forgot to tell the Supreme Court, which this past week issued a shocking 5-4 decision that voids decades of federal law and policy designed to limit the influence of corporate money on our politics.
We must not stand for this. The time has come to reignite a progressive movement for the 21st century based on the timeless values of freedom, equal opportunity and fairness that created the policies too many of us take for granted today – and that the Far Right wants to dismantle. But beyond fighting to protect prior victories, we must redefine a progressive ethic for this century which values the rights of workers, creates a level playing field and fair competition in the market and ensures equal opportunity for all to succeed.
What does this mean for Michigan? I believe we can build a vibrant, growth-oriented metro Detroit and Michigan based on such values. Michigan was once a Mecca for people who sought nothing more than a fair chance to be rewarded for their hard work. Because we face challenges like no other state, we can define progressive growth for the rest of America through government reform, fair taxation and a willingness to collaborate across geographic and racial boundaries that have held us back in the past.
This will not be easy. How do we enable more people, young and old, to start their own enterprises or have the flexibility to join with others to do so? How do we find the resources to invest in building new regional assets, like transit systems and better schools, when we face giant budget deficits? We put everything on the table and that means that some things will have to go, some things will cost more and some people will be unhappy. Leaders of our state have failed to do this and the voters who face such choices in their own lives are understandably angry.
In the weeks and months ahead I hope you will engage with me in a dialogue about concrete steps we can take to put progressive values to work creating jobs now, keeping Michiganders in their homes, ensuring world class educational opportunities for all and rebuilding the Michigan economy. It’s time to get started.