What It Means To Be a Michiganian In the Era of 8.5% Unemployment If you, like many--if not MOST Michiganians--are depressed and disgusted over the state of our state, let me be blunt. The time for candy-coated political platitudes and do-nothing politicians is OVER...but only if you, the voter, takes the reins of change firmly in hand and demands REAL SOLUTIONS from politicians with the guts to fight in order to implement them! If you care about the state and your future in it, and don't plan on high-tailing it out of here, this could be the most important information you will ever read. Read it...and then be prepared to act! This is not just MY platform, it can be YOUR platform. It's a long read, but I promise you it will be worth your time and effort. Today, in Michigan, 10 years of negativity has to be overcome, as Michigan is the only state in the union in a 10 year recession with the highest unemployment (8.5% as reported by the Detroit Free Press June 18, 2008) nationwide, the highest expenditures on prisons in the Great Lakes region, the highest dropout rate in our inner city public schools, 400,000+ manufacturing jobs lost, and 1,000,000 in population lost! We remain a one-industry state (automotive), we lack of regional cooperation and Southeast Michigan can’t even come together to build a 21st century convention center! Finally, worst of all, Michigan imposes on its citizens and business community one of the highest state and local tax rates (SALT) in the nation! (google Blake Christian, CPA/MBT State Tax Burden). What can be done? Lately, the answer seems to be: not much. Instead of answers from Lansing, we don't even hear the right questions! Here, and now, I am attempting to pose both the hard questions and suggest some tough, practical answers to our many problems. Let's begin with some generalities, and then get into some specifics. Are you ready? Scot Beaton Advocates: •Restoring Michigan's pride by re-directing state advertising dollars directly at us. We need to sell ourselves first before we convince a Californian or someone from Ohio to spend their dollars here. •Create "sales tax holidays" for Michigan-made goods and services. •Vacation in Michigan campaign. Michiganians do not have to pay hotel taxes during summer peak months. •Encourage those who grow or manufacture goods in Michigan to make their "Made in Michigan" labels bigger and more prominent. •Encourage our fellow citizens to buy and vacation Michigan first! Example: next time you shop at Meijers (founded in Michigan) and see a sack of potatoes with "Grown in Michigan" on it, buy it...let's keep those jobs in Michigan! •We need to stop using all the negativity facing Michigan to partisan-pimp our political parties. Party bickering must end for the sake of the state. Scot Beaton will reach across the isle to help turn Michigan and Michigan pride around. We must become practical and pragmatic about working TOGETHER--whether the party leadership likes it or not. •We need to create a culture of positive thinking amongst ourselves. No one is coming to save Michigan, least of all the Federal government. Michiganians need to help fellow Michiganians first...Michigan needs to invest in Michigan and we all need to work as ONE to turn this state around. Why? And more importantly, HOW??? Our state and its 21st century future depends upon electing politicians who will think boldly, will think without bias, will think beyond party lines, and will think out of the box to flip Michigan around. When you’re in Texas and you ask a resident who they are they don’t say Scottish or German or African-American. They say “I am a TEXAN!!!” We need leadership in Lansing that can bring that level of pride to Michigan. Next time someone asks what you are tell them "I’m a Michiganian, you got a problem with that?" Higher Education Issue: The school reform debate in Lansing must shift from constantly trying to meet the insatiable revenue demands of the school bureaucracy to a clear focus on outcomes and producing better results for students, parents and employers. Scot Beaton Advocates: •Making the case that quality education is not driven by SPENDING, but rather by the nine essential components of "The Vision" advocated by Michigan Business Leaders for Education Excellence (MBLEE) http://www.michamber.com/mx/hm.asp?id=eduimprove •Promoting competition and choice by eliminating the arbitrary cap on the number of public schools academies that can be chartered by state universities. •Encourage all scholarships to Michiganians first! Michigan needs to be educating Michigan first. •Insure the cost of higher education in Michigan is at a level playing feild with surrounding Great Lake States. •Work towards every student with a Michigan high school diploma or equivalent an opportunity to achieve an Associates Degree at any one of our fine Michigan Community Colleges with absolute minimum cost to the student •Michigan¹s projected 2009 budget for Corrections, $2,062,062,200, education only $94,743,200. We need to shift our priorities from incarceration to education. (see legal reform). K-12 Public Education in Michigan Scot Beaton Advocates: •Drive additional tax dollars into the classroom for student instruction by substantially reducing the extraordinary number of K-12 school districts in Michigan from 524 to a lower and more reasonable number along the lines of Michigan¹s 83 counties. At a minimum, school districts should be required to consolidate administrative services through intermediate school districts, while retaining local control of academics. •Promote employee rights and professionalism by prohibiting compulsory unionization of public school employees. •Save money and increase voter participation by holding all school elections during November general elections in even numbered years. •Require open and competitive bidding for public school employee health insurance •Save taxpayers money by exempting school construction projects from Michigan's costly and anti-competitive "Prevailing Wage" Act. •Require voter approval of certain local special assessments. •Create charter public schools for children 9-12 that include "boarding" for those who come from inpoverished or high crime/drug areas of our state. Build these schools in the middle of "nowhere" with the true spirit of Michiganian philanthropy and entrepreneurship! Lets all have a Michiganian goal of educating 1,000,000 children out of poverty, from both rural and urban poverty areas riddled with high crime and drugs over the next 15 years. Why? Our state and nation¹s future economic security, and our ability to flourish as a democratic society, demand a generation of graduates with solid academic knowledge, world-class technical skills, conscientious work habits, and eager, creative analytical minds. High standards and oppourtunities to achieve must be available to all students, and must reach into every community Energy Issue: Safe, Reliable and Affordable Energy Scot Beaton Advocates: •Continue support of customer choice and competition in the electric and gas markets as a tool to provide lower cost to customers. •Support new incentives and reduce regulatory barriers to promote the new generation of renewable energy. With the right mix of incentives and regulatory relief, Michigan could significantly increase the amount of renewable energy produced in the state. Policymakers should avoid arbitrary or impractical alternative fuel or renewable energy mandates that increase the cost of energy and distort markets. •Michiganians should work towards energy independence. National politics may never create a sound energy policy for the union. 21st century Michigan should not have a wait and see approach to energy. •Michiganians should only rely on their own natural resources for energy. Develop a portfolio with proven technologies such as nuclear power--equal or less in cost than dirty coal. Gas costs 3 times as much as nuclear, solar costs 10 times as much. (Google, Patrick Moore, one of the co-founders of Greenpeace, opinion on pro nuclear power). •Michiganians should achieve energy costs similar to that of France, which produces 80 percent of its electricity with nuclear, and does not have high energy costs. Sweden, which produces 50 percent of its energy with nuclear and 50 percent with hydro. The technology exists today to capture the current of the Detroit River and turn it into electricity. Where is that forward thinking in Lansing? •Eliminate the "pain at the pump" permanently. Yet again, Michigan has the natural resources, climate, rainfall and soil conditions to do what Brazil did right here in Michigan. With true Michiganian entrepreneurial spirit, create our own fuels (Google Doo-Hong Min, Michigan State University, switchgrass becomes an energy option; it becomes cellulosic ethanol. An acre of switchgrass can produce 300 gallons of cellulosic ethanol! Switchgrass does not compete with human food sources, grows in sandy soils, ideal for a money making crop for the upper and lower peninsula. •Eliminating "the pain at the pump" permanently could have an enormous potential for the Michigan economy creating a whole new industry completely separate from big oil. It would be purely Michigan and a whole new way to buy gas and diesel right here in Michigan. Doo-Hong Min claims he can brew this stuff for around $2 bucks a gallon. Why? Our State, the Great State of Michigan, spends billions importing energy for out of state--doesn’t matter if it's coal from Ohio or oil from Venezuela, it's our money going in the wrong direction. Michiganians have the drive, have the intelligence to switch before any other state and any province in North America to go green. We need the leadership in Lansing and in the private sector to turn Michigan from the capitol of the rust belt into Michigan, the capital of the green belt! Successful 21st century economies will be those who achieve energy independence. There is no rhyme or reason that Michigan cannot achieve this goal...what a difference it would have on the Michigan economy to keep all those billions here at home! Michigan, with over 10 million residents, needs the availability, reliability, and cost savings of energy produced at home! For Michigan homeowners and job providers this is a key factor in terms of our present and future economic growth. Environmental Quality Issue: Air Quality Standards Scot Beaton Advocates: •Support streamlining Michigan's Air Toxic Review Program. Air Toxic reviews can add significant delays and cost for job providers often without measurable benefit to the environment. •Both the timeliness and certainty of obtaining permits can have a major impact on investment decisions. Michigan should work to ensure that our regulations are competitive with the rest of the country. •Oppose the adoption of mandatory state or regional Carbon Dioxide regulations. Climate change is a national and international issue. A state regulation greater than the federal level would make Michigan uncompetitve and do little or nothing to affect the climate. •Michiganians should set 21st century goals in principle--not through regulation--to reduce our carbon footprint. Develop a portfolio with proven technologies such as nuclear power, hydro power, and other renewable clean energy sources. Why? To compete in the world¹s 21st century economy international corporations are locating to states/provinces/countries who have a "green portfolio." France's new smart car uses electricity generated from nuclear power. Nuclear power does not produce greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming. Google just built a multi-billion dollar plant in Oregon, the electricity that runs the plant comes from hydro-electric power. Alcoa Aluminum just built a new multi-million dollar plant in of all places, Iceland. Why? The plant runs on geo-thermal power again, no CO2, no carbon footprint. Currently, 60 percent of Michigan electricity relies on dirty coal, a technology that international corporations want to have nothing to do with in the 21st century! If Michigan is serious about competing for jobs in the 21st century then it needs to be the first state/or province in North America to walk away from the fossil-fuel age and it needs to tell the planet that! A Final Note on Global Warming The Inuits (native americans) in the Hudson Bay region in Northern Canada who have over a dozen words for snow, learned a new word in the past 10 years. That word is "robin." Yes, robins are migrating as far north as Hudson Bay. Funny, something with a brain the size of a robin knows more about global warming then many humans I've met . Issue: Great Lakes and Water Resources Scot Beaton Advocates: •Support the adoption of a Great Lakes Regional Compact with necessary amendments and/or clarfications to ensure that consumptive uses of water can be utilized within the basin to create economic activity. The compact offers the best legal protection against diversions of Great Lakes water outside of the Basin. •Support an adequate level of federal funding to prevent further introductions of aquatic invasive species and cleaning up of contaminated sediments in Areas of Concern. •Oppose any permitting system that is not based on sound science and that would unnecessarily drive up costs for water users. Why? The Great Lakes can be a catalyst towards new economnic growth. It is critical that the Great Lakes are protected from harmful diversions to help ensure that water and jobs remain in Michigan. At the same time, any further regulation of water resources must balance the need for resource protection with the need to grow our economy. Issue: Redevelopment of Property Scot Beaton Advocates: •Support the establishment of a tax incentive in the new Michigan Business Tax structure to help level the playing field between brownfield and greenfield sites and to encourage the restoration of brownfield properties and urban areas over greenfield consumption. •Support the establishment of a new property tax incentive called "let it go green" to once and for all eliminate urban blight. Let property owners in the inner-city neighborhoods tear down unban blight and "let it go green". Allow the property to stay within the family or corporation at a substantial property tax discounts. One of the biggest obstacles facing inner-city re-development is the size of the parcel to be re-developed. "Let it go green" will allow over time combined green parcels to be re-developed as bigger and better developments with the same flexibility developers have in greenfield suburban developments. Plus, encourage the removal of urban blight from our inner city through property tax discounts. Why? Michigan is a national leader in the brownfield redevelopment movement. Michigan must continue the tax incentive concepts that have proven successful and enact reforms to improve the performance of our cleanup program. Issue: Solid Waste and Recycling Scot Beaton Advocates: •Oppose legislative or regulatory efforts that fail to recognize the need to balance economic, social and environmental concerns. This includes opposition to solid waste taxes, expansion of the bottle deposit law, or unnecessary landfill disposal bands. •Encourage local governments not to use property tax revenue as a solution for solid waste or recycling removal. Local business communities should not bear the burden of property tax hikes to pay for residential pickup. All this does is create job loss or higher prices for goods and services in the maket place. Encourage local governments to use fee structures similar to Plymouth Charter Twp. Last I checked, solid Waste and recycling pickup was less than $14 per month in the Twp. Why? Solid waste policy needs to achieve a balance that benefits job providers, the environment, and all of society. The state needs to continue focusing on market-based approaches rather than top-down mandates or incremental costs that will result in unintended consequences, including damage to the economy, without any associated environmental benefits. Health Care Issue: Access to Quality Health Care and the Availability and Affordability of Private Health Insurance Scot Beaton Advocates: •Oppose the implementation of any new health care mandates and support the implementation of a cost/benefit review process for existing and proposed health care mandates and/or the establishment of a moratorium on any new mandates. •Oppose health care reforms that ignore the important role of the free market and/or are largely focused on taxpayer financing or penalties. •Require open and competitive bidding for government/state assisted employee health insurance at all levels of state and local government every 3 to 5 years to reduce the cost of that expense and the burden of that cost on the tax payers of Michigan. Community Health projected 2009 Michigan budget, $12,485,130,400.00 for the state of Michigan, that’s the Governor's recommendation. That's TWELVE BILLION, you read it rig I believe true health care cost containment cannot be achieved if the focus is on price controls and government interference in employers health decisions. Rules and regulations already on the books have driven up costs and reduced choices; more of the same kind of regulation will only produce more of the same result. Scot Beaton believes legislators should focus their time and energy on implementing market-friendly and consumer-driven reforms that eliminate regulation that increase business cost, drain employees¹ wallets, and add to the number of uninsured individuals statewide. Human Resources Scot Beaton Advocates: In today's volatile economy, fair and affordable employment laws, including unemployment and workers compensation programs, are more important than ever. In 2005, Michigan employers paid out more than $1.827 billion in unemployment insurance (UI) benefits and over $1.45 billion in workers compensation benefits. One hundred percent of these benefits are financed by employers; therefore, Scot Beaton believes any reforms to the UI or workers compensation systems should balance the needs of employees and employers. Further, Scot Beaton believes employees should have the right to choose freely and anonymously whether to unionize and should be further educated of their right to object to their union using dues money for purposes not directly related to collective bargaining. Finally, Scot Beaton believes employers should have the flexibility to manage their workforce and employees needs---with limited governmental involvement or regulation. Lawsuit Abuse Scot Beaton Advocates: Given Michigan¹s reputation as a leader in the national legal reform movement, Scot Beaton believes we cannot afford to turn back the clock and should instead proactively work to strengthen and improve the state's civil justice system. For similar reasons, Scot Beaton is opposed to any legislative attempts to erode Michigan's No-Fault insurance system. Scot Beaton believes the state's No-Fault law combines comprehensive personal injury protection benefits with the most effective limitation on tort liability of any no-fault law in the nation. Corrections and State Police Scot Beaton Advocates: •Absolutely support the implementation of privately managed prisons. This is one area where the private sector will accel: keeping costs down in order to win contracts through competitive bidding. •Absolutely support sentencing reforms that include decriminalization of non-violent drug offenses. Why should we spend two billion dollars a year locking up non-violent drug offenders and potheads when we can't afford to fill the potholes in our roads? •Absolutely support sentencing reforms that reflect the national average "tough on crime" legislation. Over the past decade this disparity--such as locking up non-violent offenders--has put Michigan out of line with the national average without showing any substantial results in reducing crime in Michigan. •Absolutely support shifting state police road patrols to county sheriff deputies. Why? The 2009 Governor’s recommended budget for corrections is $2,062,052,200 and some in Lansing project the budget to grow another $500,000,000 over the next few years. We need to immediately "reverse thinking" on how we look at sentencing and the way we run our prisons in Michigan. Michigan locks up more of it’s citizens than any other state in the Great Lakes region with no real effect on reducing crime within the state. Scot Beaton believes we must reform this tax burden on the citizens and business community in Michigan. It’s a sad day in Michigan when we spend more on prisons than education. Very few states in the union have that black eye. Taxes Issue: Cost of Government Scot Beaton Advocates: •That the appropriations process should not drive tax policy decisions. •Oppose tax and fee increases to balance the state budget •Support efforts to improve government operational effectiveness. •Maintain legislative oversight of state spending and user fees. Scot Beaton is opposed to constitutional or statutorily authorized automatic annual increases in state spending and user fees. •Provide working families and job providers tax relief that benefits a wide class of taxpayers •Require open and competitive bidding for government employee health insurance at all levels of state and local government every 3 to 5 years to reduce the cost of that expense and the burden of that cost on the tax payers on Michigan. Community Health projected 2009 budget, $12,485,130,400.00 for the state of Michigan. Yep, once again thats TWELVE BILLION. •Introduce sound practical debate in reducing the cost of the House of Repesentives and the Sente. Projected 2009 budget, $114,540,000. The current petittion to admend the states constitution to reduce the cost of the State legislature is an idea but not a sound solution, and would not have any major inpact reducing the state budget. •Redistrict the State to reduce the the House of Representatives from 110 to 55 full-time members and the Senate from 38 to 18 full-time members with the goal of reducing the legislative budget by $40,000,000. Michigan, per capita, has a higher amount of legislators than the national average. You would think that before we as legislators tell others in state government how to cut costs, we could set an example ourselves! •Keep our legislature a FULL TIME JOB, just as most of us must work full time. Our legislature is responsible for helping to rebuild Michigan within the context of a global economy; and at this time, that is a full-time job. •Support extending term-limits to 12 years for both the Senate and the House of Representatives. Too great a turnover in the House has led to unnecessary expenses to the tax payers of Michigan Why...and How? I strongly believe the best way to control the cost of government is to improve government efficiency, implement cost-saving reform measures and reduce spending, instead of new taxes, tax increases, or fees. Michigan continues to be uncompetitive because of our business tax burden, specifically Michigan’s Single Business Tax and business personal property tax. Business people uniformly HATE these unfair and unequally implemented taxes! Michigan must foster economic growth by allowing taxpayers to keep more of the money they earn and by providing a more competitive tax climate to encourage savings and investment. Issue: Business Tax Replacement of the Single Business Tax (SBT) Scot Beaton Advocates: •Absolutely support repealing 2007 House Bill 5194 (Increase income tax from 3.9 percent to 4.35 percent) Michigan needed a 5% across-the-board budget CUT, not a tax increase on personal income! •Absolutely support repealing the 21.99% MBT that was imposed on businesses by HB 5408 instead of the retail service tax increase. This is the LARGEST SINGLE TAX INCREASE IN THE HISTORY of the State of Michigan. It was not the right answer for the financial woes of our great state. •Replace the SBT with NOTHING! Repeal it, nix it...in other words DEEP SIX IT. One of many good ideas. Google Legislative Analyst Jack McHugh, Mackinac Center http://www.mackinac.org/article.aspx?ID=7602) Why? According to a February 2006 Michigan Department of Treasury Report, Michigan’s SBT still ranks 8th (highest) in state corporation taxes per capita when compared to corporate income taxes in other states. Michigan¹s new business tax burden must be more competitive in order to encourage business investment, job retention, and job creation in the state of Michigan Issue: Property Taxes Scot Beaton Advocates: •Eliminate, or substantially reduce, the personal property tax. •Preserve, protect and expand upon the reforms of Proposal A and the Headlee Admendment, and oppose measures that circumvent the intent of these voter-approved tax limitation amendments. •Requiring voter approval of certain local special assessments. Why? Michigan must make personal property tax relief a priority. This tax on business machinery and equipment, furnishings, and office equipment is an administrative burden and a disincentive to capital investment, job retention and job creation. Proposal A has been largely successful however; Michigans property tax burden remains high compared to other states.Michigan must not return to double-digit property tax increases by changing, or circumventing the intent of Proposal A or Headlee Amendment. Issue: Sales, Use, and Excise Taxes Scot Beaton Advocates: •Michigan's sales tax continues to provide a substantial source of revenue to state government, especially since voters approved a 50 percent increase in the Michigan sales tax rate as part of Proposal A. Scot Beaton strongly believes any sales tax rate only as a "last resort tax increase" under penalty of death. Any increase in the sales tax rate, expansion of sales to services, or allowing local jurisdictions to levy sales, use or excise taxes will hurt our state's economic competitiveness, encouraging individuals and job providers to purchase goods and services outside of Michigan. •Support introducing sales tax holidays for Michigan-made goods and services. These limited time frame, 90 days or less per year could be used to promote Michiganians to vacation in Michigan, or help car dealers to sell/move Made in Michigan cars and trucks off their lots at the end of summer "clearance time"! Why not stimulate the state economy and reward taxpayers at the same time instead of punishing taxpayers with taxes and fees because the legislature is not CREATIVE enough, or lacks the BACKBONE to do so? Issue: Strenthening Taxpayer Rights Scot Beaton Advocates: •Both the tax burden and the manner in which tax laws are enforced are critical to improving Michigan's competitive standing. Unpfortunately, Michigan is often perceived as being a difficult tax environment within which to conduct business. Removing obstacles to tax administration fosters compliance. Predictability and fairness are the backbone of a cooperative tax environment. Scot Beaton advocates fair procedures and fair policy. Transportation Issue: Maintaining and improving Michigan’s Transportation System Scot Beaton Advocates: •Continue movement toward increased efficiency and improved effectiveness through greater use of "design and build" contracts for road and bridge construction with multi-year warranties. •Support innovation and flexibility in road design standards, and clarity in standards and timeliness in any construction-related permitting process. A new concrete developed at the Missouri University of Science and Technology may last 100 years (not 40 years current standards with regular maintenance) and withstand up to 30,000 psi of pressure--nearly eight times as much as ordinary material. •Support whenever possible using Made in Michigan products such as steel when re-building or improving Michigan's transportation systems. We as a state need to keep these jobs here not in Pittsburg or worse China! •Save taxpayers money by exempting transportation construction projects from Michigan's costly and anti-competitive "Prevailing Wage" Act. Labor rates are up to 20 percent higher in Michigan compared to the national average. •Support serious consideration of innovative public/private partnerships, including toll roads and/or fast lanes. •Support public/private partnership high-speed electric rail system similar to those of Western Europe or Japan linking all major Michigan cities Why? Michigan's transportation system is the backbone of our economy and has played a critical role in improving business productivity in the state. Michigan’s standards must set the bar as high as Western Europe if we truely want to be competitive in 21st century job and quality-of-life indices. Issue: Taxes & Issues That Hurt Real Estate Sales •Pop-Up Tax. Taxable value goes to 50% of purchase price on real estate. This should be a gradual or step up process. A new taxable value shouldn't be so significantly greater than what the former owner paid that it creates a windfall for the local municipality. With so few sales occurring, a larger number of real estate sales could be generated if people didn't have to pay such steep increases. •Ouch! That additional 18 mill Non-Homestead Tax! Non-homestead tax rate is always voted to the greatest max allowed "the dreaded 18 mill differential." More boomers retiring to Michigan with secondary/vacation homes shouldn't be penalized so severely. They want to spend money here part of the year! For this type of property, why not give them some relief and suspend or cap that amount to only 9 mills. It’s worth exploring. In this economy it's unfair to homeowners as well as business owners. •Mineral Rights are taking a bite of vacant land sales. Try selling 10 acres or more. Sellers either won't part with the Mineral Rights or they have already been separated from the land. If you driven up north lately and spotted a bunch of oil/natural gas wells imagine how property owners feel about them. Great if you own one. Bad if you bought property and someone wants to drill there or next door and you as the new property owner, can't share in the revenue because you don’t own the Mineral Rights. If you think this is confusing, there are surface rights and rights to beneath the surface a real estate nightmare for all concerned. •Make it mandatory that mineral rights have to addressed in all Warranty Deeds. Title companies should do a little more work in this area. In Conclusion It's obvious that you love Michigan as much as I do if you took the time to read this long, detailed platform and the rest of my website. Please feel free to respond to any of the issues I took time to cover or other issues I should cover at sbeaton223278@comacst.net. If you want to keep your response anonymous please let me know or (first names are fine). I will publish your response pro or con on my site. I promise I will never give out your web address. It’s important if we (Michiganians) want to TURN MICHIGAN AROUND that we keep government open and transparent for discussion. The time for POLITICS AS USUAL is over. We are facing state, national and international crises of unprecedented proportions...changes that rival those that last occurred as our nation went to war against the axis powers in the middle of the last century. If we do not rally together and respond with bold solutions, then we deserve whatever we reap and we will face a bleak future. I vow to fight for all I am worth to change the status quo in our legislature and I will do it however I can--especially by reaching out to Democrats and making the case for COMMON SENSE and practical solutions that will carry us through. People are SICK of business as usual. People know when they are being told something because a politician thinks that's what they want to hear. I am NOT a career politician...I am a husband, a father, a taxpayer and a worker just like most of you and likewise I am furious at the inaction and ineptitude of our current state government. TALK TO ME. I can be reached at the email listed above or by telephone at 248 650-7862. Most of all, please FORWARD this platform to as many of your friends, neighbors and associates as possible and URGE them to do the same. Put me into office and I will fight like hell for the platform I have just laid out to you. I can't promise I will get all these things accomplished, as a single legislator, but I will push in every way possible to achieve as much as possible to making Michigan self-sufficient, efficient and attractive to business and property owners alike. We have some of the greatest natural resources in the entire U.S.--let's utilize our abilities to make Michigan a state people will want to live in, invest in and thrive in! I also would like to take the time to thank the many Michiganians that took the time to speak with me on many of the issues facing this great, Great Lake State. I thank The Michigan Chamber of Commerce for many of their great ideas--some I re-published verbatim. The Republican Liberty Caucus, thank you--your conservative Republican values towards business, the size of goverment and taxes parallel mine. Thanks to the North Oakland Republican Club, Jim Thienel and Dennis Pittman, thanks for all your time and the opportunity to speak before your group. There is no better, more beautiful, or greater state than Michigan and its fellow Michiganians who no matter how hard it gets continue to choose to live here, raise a family here and retire here. I also sincerly thank all of you and look foward to continuing to meet such great thinkers like Blake Christian, Doo-Hong Min, Jack McHugh and the many diverse citizens of Michigan so that I can bring your views to the House of Representatives. Sincerly, Scot Beaton Republican Candidate for the 45 District Please vote August 5th

What It Means To Be a Michiganian In the Era of 8.5% Unemployment

If you, like many--if not MOST Michiganians--are depressed and disgusted over the state of our state, let me be blunt. The time for candy-coated political platitudes and do-nothing politicians is OVER...but only if you, the voter, takes the reins of change firmly in hand and demands REAL SOLUTIONS from politicians with the guts to fight in order to implement them! If you care about the state and your future in it, and don't plan on high-tailing it out of here, this could be the most important information you will ever read. Read it...and then be prepared to act! This is not just MY platform, it can be YOUR platform. It's a long read, but I promise you it will be worth your time and effort.

Today, in Michigan, 10 years of negativity has to be overcome, as Michigan is the only state in the union in a 10 year recession with the highest unemployment (8.5% as reported by the Detroit Free Press June 18, 2008) nationwide, the highest expenditures on prisons in the Great Lakes region, the highest dropout rate in our inner city public schools, 400,000+ manufacturing jobs lost, and 1,000,000 in population lost! We remain a one-industry state (automotive), we lack of regional cooperation and Southeast Michigan can’t even come together to build a 21st century convention center! Finally, worst of all, Michigan imposes on its citizens and business community one of the highest state and local tax rates (SALT) in the nation! (google Blake Christian, CPA/MBT State Tax Burden). What can be done? Lately, the answer seems to be: not much. Instead of answers from Lansing, we don't even hear the right questions! Here, and now, I am attempting to pose both the hard questions and suggest some tough, practical answers to our many problems. Let's begin with some generalities, and then get into some specifics.

Are you ready?

Scot Beaton Advocates:

•Restoring Michigan's pride by re-directing state advertising dollars directly at us. We need to sell ourselves first before we convince a Californian or someone from Ohio to spend their dollars here.

•Create "sales tax holidays" for Michigan-made goods and services.

•Vacation in Michigan campaign. Michiganians do not have to pay hotel taxes during summer peak months.

•Encourage those who grow or manufacture goods in Michigan to make their "Made in Michigan" labels bigger and more prominent.

•Encourage our fellow citizens to buy and vacation Michigan first! Example: next time you shop at Meijers (founded in Michigan) and see a sack of potatoes with "Grown in Michigan" on it, buy it...let's keep those jobs in Michigan!

•We need to stop using all the negativity facing Michigan to partisan-pimp our political parties. Party bickering must end for the sake of the state. Scot Beaton will reach across the isle to help turn Michigan and Michigan pride around. We must become practical and pragmatic about working TOGETHER--whether the party leadership likes it or not.

•We need to create a culture of positive thinking amongst ourselves. No one is coming to save Michigan, least of all the Federal government. Michiganians need to help fellow Michiganians first...Michigan needs to invest in Michigan and we all need to work as ONE to turn this state around.

Why? And more importantly, HOW???

Our state and its 21st century future depends upon electing politicians who will think boldly, will think without bias, will think beyond party lines, and will think out of the box to flip Michigan around. When you’re in Texas and you ask a resident who they are they don’t say Scottish or German or African-American. They say “I am a TEXAN!!!” We need leadership in Lansing that can bring that level of pride to Michigan. Next time someone asks what you are tell them "I’m a Michiganian, you got a problem with that?"

Higher Education

Issue: The school reform debate in Lansing must shift from constantly trying to meet the insatiable revenue demands of the school bureaucracy to a clear focus on outcomes and producing better results for students, parents and employers.

Scot Beaton Advocates:

•Making the case that quality education is not driven by SPENDING, but rather by the nine essential components of "The Vision" advocated by Michigan Business Leaders for Education Excellence (MBLEE) http://www.michamber.com/mx/hm.asp?id=eduimprove

•Promoting competition and choice by eliminating the arbitrary cap on the number of public schools academies that can be chartered by state universities.

•Encourage all scholarships to Michiganians first! Michigan needs to be educating Michigan first.

•Insure the cost of higher education in Michigan is at a level playing feild with surrounding Great Lake States.

•Work towards every student with a Michigan high school diploma or equivalent an opportunity to achieve an Associates Degree at any one of our fine Michigan Community Colleges with absolute minimum cost to the student

•Michigan¹s projected 2009 budget for Corrections, $2,062,062,200, education only $94,743,200. We need to shift our priorities from incarceration to education. (see legal reform).

K-12 Public Education in Michigan

Scot Beaton Advocates:

•Drive additional tax dollars into the classroom for student instruction by substantially reducing the extraordinary number of K-12 school districts in Michigan from 524 to a lower and more reasonable number along the lines of Michigan¹s 83 counties. At a minimum, school districts should be required to consolidate administrative services through intermediate school districts, while retaining local control of academics.

•Promote employee rights and professionalism by prohibiting compulsory unionization of public school employees.

•Save money and increase voter participation by holding all school elections during November general elections in even numbered years.

•Require open and competitive bidding for public school employee health insurance

•Save taxpayers money by exempting school construction projects from Michigan's costly and anti-competitive "Prevailing Wage" Act.

•Require voter approval of certain local special assessments.

•Create charter public schools for children 9-12 that include "boarding" for those who come from inpoverished or high crime/drug areas of our state. Build these schools in the middle of "nowhere" with the true spirit of Michiganian philanthropy and entrepreneurship! Lets all have a Michiganian goal of educating 1,000,000 children out of poverty, from both rural and urban poverty areas riddled with high crime and drugs over the next 15 years.

Why?

Our state and nation¹s future economic security, and our ability to flourish as a democratic society, demand a generation of graduates with solid academic knowledge, world-class technical skills, conscientious work habits, and eager, creative analytical minds. High standards and oppourtunities to achieve must be available to all students, and must reach into every community

Energy

Issue: Safe, Reliable and Affordable Energy

Scot Beaton Advocates:

•Continue support of customer choice and competition in the electric and gas markets as a tool to provide lower cost to customers.

•Support new incentives and reduce regulatory barriers to promote the new generation of renewable energy. With the right mix of incentives and regulatory relief, Michigan could significantly increase the amount of renewable energy produced in the state. Policymakers should avoid arbitrary or impractical alternative fuel or renewable energy mandates that increase the cost of energy and distort markets.

•Michiganians should work towards energy independence. National politics may never create a sound energy policy for the union. 21st century Michigan should not have a wait and see approach to energy.

•Michiganians should only rely on their own natural resources for energy. Develop a portfolio with proven technologies such as nuclear power--equal or less in cost than dirty coal. Gas costs 3 times as much as nuclear, solar costs 10 times as much. (Google, Patrick Moore, one of the co-founders of Greenpeace, opinion on pro nuclear power).

•Michiganians should achieve energy costs similar to that of France, which produces 80 percent of its electricity with nuclear, and does not have high energy costs. Sweden, which produces 50 percent of its energy with nuclear and 50 percent with hydro. The technology exists today to capture the current of the Detroit River and turn it into electricity. Where is that forward thinking in Lansing?

•Eliminate the "pain at the pump" permanently. Yet again, Michigan has the natural resources, climate, rainfall and soil conditions to do what Brazil did right here in Michigan. With true Michiganian entrepreneurial spirit, create our own fuels (Google Doo-Hong Min, Michigan State University, switchgrass becomes an energy option; it becomes cellulosic ethanol. An acre of switchgrass can produce 300 gallons of cellulosic ethanol! Switchgrass does not compete with human food sources, grows in sandy soils, ideal for a money making crop for the upper and lower peninsula.

•Eliminating "the pain at the pump" permanently could have an enormous potential for the Michigan economy creating a whole new industry completely separate from big oil. It would be purely Michigan and a whole new way to buy gas and diesel right here in Michigan. Doo-Hong Min claims he can brew this stuff for around $2 bucks a gallon.

Why?

Our State, the Great State of Michigan, spends billions importing energy for out of state--doesn’t matter if it's coal from Ohio or oil from Venezuela, it's our money going in the wrong direction. Michiganians have the drive, have the intelligence to switch before any other state and any province in North America to go green. We need the leadership in Lansing and in the private sector to turn Michigan from the capitol of the rust belt into Michigan, the capital of the green belt! Successful 21st century economies will be those who achieve energy independence. There is no rhyme or reason that Michigan cannot achieve this goal...what a difference it would have on the Michigan economy to keep all those billions here at home! Michigan, with over 10 million residents, needs the availability, reliability, and cost savings of energy produced at home! For Michigan homeowners and job providers this is a key factor in terms of our present and future economic growth.

Environmental Quality

Issue: Air Quality Standards

Scot Beaton Advocates:

•Support streamlining Michigan's Air Toxic Review Program. Air Toxic reviews can add significant delays and cost for job providers often without measurable benefit to the environment.

•Both the timeliness and certainty of obtaining permits can have a major impact on investment decisions. Michigan should work to ensure that our regulations are competitive with the rest of the country.

•Oppose the adoption of mandatory state or regional Carbon Dioxide regulations. Climate change is a national and international issue. A state regulation greater than the federal level would make Michigan uncompetitve and do little or nothing to affect the climate.

•Michiganians should set 21st century goals in principle--not through regulation--to reduce our carbon footprint. Develop a portfolio with proven technologies such as nuclear power, hydro power, and other renewable clean energy sources.

Why?

To compete in the world¹s 21st century economy international corporations are locating to states/provinces/countries who have a "green portfolio." France's new smart car uses electricity generated from nuclear power. Nuclear power does not produce greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming. Google just built a multi-billion dollar plant in Oregon, the electricity that runs the plant comes from hydro-electric power. Alcoa Aluminum just built a new multi-million dollar plant in of all places, Iceland. Why? The plant runs on geo-thermal power again, no CO2, no carbon footprint. Currently, 60 percent of Michigan electricity relies on dirty coal, a technology that international corporations want to have nothing to do with in the 21st century! If Michigan is serious about competing for jobs in the 21st century then it needs to be the first state/or province in North America to walk away from the fossil-fuel age and it needs to tell the planet that!

A Final Note on Global Warming

The Inuits (native americans) in the Hudson Bay region in Northern Canada who have over a dozen words for snow, learned a new word in the past 10 years. That word is "robin." Yes, robins are migrating as far north as Hudson Bay. Funny, something with a brain the size of a robin knows more about global warming then many humans I've met .

Issue: Great Lakes and Water Resources

Scot Beaton Advocates:

•Support the adoption of a Great Lakes Regional Compact with necessary amendments and/or clarfications to ensure that consumptive uses of water can be utilized within the basin to create economic activity. The compact offers the best legal protection against diversions of Great Lakes water outside of the Basin.

•Support an adequate level of federal funding to prevent further introductions of aquatic invasive species and cleaning up of contaminated sediments in Areas of Concern.

•Oppose any permitting system that is not based on sound science and that would unnecessarily drive up costs for water users.

Why?

The Great Lakes can be a catalyst towards new economnic growth. It is critical that the Great Lakes are protected from harmful diversions to help ensure that water and jobs remain in Michigan. At the same time, any further regulation of water resources must balance the need for resource protection with the need to grow our economy.

Issue: Redevelopment of Property

Scot Beaton Advocates:

•Support the establishment of a tax incentive in the new Michigan Business Tax structure to help level the playing field between brownfield and greenfield sites and to encourage the restoration of brownfield properties and urban areas over greenfield consumption.

•Support the establishment of a new property tax incentive called "let it go green" to once and for all eliminate urban blight. Let property owners in the inner-city neighborhoods tear down unban blight and "let it go green". Allow the property to stay within the family or corporation at a substantial property tax discounts. One of the biggest obstacles facing inner-city re-development is the size of the parcel to be re-developed. "Let it go green" will allow over time combined green parcels to be re-developed as bigger and better developments with the same flexibility developers have in greenfield suburban developments. Plus, encourage the removal of urban blight from our inner city through property tax discounts.

Why?

Michigan is a national leader in the brownfield redevelopment movement. Michigan must continue the tax incentive concepts that have proven successful and enact reforms to improve the performance of our cleanup program.

Issue: Solid Waste and Recycling

Scot Beaton Advocates:

•Oppose legislative or regulatory efforts that fail to recognize the need to balance economic, social and environmental concerns. This includes opposition to solid waste taxes, expansion of the bottle deposit law, or unnecessary landfill disposal bands.

•Encourage local governments not to use property tax revenue as a solution for solid waste or recycling removal. Local business communities should not bear the burden of property tax hikes to pay for residential pickup. All this does is create job loss or higher prices for goods and services in the maket place. Encourage local governments to use fee structures similar to Plymouth Charter Twp. Last I checked, solid Waste and recycling pickup was less than $14 per month in the Twp.

Why?

Solid waste policy needs to achieve a balance that benefits job providers, the environment, and all of society. The state needs to continue focusing on market-based approaches rather than top-down mandates or incremental costs that will result in unintended consequences, including damage to the economy, without any associated environmental benefits.

Health Care

Issue: Access to Quality Health Care and the Availability and Affordability of Private Health Insurance

Scot Beaton Advocates:

•Oppose the implementation of any new health care mandates and support the implementation of a cost/benefit review process for existing and proposed health care mandates and/or the establishment of a moratorium on any new mandates.

•Oppose health care reforms that ignore the important role of the free market and/or are largely focused on taxpayer financing or penalties.

•Require open and competitive bidding for government/state assisted employee health insurance at all levels of state and local government every 3 to 5 years to reduce the cost of that expense and the burden of that cost on the tax payers of Michigan. Community Health projected 2009 Michigan budget, $12,485,130,400.00 for the state of Michigan, that’s the Governor's recommendation. That's TWELVE BILLION, you read it rig

I believe true health care cost containment cannot be achieved if the focus is on price controls and government interference in employers health decisions. Rules and regulations already on the books have driven up costs and reduced choices; more of the same kind of regulation will only produce more of the same result. Scot Beaton believes legislators should focus their time and energy on implementing market-friendly and consumer-driven reforms that eliminate regulation that increase business cost, drain employees¹ wallets, and add to the number of uninsured individuals statewide.

Human Resources

Scot Beaton Advocates:

In today's volatile economy, fair and affordable employment laws, including unemployment and workers compensation programs, are more important than ever. In 2005, Michigan employers paid out more than $1.827 billion in unemployment insurance (UI) benefits and over $1.45 billion in workers compensation benefits. One hundred percent of these benefits are financed by employers; therefore, Scot Beaton believes any reforms to the UI or workers compensation systems should balance the needs of employees and employers. Further, Scot Beaton believes employees should have the right to choose freely and anonymously whether to unionize and should be further educated of their right to object to their union using dues money for purposes not directly related to collective bargaining. Finally, Scot Beaton believes employers should have the flexibility to manage their workforce and employees needs---with limited governmental involvement or regulation.

Lawsuit Abuse

Scot Beaton Advocates:

Given Michigan¹s reputation as a leader in the national legal reform movement, Scot Beaton believes we cannot afford to turn back the clock and should instead proactively work to strengthen and improve the state's civil justice system. For similar reasons, Scot Beaton is opposed to any legislative attempts to erode Michigan's No-Fault insurance system. Scot Beaton believes the state's No-Fault law combines comprehensive personal injury protection benefits with the most effective limitation on tort liability of any no-fault law in the nation.

Corrections and State Police

Scot Beaton Advocates:

•Absolutely support the implementation of privately managed prisons. This is one area where the private sector will accel: keeping costs down in order to win contracts through competitive bidding.

•Absolutely support sentencing reforms that include decriminalization of non-violent drug offenses. Why should we spend two billion dollars a year locking up non-violent drug offenders and potheads when we can't afford to fill the potholes in our roads?

•Absolutely support sentencing reforms that reflect the national average "tough on crime" legislation. Over the past decade this disparity--such as locking up non-violent offenders--has put Michigan out of line with the national average without showing any substantial results in reducing crime in Michigan.

•Absolutely support shifting state police road patrols to county sheriff deputies.

Why?

The 2009 Governor’s recommended budget for corrections is $2,062,052,200 and some in Lansing project the budget to grow another $500,000,000 over the next few years. We need to immediately "reverse thinking" on how we look at sentencing and the way we run our prisons in Michigan. Michigan locks up more of it’s citizens than any other state in the Great Lakes region with no real effect on reducing crime within the state. Scot Beaton believes we must reform this tax burden on the citizens and business community in Michigan. It’s a sad day in Michigan when we spend more on prisons than education. Very few states in the union have that black eye.

Taxes

Issue: Cost of Government

Scot Beaton Advocates:

•That the appropriations process should not drive tax policy decisions.

•Oppose tax and fee increases to balance the state budget

•Support efforts to improve government operational effectiveness.

•Maintain legislative oversight of state spending and user fees. Scot Beaton is opposed to constitutional or statutorily authorized automatic annual increases in state spending and user fees.

•Provide working families and job providers tax relief that benefits a wide class of taxpayers

•Require open and competitive bidding for government employee health insurance at all levels of state and local government every 3 to 5 years to reduce the cost of that expense and the burden of that cost on the tax payers on Michigan. Community Health projected 2009 budget, $12,485,130,400.00 for the state of Michigan. Yep, once again thats TWELVE BILLION.

•Introduce sound practical debate in reducing the cost of the House of Repesentives and the Sente. Projected 2009 budget, $114,540,000. The current petittion to admend the states constitution to reduce the cost of the State legislature is an idea but not a sound solution, and would not have any major inpact reducing the state budget.

•Redistrict the State to reduce the the House of Representatives from 110 to 55 full-time members and the Senate from 38 to 18 full-time members with the goal of reducing the legislative budget by $40,000,000. Michigan, per capita, has a higher amount of legislators than the national average. You would think that before we as legislators tell others in state government how to cut costs, we could set an example ourselves!

•Keep our legislature a FULL TIME JOB, just as most of us must work full time. Our legislature is responsible for helping to rebuild Michigan within the context of a global economy; and at this time, that is a full-time job.

•Support extending term-limits to 12 years for both the Senate and the House of Representatives. Too great a turnover in the House has led to unnecessary expenses to the tax payers of Michigan

Why...and How?

I strongly believe the best way to control the cost of government is to improve government efficiency, implement cost-saving reform measures and reduce spending, instead of new taxes, tax increases, or fees. Michigan continues to be uncompetitive because of our business tax burden, specifically Michigan’s Single Business Tax and business personal property tax. Business people uniformly HATE these unfair and unequally implemented taxes! Michigan must foster economic growth by allowing taxpayers to keep more of the money they earn and by providing a more competitive tax climate to encourage savings and investment.

Issue: Business Tax Replacement of the Single Business Tax (SBT)

Scot Beaton Advocates:

•Absolutely support repealing 2007 House Bill 5194 (Increase income tax from 3.9 percent to 4.35 percent) Michigan needed a 5% across-the-board budget CUT, not a tax increase on personal income!

•Absolutely support repealing the 21.99% MBT that was imposed on businesses by HB 5408 instead of the retail service tax increase. This is the LARGEST SINGLE TAX INCREASE IN THE HISTORY of the State of Michigan. It was not the right answer for the financial woes of our great state.

•Replace the SBT with NOTHING! Repeal it, nix it...in other words DEEP SIX IT. One of many good ideas. Google Legislative Analyst Jack McHugh, Mackinac Center http://www.mackinac.org/article.aspx?ID=7602)

Why?

According to a February 2006 Michigan Department of Treasury Report, Michigan’s SBT still ranks 8th (highest) in state corporation taxes per capita when compared to corporate income taxes in other states. Michigan¹s new business tax burden must be more competitive in order to encourage business investment, job retention, and job creation in the state of Michigan

Issue: Property Taxes

Scot Beaton Advocates:

•Eliminate, or substantially reduce, the personal property tax.

•Preserve, protect and expand upon the reforms of Proposal A and the Headlee Admendment, and oppose measures that circumvent the intent of these voter-approved tax limitation amendments.

•Requiring voter approval of certain local special assessments.

Why?

Michigan must make personal property tax relief a priority. This tax on business machinery and equipment, furnishings, and office equipment is an administrative burden and a disincentive to capital investment, job retention and job creation.

Proposal A has been largely successful however; Michigans property tax burden remains high compared to other states.Michigan must not return to double-digit property tax increases by changing, or circumventing the intent of Proposal A or Headlee Amendment.

Issue: Sales, Use, and Excise Taxes

Scot Beaton Advocates:

•Michigan's sales tax continues to provide a substantial source of revenue to state government, especially since voters approved a 50 percent increase in the Michigan sales tax rate as part of Proposal A. Scot Beaton strongly believes any sales tax rate only as a "last resort tax increase" under penalty of death. Any increase in the sales tax rate, expansion of sales to services, or allowing local jurisdictions to levy sales, use or excise taxes will hurt our state's economic competitiveness, encouraging individuals and job providers to purchase goods and services outside of Michigan.

•Support introducing sales tax holidays for Michigan-made goods and services. These limited time frame, 90 days or less per year could be used to promote Michiganians to vacation in Michigan, or help car dealers to sell/move Made in Michigan cars and trucks off their lots at the end of summer "clearance time"! Why not stimulate the state economy and reward taxpayers at the same time instead of punishing taxpayers with taxes and fees because the legislature is not CREATIVE enough, or lacks the BACKBONE to do so?

Issue: Strenthening Taxpayer Rights

Scot Beaton Advocates:

•Both the tax burden and the manner in which tax laws are enforced are critical to improving Michigan's competitive standing. Unpfortunately, Michigan is often perceived as being a difficult tax environment within which to conduct business. Removing obstacles to tax administration fosters compliance. Predictability and fairness are the backbone of a cooperative tax environment. Scot Beaton advocates fair procedures and fair policy.

Transportation

Issue: Maintaining and improving Michigan’s Transportation System

Scot Beaton Advocates:

•Continue movement toward increased efficiency and improved effectiveness through greater use of "design and build" contracts for road and bridge construction with multi-year warranties.

•Support innovation and flexibility in road design standards, and clarity in standards and timeliness in any construction-related permitting process. A new concrete developed at the Missouri University of Science and Technology may last 100 years (not 40 years current standards with regular maintenance) and withstand up to 30,000 psi of pressure--nearly eight times as much as ordinary material.

•Support whenever possible using Made in Michigan products such as steel when re-building or improving Michigan's transportation systems. We as a state need to keep these jobs here not in Pittsburg or worse China!

•Save taxpayers money by exempting transportation construction projects from Michigan's costly and anti-competitive "Prevailing Wage" Act. Labor rates are up to 20 percent higher in Michigan compared to the national average.

•Support serious consideration of innovative public/private partnerships, including toll roads and/or fast lanes.

•Support public/private partnership high-speed electric rail system similar to those of Western Europe or Japan linking all major Michigan cities

Why?

Michigan's transportation system is the backbone of our economy and has played a critical role in improving business productivity in the state. Michigan’s standards must set the bar as high as Western Europe if we truely want to be competitive in 21st century job and quality-of-life indices.

Issue: Taxes & Issues That Hurt Real Estate Sales

•Pop-Up Tax. Taxable value goes to 50% of purchase price on real estate. This should be a gradual or step up process. A new taxable value shouldn't be so significantly greater than what the former owner paid that it creates a windfall for the local municipality. With so few sales occurring, a larger number of real estate sales could be generated if people didn't have to pay such steep increases.

•Ouch! That additional 18 mill Non-Homestead Tax! Non-homestead tax rate is always voted to the greatest max allowed "the dreaded 18 mill differential." More boomers retiring to Michigan with secondary/vacation homes shouldn't be penalized so severely. They want to spend money here part of the year! For this type of property, why not give them some relief and suspend or cap that amount to only 9 mills. It’s worth exploring. In this economy it's unfair to homeowners as well as business owners.

•Mineral Rights are taking a bite of vacant land sales. Try selling 10 acres or more. Sellers either won't part with the Mineral Rights or they have already been separated from the land. If you driven up north lately and spotted a bunch of oil/natural gas wells imagine how property owners feel about them. Great if you own one. Bad if you bought property and someone wants to drill there or next door and you as the new property owner, can't share in the revenue because you don’t own the Mineral Rights. If you think this is confusing, there are surface rights and rights to beneath the surface a real estate nightmare for all concerned.

•Make it mandatory that mineral rights have to addressed in all Warranty Deeds. Title companies should do a little more work in this area.

In Conclusion

It's obvious that you love Michigan as much as I do if you took the time to read this long, detailed platform and the rest of my website. Please feel free to respond to any of the issues I took time to cover or other issues I should cover at sbeaton223278@comacst.net. If you want to keep your response anonymous please let me know or (first names are fine). I will publish your response pro or con on my site. I promise I will never give out your web address. It’s important if we (Michiganians) want to TURN MICHIGAN AROUND that we keep government open and transparent for discussion.

The time for POLITICS AS USUAL is over. We are facing state, national and international crises of unprecedented proportions...changes that rival those that last occurred as our nation went to war against the axis powers in the middle of the last century. If we do not rally together and respond with bold solutions, then we deserve whatever we reap and we will face a bleak future. I vow to fight for all I am worth to change the status quo in our legislature and I will do it however I can--especially by reaching out to Democrats and making the case for COMMON SENSE and practical solutions that will carry us through.

People are SICK of business as usual. People know when they are being told something because a politician thinks that's what they want to hear. I am NOT a career politician...I am a husband, a father, a taxpayer and a worker just like most of you and likewise I am furious at the inaction and ineptitude of our current state government.

TALK TO ME. I can be reached at the email listed above or by telephone at 248 650-7862. Most of all, please FORWARD this platform to as many of your friends, neighbors and associates as possible and URGE them to do the same. Put me into office and I will fight like hell for the platform I have just laid out to you. I can't promise I will get all these things accomplished, as a single legislator, but I will push in every way possible to achieve as much as possible to making Michigan self-sufficient, efficient and attractive to business and property owners alike. We have some of the greatest natural resources in the entire U.S.--let's utilize our abilities to make Michigan a state people will want to live in, invest in and thrive in!

I also would like to take the time to thank the many Michiganians that took the time to speak with me on many of the issues facing this great, Great Lake State. I thank The Michigan Chamber of Commerce for many of their great ideas--some I re-published verbatim. The Republican Liberty Caucus, thank you--your conservative Republican values towards business, the size of goverment and taxes parallel mine. Thanks to the North Oakland Republican Club, Jim Thienel and Dennis Pittman, thanks for all your time and the opportunity to speak before your group.

There is no better, more beautiful, or greater state than Michigan and its fellow Michiganians who no matter how hard it gets continue to choose to live here, raise a family here and retire here. I also sincerly thank all of you and look foward to continuing to meet such great thinkers like Blake Christian, Doo-Hong Min, Jack McHugh and the many diverse citizens of Michigan so that I can bring your views to the House of Representatives.

Sincerly,

Scot Beaton

Republican Candidate for the 45 District

Please vote August 5th