Lt. Gov. Brian Calley Joins the Canton Economic Club for its April Luncheon

Lt. Gov. Brian Calley echoed plans by Gov. Rick Snyder while speaking to  Canton Township officials and business men and women at the Canton Economic Club luncheon on Monday.

Many in the crowd exchanging handshakes, thoughts and ideas on the current economy in the ballroom at the Summit on the Park but mostly they focused on Calley's words.

During the buffet lunch, Calley spoke to a crowd of more than 100 people about the direction he and Gov. Rick Snyder hope to lead the state.

"The opportunity to change the direction of the state is so big," he said. "The obstacles are huge but not insurmountable. Michigan is at a point where we have to choose between the path we've been on or a new one."

For just over an hour, he laid out some of the state's budget proposals, taking questions and remarks from the guests on hand.

Talking Points

State Debt: According to Calley, Michigan's debt is $50 billion. To even begin to chip away at that figure, he said, Lansing has to reduce spending, which includes finding a more productive way to manage the "promises that have been made" in the form of allotments for services such as Medicaid, early childhood education and mental health services.

Business Taxes: One of the major initiatives of the proposed budget — which they hope to have passed by May 31 and implemented by October 1 — is an overhaul in the way that Michigan-based businesses are taxed. Currently, small and medium-sized business owners are double taxed, he said: The business revenue itself is taxed quarterly, and again as personal income yearly. "We want to get away from the Michigan business tax," he said, "which picks and chooses. What if we treat everyone the same?" He also addressed the potential reduction or elimination of taxs for outside companies. "Let's build a system that works for the Michigan-based businesses that are already here," he said of the initiative, which would reduce or eliminate credits and exemptions, .

New Detroit-Windsor Bridge: Gov. Snyder is hoping to get approval for the construction of a new bridge to Canada. The hope, said Calley, is that it will provide a smoother route for importing and exporting Michigan goods, such as Food, chemicals and furniture. "If we are going to operate the state like a business," he said, "then we need to start thinking, 'Who are our customers?'" The biggest obstacle to the plan, he said, would likely be the owner of the Ambassador Bridge. He said that the main reason is because they are currently a "functional monopoly," who "do not like the idea of competition." The project would be awarded to the lowest private bidder, and require Canada to provide funding for the construction of an interchange between I-75 and the bridge, which would be in return for the same deal made when the Blue Water Bridge was constructed. Calley said that all work done would have to be performed through MDOT, creating some 10,000 Michigan jobs on construction alone.

Education: Much is being said and felt over the proposed statewide cuts in education funding. Calley addressed situations like the one occuring within the Plymouth-Canton Community Schools community by saying that ancillary cutbacks and job consolidation would not be as effective a strategy than across the board teacher consessions. "The Lt. Governor's salary was decreasd by 10 percent," he said. "That's not to say I didn't get a raise [upon taking office]. It was decreased by 10 percent. The legislature's salaries were decreased by 10 percent. I went to a 20 percent co-share of my healthcare. And so, if you were to employ those types of measures in schools they could avoid those decisions."