Snyder: Better transportation, Web access key to finding jobs

Lansing— Michigan will do more to reduce poverty, fight crime, and increase access to transportation and the Internet, Gov. Rick Snyder said at the Greater Lansing Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday Luncheon on Monday.

Snyder said poverty is one of the three evils King talked about the most, and crime-riddled neighborhoods, and the lack of computers to seek jobs and public transit to get to work are problems that keep people mired in poverty.

"(King) talked about poverty, racism, and militarism," Snyder said. "With respect to poverty, we do need to solve poverty, and we need to get barriers out of the way."

The Republican governor said he would talk about crime-fighting in his State of the State address Wednesday and in a Special Message to the Legislature later this year.

"We have four of the highest crime cities in the country in our state, and that's unacceptable," Snyder said. "We need to step up, because that is part of the cycle of poverty and racism. And one of the best answers for solving the crime problem isn't simply law enforcement, that's an important one, but it's helping people have a job. If you have a job, you don't end up on the crime side."

Snyder also noted that a lack of a computer is a barrier to finding a job, and said he would use the state's libraries to improve accessibility to www.mitalent.org, a state website to connect job seekers with employers unveiled in Snyder's special message on talent Dec. 1.

Asked after the luncheon if he's going to suggest a program to put more computers in libraries, Snyder said not necessarily.

"There already are a lot of computers in place," Snyder said. "It's more about how to use those computers more effectively.

"We have a good library system already and we've created some great tools, but we have to make sure they're available to people who don't have access."

Snyder spokeswoman Sara Wurfel said the governor "wanted to make sure for those who do not have Web access at home, MiTalent.org is accessible and readily available at local libraries and Michigan Works! Offices.

"It's for every Michigander looking for a job, identifying new or emerging careers, assessing backgrounds, finding training opportunities, etc.," Wurfel said. "It can certainly and hopefully complement the efforts under way to help those transitioning from welfare to work."

Besides addressing crime, Snyder gave up few details about what he will be discussing in his State of the State address.

"The difference from last year is I have a year of things to talk about," he said. "I'm going to … set the direction for the future and say we're going to keep pushing ahead."

Snyder detailed for the crowd of roughly 1,200 people attending the luncheon at the Lansing Center legislative actions of the past year he said make life easier for Michigan's economically struggling families, such as getting rid of most driver responsibility fees paid to the Secretary of State. He said improving public transit will be a top priority in 2012.

"The most important thing we can do is help people get a job," Snyder said. "And it shouldn't just be a job that goes nowhere. It should be a job that's a career. We're working hard on that."

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