Next week Gov. Granholm will deliver her final State of the State address.

As I mentioned in my last column, I expect the governor will talk about her “Grand Bargain,” that is, her idea to completely overhaul Michigan’s tax structure in order to ensure funding for essentials like schools and roads in exchange for lowering business taxes to help create jobs.

I hope the governor uses this opportunity to provide some real specifics about her plan. What I don’t want to hear is more fluff.

In her 2006 address, Granholm famously promised that in five years residents would be “blown away” by the strength of Michigan’s economy.

Four years later, Michigan still has the highest unemployment rate in the nation; the state lost 285,000 jobs last year alone. If the governor doesn’t talk honestly about the job situation, I’ll consider the speech a failure.

We don’t need the fluff. We don’t need to hear cheerleading about the bright spots in our economy or crystal-ball predictions about what new industries will one day lift us out of our depression.  What we need are concrete details about what the governor plans to do in her remaining year in office.

A good start would be to eliminate the Michigan Business Tax surcharge, which is killing our ability to attract jobs to our state.  The governor has gone on record many times saying she favors this plan, yet there hasn’t been a push by her administration to actually make it happen.

Without jobs, there is no money for schools.  Without jobs, there is no money for roads. Granholm has one year left to make good on her promise. For the sake of our state, I hope she succeeds.

I look forward to hearing your comments on these important issues.  Please feel free to contact me by calling (888) 373-0078 or e-mailing sharontyler@house.mi. gov.