Dear Southwest Michigan,

As the holiday season approaches, I would like to wish you a Merry Christmas and happy holidays from the Proos family to your family. Above all at Christmastime, I hope that you can spend time with the ones that you love. I am positive that I would not be here today without support and encouragement from my loving family, for whom I am so grateful. I look forward to starting 2012 with new beginnings, confidence in Michigan’s hard-working residents, and hope for the future of our great state.

Throughout my time in the state House of Representatives and this past year in the Michigan Senate, I have truly enjoyed and benefited greatly from hearing from so many of you. It is your thoughts and experiences that provide the inspiration to me to continue working to create a climate that will build our communities and improve our corner of the state.  By listening to the residents of Southwest Michigan I have gained a greater insight into the issues facing our community and a renewed resolve to fight for our southwest Michigan values in the state Legislature.

This year has been a challenging one for all of us. As Michiganders, we all shared in the sacrifice necessary to put our state back on track. Personally, I voted to end lifetime benefits to legislators, cut my pay by 10 percent and voted to pay 20 percent of my health care costs while also cutting my office budget.

I believe we have taken the necessary steps to put our state back on the track to prosperity. We have cleaned up our tax structure and made it more business-friendly by eliminating the Michigan Business Tax and the job-killing 22 percent surcharge. We scrapped the system of tax credits being given out to some and not others without accountability. We cut through red tape, scaled back bureaucracy and increased government transparency so that businesses can grow and create jobs for our families.

Due to these reforms, Michigan’s revenues are up and some very encouraging signs have begun to emerge. One of the nation’s leading credit rating agencies, Fitch Ratings, upgraded the state’s credit outlook to “positive.”  It cited “prudent budgeting” and a rebounding economy as factors for its optimism. This improvement will reduce the costs of capital projects, like fixing a road or a school roof, and also help taxpayers save millions of dollars in interest.

Bloomberg Economic Evaluation of States also reports that Michigan’s economic health is now ranked second in the country. These factors represent a truly positive outlook for our state.

Some of our southwest Michigan industries in particular have seen improvement due in part to these reforms. Travel Michigan attributes a successful summer tourism season to the state’s efforts to expand the Pure Michigan brand regionally and nationally.  In fact, Smith Travel Research reports that Michigan saw a 7.5 percent increase, outpacing the national growth rate of 4.6 percent, meaning that our small businesses that welcome those visitors saw a direct benefit at the cash register.

Agriculture continues to be one of our states top industries with an economic impact in Michigan of over $70 billion per year and more than 3,000 farms and agribusinesses in southwest Michigan alone. A 2007 Michigan State University study found that Michigan agriculture was growing five times faster than the state economy as a whole, and has continued to expand since then.
Michigan vineyards and wineries in particular are flourishing. About 1 million people are visiting our wineries every year and pumping about $300 million into our economy.

Manufacturing jobs increased by 6.3 percent from March 2010 to March 2011, more than double the growth seen in any other sector. The House Fiscal Agency anticipates continued growth with an expected 42,000 jobs created in 2012.

As the holiday season draws near be sure to take the time to enjoy the spirit of the season with friends and family right here in southwest Michigan. I was reminded just a few weeks ago of the optimistic Christmas spirit at the Dowagiac Lighted Parade as my wife and I marched and saw the joy on the faces of the many children. The wonder of a child during the holiday season is truly an inspiration to make the world a better place.

We each have the ability to reach out toward those in need, lifting the spirits of those around us.  One way to do this is through an organization that truly makes the season brighter for many children, Toys for Tots. This remarkable group collects toys and distributes them to kids who would otherwise not have a gift to open on Christmas morning. I recently dropped my donation off at the Howard Ice Arena in St. Joseph with a few of my elected friends from Berrien County.

We must also remember those who cannot be with their families this holiday season. This can be an especially hard time for those men and women who are bravely serving our country. Recently, I had the honor of assisting volunteers and National Guard members at Wahmhoff Tree Farm in Gobles as they packed and shipped Christmas trees to troops and military families across the country. It is important to remember that it is their sacrifice, which has made it possible for us to enjoy the freedoms we share with family and friends this time of year.

I wish you a season filled with warmth and laughter and the people you love.  Southwest Michigan is such a peaceful and lovely place to spend the holidays, and I encourage everyone to take the time to truly enjoy all that our region has to offer. We have so much to be thankful for this holiday season. I wish you and your family the very best this Christmas and a happy and healthy New Year.

God Bless,

John Proos

State Senator, 21st District