House District 26, Ken Rosen

Ken Rosen
Republican
State House of Representatives
26th District
Oakland County
 

Why are you running for office?

I’ve lived and worked in here in Michigan for most of my life and I’ve experienced its highs and lows. I received an education here, I became a homeowner here and as an attorney, businessman and active community volunteer, I have worked and played here. I’ve also experienced the difficulties of owning and running a business in Michigan. I have felt the pain of unemployment. I’ve watched my friends and family leave the state because they just couldn’t make a living here. I want to bring them back. I want to make Michigan great again.

What is the biggest problem facing Michigan residents today and how would you solve it?

A stagnant economy and lack of jobs. My first priority to restoring jobs will be to eliminate the Michigan Business Tax and rewrite our business and individual tax codes to decrease the burdens they pose. Businesses create jobs and government only gets in the way of that. Right now, thanks to the way Lansing has chosen to tax businesses, every time a business wishes to hire someone, it must decide if it can afford the increased tax burden that comes with that job. As a business owner, I know that faced with that decision, I have only added the job and hire for it if it is absolutely essential to my business. Michigan’s economy cannot recover under that type of tax structure.

What's a better solution: finding revenue or cutting costs to meet Michigan's public education budget? How would you do it?

There is no way to find additional revenue for education without raising taxes and Michigan cannot tax its citizens and residents any further. Therefore, the only solution is to cut costs. However, costs to be cut should first be in the size of State government. Most local school districts have already cut to the bone because of overspending in Lansing. School funds (beyond the State Lottery funds) must be designated as such and not be mixed with general funds and used for non-education expenditures. Once we have done that, then we can look to find additional opportunities for administrative savings on the school district level.

What's the best way to create jobs for Michigan residents?

Businesses create jobs; government shouldn’t. Therefore, the best way to create jobs for Michigan residents is to support business by first repealing the Michigan Business Tax and reforming our tax structure to tax profits and income, not operations. Second, we must invest in small business, both in developing homegrown entrepreneurs and businesses as well as in attracting them from other states and countries. This would be accomplished through a combination of access to education and assistance as well as capital and incentives.

After you leave this earth, what will they say about you?

I would hope that they would say that I brought integrity and fiscal responsibility back to public service.