Grand Rapids Institute for Information Democracy

Analysis:

This story posted on WOOD Radio’s website has significantly different content than the Grand Rapids Press story. This story is brief but does mention Clinton’s comments about wars from the 20th Century. Clinton doesn’t mention any of the wars that he presided over as President – Somalia, Kosovo, Yugoslavia, and Iraq. The article also says that “The former President also highlighted the need for more humanitarian efforts at home and abroad to help build partnerships to make the world a more secure place.” Unfortunately the WOOD Radio reporter doesn’t bother to ask what sorts of humanitarian efforts Clinton engaged in while President, not what the Democratic Party is doing now to fulfill that need.

The story also mentions that Clinton visited the grave site of former President Ford and that “Before the black-tie event, about 10 people stood outside the entrance — protesting Clinton for his polices on Iraq and other military actions during his term in office.” The story does not mention if this protest was organized by a particular group or specific reasons why they were protesting.

Story:

Former President Clinton had several things on his mind but ultimately the could be summed up as the 21st century will be better than the 20th.

He stated that millions died during the two World Wars, the Holocaust, the Khmer Rouge and other wars and political atrocities — Clinton says it would take a lot of violence this century to even come close, but the change is that now people feel the war has come to them… that they could be the victim, totally unlike before.

The former President also highlighted the need for more humanitarian efforts at home and abroad to help build partnerships to make the world a more secure place.

Clinton gave the keynote for the 20th annual dinner of The Economic Club of Grand Rapids, Monday night.

Before heading in for the speech, Mr. Clinton took time to place red roses at the gravesite of former President Ford, just across the river from DeVos Place.

About 2,100 attendend the annual dinner.

Before the black-tie event, about 10 people stood outside the entrance — protesting Clinton for his polices on Iraq and other military actions during his term in office.

Analysis:

The second story on Clinton’s talk in Grand Rapids at the Econ Club’s annual dinner had more substance that the front page story. Why do you think the Press chose to put the more substantive information in the region section instead of the front page? This story mentions that Clinton visited the grave site of former President Gerald Ford, but most of the article dealt with what Clinton has been involved in since he left the oval office.

The Press article mentions that Clinton has been focused on “investing in the needs of the world’s poor and sick,” but never says how Clinton is accomplishing this other than providing funding through his foundation. The story also says that Clinton stressed the need to invest in “energy efficiencies, health care reform, and greater access to public education.” He was also cited as saying that “$40 billion dedicated toward combating AIDS and other diseases could affect 2 billion people, comparing the cost to the $100 billion spent on the war in Afghanistan and $500 billion on the war in Iraq.” Unfortunately, the story does not mention that his party, the Democratic Party recently voted to provide the Bush administration with over $100 billion for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The story goes on to say that US approval in the Muslim world improved after providing aid for relief in the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, although the Press story provides no source for this “approval rating.” There is another poll that is cited from Gallup on Clinton’s popularity since the Monica Lewinsky affair. In fact, this was the only mention of anything from the eight years that Clinton was in office. Why do you think that the Press writer did not bother to compare his current work or comments with Clinton’s record as President? Clinton is also the only source cited in the story.

Story:

As expected, former President Bill Clinton put partisan politics aside during his speech Monday to the Economic Club of Grand Rapids.

He leaves most of that to the presidential campaign of his wife, New York Sen. Hillary Clinton.

But the 60-year-old former president delivered an impassioned plea for investing in the needs of the world’s poor and sick, in keeping with the second career he has carved out since he left office in 2001.

Before his speech, Clinton made an unscheduled stop at the grave of former President Ford at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum. He paused for a minute or two inside the gated site north of the museum.

“I liked him and admired him very much,” Clinton said.

In his speech to an audience of about 2,100 at DeVos Place, he also called for “home improvement” in America.

That included new economic investment in energy efficiencies, health care reform, greater access to public education and changes in “school culture” to transform troubled public schools.

Clinton noted that $40 billion dedicated toward combating AIDS and other diseases could affect 2 billion people, comparing the cost to the $100 billion spent on the war in Afghanistan and $500 billion on the war in Iraq.

“You cannot kill, jail or occupy everybody that might be against you,” he said.

In a speech that obliquely mentioned Hillary Clinton three times, it was about as close to an overt political statement as he made.

He noted an unexpected benefit from his partnership with former President George H.W. Bush when the two traveled to nations hit by the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami.

Before that, approval of the United States in largely Muslim Indonesia was at about 30 percent, Clinton said, a number that doubled to 60 percent as U.S. aid to the region eventually surpassed $1 billion. Approval for Osama bin Laden went down during the same period, he said. He called that reversal “stunning and very inexpensive.”

Clinton’s partnership with Bush the elder dovetailed with his own rising popularity with the American people, even as the rating of President Bush has sunk to historic lows.

A February Gallup poll found 63 percent of Americans have a favorable opinion of the former president, the highest since 1998, before Clinton’s relationship with intern Monica Lewinsky was revealed.

Clinton and Bush the elder cemented their post-White House alliance with fundraising appeals after Hurricane Katrina.

At the same time, Clinton embarked on advocacy work around the globe through the William J. Clinton Foundation, where he has directed much of his energy toward fighting AIDS and other diseases in Africa.

In his speech, he noted: “One billion people never get a clean glass of water, 2.5 billion people have no access to sanitation and nearly 1 billion people go to bed hungry every night.”

Global growth has simply left much of the world behind, he said.

“The population is growing in the poorest places quicker than the economy can keep up with it,” he said.

Officials at the Economic Club declined to say how much they paid for his appearance.

Analysis:

This front page story in the Grand Rapids Press is based upon former President Clinton’s talk at the Economic Club of Grand Rapids’ annual dinner. This article is very short and lacks any serious commentary on his talk. There are two quotes from Clinton, one about how he had a bigger turnout than last year’s speaker and one about the human genome. The article also lists three of Clinton’s favorite TV shows. Ask yourself what relevance that has to readers. There were also two people cited in the story who both were at the talk, but neither of them addressed the topics of his talk, only his speaking style and that hearing him “brought him down to a human level.”

Story:

He was funny. He was impassioned. And yes, he was long-winded.

He was, in short, Bill Clinton.

“Thank you for giving me the only time in my life when I drew a bigger crowd than Bono,” he quipped Monday in his speech to the Economic Club of Grand Rapids.

He referred to the Irish rock star who spoke at last year’s event, drawing perhaps a few dozen less than the 2,100 Clinton pulled in.

The 60-year-old two-term president gave the crowd plenty of serious talk, rattling off statistics about world poverty and death from AIDS. He dissected the flaws of the U.S. health care system.

He also dished out philosophy, as when he talked about the human genome project. “When we sequenced the genome, we discovered we are 99.9 percent the same,” Clinton said.

That, he said, offers the best chance for solving what seem to be intractable political problems.

He even offered up his three favorite television programs: “24,” “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Boston Legal.”

The one topic he steered away from was politics and the presidential campaign of his wife, Sen. Hillary Clinton.

The bejeweled and tuxedo-clad crowd seemed to relish this rock star of the Democratic Party in the midst of Republican country.

“He is one of the best orators, and I thought he was excellent,” said Grand Rapids investment executive Eileen DeVries.

Grand Rapids resident Mindy Olivarez, 31, said she enjoyed seeing the former president outside the political trappings of his office.

“It actually kind of brought him down to a human level. What resonated for me is that he asked people to be accountable for their part of the world.

“Very few people hold themselves accountable to look at the world as it is.”

Analysis:

This short story is based off a recent Associated Press story that provided details about the money that he is paid for speeches at corporate retreats, trade gatherings, and motivational venues. WZZM 13 attempted to find out how much Clinton was being paid for his upcoming speech in Grand Rapids, but the public relations firm would not disclose the amount. While that would be newsworthy, a bigger service to the viewer would have been an explanation of why Clinton was coming to Grand Rapids. According to reporting in the Grand Rapids Press, Clinton will be speaking on the Iraq War and the work of his foundation. Had WZZM 13 reported those facts, the next logical step would have been to examine Clinton’s statements on the Iraq War and his administration’s Iraq policy.

Story:

Former President Bill Clinton is coming to West Michigan next Monday to give a speech at the Grand Rapids Economic Club’s annual dinner.

The President typically receives a significant sum of money for his speeches. New financial filings released today show the former President earned $10-million last year. General Motors paid him $200,000 for a New York Speech.

WZZM 13 contacted Michael Zalewski from Seyferth Spaulding Tennyson Inc., the public relations firm handling the Grand Rapids event. Zalewski says they are not releasing how much the President is being paid for his appearance in West Michigan.

The former President’s earnings must be reported as the spouse of a senator.

Bill and Hillary Rodham Clinton hold two accounts. Each is valued at somewhere between five and 25 million dollars. One is an old-fashioned bank account; the other is a blind trust.

Analysis:

This WZZM 13 story is nothing more than advertising for Alticor’s revival of the Amway name. The news reader almost seems to be reading from a press release, particularly with the phrase “an overhaul that took the comapny into the world of online sales via Quixtar” and the description of Amway as a “better-known” brand. How does the reporter know Amway is a better known brand?

Story:

WZZM News Reader: Direct-sales giant Alticor has confirmed that it will phase out its seven-year-old Quixtar label during the next 18 to 24 months.

It will focus on rebuilding its better-known Amway brand in the US and Canada.

Employees received the news last week in an internal memo from company leaders. The company dropped the Amway name in North America in 2000 as part of an overhaul that took the business into the world of online sales via Quixtar.

But that name never caught on while Amway remains well known.

Analysis:

This article is based upon a visit to Grand Rapids by GOP Presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani on June 7. The headline of the story focuses on the former New York City Mayor’s position on terrorism, but most of the story deals with his position on issues like abortion and gay marraige. Giuliani did address the Police Officers Association of Michigan and the article does source one member’s response to the candidate’s visit by saying “Look at his record in New York City. His record speaks for itself.” The GR Press article does not provide much of Giuliani’s record other than some vague comments about reducing crime in New York, even though there are numerous sources of information that provide a critical view of Giuliani while he was Mayor of New York City. There is even a feature length documentary that gives a critical assessment of the 2008 Presidential candidate.

However, most of the GR Press article presents other GOP positions on Giuliani, most of which are critical. The article cites a cofounder of the group Conservative Declaration of Indepedence, Representative Vern Ehlers, and state Party Chairman Saul Anuzis all of which share unfavorable comments about Giuliani’s chance of winning the GOP Presidential nomination. The article does mention briefly Giulinani’s position on the US war in Iraq, but misses numerous aspects of his speech that the independent press reported on.

Story:

Voters such as Bill Dempsey are just the sort former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani needs if he is to gain a shot at the presidency.

The 38-year-old suburban Detroit police officer opposes abortion. He wishes Giuliani did as well.

But Dempsey believes in Giuliani, calling him “leaps and bounds above the rest of them. “Look at his record in New York City. His record speaks for itself.”

Dempsey applauded the message Giuliani brought to West Michigan on Thursday as he underlined his leadership against crime and tough stand on terrorism.

“We have got to remain on offense against (terrorism),” Giuliani told members of the Police Officers Association of Michigan at the Amway Grand Plaza. “And you are the first line of defense.”

Giuliani, 63, touted his record as mayor, where he is credited with increasing the size of the police force and driving down crime during his two terms as mayor.

“We can’t let crime come back up again,” he said. Giuliani continues to lead national GOP polls for president, with Arizona Sen. John McCain a distant second.

But as the campaign warms up, there are growing signs of push-back from conservative party elements because of his stand in favor of abortion rights and statements in favor of gun control and civil unions for gay couples. No abortion rights Republican has won the GOP nomination since Gerald Ford in 1976.

On Thursday, a group called the Conservative Declaration of Independence added its opposition to Giuliani as it announced the addition of 27 new signers from West Michigan.

“The debates removed any question that Giuliani is a pro-abortion candidate with a liberal agenda,” said group co-founder Tom McMillin, a Macomb County resident and party issues committee chairman for the Michigan Republican Party. He is a board member of the American Association of Michigan and was state field director for the Christian Coalition from 1994 to 1998.

McMillin said he is not supporting any other Republican at this point, but wants to ensure that the party nominates a candidate that fits its traditional values.

“We are getting tired of being taken for granted,” McMillin said.

Last week, U.S. Rep. Vern Ehlers, R-Grand Rapids, said he considered Giuliani’s campaign “dead,” citing his stand on abortion and the fact he is twice divorced.

Analysis:

This online WOOD TV 8 story mentions that 2008 presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani will be in Grand Rapids. It completely fails to provide any information of value to viewers. It makes no mention of Giuliani’s positions and it doesn’t even mention that Giuliani is a Republican. Would this story help voters be more informed?

Story:

GRAND RAPIDS — He’s one of the front-runners in the race for the White House, and Thursday he’ll be in West Michigan.

Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani will attend a fundraising breakfast in Grand Rapids Thursday morning.

The $250 a plate event begins at 9 a.m., but don’t head out the door just yet. The event is only open to private donors and supporters.

Analysis:

This story is based upon a recent meeting between the major US auto industry executives and members of Congress around the issue of regulating fuel efficiency standards, known as CAFE standards. The headline leads one to believe that some members of Congress were antagonistic towards the auto industry, even though the story itself cites a GM executive at length. Other sources that are cited except two Representatives who have opposing view points, and two Michigan Senators who are working on a “compromise plan.” What was excluded were non-partisan, non-auto industry voices, such as Public Citizen, which provided one of the few statements on the meeting between auto executives and members of Congress. Rep. Dave Camp from Michigan and Senator Stabenow were cited in support of the auto industry, but the story doesn’t provide any verification of the their claims nor any data on whether or not Camp or Stabenow have received campaign contributions from the auto industry. How would information on the financial relationship between the auto industry and these elected officials change how readers understood this issue?

Story:

Domestic auto chiefs looking for a congressional assist on beating back their foreign competitors instead got blindsided by some lawmakers who want them to play ball on fuel-efficiency standards.

The top executives of General Motors Corp., Ford Motor Co. and the Chrysler Group met publicly with congressional leaders Wednesday and urged them to reduce the cost of U.S. health care, get tough on negotiating global trade agreements and earmark more federal dollars for research.

Behind the scenes, however, they were pushing lawmakers to pull back on upping Corporate Average Fuel Efficiency (CAFE) standards, saying a major increase could sink their companies at a time when they’re struggling to stay in the black.

“The (Michigan) delegation must do all it can, both Republicans and Democrats, to ensure whatever legislation comes out of Congress has the support of the Big Three,” said U.S. Rep. Dave Camp, R-Midland, who met with the leaders, in a written statement.

But Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., was not as generous.

“I think the issue is over,” Dorgan, who has co-sponsored a bill to increase CAFE standards to a fleetwide average of 35 miles per gallon by 2020, told the auto executives at a luncheon. “I think you’ve lost that issue. Your position is yesterday, forever.”

Rick Wagoner, GM chairman and CEO, defended the auto companies, saying that CAFE hadn’t reduced dependence on foreign oil in the last 30 years and that other options, such as hybrid vehicles and fuels, might be more successful.

“We’ve had a great experiment for a long time, but that in itself hasn’t worked,” said Wagoner, referring to the fact oil usage has gone up in the United States despite the imposition of CAFE standards 30 years ago.

Environmentalists have argued for years that automobiles contribute significantly to pollution, but their efforts to increase standards have always fallen short. This year, however, the chances look better as lawmakers are increasingly concerned about global warming.

The Senate is expected to take up legislation overhauling CAFE standards next week. The proposed standard is 10 mpg higher than current levels. After 2020, fleetwide CAFE standards would be required to increase by 4 percent annually until 2030.

Currently the fleet standard for manufacturers is 25 mpg, although there are different standards for cars and trucks. The standard for passenger cars is 27.5 mpg compared to 22.5 mpg for pickup trucks, sport utility vehicles and vans.

Michigan Democratic Sens. Carl Levin and Debbie Stabenow are working on a compromise. Their proposal would increase standards to 36 mpg for cars by 2022 while boosting them to 30 mpg for pickup trucks and SUVs by 2025.

“The more we talk, the better,” said Stabenow after the luncheon. “The automobile companies are in fact taking a very aggressive approach to retooling their vehicles.”

Wagoner was joined by Chrysler Group CEO Tom LaSorda, Ford CEO Alan Mulally and United Auto Workers President Ron Gettelfinger in lobbying for a break on health care costs and a tougher, pro-domestic manufacturing stance by the United States when negotiating foreign trade agreements.

“American manufacturing and a key component, the automotive sector, are at a crossroads,” said LaSorda. “We are either going to adjust to the realities of the global economy or we will not survive.”

Analysis:

This story is based upon the recent announcement from the White House that Robert Zoellick is the US nomination to be the new head of the World Bank. The GR Press version of the Associated Press story only cites Zoellick, but the original version has comments fromthe head of the WTO, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a former World Bank employee who has written a book about Zoellick, a German and French diplomat and spokesperson for a think tank in India, Charad D. Wadhva. Wadhva was the only critical voice in the AP version, even though there are numerous organizations who have made critical statements on the Zoellick nomination. The GR Press version states that the World Bank is a “poverty-fighting institution,” but provides no evidence that that is its mission. The article also states that the World Bank’s 24-member board will decide if Zoellick will be the next President of the institution, even though there is no information on who is on the board or how board membership is decided.

Story:

Robert Zoellick has dealt with the Cold War, the killing in Darfur, China’s rise as an economic colossus. His next challenge: to restore confidence at the badly shaken World Bank.
“We need to put yesterday’s discord behind us and to focus on the future together,” Zoellick declared after President Bush chose him Wednesday to run the poverty-fighting institution and heal wounds left behind by outgoing president Paul Wolfowitz.

“I believe that the World Bank’s best days are still to come,” said Zoellick, now a vice chairman at Wall Street giant Goldman Sachs.

If approved by the World Bank’s 24-member board, Zoellick, 53, will also bring to the institution years of experience in the foreign and economic policy arenas under three Republican presidents, starting with Ronald Reagan.

Zoellick will need to regain trust, rebuild credibility and mend frayed relations inside the institution as well as with its member countries worldwide. He’ll also need to persuade countries to contribute nearly $30 billion over the next few years to fund a centerpiece bank program that provides interest-free loans to the world’s poorest countries.

Those skills will come in handy as Zoellick manages an institution with 10,000 employees worldwide and 185 member countries.

Text from the original article ommitted from the Grand Rapids Press version:

World Trade Organization Director-General Pascal Lamy praised his “ability as a strategist, as one who can broker compromise and as one who has profound interests in the concerns of developing countries.” As the EU’s trade chief, Lamy went head-to-head with Zoellick when he was U.S. trade representative over steel, aid to plane makers Boeing Co. and Airbus and hormone-treated beef.

“We often disagreed, but that was part of our business,” said Luiz Felipe de Seixas Correa, the Brazilian ambassador who led his country’s successful WTO challenge of the U.S. cotton subsidy program. “I can say he’s superbly qualified for the World Bank job.”

In a brief statement, the bank’s board acknowledged Zoellick’s nomination and said it would meet with him. At the same time, it left the impression that it would not blindly ratify Bush’s choice. Other nominations from the bank’s executive directors will be accepted until June 15, the board said.

In some ways, the selection of Zoellick appeared far less controversial than when Bush chose Wolfowitz, then the Pentagon’s No. 2 official. His role in the Iraq war upset Europeans and others.

Wolfowitz had a stormy two-year tenure at the bank, culminating in his resignation — effective June 30. He was essentially forced to leave after a special bank panel found he broke bank rules when he arranged a hefty compensation package in 2005 for his girlfriend, Shaha Riza, a bank employee. The controversy caused a staff revolt and strained U.S. relations with Europeans.

He told a small group of reporters later Wednesday, “This institution has been through a traumatic period. There is a lot of anxiety, some frustration and anger that’s been built up.”

Zoellick said he planned to meet soon with the bank’s contributors, borrowers and others, to listen to their perspectives on how the institution can best fulfill its purpose. Zoellick also anticipates working closely with the bank’s board and staff to develop a consensus for the future direction of the bank, which has been coping with many financial and economic changes since its creation in 1945.

“On the one hand, one has to calm the waters but one also has to start to navigate a course for the future,” Zoellick said. He sported cufflinks of tiny dark blue globes on his crisp white shirt.

In tapping Zoellick, Bush picked a veteran of politics both inside the Beltway and on the international stage. He is known for pulling facts and figures off the top of his head. He also has a reputation for being a demanding boss.

“Bob Zoellick brings a wealth of experience and energy to this task,” Bush said. “Over the past three decades, he’s held important posts in government, business and higher education. … In short, it would probably be easier to list all the jobs Bob hasn’t had,” the president joked.

Zoellick announced last June that he was leaving his post as deputy secretary of state to go to Goldman Sachs and work to develop investment markets around the world. He leads the investment bank’s board of international advisers, a 24-member group of former government officials who help develop overseas strategies.

As the State Department’s No. 2 diplomat, Zoellick brokered peace talks in Darfur and dealt with many thorny issues involving the complex relationship between the U.S. and China.

“My experience working with him on the subject of Darfur tells me that I know that he cares about that issue, which is very important to the American people,” said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif. “He’s sensitive to the need to alleviate poverty there, to resolve conflict in a peaceful way. … I have been impressed by what he has done so far.”

When he was Bush’s top trade envoy, Zoellick played a key role in negotiations to bring China into the World Trade Organization. He forged free trade deals between the U.S. and other countries, including Singapore, Chile, Australia and Morocco. In addition, he helped launch global trade talks in Doha, Qatar.

Under Bush’s father’s administration, Zoellick worked closely with then-Secretary of State James Baker on policies pertaining to the end of the Cold War. He also had worked on negotiations on German unification.

Jeffrey Hooke, a former World Bank employee who has written a book about the institution, said Zoellick “will do a good job smoothing the waters post-Wolfowitz. He is a safe choice.”

Internationally, the reaction to Bush’s choice was generally positive, although some public health and environmental groups expressed concern about his ability to carry out the institution’s mission.

German Development Minister Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul — who was highly critical of Wolfowitz — said, “Robert Zoellick is a good candidate who brings a strong amount of international experience with him.”

French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said Zoellick is “certainly” the right man for the job.

“In between the partners and the World Bank, it is mainly a question of confidence, and I hope that Mr. Zoellick will re-establish — or establish — confidence in between all of them,” Kouchner added. “This is absolutely crucial.”

But Charad D. Wadhva, professor emeritus at the Center for Policy Research, a New Delhi think tank, had some doubts.

“Professionally, he’s competent but I’m not so sure about his background in developing economies or in helping developing countries,” Wadhva said. “He may have to learn a lot to understand the needs of the developing countries.”

Analysis:

This story is based upon a rally held on Calder Plaza in Grand Rapids to protest the state budget cuts that will impact social services. The story cites four sources, a retiree, a current member of the Grand Rapids School Board, Rockford School Superintendent, and GR Chief of Police Harry Dolan. The commentary from all four sources focuses either on the issue of taxes, a statement about the need for unity, and the frustration over such a small turnout. Is it clear from this story what services other than government and education are at risk with the state budget cuts? According to independent coverage of this event, people also addressed the issue of health care and that many people felt frustrated that their issues were being “pitted against education.” There was also mention in the independent coverage that comparisons were made with how much the state spends on incarcerating people compared to social services, a point that was omitted from the GR Press version. There are also no perspectives from those who would be most affected by the cuts, particularly the socially vulnerable, even though they were in attendance.

Story:

Marge Gavigan is not afraid to let people know it: She wants her taxes raised.

Holding a sign reading “Tax is not a four-letter word,” Gavigan was part of a gathering of about 300 people rallying Tuesday to show lawmakers they want a budget deal that maintains services.

“We pay lower taxes than anyone in the developed world,” she said. “You can’t get great services for nothing.”

Gavigan, a Grand Rapids retiree, said she attended the event as a concerned citizen, but the crowd was dominated by school and government employees.

There were frequent calls to raise taxes, few to trim state pensions or other expenses.

Grand Rapids Board of Education member Arnie Smithalexander was one of the event’s organizers and said she expected 10,000 people crammed onto Calder Plaza. But she was “sickened” by the turnout.

“I expected wall-to-wall people here,” she said. “Every school in the county should have 20 people here. I’m really upset about it.”

But other organizers said they believe the deal reached by Gov. Jennifer Granholm and lawmakers last week to spare schools, Medicare and revenue sharing to municipalities for this year might have prompted some to stay home, believing the problem was solved.

But Rockford Superintendent Michael Shibler said most of the elements of the deal are one-year fixes that do not offer long-term plans.

He said Kent County schools collectively have cut more than $100 million from their budgets in recent years and cannot cut more without eliminating needed programs.

Shibler said state taxes have been lowered so much that there isn’t enough money in the coffers.

“They either need to restore revenue generated by those taxes or come up with new taxes — whatever it takes,” he said to cheers from the crowd. “They’ve gotten by with smoke and mirrors, but we need them to come up with true reform.”

Grand Rapids Police Chief Harry Dolan said his department has eliminated 75 positions, which he said makes it more difficult to keep officers on the street, preventing crime before it happens.

“This is a time for courage,” he said. “We need to stand tall and stand together.”