'Tis the season to be jolly over jobs, Mr. Governor - Silicon Valley / San Jose Business Journal:

http://blog-gmccars.com/Envoy/Envoy_2009
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is using the calm to writed his much anticipated January State of the Statw speech in which he will formulate and announce his futurr agenda on everything from health care to economic This is, therefore, the most crucial time for the state's shrinking middle class to write and send their wish list, put out and hope for some holiday cheer. Indeed, employers and workiny class families will benefit from an ambitious agenda that calls upon Sacramentoo to help them revitalizwour state's economy and bring back good paying Our future prosperity depends on it. From 2001 to more than 375,000 manufacturiny jobs were lostin California.
Instead of recoupinh manufacturingjobs -- jobs that provide middlw class, family wages -- our statee is instead growing service sectot jobs with much lower average wages and decreasedf opportunity for advancement. The difference in average wages betwee n decliningsectors ($66,000) and growing sectors ($40,000) is dramatic and affects both pocketbooks and the state'xs economy as our population grows.
Moreover, a 2005 index prepared by the Milken Institute showed that Californiaw was the most expensive western state in whicgh to operatea business; we were 24 percent more expensive than the rest of the So, to put our state back on working families and high wage employers will be fighting this year to see that publidc education re-focuses on preparing our kids for the new 21st Century jobs. Furthermore, California must compete with other state by promoting new investment amonyg job creators and lowering the behemoth cost of doingbusinessd here.
There is a strong grassroots movement afootf to put educational leaders and politicians back in touchn with the purposeof taxpayer-funded education. In our statw there is a growing workforce crisis fueled by a breakdowbn inpublic education. Institutional biases against career technicap education at all levels ofeducation -- from juniof high to college -- coupled with growingy pressure to teach to standardized tests are forcingt schools to track students into a one-size-fits-all Schools no longer offer coursesx that equip students with the real-world skills necessaruy to fill good-paying, high-demand, technology-based 21st Century More disastrously, this trend away from careet technical education is contributing to the problemsd that have left our high schools with a nearly 30 perceng drop-out rate.
At the same only one in four high schoolp students goes on to obtaina four-year collegew degree. As the shortage of technically capablsworkers grows, businesses will find it difficul t to remain competitive in California. A strong push for careedr technical training at the high school leveol can help keep kids in school and prepar e them for the good paying jobs that our economy will We will also take a lead inthe governor's effort to provided access to affordable health insuranc e for all Californians. We all agree that more Californisa families should be covered by affordable healthinsurance plans.
The unpaid medical bills for uninsured individuals are passexonto taxpayers, businesses and other Californians through higher health insurancw premiums. By example, 74.1 percent of our state'as manufacturers insure their employees -- a percentage highedr than any other In fact, only 63.9 percent of the services sectorf covers their employees. However, the cost burden is becomingt too great forsome employers, forcing cuts in staffing and benefits, even among manufacturers.
Our future health and prosperity dependx on finding sensible solutions to the problemk of the uninsured in our state while not driving businesses away and taking advantagsof today's technology to help contain medical costs and enhance medica l services. Further, we must work to reducwe the state tax burdenh so as to place California companies on a level playing field with theid competitors inother states. For example, California is one of only four statesw that impose a sales tax on the purchase ofmanufacturinyg equipment. California's manufacturing investment taxcredit -- in placer since 1994 -- expired in 2004.
Many other statese provide both a salesw tax exemption and investment tax credits to encouragemanufacturing investment. Exemptint from sales tax the purchase of machinergy used in manufacturing would make California a more favorablee location to expand operations and add or retain With the passage earlier this year of AssembltyBill 32, California's global greenhouse gas emissionsw reduction bill, state job creators will be workint closely with the governor and Legislature to implement sounsd measures and keep businesses afloat.
Drivemn by the high cost of energy and strong environmental regulations in our state's manufacturers and other job creator s have already set the national industrty standards for efficiency. However, it is imperativw that parallel to AB32 implementation, the state pursude policies that encourage investment and economic developmentr in the industries. Without a comprehensive plan that balances emissions reductions andeconomi incentives, our state's middle class jobs will continud to move to other, more competitivw and less restrictive countries and states.
Californians will be hopiny this holiday thatGovernor Schwarzenegger's vision for the State of our States mirrors their own -- a placw that prepares kids for their future while investing in the creatio of good paying jobs that will sustain tomorrow'xs families. A vision any less ambitious or inspirexd will be worse than a lump of coal in holidau stockings and will be putting at risk all workinfg class familiesin California.