Sorting governor's race facts from fiction

There's no shortage of television campaign ads this fall that only tell half of the story.

Candidates are bombarding viewers with commercials in a last-ditch attempt to change minds or reinforce convictions — especially in Michigan's close governor's race — as voters cast absentee ballots or get ready to attend the polls on Tuesday.

Here's a look at four ads airing in the campaign between Democrat Mark Schauer and Republican Gov. Rick Snyder.

Title:"Knees"

Sponsor: Republican Governors Association

Content: "Mark Schauer. The last time in Lansing he supported taxes on: Gas. Internet Sales. Income. Inheritance. Pop (really). Computer manufacturers. Home cleaning and lawn care services. Even bottled water. Now Schauer wants to expand taxes on business but is murky on the details. Politicians. Mark Schauer taxed Michigan to its knees. His tax and spend ways won't get us back on our feet."

Analysis: In the state House and Senate, Schauer did vote for the taxes or tax hikes listed, but several had bipartisan support.

For example, he joined lawmakers in Republican ex-Gov. John Engler's 4-cent-a-gallon 1997 gasoline tax hike to fix roads. The rate went from 15 cents a gallon to the current 19 cents.

A $1.35-billion combination of an income tax boost and short-lived tax on such services as lawn care and cleaning was the key part of a bipartisan deal that ended a brief government shutdown in 2007.

Schauer proposed a 20-cent-a-gallon bottled water tax in 2007 during debates about Michigan groundwater pumping by large bottling companies. He was a co-sponsor of a failed 2004 bill to include pop in the 6-cent state sales tax.

The ad's business tax claim refers to vague statements Schauer has made about possibly seeking to reduce the corporate tax rate while broadening the tax base if elected.

Title:"Faces"

Sponsor: Democratic Governors Association

Content: The narrator says: "The faces of Rick Snyder's priorities. Alayna Hester in a larger class because of Rick Snyder's education cuts. Jacqueline Payne paying higher property taxes from Rick Snyder. Mike Bauer paying Rick Snyder's new retirement tax. Now Rick Snyder's administration officials. Jon Braeutigam got a 90-percent pay raise to $333,000 a year. Robert Brackenbury and Greg Parker received 82-percent pay increases. Tell Rick Snyder he's got the wrong priorities."

Analysis: The ad touches on measures early in Snyder's first term to fix a billion-dollar structural deficit, then skips to 2013 raises given to three key Treasury Department investment officials.

The pay raises are accurate and were approved by the bipartisan Civil Service Commission. Snyder said they are in line with salaries they would command if they decided to take their skills elsewhere.

On education, Democrats have relied on outdated data to claim Snyder cut school funding $1 billion in 2011. The $1 billion figure doesn't account for an extra $455 million Snyder spent in 2011 on school districts with employee retiree costs and $100-per-pupil grants for schools that performed "best practices." Overall, education funding has increased $1.1 billion.

But that picture is more complicated. Snyder has used $783 million of the increase to cover teacher retirement costs school districts otherwise would fund, rather than sending the money directly to schools.

The minimum state per-pupil grant has increased 1.4 percent since fiscal year 2011. When adjusted for inflation, schools are getting less money for classroom operations.

Snyder and lawmakers did remove a tax exemption protecting most pensions from the 4.25 percent state income tax to raise $350 million in revenue. But the tax status of pensioners born before 1946 is unchanged. The tax is phased in for others, with the full bite hitting those born after 1952.

Homestead property tax exemptions were made less generous.

Title:"Slashing"

Sponsor: Michigan Republican Party

Content: An older female actress talks about the Affordable Care Act of 2010, saying Schauer "voted to slash funding for Medicare by $700 billion. That's your money. The insurance companies made a killing. And you lost what's rightfully yours."

Analysis: This ad's contention is misleading.

Schauer served one term in Congress and voted for the law that scaled back payments to hospitals and insurance companies that offer Medicare Advantage plans, resulting in a $716 billion projected savings from 2013 to 2022, according to a 2012 estimate by the Congressional Budget Office.

Annual Medicare spending continues to rise, but the reduced payments for Medicare Advantage plans are expected to slow growth in the entitlement program, according to the nonpartisan Kaiser Family Foundation.

AARP, which backed the Affordable Care Act, has said claims that Obama and congressional Democrats raided Medicare to pay for the Affordable Care Act are a "myth."

Title:"Potential"

Sponsor: Mark Schauer's campaign

Content: Schauer talks directly to voters. "There's so much potential here in Michigan, but Gov. Snyder's economy is only working for the wealthy. I'm Mark Schauer, and I have a plan to bring back Michigan's middle class. First, I'll reverse Rick Snyder's billion-dollar cuts to our schools — because good jobs come from a good education. Next, I'll end Rick Snyder's tax breaks for corporations that send our jobs overseas and help businesses create jobs here."

Analysis:

Snyder eliminated the Michigan Business Tax and created a flat 6 percent tax on corporate profits, resulting in 95,000 small and medium-size businesses no longer paying $1.8 billion in taxes. The owners of those firms now pay the 4.25 percent individual income tax on their profits — instead of both.

Schauer's contention that the economy isn't working for average Michiganians ignores the fact that 254,000 non-farm jobs have been created in the state since December 2010 — the month before Snyder took office — at an average weekly wage of $860 or $44,720 annually across all sectors, according to state statistics.

On education, Schauer has not said specifically how he will pay for a $1 billion increase in education spending.

Schauer's claim that Snyder gave businesses tax breaks "even if they ship jobs overseas" is rooted in a $1.6 million grant the Ada-based Amway Corp. got from Snyder's Michigan Economic Development Corp. in 2012 for relocating its Nutrilite production plant from California to Kent County.

The MEDC says the Amway subsidiary has not yet received any money because of delays in relocating jobs to Michigan. Schauer's campaign admits it is relying on Amway's past outsourcing to China to tie the two issues together.

gheinlein@detroitnews.com

Voting information

Absentee ballots

Registered voters can apply for an absentee ballot through their local city or township clerk if they are:

Age 60 years old or older.

Unable to vote without assistance at the polls.

Expect to be out of town on Nov. 4.

Are in jail awaiting arraignment or trial.

Unable to go to the polls on Election Day due to religious reasons.

Working as an election inspector outside of their precinct of residence.

Voters can search for their local clerk's contact information online at www.Michigan.gov/vote.

Deadlines

Requests for getting an absentee voter ballot mailed to you must be received by a voter's clerk no later than 2 p.m. Saturday.

Under state law, township and city election clerks must keep their offices open until 2 p.m. Saturday to allow for absentee voting. Local clerks also will be open Monday for returning absentee ballots in person during regular business hours.

Ballots must be returned to the local clerk by 8 p.m. on Election Day.

Election Day voting

On Election Day, voters will be asked to show a photo identification card at the polls. If they do not have a photo ID, they can still vote, but must sign an affidavit attesting that they're not in possession of their ID.

Registered voters can download sample ballots and look up their voting precinct on the Secretary of State's elections website.

Polls are open from 7 a.m.-8 p.m.

Source: Michigan Secretary of State