LANSING, Mich. — State Sen. Lana Theis, R-Brighton, released the following statement Wednesday, after Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s State of the State address:
“The state of our state is strong, in no small part because of the resilient and hardworking men and women of Michigan who, in the face of unprecedented challenges over the past two years, have endured and driven our state forward. We see it with continued reductions in unemployment. We see it with new and expanding business opportunities. We see it with unexpected state revenues. These accomplishments have had little, if nothing, to do with government. In fact, much of our state’s success during this time came despite government mandates and restrictions that have worked against our progress.
“That is why I viewed Gov. Whitmer’s state of the state address with cautious optimism, if not suspicion. It was nice to hear that the governor has discovered the wisdom of reducing taxes, and I am hopeful that she will live up to her word and work with the Legislature to do so. I encourage the governor to embrace her newfound republicanism and support giving the people tax refunds to help deal with hyperinflation.
“And in the spirit of bipartisanship, we simply must prioritize our children’s education and do all we can to get them back into their classrooms full-time. Now beginning our third year of what has become a globally endemic virus, we don’t need more time to figure it out. This has created a crisis in our education system. Too many students are falling behind academically as they disengage from internet-based learning. Worse, they are suffering from mental health issues that are impacting not just their education, but their overall well-being. It is a problem everyone sees and that too many are feeling. The time for talking and hand-wringing is over.
“It’s not just taxes and education — there are far too many things we should be working together to fix, including the supply chain, critical infrastructure, and water resources. I hope the governor’s appeal to bipartisanship is more than a picture show. I hope she will put down her veto pen and pick up the proverbial shovel, so we can get to work making our state even stronger.”
###
