ISSUES IMPORTANT TO ALL OF US

EDUCATION

As a mother of two children and a business owner, Michelle understands the importance of providing a high quality education that is useful and gives our children a strong foundation to go on to be productive citizens. The skills and knowledge required to be successful in today’s world are far different than they were ten or twenty years ago. Our schools should be focused on teaching math, sciences, civics and government, computers and technology, and life and job skills. Curriculums or lessons focused on vilifying someone based on skin color or calling into question a child’s gender have no application in the public education system and do nothing to prepare students for what lies ahead in the career field. Our institutions of higher education need to be retooled to focus on our current skilled labor shortage. We should be focused on producing highly skilled apprentices for jobs we need; not just being “Degree Factories” to burden students with high debt loads for useless degrees. In the wake of the school shooting in Oxford, MI, there has been an increase in copycat threats by students, teachers, and outsiders. Schools have to find the delicate balance of feeling like an inviting, welcoming place of learning and a fortress.

PUBLIC SAFETY

Michelle is the proud wife of a law enforcement officer. She sees and hears the struggles and frustrations our police, deputies, corrections officers, and troopers are dealing with. Law Enforcement, like many other fields, is seeing a shortage in the number of people successfully entering the field. It is already one of the most difficult fields to become proficient in and endure. It takes a physical, mental, and emotional toll as the men and women we ask to put on the heavy uniform are sent into the worst day of a person’s life nearly every day. The problem with this shortage is that if we run short or run out of police, there will be no one to respond when we need help on that worst day. And the reality is those days will happen more often.

Changes in the economy and financial policies of local governments have led to a decrease in long term benefits for law enforcement after long 20 to 25+ year careers of putting their lives on the line. If we want to “Back the Blue”, we need to start putting our money where our mouth is. Those joining the law enforcement profession are looking to organizations that have strong, stable, and well-paying pensions and the security of health care after we have asked these professionals to endure years of abuse to their bodies. We need to make sure our tax dollars are going to support those who protect us and our communities from those who wish to do harm and evil. The simple truth is people who might be good at this profession are dissuaded by the limited financial benefit.

Our police are getting beat up by society for doing the dirty job that police work entails. We are living in a culture where half of the country, the news media, prosecutors’ offices, and major corporations are turning criminals into martyrs even when a police officer is justified in their actions. We need to stand behind good officers that were forced to make the choice of going home for the night or being killed or severely injured.

FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY

Michelle runs her household on a budget and believes the government should do the same. When the government collects taxes and fees from its citizens, there is a moral obligation to be good stewards of that money. The state needs to be on a balanced budget and stick to the budget. This should be a primary focus for the legislature. Every financial action by the House needs to determine if it is the best thing for the wallets of the residents of Michigan. Would a taxpayer feel okay spending money on what they are ultimately paying for?

There should be incentive for staying under budget. We need to lose the mentality that if a department or division does not use all of the money they are allocated in one year, they lose that same level of funding the next year. It leads to the end of fiscal year frivolous spending and using up resources in the name of bureaucracy. Wasteful and non-essential programs need to be eliminated. We need to find ways every area of government can reduce spending and trim down.

BUSINESS

Businesses have been turned on their heads or completely shuttered since Covid. We had a thriving economy with real growth in businesses at all levels. Ever since business have been segregated into “essential” and “non-essential”, small business owners have been fighting to stay solvent in a world that lacks available workers and is full of high costs and ever-changing mandates and restrictions. Every small business is essential to the people that rely on the revenue from that business to take care of themselves and their family. Our legislature needs to fight to keep business of all sizes seeking Michigan as their home. We need regulations that make sense and actually work. The government should not be telling a legitimate business they cannot be open when they have done nothing wrong. We need to reduce the barriers to entry for those looking to enter licensed occupations and still seek to protect the public from those who would abuse those professions.

INFRASTRUCTURE

Michigan brought the automobile to the world from two gorgeous peninsulas surrounded by the best freshwater lakes in the world. Michigan and her resources are precious. We need to consider them with every infrastructure project this state undertakes. As a State House Representative, Michelle will work very closely with the phenomenal Macomb Public Works Commissioner, Candice Miller, to make sure she has the funding and resources necessary to conduct the vital projects she has been undertaking to protect our sewers and waterways. Our sewer systems were neglected, under capacity, and damaging to Lake St. Clair and the connecting waterways. Michelle will push to see more important efforts like this continue in her district and across the state.

Fixing our state’s roads did not happen. It is embarrassing that the state which brought the automobile into wide use has such terrible roads on which to drive them. The governor will blame the no vote on the proposed $0.45 fuel tax increase. The real funding issue is that most states allocate all of the fuel taxes to the roads whereas Michigan sends most of it to the general fund. The fines and fees charged to overweight trucks is minimal and much of the funds go to libraries. Additionally, cleaning up our roadways and sidewalks should be a priority as trash and debris on the sides of our roadways not only looks terrible but it is terrible for our environment, drainage systems and drawing business into our state.

CURRENT ISSUES

Medical freedom is as essential as the freedom of speech - this means that medical choices, like vaccines, should be left to the patient and doctor, without involvement from the government.
Abortion is an abhorrent practice and should be limited to certain instances, without funding from the government.
Religious freedom is important, while it shouldn't lead to active discrimination, the ability to say that your religion prevents you from completing a specific task should be respected.
Parents get to decide what is best for their children in all matters including healthcare and education, the government is not a co-parent.
Our foster care system and adoption could be incredible services for children but they need better funding, better organization and better support.
Election integrity is a very important issue in 2022 and requires our legislature to reform some areas including not allowing the Secretary of State to mass mail out absentee ballot applications, requiring regular updates to the Qualified Voter File, and requiring ID to vote.
The second amendment provides for our right to bear arms and that constitutional right to carry should be all a citizen needs to have a firearm.