13 Comments

somebody needs to get this article to Gov. Whitmer's desk... i'm on it!

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I certainly agree.

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Once the nation was told it was "OK to travel if vaccinated," and "OK to meet maskless with other vaccinated family/friends," and "We should see a reasonable relaxation by late summer," the floodgates of the It's-All-Over-But-The-Shouting crowd helped lead to these surges. We so badly wanted to hear good news that we threw caution to the winds. The virus doesn't stop to see if you are taking "personal responsibility" or not. Michigan is no longer following the science.

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100% agreed. I’m currently on a self-imposed lockdown, I’ve only been out to get vaccinated this Sunday. I also don’t believe we can vaccinate out of this. Whitmer has asked for more doses, but when I went to Ford Field for my shot, I took 2 of my older neighbors with me. They weren’t registered but still got shots, as the people running the clinic said they have a surplus of vaccines.

On another note, I feel, as do many others, that you should primary the governor. I won’t say more, as this isn’t the appropriate forum.

Best!

Norm

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Norm--that's kind and flattering. I think I'm out of this one--I've already contributed to her reelection campaign. Perhaps some day in the future.

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In general I like her. I voted for her; I don’t regret it. Yet, I’m extremely disappointed in her turning a blind eye to the states current mental health crisis. That really saddens me, however is not at all surprising. Politicians are basically obligated to say they support mental health and policy reforms, if not they’d appear insensitive. But facts are facts. I’ve learned to disregard words, and focus on actions. In doing this, over the past year, her administration’s actions have been nonexistent, even though I’ve contacted her office nearly seventy times and organized two demonstrations at the state Capitol. I once, did receive an email stating: Thanks for contacting me about the Covid 19 virus... I can guarantee you that my messages to her had zero to do with the virus. But I’ll continue to fight for those who cannot fight for themselves. Even though since I began my fight, LARA has smeared my good name to the news outlets as well as to my state representative, with a set of downright false information. They even sent my personal information to the news outlets without being asked fir them. Again, nothing will stop my fight and my advocacy for youth, especially youth with mental illness diagnoses/deficits.

Keep up the great work!

Did you, by chance, receive my email regarding my parents 50th anniversary?

Best!

-Norm

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"That’s why her response to the present surge—the worst Michigan has yet seen—has been so perplexing." Abdul, I supported you, & then Whitmer. But you have completely ignored the long, drag-out fight with the GOP leaders of the Michigan Senate & House, trying to stripe Governor Whitmer of her rights as Governor, including to control the COVID response. And then the GOP has demanded the high school basketball teams can play, creating a path into the schools. This has created such a political climate that I think her prior, very sound, scientific approach would be completely ridiculed and ignored by those partisans. I really think she is doing what she can do now, politically. But I agree that her prior, strong response was what was needed. Now what is needed is a thoughtful public who does what is so necessary -- and since many don't, we have the terrible numbers we're seeing now.

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I hear you on this, June. But she's already born the political costs of her actions. They're going to attack her for shutting down the economy anyway. So it's not that the costs mount, indeed with each subsequent action the costs decrease because there's little more they can say about what she did. And I'd argue that this is the time we need action most--*because* people are so tired of this.

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Thanks for clarifying the process in your response to Denise, and for your comments to me. I reacted to hearing the news much as you did, but then decided she did was she could, politically.

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Maybe the lesson for Michigan and other states is a plan to reopen should always include the reverse, the plan to back out of reopening in case of surging cases.

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Exactly. New Zealand used that type of model and I believe they’re now Covid free.

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Am I mistaken, or did the Republican state legislature strip Whitmer of her ability to take executive actions regarding Covid-19 closures?

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Not quite. Her spring 2020 orders were ruled against by the courts in October. But each order itself has to be challenged. So as long as she issued another order, it would have to go through the same court process. She was able to issue a two-week pause in the fall this way.

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