LANSING, Mich. — State Sen. Kevin Daley, R-Lum, on Thursday released the following statement on the governor’s 2024 State of the State address:
“I am concerned about our governor’s misplaced priorities while our state continues trending backward under her leadership. I often wonder if she’s even living in the same state as so many of the struggling families and small business owners who I meet across the 26th Senate District.
“Michiganders I talk to worry about feeding their families, heating their homes and whether their kids are falling behind in school, but the governor tells them Bidenomics is working. The reality is that Michigan ranks among the worst states for unemployment and median income. Salary increases are still getting erased by inflation and now jobs and farmland are being threatened by the looming mandates of the Michigan Green New Deal rushed through the Legislation by the majority last fall.
“While Michigan’s fourth graders rank 43rd nationally in reading and only 32% of them are proficient in math, the new Democrat majority passed laws to lower classroom standards and weakened school accountability. The governor suggested making community college free with taxpayer dollars, yet SAT scores are the lowest on record, and our state’s graduation rates are among the lowest in the United States. Our focus should be on giving students, parents and teachers the support they need to raise Michigan’s K-12 schools into the top 10.
“The governor talked about giving away $25 million of tax dollars for new car purchases — mainly for electric vehicles — when so many Michiganders can barely afford to buy used traditional cars. Last year, a record $9.2 billion surplus was squandered on pet projects and global corporate handouts while less than $200 million was used to fix the darn roads the governor promised to do something about five years ago.
“Michigan’s trend downward to 46th in the nation for population growth must be reversed. Too many of our friends and neighbors continue to seek better jobs, schools, and opportunities elsewhere. I will continue to fight against radical policies that will continue to harm our state’s future and remain willing to work across the aisle — and with the governor — on strategies that will provide Michigan families and small business owners with meaningful tax relief, invest in our aging infrastructure, raise the bar to help our students and teachers succeed, and set our state on the right course for the future.”
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