This article is part of a pro-con package. To read the pro side, click here.
Michigan’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, administered by Governor Gretchen Whitmer, has been one of the most drastic in the country. She has shut down dining in at restaurants, gyms, all non-essential businesses and schools. Masks are “required,” but businesses can decide whether or not their customers must wear them.
Governor Whitmer is encroaching on the rights of Michigan’s residents and is lobbying our freedoms for political gain.
According to The New York Times as of May 5, 33 of Michigan’s 83 counties have 20 or fewer confirmed cases of COVID-19. Of those 33 counties, 17 have between zero and ten. Furthermore, the three counties with the most cases (Wayne, Oakland and Macomb) have a total of 30,549 confirmed cases. That is almost two and a half times as many confirmed cases as the other 80 counties combined. And yet, all counties are being treated equally under Governor Whitmer’s orders.
By declaring a State of Emergency for Michigan, Whitmer has granted herself power to make decisions for the state without having to go through the Michigan Senate and House of Representatives. While this is appropriate for timely decisions, I think we are at the point in the pandemic where data can be analyzed and proclamations can be thought out and voted on before presented to the public.
Whitmer does not agree with this. In fact, she has said she will veto any legislation passed that would limit her power during the state of emergency.
She is using the freedom she gave herself to limit ours.
Many would argue that in emergencies, the citizens of the United States of America, need to be prepared to sacrifice our rights. But in reality, the Constitution and Bill of Rights are in place especially for times like these. They are a reminder that as citizens of a free country we have freedoms that need not be taken away. Andrew P. Napolitano, staff writer for the Washington Times and analyst for the Fox News Channel said, “Of what value is a constitutional guarantee if it can be violated when people get sick? If it can, it is not a guarantee; it is a fraud.”
Some of those constitutional guarantees can be found in The First Amendment of the Constitution. It gives people the right to peacefully assemble, a right that is being limited throughout the Governor’s reaction to the novel coronavirus. Churches aren’t allowed to gather, and funerals can have no more than 10 attendants. All gatherings between people not in the same household are prohibited, besides specific exceptions.
On April 15, thousands of Michiganders participated in a protest aptly named “Operation Gridlock.” Taking place in Lansing, people clogged the streets with their cars and carried signs that complained of loss of work and economic hardship caused by Whitmer’s executive orders.
Executive Order 2020-42 went into effect on April 10 and limited our right to travel and our right to shop for what we need. Under her first extension of the stay at home order, Whitmer deemed certain items unavailable for purchase because they weren’t essential. Michiganders couldn’t buy plants, carpet or paint at big box stores.
Not only did Governor Whitmer get to choose where we shopped, she also got to decide what we could and could not buy.
As well as citizens’ rights being compromised, Michigan’s economy has been hit hard. The fallout from people not working will be felt for years to come. Jeff Donofrio, Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity Director, said, “Over a quarter of our workforce have filed for unemployment benefits.”
That is more than one million people, and the numbers are still rising.
People are making less money, so they’re spending less money. An MLive article published on April 30 says that, “Local government leaders are forecasting millions of dollars in tax revenue loss.”
We aren’t talking about a few thousand dollars. The city of Detroit alone projects a $348 million revenue loss.
Throughout all of this, Whitmer is flaunting her power for the Democratic Party, particularly presidential candidate, Joe Biden. Biden’s Vice Presidential nomination is open, and Whitmer has her eye on it. Her extension of the stay at home order as other states begin to reopen can be seen as her exhibiting her power.
Americans and Michiganders alike need to be aware of the government encroaching on their individual and natural rights as citizens of the United States. If our freedoms are taken away now, we may never get them back.
On Monday, April 27, Michigan reported its fewest number of new cases in the last five weeks. Although the curve is flattening, Governor Whitmer’s power is rising.
