The one-year mark of dealing with the pandemic in Michigan is the perfect time to take stock of how the political parties are dealing with a horrible disease that has killed 15,706 Michigan residents and sickened more than 601,000.
On the one hand, the Democratic Party has passed federal legislation — without a single Republican vote — that will throw a lifeline to families and businesses struggling to survive economically. It will provide $1,400 checks to 85 percent of Americans, extend unemployment benefits for those who have lost their jobs, increase food assistance, generously expand a tax credit for families with children to lift millions out of poverty, reduce health insurance premiums for millions of Americans — and provide $25 billion in relief targeted to independent restaurants that have struggled to survive the pandemic. There’s more — a lot more — that will help schools reopen safely, expand access to vaccines, and help parents cover the cost of summer school, but the general idea is that Democrats are trying to help people survive this pandemic and thrive.
What are the Republicans doing?
State Sen. Lana Theis is trying to distract people with a rant about the terrors of transgender children playing sports in order to drum up hatred of children whose gender identity doesn’t match their bodies.
State Rep. Ann Bollin is doing her best to make it much harder to vote in Michigan.
And Theis, Bollin, and state Rep. Bob Bezotte are all dragging their feet on making it possible for Michigan residents to access more than $1 billion in federal aid to Michigan approved by the Trump Administration in December. Any day now, one of those three will try to change the subject to Dr. Suess’ books.
I don’t know who those three think they are appealing to, but poll after poll shows 70 percent of all Americans — including many Republicans — support the federal COVID relief bill.
The fact is, Michigan and the nation have faced a terrible crisis. Republicans have denied it was happening and now they don’t want to explain why they did nothing to help you through it.
Don’t be fooled.
