If you spend five minutes in Washington or Lansing, you’ll hear the same thing over and over. Democrats are blaming Republicans. Republicans are blaming Democrats. Everybody is pointing fingers. Nobody is fixing anything.
That’s the system. And it’s broken.
When I was mayor of Detroit, blaming someone else wasn’t an option. The streetlights were out, so we turned them on. There were abandoned houses, so we tore them down. People needed jobs, so we brought business and labor together and got it done.
It’s a pretty basic concept. Start with what people agree on and fix that first.
Right now in Michigan, we’ve got a government built around parties, not results. And as long as the goal is to beat the other side instead of helping people, nothing changes.
The theme of this Mackinac Policy Conference, “A Quest for Common Ground,” isn’t complicated. Achieving it means your child can read at grade level. It means you can find a good job. It means businesses want to invest here. It means the government does its job.
The only way we get there is by breaking the status quo and working toward the common good again.
When I announced I was running for governor as an Independent, a lot of people said it was a pipe dream to win without a party’s backing.
They’re wrong. The polling already shows it. People are tired of the system. They’re tired of the fighting. And they’re ready for someone who’s focused on getting things done.
I’ve spent the last year and a half traveling around Michigan, and I’ve heard the same thing everywhere. People are tired of the fighting. They’re tired of political points mattering more than reading scores. They’re tired of watching their kids and grandkids leave this state for better opportunities somewhere else.
