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Michigan’s Whitmer Warns Opponents: Limiting My Power Is ‘Irresponsible,’ ‘Dangerous,’ ‘Foolish’

   DailyWire.com
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer at the Romney Building where her office is located in Lansing, Mich., on May 18, 2020.
Photo by Brittany Greeson for The Washington Post via Getty Images

On Wednesday, Democratic Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, who has been widely criticized for the draconian policies she enacted during the coronavirus crisis, circled the wagons against members of the Michigan legislature as well as citizens who had created petitions to limit her power, calling such movements “irresponsible, dangerous, and foolish.”

Whitmer bragged, “Over the past week Michigan has emerged as a national leader in COVID-19 mitigation, thanks to the people who did their part, and especially the brave men and women on the front lines.”

According to The New York Times on Thursday, Michigan ranked sixth of all states in the number of deaths from the coronavirus, with roughly three times as many deaths as Texas and roughly twice as many as Florida.

Whitmer continued, “And thanks to our epidemiologists and the experts in public health. But let’s be clear: this crisis is not over. COVID-19 is still very present in Michigan, and if we drop our guard, we’ll end up on the map the way that those other states are. So we’ve got to stay disciplined. Let’s maintain this lead for the sake of our health and for our economy as well. We must do out part by wearing masks and practicing social distancing. And I’m hopeful that we’ll be able to move into Phase 5 of MI Safe Start plan before July 4. It’s going to take everyone’s continued efforts to get it done, though.”

More boasting: “So I’m proud of the work we’ve done; we’ve been able to do his because of quick, aggressive action that we took. The data shows our actions working, and yet, we still see attempts to take away my authority to take these actions, which made it all possible in the first place.”

Then, the warning to those who take issue with how she has used the powers of the governorship:

I want to be very clear; Any attempt to strip away the powers of the governor during this time is irresponsible, dangerous, and foolish. We’re here today in phase 4 of the MI Safe Start plan, heading towards phase 5 and leading the country because of the action we took.

On June 5, the Michigan Supreme Court  overruled an appeals court that had ordered a local barbershop to close after violating the state’s coronavirus lockdown orders; as The Daily Wire reported, Whitmer had been an escalating legal battle with Owosso barber Karl Manke since Manke reopened his shop on May 4. State Supreme Court Justice David Viviano said in the ruling, “It is incumbent on the courts to ensure decisions are made according to the rule of law, not hysteria. One hopes that this great principle — essential to any free society, including ours — will not itself become yet another casualty of COVID-19.”

One petition to limit Whitmer’s power, titled the Restore Freedom Initiative, stated it was “A proposal to amend the Michigan Constitution which, if adopted, would: Clarify the legal standard required in order for the government to deprive a person of life, liberty or property; Clarify the separation of powers, foundations and functions of government, rules of statutory interpretation, and the effect of emergencies on government; Enhance government accessibility, transparency and accountability; Return bill drafting to the legislators; Prohibit requirements upon employees or customers that are likely to impair health or safety; and Modify the requirements to serve as judge or on examining/licensing boards, and the jurisdiction of the various state courts.”

Meshawn Maddock, cochair of the Michigan Conservative Coalition, told Breitbart, “Whitmer killed hundreds of grandparents who couldn’t fight back; we won’t go as quietly.” Laura Cox, chairwoman of the Michigan Republican Party, said on Monday, “Due to Gov. Whitmer’s failed policies regarding nursing homes, nursing home residents make up more than 34% of those who have lost their fight to the COVID-19 virus. These shocking numbers come even though nursing home residents comprise less than 1% of Michigan residents,” The Detroit News reported.

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