Michigan Democrat Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in March 2022: ‘We cannot allow China to outcompete us on chip manufacturing
Michigan Democrat Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in October 2022: Whitmer supports building a Chinese-owned battery plant in the state.
So let’s bring Chinese manufacturing to the states! You’re so smart, Whitmer. On Thursday, the Michigan Senate Appropriations Committee approved $175 million to build an EV battery plant owned by Chinese manufacturer Gotion:
The Senate Appropriations Committee voted 10-9 to approve the transfer of state tax dollars, allowing state officials to move forward with spending the money to bring a $2.4 billion EV battery parts facility to Green Township and an estimated 2,350 jobs to Mecosta County.
Supporters, including Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, have touted the plans as “the biggest ever economic development project in Northern Michigan.” But opponents have protested the effort, voicing concerns about environmental impacts on a rural area of the state and about the company’s connections to China.
The 10 yes votes came from Democratic lawmakers. The no votes came from three Democrats and six Republicans. After the Thursday hour-long meeting, Senate Appropriations Chairwoman Sarah Anthony, D-Lansing, said Democrats were looking out for “all Michiganders.”
“If you have actually been into this area, it’s one of the poorest communities in the state,” Anthony said. “So I think that it is a point of privilege for individuals to say that good paying jobs … for a very rural, very low-income area should not be considered with due diligence.”
The residents don’t want the plant, Anthony:
Marjorie Steele, a resident of Big Rapids, criticized the committee for rushing the vote on the funding and for scheduling the hearing with little notice.
“I’m angry. I’m angry that this vote was slipped into the agenda today with as little information as possible so that people like me wouldn’t know it was happening,” Steele said. “I’m angry that you, our elected officials, have ignored my community’s pleas to table this vote until some small semblance of due diligence can be performed.”
“I can promise you that we will not stop at the local level,” she added. “We are tired of being abused and we are not alone. This is not just a Mecosta County issue. Townships and counties across the state are uniting, sharing resources, manpower and grassroots activism. Your votes today, senators, are lines drawn in the sand.”
Ryan Jennings could not understand why anyone in Michigan would “even consider a Chinese-based company if, in fact, there is an American company willing to build this type of plant.”
Well, we should ask Michigan state Rep. Elissa Slotkin. Something fishy happened earlier this year between Slotkin and Glotion:
Slotkin’s office confirmed to The Detroit News earlier this year that the Michigan lawmaker and her deputy legislative director Austin Girelli signed NDAs to discuss the proposal from Gotion, a subsidiary of the Hefei, China-based Gotion High-Tech, to build an electric vehicle (EV) battery plant in Big Rapids, Michigan. The proposed factory would be located outside of Slotkin’s congressional district.
Austin Cook, a spokesperson for Slotkin, explained to the outlet in February that Slotkin believed it was important “to learn more about significant economic development projects like this to better understand their impact, and if there are ways to help from the federal level.” He acknowledged Slotkin and her staff signed NDAs to “be part of those conversations.”
Gotion Inc has been located in California since 2014. Gotion High-tech, its parent company, is based in China.
The state of Michigan even banned TikTok over its connections to China. Oh, Whitmer still uses TikTok on her government device despite the ban, but her phone has super duper security powers.
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“Certainly, Herr Hitler, we’d be delighted to help you build those Messerschmitt Bf 109s. We have plenty of land here in Michigan, with a great rail & roadway infrastructure.”
“Oh, Whitmer still uses TikTok on her government device despite the ban, but her phone has super duper security powers.”
They’re called “gollified immunity.”
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“No where else to put it” translated means “it will create pollution that wealthier communities will not accept”.
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Geniuses…inviting the fox into the hen house, once again proving it doesn’t take much of an IQ to become a politician.
Substitute IQ for integrity. The most-inbred hillbilly who loves America is worth a thousand times more than any inbred named Fetterman.
Good point. Character, integrity…things that matter. Living in and around ranchers I have come to know that “slow does not mean stupid”.
Or little to no IQ to be a Michigan voter. Those brain dead imbeciles overwhelmingly supported a planned parent hood and who knows who else funded/sponsored pro-abortion (and pro euthanasia/trans) state constitution amendment providing unlimited abortion on demand up to birth (and maybe allowing care to be denied to newborns). I wonder if the MI idiots were even able to read it? Of course, who knows how all those mail in ballots are being collected, verified and counted. The MI GOP apparently doesn’t give a crap about fighting for election integrity.
“I’m angry. I’m angry that this vote was slipped into the agenda today with as little information as possible so that people like me wouldn’t know it was happening, . . .” Marjorie Steele. This is exactly how Democrats work. The US senate did it with the thousand-plus page spending bill on the last day of the year in 2022 if you recall. It is also exactly how Andrew Cuomo got a change to NY’s state constitution and the SAFE act through here in NY several years ago, by sending a monstrous bill containing them to the legislature on the Thursday night before the last day of the session.
State legislators co-signing an NDA with a company associated with a Chinese company reeks to high heaven given today’s political climate, something very much in character with Gretchen Whitmer, among the worst of the worst state governor’s in the country. Her arrogant and corrupt behavior and that of her equally horrible peers among governors, federal representatives, senators, and Democrat big city mayors and the people who continue to elect them are destroying the country. We live in dangerous times.
Hey, we did a politically backed battery plant right here in NY up in the vicinity of Buffalo. If I recall correctly, not only did it fail spectacularly, it also cost the state hundreds of millions of dollars and a bunch of NY pols and their chums were convicted (amazingly) of fraud and corruption of some sort. (Details forgotten, we do so much of this sort of thing here in NY, it’s difficult to keep track.)
I am assuming this is a lithium battery factory where very toxic heavy metals and salts will be the primary input. However, since there isn’t enough nickel and cobalt to meet current demand, this plant may never get up and running.
How much are Gretchen and the 10 Democrats getting from this?
They should called the batteries Wuhan Weechargables.
Leave it to the communists to come to the rescue.
We can always nationalize the plant if it comes to it.
Mi voters let t his happen. They can’t complain now.
Hunter is SSSOOOOOO jealous!!