Legal Insurrection has been following the progress of a China-linked Electric Vehicle (EV) battery factor that is slated for construction in Michigan.
Michigan Democrat Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in March 2022: ‘We cannot allow China to outcompete us on chip manufacturingMichigan 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
I fled Michigan for the prosperity of California in 1985.
It may be time for me to go back again, as clearly Michiganders are now taking care of business. The entire town council that backed this plant has just been voted out of office.
Voters in a rural township in Michigan sent a message to their leaders Tuesday: Don’t help China.And that’s a potential warning sign for President Joe Biden.A recall election in Green Charter Township threw out five local Republican officials who had backed tax breaks for a multibillion-dollar battery parts plant tied to a Chinese company — never mind the project’s promises of more than 2,000 jobs for the economically depressed region.That could spell difficulties for Biden, who is counting on a surge of jobs-creating battery plants, electric vehicle factories and other clean energy projects supported by his signature climate law to sway voters next year.
The story gets better: Locksmiths were called in, so that the locks on the doors to the township’s main government office building could be changed.
Hours after the vote, the town’s new leaders wasted no time, changing the locks on the township’s main government building, according to NewsNation National Correspondent Brian Entin.The community of just 3,219 residents leans Republican, and the surrounding county voted in favor of Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential election by a margin of 22 percentage points.The petition that launched the recall election accused town officials of ignoring voter concerns over China-linked company Gotion’s plan to open a $2.3 billion EV plant there, which is expected to create 2,350 jobs.Although it is backed by Volkswagen with operations in Germany, Gotion’s parent company is based in China, and has been accused of having links to the country’s Communist Party.
The only thing better would be if the former council members were forced to walk through the streets with a big “Shame” sign around their necks.
There is debate on whether the new board will have any influence on the status of the project.
Former Township Supervisor Jim Chapman doesn’t believe the recall will impact the project.”That’s not going to affect it at all? All right, the land is sold,” said Chapman. “The land is zoned properly, it has been for 20 years. There is no decision-making-pull-the-plug decision that can be made in Green Township. There’s not… there’s nothing legally that can be done.”However, New Trustee Jeff Thorne believes Gotion is not a done deal and would like to see more done to bring other businesses to town.”I’m a businessman,” said Thorne. “I’m not against economic growth. I’m not one of these you know, saying oh, let’s not have any more businesses here, but you know, I don’t think this is the right fit”.
It is hard to say of the new board can thwart the plans of the China-backing elite who whole power in Michigan’s state government. However, the voters have made their opinions known about the former board, who proceeded to go forward with the deal and ignore the will of their constituents.
The local politicians thought that at the same carte blanche to ignore voters that our federal representatives feel they have.
That is why, my friends, it is good to be engaged locally. At least at that level, we voters seem to have a chance at making a difference.
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