FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
News from Progress Michigan
November 1, 2016
Contact: Sam Inglot, 616-916-0574, sam@progressmichigan.org
‘MI Big Rig’ Tour Visits Battle Creek and Kalamazoo to Voice Opposition to Republicans’ Wrong Priorities
Semi-truck represents the MIGOP’s “rigged” economy
BATTLE CREEK/KALAMAZOO — Michiganders spoke out today in Battle Creek and Kalamazoo as part of the “MI Big Rig” Accountability Tour to hold Michigan Republicans accountable for their wrong priorities.
The tour, featuring a semi-truck with photos of Republican elected officials, is an effort to educate voters about how Republicans have rigged Michigan’s economy to favor their corporate donors. Progress Michigan and the Michigan AFL-CIO organized the tour.
“Michigan needs an economy and elected officials that work for everyone, not just the rich and well-connected,” said Lonnie Scott, executive director of Progress Michigan. “No matter how much money you make, or where you live, we all deserve equal representation in Lansing and elected officials that prioritize the things that people across the state care about: good roads, well-funded classrooms, clean water — and a future where everyone has the opportunity to get ahead. Unfortunately, for the last six years, we’ve gotten the opposite because of total Republican control in Lansing.”
The semi-truck is outfitted with a banner donning the faces of Gov. Rick Snyder, Attorney General Bill Schuette, House Speaker Kevin Cotter, and Senate Majority Leader Arlan Meekhof, as well as visual symbols of the Republican failures, including the Grand Rapids Veterans Home and the Flint Water Crisis.
“We need to stop Republicans from rigging our economy. And we need to start building an economy that works for everyone, including the middle class and small businesses, not just the wealthy and big corporations,” said Congressman Mark Schauer. “We can change the rules of our economy by ending tax breaks for corporations that ship Michigan jobs overseas. We can change the rules by enacting real solutions to fix our roads that don’t force regular families to shoulder the burden alone. We can do all of these things and so much more to move our state in a new direction.”
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