People enjoy making New Year’s resolutions. And the media loves to write about them.
We’ve determined eight much-needed 2024 resolutions from actual recent news articles and hope that Michigan’s governor and legislature will act on them. Although studies say people’s resolutions last just under four months, we’re hopeful our elected officials stick with these important pledges:
Do random acts of kindness. The people of Michigan are hurting. Inflation continues to go up, and we’re paying more for groceries and other goods. For our governor and legislature, random acts of kindness mean enacting bills that help grow our economy, create jobs for people and make Michigan a Top 10 state economically.
Don’t buy things you don’t need. The governor’s Growing Michigan Together Council recently recommended new programs and initiatives that could cost at least $2.5 billion annually. Worse yet, the proposals won’t do anything to bring more people to our state. The legislature should allow the council’s report to collect dust, not more taxes from the people.
Stay in touch with the people who matter. We’re talking about the people of Michigan. That means everyone. If our elected leaders stayed more in touch with the people, they’d realize their constituents are struggling to make ends meet right now. We encourage them to hold more office hours or sponsor more town hall events.
Keep your promises. This is a big one. The legislature and governor continue to try to block a promised rollback on income taxes for all Michigan workers. Taxpayers deserve this tax reduction, and our elected officials should ensure they get it in 2024.
Get over your ex. The current legislature seems awfully hung up about past legislatures. Our elected officials have repealed the state’s Right-to-work, Third Grade Reading, school accountability laws, and reinstituted the controversial Prevailing Wage law. Our leaders need to get more creative in the new year and concentrate on their own proposals.
Commit to a healthier sleep routine. We all know democracy dies in darkness. And so does common-sense legislation. Our leaders should cut the late-night sessions under the cover of darkness and be more transparent.
Clear out the clutter. Legislators are considering a plan to allow communities to adopt a huge scheme of complicated new mandates that govern employee relations. It would be a nightmare for job providers and hurt our ability to attract new jobs. The plan needs to be ditched.
Let go of grudges. Let’s face it, 2023 was a bitterly partisan year in the legislature. The people want their elected officials to work together and do what is best for the state. Let’s end the partisan bickering and get back to making our state a great place to live, work and raise a family.
