Voice: Jack Minore, Flint
A lot of people these days, including the Tea Party folks, continually call for smaller government and fewer regulations. Perhaps if they had all eaten some of the salmonella-infected eggs in the past few weeks they would have a greater appreciation for government workers and government regulations.
The “small government” advocates don’t usually think of the 24/7 inspections that go on at water plants to test and sample our drinking water for safety. They fail to recognize those technicians at sewage plants that protect our waters – and our health. The inspectors who check on restaurant kitchens to make sure they are safe or the weight/measure folks who check the store scales and/or the gasoline pump measurements and certify them: These folks are invisible to most of us; but they play a vital government role in protecting us all.
These (and many others) are the “invisible” government workers who are among those who would lose their jobs with smaller government or major tax cuts.
In Michigan, the tough cuts have been made: we really can’t afford to cut further and/or to reduce government revenue. Less government means less protection for all of us. In Flint, we witnessed that when firefighters were cut.