Staff Reports
Recently, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan finally admitted what everyone already knew: her COVID-19 restrictions were completely arbitrary and ridiculous. At the height of the pandemic, Michigan was one of the states with the most restrictive policies, and Gov. Whitmer’s orders were some of the silliest of them all. Residents were forbidden from buying certain items like gardening supplies at hardware stores, yet allowed to still enter the stores. It made no sense! And kayaking, canoeing, and sailboating was allowed but jet skis and motorboats were outlawed, causing absolute frustration for many Michigan residents.
Michigan Democrat Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has mastered the aw-shucks authoritarianism shtick as she begrudgingly admits that restricting seed sales during her lockdown "maybe was a little more than we needed to do."
— Steve Guest (@SteveGuest) March 13, 2023
Finally, three years later, Whitmer has come forward, admitting that “there were moments where we had to make some decisions that in retrospect, don’t make a lot of sense.” She even spoke of the gardening supply restriction ordeal, saying, “People said, ‘Oh, she outlawed seeds.’ It was February in Michigan. No one was planting anyway”. But Twitter users were quick to point out that Whitmer’s timeline was inaccurate. The state’s first stay-at-home order came in March of 2020 and was extended on April 9 with stricter orders for stores that remained open, which is when the carpeting, flooring, furniture, garden centers, plant nurseries, and paint areas of hardware stores were closed off.
Question: If it was "Feb. in Michigan, no one was planting anyway" then why did you need to ban garden supply sales?
Answer: You're lying. It was April. https://t.co/0X38wADC3a— Kira (@RealKiraDavis) March 13, 2023
Of course she would lie about this. It was the dumbest restriction in a time of dumb restrictions. Why do so many politicians find it impossible to say, “I’m sorry. I made a mistake.”? https://t.co/ZwwG29jWSa pic.twitter.com/e9MzOa2GDy
— Andrew Wimer (@andrewwimer) March 14, 2023
The gaslighting here is simply breathtaking. The orders (multiple) were in late March/early April (NOT February) and were so unclear that some stores put caution tape around entire aisles to not risk noncompliance. A bit of humility would be nice. https://t.co/vVrnSLBhZM
— Peter Meijer (@RepMeijer) March 13, 2023
It’s about time that Whitmer comes forward with an admission like this. But it’s too little too late. Her arbitrary restrictions caused immense frustration, confusion and anger for Michigan residents, and they will not forget this in a hurry. We deserve better than this, and we need leaders who will make good decisions based on evidence, not arbitrary mandates. It is our hope that moving forward, our elected officials will prioritize our liberties and freedoms over their own power grabs.
