Wednesday at the Mackinac Policy
Conference, Democratic U.S. Representative Gary Peters took a jab at his
opponent, Republican Terri Land, on her opposition to the bailout of GM and
Chrysler. Later, when asked whether or not Ms. Land would have voted for the
bailout, Ms. Land failed to directly answer the question, stating that she
supports the industry and its employees.
Ms. Land proceeded to praise Governor
Snyder’s fiscal responsibility and stated that he needs a partner in
Washington, D.C. Ms. Land called for more bipartisanship in D.C., claiming that
her experience as Michigan’s Secretary of State alongside a Democratic governor
and Democratic majority in the state house make her an ideal candidate to work
alongside colleagues on the other side of the aisle. She also emphasized her
opposition to the Affordable Care Act, citing 225,000 individuals who lost
coverage after its implementation.
In a statement, Congressman Peters
touted his own success in battling for the Detroit auto-bailouts. He, like Ms.
Land, also called for increased bipartisanship in Congress. When asked about
his previous support for cap-and-trade policies, he indicated dealing with
climate change is a necessity, and he supports incentivizing current technology
in order to reduce carbon emissions.
Congressman Peters also touched on his
desire to make Michigan a transportation hub, given our location between
Chicago and Toronto. He and Ms. Land both support the New International Trade
Crossing, but he went a step further and called for the Detroit-Windsor rail
tunnel to be redone. He said he would like to see the tunnel repurposed as a
high-speed passenger train route. Congressman Peters noted that he is working
with the federal government to secure funds for the customs plaza at the new
crossing, stating that he believes the federal government should provide the
funding.