Michigan Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer defended her administration’s draconian COVID-19 lockdown measures in an interview with CNN. But even she had to admit that some of the restrictions went inexplicably too far.
As Whitmer told Chris Wallace, “There were moments where we, you know, had to make some decisions that, in retrospect, don’t make a lot of sense, right?”
Her April 2020 executive order prohibiting most stores from selling gardening supplies such as seeds and plants drew much anger at the time. She told CNN that her administration did not want people “all congregating around the gardening supplies.”
Then she sank into falsehood. Whitmer told Wallace that her order banning sales of seeds in big stores was acceptable since “it was February in Michigan, no one was planting anyway.”
Bad enough banning people from buying seeds and the lockdowns. But, Whtimer needs to be thrown in prison for all the Covid nursing home deaths that she caused. https://t.co/bsOaU1RmxX
— Barney Freedom (@barnrble) March 13, 2023
Not so fast.
A quick check confirms that the announcement on banning the sale of gardening goods was made on April 9, 2020. Not February.
In fact, the Old Farmer’s Almanac classified 2020 as having “the earliest spring in over 100 years.” So, well within the planting season. As for her executive order, Whitmer mandated every garden center and plant nursery in stores 50,000 square feet or larger to be closed.
The governor expressed her regret at going as far as she did to shut Michigan completely down. “Some of the policies I look back and think, you know, maybe that was a little more than what we needed to do.”
Whitmer headed the drive that included a list of specific items the state government decided were “not necessary to sustain or protect life.” Apparently that misguided list included food, as many in Michigan and every state prefer to grow their own.
Besides gardening items, other specifically banned purchases included flooring, furniture, and paint.
The state overreach was so complete that Whitmer’s order even prohibited traveling from one residence to another. A resident could not drive to a vacation property, rental home, or second home within the state.
However, an intense backlash grew from within the state and even inside the Michigan government, leading to the Democrat rescinding the executive order. Now the backtracking begins as the governor is mentioned in some Democratic circles as having a future on the national stage.
Unquestionably, Whitmer must make the people forget the totalitarian measures her regime implemented during the pandemic. That is highly unlikely.
