Last Tuesday morning brought another road trip for the Bouchards and I have quickly made the realization that I will be living out of a suitcase for the next couple months. For a person who has never packed light, I have a new appreciation for traveling businesswomen, like my mom, who always look so chic with a light bag in tow. It must be a magic, endless duffle because I don’t know where they keep everything! I need to learn some tricks of the trade because my dad just rolls his eyes when he spots my stuffed bag as I attempt to covertly pile it in the trunk.
When we finally hit the highway we are greeted by a barrage of orange in the form of construction barrels and detour signs. Our tax dollars hard at work. Two seconds of policy—under the current administration, transportation funds have not been spent in the most efficient fashion which leads us to the poor condition of our bridges and roads that must constantly be worked on. Those funds should have been used in transportation to patch holes in our roads, not re-routed to patch holes in the budget.
As we drive past a closed rest stop, it brings up an idea of my dad’s to save a little more money and maybe lead to a future latte stop instead! He proposes that the state competitively bids rest stops for men and women to run as a small business. That piece of pretty prime property on the side of the road could be leased for easily $100,000 a year and they could expand the services. So instead of just a broken vending machine and restrooms, they could add gas and food (i.e. lattes!). That one idea alone could amount in about $8 million of revenue to the state totaling a $20 million swing from what they are currently costing the state. Yes, please!
The next couple of days were full of town halls and productive meetings. One of my favorite moments came during the Jackson County town hall came when my dad stopped in the middle of his answer and asked that we set out more chairs! I love to see a full house of excited people anxious to ask the tough questions and get some real answers. On Saturday, I attended The Garden Party at the Academy of the Sacred Heart. It is by far, one of my new favorite annual events! The fundraiser donates its earnings to the Oakland University Culinary Studies Institute and the Children’s Leukemia Foundation of Michigan (a cause very near and dear to my heart). From the age of two, I was part of a local charity, the Fairfax Players, comprised of children between the ages of 2 and 18 that put on a play and penny carnival every summer raising money for the Beaumont Hospital Children’s Leukemia Fund. Being apart of the effort to fight this horrible disease is such an important cause and definitely changed my life. I couldn’t have been happier to attend The Garden Party donned in garden fashion and ready to sample some exquisite cuisine! A big thanks to The Garden Party Foundation originators Sydney and Elizabeth Ross for such a great event!
This week is more than thrilling because the first absentee ballots are already out! This means outreach. If you like what you hear from the Bouchard for Governor campaign, I encourage you to get involved! Volunteer on our website to make calls, knock on doors, or simply open up your email address book and send a message to all of your family and friends. When it comes from you, someone they know and trust, it means more. Tell them you are voting for Mike Bouchard and want them to consider it as well. It will have a much higher impact than any brochure or piece of mail we could send and you will have been an important part of Team Bouchard to Fix Lansing and get Michigan back to work! Check back in soon and ta-ta for now!
