From Retired Sheriff Brian Begole I hope you will please take a minute to read what has been happening right here and by all means… feel free to share!!! As we usher out this crazy and progressive Democratic trifecta that has controlled our State for the past 2 years, I want to explain to my friends what I have experienced in the past two years and just how extreme this group of people are. Back in the day some my friends parents and grandparents belonged to the Democrat Party simply because they had close ties with the UAW and believed in the power of unity to improve work conditions, wages, and benefits. Trust me when I say the Democratic party of the 1980s is not the same party it once was. For those who don’t follow politics, They now have an evil rooted among their members that I do not believe most of people in my district would agree with. Sure, some members may have a few good bills here and there that are beneficial, but all too often the bills have very negative consequences. Unfortunately, these very bad democratic bills are often supported by the entire party. It has truly become a matter of good versus evil.  The Democratic Party we have here today has an extremely liberal group embedded among them and they are pushing a very woke agenda. Many see themselves as victims and are committed to changing the very fabric of this State. Most do not believe you are entitled to your own opinion and are prepared to cancel you and I if we do not agree with their extreme beliefs.  Over the last few weeks we have been in end of the year “Lame Duck” session. Instead of passing Bills that benefit the hard working people we have here, they have used their power to try and create lawlessness, remove our moral code and promote chaos. A few examples are passing bills that legalize sodomy, Bills that allow minors to choose their gender preference on legal documents without parental consent, and allowing obscene material in library books accessible to children. They are also pushing for drivers licenses for illegal immigrants, the early release of violent criminals from prison after only 10 years, more taxes, bigger government and many other very bad ideas. Yesterday, the Speaker of the House called for a "Call of the House," which means all members of the House of Representatives including myself are required to be present. The House Sergeants were tasked with bringing back any absent members before barring the doors to prevent anyone from leaving.  The idea was to have law enforcement lock us in the chamber and force us to vote their radical agenda through to the Governor before they lose the majority Of course, myself, and my Republican colleagues decided we were not going to sit idly by and allow that to happen. If the Democrats were not going to put up the the Bills that addressed the urgent issues facing this State such as a road funding plan, the earned vacation issue (which is going to devastate many small businesses) the tip credit problem (which may cause many tip workers to lose their jobs, menu prices to skyrocket and restaurants to go out of business) then we we’re not going to be part of it.  Republicans did not report to the House floor.  The problem they had was even though they have the majority, they were still unable to assemble a quorum to proceed and were eventually forced to adjourn.  Thankfully, one of their members was courageous enough to say she would no longer go along with what her democratic party was trying to do. Keep in mind that many of these Bills had had not been advanced through the house committees properly, and had instead been rammed through in the middle of the night with no one being allowed to speak in opposition to them. In the midst of all this the Attorney General called us criminals and implied we should be arrested for not coming in to vote on their radical left-wing bills. This wasn’t at all surprising considering she is a very liberal AG but it’s astonishing that she interprets a law for political reasons, neglecting her constitutional duty to recognize the separation of powers between the executive branch and the legislative branch.   I believe my decision to NOT return to the House floor was the right one. As your State Representative, I took a stand on your behalf and for our entire district after my Democratic colleagues would not listen to reason and choose not to take up the issues that are most important to our State. Lame Duck session has now been adjourned until December 31 at 1:30 PM.  On January 1, 2025 the Republican party will take back the House of Representatives and be the check-in balance this State needs. Under the leadership of Speaker of the House Matt Hall, we will deliver the Mission for Michigan promise. Please hang on, help is on the way!