by Cathy Sheets

"I can describe myself in many ways. I am a mother, a grandmother, a sister, an aunt. I am a third generation immigrant. I am Catholic. I am educated and hold a master’s degree from the University of Michigan. I am an educator. I am a reading specialist. I am a citizen. I am a voter. I am a union member. I am a homemaker. I am a swimmer. I am a camper. I am a reader. I am informed. I am a Michigander. I am an Ann Arbor teacher.

As I contemplate the actions of Michigan’s new Republican governor and his Republican supporters in the state house and senate, I am astonished, I am appalled, I am disheartened, I am discouraged, I am furious. I feel unrepresented, under attack, disenfranchised.

When you place corporate interests above the legitimate needs and concerns of the people in your state, I will remember, and I have a voice.

When you choose policies that force thousands of children into poverty (Who, with any sense of morality, can do that?) in order to INCREASE corporate welfare, I will remember, and I have a voice. "