State Rep. Donni Steele on Wednesday released the following statement after voting against several Strategic Outreach and Attraction Reserve transactions approved by the House Appropriations Committee. The committee approved nearly $300 million in handouts to various corporations including Highland Copper, the University of Michigan, Dow Chemical, and Detroit Diesel Corp.

“Handouts don’t work and aren’t fair to the majority of Michigan residents. Most people go to work every day and pay their taxes. Those are the people who should be rewarded with better roads, quality schools, and robust emergency response services. Instead, the people who have done everything right are forced to watch as their hard-earned tax dollars are set on fire, or in other words, transferred to corporations never to be heard of again.”

“Christmas is the season of giving, and we shouldn’t spend that time awarding corporations huge Christmas gifts they don’t deserve. It’s not fair to the hardworking residents we represent. After all, ‘A Christmas Carol’ teaches us the meaning of Christmas includes charity and compassion, not endless greed like corporate welfare. Republicans and Democrats alike in the House Appropriations Committee completely missed the spirit of Christmas when they chose to vote for these huge lumps of coal.”

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