Gov. Whitmer wants to give away $100,000 in prize money for ideas on transportation solutions, when we already know that Mass Transit is the answer

On Tuesday, MLive posted an article with the headline, Michigan’s first ‘Shark Tank’ style competition seeks transportation innovations. 

Michigan Gov. Whitmer was quoted as saying: 

“PitchMI will unleash Michigan’s innovative spirit, strengthen our entrepreneurial ecosystem, create good paying jobs, and spur new ideas on the future of mobility. I can’t wait to see all the creative ideas and look forward to the competition in October.”

Ok, so what innovative ideas does the Governor think people will come up with? People get around by car, by bus, by bike or scooters, walking and a few by train. Walking and biking are sustainable, so unless Big Gretch is thinking about Star Trek-style transportation, I don’t know what else there is. 

The MLive article is based on a Press Release from the Governor’s office, which you can read in its entirety here. However, one paragraph stood out to me from the Press Release, stating: 

“In addition to capital, innovators and entrepreneurs across the state need visibility to grow. This competition offers our entrepreneurs a stage to share their ideas with the world and demonstrate yet again that Michigan is at the cutting edge of innovation,” said Chief Growth Officer Hilary Doe. “Investing in entrepreneurs and innovators will help our state become a magnet for both businesses and talent, working together to drive population growth. Supporting entrepreneurs in starting and scaling their businesses will also create a more prosperous place to live for all Michiganders.”

This paragraph reads like something that the DeVos family or the Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce would say. Fucking entrepreneurs. We don’t need entrepreneurs to come up with ideas for mobility, since we already know what the hell we need……..lots of efficient and affordable mass transit.

Unfortunately, mass transit is not on Gov. Whitmer’s mind, especially since she has decided to use billions of taxpayer funds to subsidize the electric car industry, which she announced back in January of 2022. GRIID wrote about this announcement at that time and in 2023, when the State Legislature began providing massive subsidies to the Ford Motor Company.

Imagine if we had incredibly efficient and affordable mass transit, like adding more buses that ran more frequently, light rail in larger cities like Grand Rapids, plus high speed rail for going east, west , north and south throughout the state. If we had all of these, there would be less carbon emissions, less parking lots, more green space, less of a financial burden to own a car, less stress from driving and being stuck in traffic, and these are just some of the benefits of a robust mass transit system. We need government leaders who will make this happen, not leaders who want to hold Shark Tank-like contests that simply promote get rich quick schemes.