Political Quotes

“I rise today to congratulate my State of Michigan on its 175th anniversary of statehood. On Thursday, January 26, 1837, President Andrew Jackson signed into law the bill granting Michigan statehood. The bill was surprisingly controversial. At the time, Michigan and Ohio had been embroiled in an argument called the Toledo war. Before Michigan was granted statehood it had to surrender its claim over Toledo. But in exchange we got the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, one of the most beautiful places in the entire country--I would say in the entire world. So I think we won that trade. Twenty-four years later President Lincoln would exclaim, ``Thank God for Michigan,'' when Michigan troops arrived to defend Washington, DC, during the Civil War. Around the turn of the century, the auto industry took off in Michigan. Henry Ford paid the workers $5 a day to build the Model Ts so they could afford to buy the cars they made. That was viewed as revolutionary at the time. Those workers not only created the middle class in this country--and we are very proud it started in Michigan with our workers--but they made America an international superpower. During World War I, Michigan factories built boats and vehicles that helped turn the tide in Europe. During World War II, Michigan's role became even more important. Auto plants were rapidly converted to military use, building tanks and jeeps and bombers.…”