State Sen. Colbeck talks “principled solutions”

Hillsdale Daily News, The (MI)

April 13--Donald Trump turned Michigan red in 2016's presidential election and Senator Patrick Colbeck hopes to work the same magic when his turn at the ballot box comes in 2018.

Colbeck, who is considered to be one of Michigan's most conservative legislators and, according to the Detroit Free Press, an "opponent of anything to do with Obamacare," has served in the Michigan State Senate since 2011 and announced his candidacy for governor in July.

Colbeck took some time out of his busy campaign schedule to discuss his record in the public and private sectors and his proposal to improve Michigan roads without raising taxes.

Senator, thanks for taking the time to answer these questions. Where did you grow up?

I grew up in Westland. During first grade, my family moved to Livonia, where I resided until after college.

What prompted your decision to seek political office?

My wife, Angie, and I felt called to put our own priorities on the back burner and help to restore representative governance in our state government. Too many in office seek to serve themselves over the best interests of those whom they were elected to serve. This needs to change.

In your mind, what are the most pressing issues facing Michigan?

The need to restore respect for our system of government. Our republic is intended to operate in the best interests of all of our citizens not simply those with the ears of the power brokers. That is why we need what I refer to as principled solutions. The most pressing need for these principled solutions pertains to job growth policies that go beyond benefiting large employers to also benefit small businesses. We can do this by eliminating the state personal income tax (and the Senior Pension Tax right along with it), lowering the cost of healthcare by deploying free market healthcare solutions that provide better care for less money, and lowering the cost of energy by promoting energy choice.

My job growth solution not only treats all businesses equally, it also makes it easier for families to make ends meet. Close behind the persistent's need for job growth is the need to fix our roads. My principled road solution fixes our roads without tax increases by building higher quality roads. Higher quality roads translate to lower maintenance costs and less frequent sightings of potholes and orange barrels.

How has President Trump's election victory, and more specifically, his win in Michigan, changed the game for Republicans?

It signals a restoration of the voice of the people. For too long, political power brokers told us who our candidate should be. This past election, the people told the power brokers who they wanted. True to his word, President Trump has been honoring this support by doing exactly what he said he would do on the campaign trail.

As a State Senator, what accomplishments are you most proud of?

First and foremost, I have not forgotten who I serve while in the crucible of public service. Too many lose their way once they start serving.

Regarding policy accomplishments, I would like to highlight three.

The first and most impactful accomplishment to date was leading the effort to restore the freedom of assembly to rank and file workers throughout our state and make Michigan the 24th Right to Work state in the nation. This single accomplishment is the main driver behind Michigan's rise from the worst unemployment rate in the nation to one that is better than the national average.

The second accomplishment was the passage of legislation that protects the cornerstone of my free market healthcare solution -- Direct Primary Care Services. My approach to healthcare has not only benefited our state but has also driven national policy via my articles in Forbes.com and speaking engagements across the country.

The third accomplishment I would like to highlight pertains to how I restructured the budgets for the State Police and Department of Military and Veterans Affairs to go beyond simply throwing money at these agencies and clearly define the performance expectations for the services which they offer. The results have been remarkable. When I started my service, Michigan had four out of the top 10 crime cities in the nation and 10,000 untested rape kits from the insolvent Detroit Crime Lab. By the time my service as chairman of these budgets was over, all of the rape kits were tested and we only had one of the top 10 crime cities.

Furthermore, when I started, Michigan was ranked last in veteran services. After four years, we were ranked second in the nation. As Governor, I will bring performance-based budgeting to all of our state agencies.

Finally, why should Michigan vote Colbeck?

I am the only candidate with significant experience and success in both the private sector and the public sector. In the private sector, I applied my engineering problem-solving skills on challenging projects such as the International Space Station and advanced training systems for our military. I went on to spend 11 years as a management consultant including six years on my own as a Small Business Owner. My specialty is finding pragmatic solutions to complex problems. That is the exactly the type of leadership Michigan needs.

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