Sturgis-Coldwater News

House Rep. Aaron Miller (R-Sturgis) told Michigan House Republicans that those who live on the Michigan-Indiana border — like himself — don't focus on the states' border in day-to-day life, but he lives and breathes border issues, and not just because he is a lawmaker.

"It’s important to know that a state border is really nothing but a line on the map, until regulations contrast each other on either side of the line, which is inevitable, of course," Miller said in the statement. "That contrast for us here in Michigan, though, has been very sharp for decades."

Miller said he deals with many issues between the states, like Indiana's lower property taxes, lower fees, lower taxes in general, a better business climate with fewer regulations and lower auto insurance, among other things.

"As a result, the influx to northern Indiana is much greater than here in southern Michigan," Miller said in the statement. "People vote and respond to regulatory environments with their feet. If you think that people don’t move based on those metrics, whether directly or indirectly because of job availability, you’re incorrect. The data say you’re incorrect."

Miller said disparities between the states have created a "black market" in Indiana, with many southern Michiganders going there during the pandemic because Indiana didn't shut down everything like Michigan did.

"Members of my own family went down to make purchases at Menard’s in Angola, Indiana, when there were limits on products here in Michigan," Miller said. "Many others did the same and openly posted as much on Facebook. Even more people went to Indiana greenhouses when that season kicked off because ours were locked down. None of those individuals had any reason to worry or care because many of my own local law enforcement members that I’ve talked to disagree with the orders and aren’t stopping those people."

Miller and Rep. Ben Frederick (R-Owosso) wanted Michigan to have a detailed plan, but they didn't get that. Indiana, on the other hand, provided one on May 1.

Miller said Indiana's Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb's COVID-19 plan recognized that those whose lives were being affected weren't just the ones who were touched by the novel coronavirus.

"It recognizes that the economic and educational decisions that he’s making affect every single one of the lives of Indiana’s roughly 6.7 million residents, and for a very long time," Miller wrote on the Michigan House Republicans website. "He’s weighing all lives, despite being affected by very different situations, in a delicate balance. That’s all that Rep. Frederick and I have ever hoped for."