Massachusetts Republican Party calls on Gov. Baker to resist Democrats' demands to close the state May 27, 2020 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Evan Lips, communications director 617-523-5005 ext. 245 WOBURN -- The Massachusetts Republican State Committee, along with hundreds of members of the Massachusetts Republican Party, is urging Gov. Charlie Baker to unequivocally resist calls from the Democrats to reverse course and put the commonwealth’s economy back on lockdown. In a letter submitted to the governor, co-signed by hundreds of Massachusetts Republicans, MassGOP Chairman Jim Lyons wrote that the commonwealth’s business owners “realize the importance of maintaining a hygienic environment -- if the public does not trust them and their products, no amount of government intervention will keep them afloat.” Lyons said Wednesday he’s encouraged by the positive feedback his letter has received. “Republicans are working to fight the virus and open the state at the same time,” Lyons said. “We know it can be done safely, and at the same time we know arguably the biggest reason why the Democrats want to keep us locked down. “The prolonged stifling of independence and personal responsibility creates a dream scenario for the Democrats -- a world dependent upon the state and an endless expansion of government bureaucracy.” Added Lyons: “The solution is never more government. Americans, especially here in Massachusetts, have been busy fighting the spread of this deadly virus, and are more than capable of continuing to do so while at the same time reopening our economy.” Link to Press Release/Signatures May 26, 2020 Dear Governor Baker, You’ve no doubt noticed how prominent Massachusetts Democrats have been quick to criticize any and all efforts to allow the reopening of the Commonwealth’s businesses. U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley recently took to social media to claim that “policy decisions that offer a false choice between public health (and) economic recovery will hurt our communities,” while still other Democrats on Beacon Hill have criticized your administration directly, accusing you of “deciding how to balance death and the economy.” By now, it should be clear: the shutdown of private businesses, large and small, has given the Democratic Party -- the party of government overreach -- a political boost. This disastrous pandemic has led to unconstitutional decrees being set in stone almost overnight, creating what is unquestionably a dream scenario for the Democrats -- stifle independence, entrepreneurship, and personal responsibility, and you create a world dependent upon the state. We write to you today to urge you to push back, publicly, on the Democrats’ demands to keep Massachusetts shuttered. We write to you today to remind you that the most regulated businesses in the Commonwealth, our nursing homes, also happen to account for more than 61 percent of all COVID-19-related deaths. We write to you today to convey the frustrations of small business owners, who have had to padlock their doors while their big-box competitors across the street are allowed to remain open. We write to you today to remind you that the Massachusetts business community lives and breathes on the ambitions, creativity, and dreams of its residents, but will die a painful death if it succumbs to the whims of an unelected bureaucracy. These business owners realize the importance of maintaining a hygienic environment -- if the public does not trust them and their products, no amount of government intervention will keep them afloat. While many Republicans may disagree on the speed of reopening, one area of common ground we can all agree on is the need to reopen Massachusetts. Moreover, Senate President Karen Spilka has acknowledged in conversations with local officials that the Commonwealth faces an $8 billion budget deficit if our economy remains locked down. “Do not use the governor's January number when he came out with his budget; it's simply not relevant anymore,” Spilka told local officials in her district Tuesday night. This precipitous drop in revenue can only be halted by the reopening of our businesses. Meanwhile, out-of-work business owners must still somehow find a way to pay rent, the Commonwealth’s workforce must eventually have to pay an income and property tax, as well as take care of their families. Democrats like to talk about fatalities associated with this virus, but still unknown yet just as tragic are the deaths that will occur due to alcoholism, drug use, and suicide, all of which will be on the increase as long as residents are forced to lock themselves away. Ten weeks of lockdowns have been enough. We’ve flattened the curve, prevented our hospitals from being overwhelmed, and sacrificed our liberties. We’ve watched as a hyper-partisan media has misfired on their forecasts of doom. To rebuild our economy, the solution is not more regulations but less bureaucratic interference. Americans, especially here in Massachusetts, continue to battle this deadly pandemic and are more than capable of continuing to open the economy safely. We support your efforts to continue to aggressively fight the virus and to continue to reopen Massachusetts. Sincerely, View Signatures Paid for by the Massachusetts Republican Party Not authorized by any candidate or candidate’s committee Massachusetts Republican Party | 400 West Cummings Park, Suite 5650, Woburn, MA 01801 Unsubscribe [email protected] Update Profile | About Constant Contact Sent by [email protected] in collaboration with Try email marketing for free today!