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Whitmer to give first State of the State amid a “mixed picture” economy

Tonight Governor Gretchen Whitmer will give her first State of the State speech.

The State of the State is a chance for the governor to lay out her agenda and goals for the upcoming year. And the Democratic governor will be giving her speech to a majority Republican Legislature.

   Charles Ballard is an economist at Michigan State University. He says Michigan’s economy is currently a quote “mixed picture.” He says too many tax cuts over the years have resulted in crumbling infrastructure and other problems in the public sector.

   “The economics of solving some of these problems is very easy. The politics is hard.”

   Ballard says the economy is better than it was a decade ago. But he says many of the jobs that have been added recently do not pay well.

Whitmer’s speech is scheduled to start at 7pm.