A successful small business owner and diversely talented entrepreneur,
Marvin Carlson's personal story takes us from the ivy covered walls of
University life which he chose to leave in favor of a rural dream which
he lives out now with his wife of 45 years in their cottage on a small
pond in Manchester, MI.
Marv was born in Detroit in 1945 and
attended public schools in Birmingham, MI. Aft
er graduating from Groves
High School in 1963, his most enduring achievement was to marry his
high school sweetheart, Susan Cosmi. After the birth of their son,
Garret, he continued working and studying at Michigan State University
where he graduated with honors in 1968. With a strong work ethic
inherited from second generation immigrant Swedish and Polish parents,
Marvin's summers off from school were by necessity filled with work
experiences in construction, auto assembly and finally emergency room
and respiratory care at St. Lawrence Hospital in Lansing.
After
a year working for Wayne County and the City of Detroit Planning
Department, Marv enrolled in the Ph.D. political science program at the
University of Michigan. In order to pay the bills, he also began
working full time as an urban planner for the City of Ann Arbor.
Awarded a Masters degree in 1971, Marvin continued on a rigorous
academic course until 1975 when he was accepted as a Ph.D. Candidate.
After reconsidering his time with family and the insular nature of the
academic world, Marvin chose a new direction and left campus life
behind to stake out an entrepreneurial path.
His investments in
housing and commercial property in Ann Arbor paid off over the span of
some thirty years. With his investment partners, Carlson built a
profitable real estate portfolio on sound and ethical business
practices, including three properties cited for their excellence in
building restoration by the City of Ann Arbor and the National Historic
Trust.
g his childhood dream of being a "cowboy,"
Marvin bought an old decaying farm just outside Chelsea in 1979. After
two years of labor and love, Marvin, Susan and Garret had entirely
renovated the old Victorian farmhouse and barns to their original
condition. Testing his "grit" as a cowboy he acquired a few head of steer calves to raise. Before long he had a purebred herd of Charolais
cattle selling bulls and breeding stock all over the country. A first
for a Michigan breeder, Carlson won the 1988 Denver National
Championship with the best Charolais heifer shown. Working with the MSU
beef extension program, his Sugarbush Farm was certified a nationally
accredited embryo and breeding station by the State of Michigan.Having earned his "spurs" and with his family business now in the capable hands of his son, Marvin and Susan sold the farm and moved to a smaller home which they designed and built themselves just outside Manchester, MI.
With his wide range of life experiences, Marvin believes he has the right skills for his next big challenge, representing the people of the 7th District in Congress.
state? Or, are we
instead, to return to the heritage that built this great country and
place our trust in individuals and families to be responsible for
themselves. Our Constitution is a social contract that our founding
fathers forged in response to the despotic rule of the British. The
defining principle of that wise document is that unless directly
enumerated, the rights of the individual by virtue of our birthright
are unassailable and set apart from the dictates of government. Over
recent history this first principle has been challenged by those who
believe that the exercise of individual liberty unfairly leaves out
those who are unable to thrive in a free society.
Today we have a clear example of this mentality. The Obama/Shauer healthcare bill, as currently written, would intervene in the private doctor-patient relationship by limiting the kind and scope of care available. So-called resource allocation boards would be empowered to calculate the cost of individual treatment and whether it promotes the general welfare as defined by them. Apart from the obvious issues of cost and our ability to absorb yet another huge entitlement program, this health care proposal is a clarion call to all those who seek to limit government interference in our private lives.
As I have crisscrossed the 7th district over the summer talking with hundreds of folks at county fairs and town festivals, the single most common refrain I hear is: keep government out of my business! They say to me; if you can manage to do that in Washington, we can do the rest. Lower our taxes. Get out of the way of private initiative and risk taking. Reduce state and federal regulation. Then you will see small business thrive again and jobs return to Michigan.
At the Jackson County fair I had the privilege of meeting with a group of Farm Bureau members all active in their respective local governments. One was a Township supervisor, another a member of the County Commission. Their anger and frustration over the cap and tax legislation recently passed by the House and supported by Schauer was palpable. After explaining my opposition to this huge tax increase and its implications for the farmers bottom line, they scoured the barn to bring over others to meet me and support my campaign.
Its this kind of anger, frustration, and fear of what the Democratic majority in Washington seems hell bent on shoving down our throats, that will, with the right candidate who is not a career politician make Schauer a one term loser.