The WØRDS – “Common-sense Safety”
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 29:26 — 58.1MB)
We have an epidemic of gun violence in this country. The leading cause of death of children is guns; seemingly every night the news includes reports of still another mass shooting.
As Governor Whitmer said after the tragedy at Michigan State University, the time for “only thoughts and prayers is over”. And Democrats in the Legislature agree, and are enacting common-sense gun safety measures that are being demanded by voters. The bills have overwhelming public support, but that support isn’t shared by the Michigan Republican Party. The party called the bills a step towards gun confiscation, and compared them to the actions of Nazis in the 1930s.
Joining this week’s podcast is the Speaker Pro-Tem of the Michigan House, Laurie Pohutsky.
She is serving her third term representing the 17th House District, which encompasses parts of Northwest Detroit, North Redford Charter Township and Northeast Livonia. She is a long-time activist and volunteer, and spent time as a crisis hotline volunteer and a caregiver at Angela Hospice.
Pohutsky graduated from Michigan State University with a degree in microbiology. After college, Pohutsky worked in the fields of food safety, toxicology and health care. She brings this knowledge, along with her experience in water quality testing, with her to the Michigan House of Representatives. She has a deep commitment to bringing a scientific perspective to government and advocating for environmental causes.
Stories across Michigan on politics and policy
- Legislature’s three-month sprint reflects sea change in Michigan politics – Detroit News
- Michigan Right to Work repeal, prevailing wage clear Legislature, head to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer – Bridge Michigan
- Michigan lawmakers repeal right-to-work, revive prevailing wage – Detroit News
- Michigan Democrats vote once more to repeal right-to-work – Detroit Free Press
- Michigan Gov. Whitmer says time for ‘only thoughts and prayers’ is over, vows to take action on gun violence – Fox News
- Michigan passes ‘safe storage’ gun bill; state GOP likens it to Nazism -|Bridge Michigan
- Michigan House passes safe gun storaproposal – WILX TV
- Oxford shooter’s parents can be tried for manslaughter, court rules – Bridge Michigan
- Michigan GOP slammed for comparing gun reform to Holocaust – AP News
- Michigan GOP tries to tie gun reforms to Holocaust, draws backlash – Detroit News
- Karamo: Gun laws equate to slavery, internment camps – Twitter
- Michigan GOP leader: Whitmer, a ‘monster,’ should face criminal investigation for COVID response – mlive.com
- House Freedom Caucus Radical Budget Demands – Twitter
- Freedom Caucus lays out debt limit, spending demands – Roll Call
- Biden’s Billionaire Tax and Budget Proposals Enjoy Widespread Voter Support – Data for Progress.org
- Michigan 3rd grade reading law retention requirement removed – Detroit Free Press
- New bill could ban child marriages in Michigan – Bridge Michigan
- Michigan judge approves $626 million Flint water crisis settlement – Bridge Michigan
- Generative AI is a legal minefield – Axios
- Biden-Trump fake audio argument – TikTok
- Could Michigan’s GOP split into two? – WLNS 6 News
- Michigan voter roll maintenance means removing nearly 100,000 registrations – Bridge Michigan
- The war on drag shows – Popular Information
- Experts cast doubt that Lapeer librarian can be charged over LGBTQ book – Bridge Michigan
- The fate of ‘Gender Queer’ now in the hands of Lapeer librarian – Bridge Michigan
- As US education secretary, I want us to enrich public schools, not ban books and topics – New York Times Op-ed Column
Here in Michigan, it’s especially challenging because of the razor-thin majorities Democrats hold in the state Legislature: 56-54 in the state House, 20-18 in the state Senate.
The Legislature session is off to a fast start with Democrats taking immediate action on several of Governor Whitmer’s top priorities: job creation, tax cuts for working families, and moving Michigan to the head of the line in the presidential primary calendar.
Welcome to a preview of Party On the Peninsulas with Lavora Barnes, your weekly update on the Democrats and Democratic policies leading Michigan’s future. Each week we’ll have three primary segments: