Auchtoon!

Every week, I try to settle on a topic specific to Michigan. There certainly never is a lack of topics — especially in an election year — worthy of debate and discussion. Others are more just observations. For example, could the camera possibly pull in any tighter on those Perry Johnson ads?

But as it turns out, there’s a war going on. Actually, multiple ones. And if you are listening to the rhetoric coming out the Trump administration, there are more coming.

So even though I couldn’t come up with an angle on the Iran War specific to our state, I felt an overwhelming need to comment on it. And in case my point isn’t obvious, I’ll spell it out: We as a country appear to be completely incapable of learning lessons from our history.

I believe we can all agree that the office of Vice President of the United States of America is uniquely terrible. Other than being a tiebreaker vote in the Senate (which is in reality the President’s decision to make), it’s basically a forever on-deck circle waiting for a “batter up” that likely will never come. Consequently, vice presidents are often kept intentionally out of the loop and/or given jobs that nobody else wants, such as defending unpopular policies they may not actually agree with.

And thus did JD Vance find himself in Michigan this week giving a speech in a manufacturing facility. It was awkward to say the least. Of course Vance is famously not just a flip-flopper, but a shape-shifter. That is, he has no problem not just changing his mind on policy but totally reinventing himself to suit his ambitions.

So I don’t feel sorry for him. But I was very uncomfortable watching him try to put a positive spin on high gas prices when it’s pretty clear that he was against going to war with Iran, the singular cause of those high gas prices, which are taking money out of the pockets of the American worker audience. It was like when the Michael Scott character on The Office starts talking himself into a corner and it just becomes too unbearable to watch. But not at all funny.

Michigan is near (if not at) the bottom of ranking for transparency in state governments. Yes, there are seemingly larger issues in the world at the moment, but with Sunshine Week coming up next week, it felt appropriate.

Sunshine Week is a nonpartisan collaboration among groups in the journalism, civic, education, government, and private sectors that shines a light on the importance of public records and open government. If you want to affect positive change, I encourage you to join them in making sure public information is public. Stop shaking your tiny, angry fists at the so-called “the mainstream media” — help make it easier for journalists to accurately report what’s going on.

When she was first elected in 2018, Governor Whitmer made some very specific promises about just that. Now in her 8th year, she has not come near to delivering on formalizing open access to information for Michigan state government, such as expanding Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests to her office.

House Speaker Matt Hall is newer to the game, but more audacious in flaunting his contempt for transparency — last year he proclaimed that he’s “not doing FOIA” for the time being, preferring his own “HEAT” (Hall Ethics, Accountability, and Transparency) plan instead. Good lord. A politician devising his own plan for accountability — that’s about as red flaggy as it gets!

We live in difficult, challenging times. Our nation is again at war. (Wait. What’s that? Oh, sorry: Our nation is again at major combat operations.) Closer to home, Michigan faces continued economic uncertainties. Affordability is a growing crisis. Reading scores for our children are abysmal. The calendar tells us winter is almost over, but we all know it isn’t.

But there is hope. From out of this somber backdrop, three brave heroes, Michigan State Representatives Joseph Fox (R-Fremont), James DeSana (R-Carleton), and Jay DeBoyer (R-Clay Township) — men of action! — stepped forward this week and … introduced legislation to repeal the state’s concealed pistol permit law so residents can carry a handgun without any identification showing they’re permitted to do so.

So, no more worries about jobs, budgets, healthcare, education — obviously not priorities. These guys are focused on cutting back on safety and accountability. Profiles in courage.

Sarcasm aside, in 2024, an estimated 1,200 people died from firearm-related injuries in Michigan. Meanwhile, a comprehensive post-election review by the Michigan Secretary of State found that only 0.00028% of the 5.7 million votes cast in 2024 were potentially ineligible (approximately 15–16 votes statewide).

Sensible gun laws are a solution for a problem. Voter suppression efforts like the SAVE Act are a solution looking for a problem.