Here's the bumper sticker slogan Democrats are looking for

Yahoo

12-04-2025

I read Nancy Kaffer's column regarding Mallory McMorrow's U.S. Senate candidacy. ("Can Democrats win Michigan's 2026 US Senate seat? Mallory McMorrow says yes," Detroit Free Press, April 6.) What stuck with me from the story was state Sen. McMorrow's bumper sticker statement (articulating her campaign priorities), "success, safety, sanity."
While that is all well and good, I feel that it demonstrates, once again, the Democratic Party's lack of understanding of what middle and working class people are feeling here in Michigan, and the country at large. McMorrow and other Democratic candidates seem to think that their voters only demand of them is to be "anti-Trump." They are missing the point. Voters are angry with Dems for refusing to address economic inequality and the problems that result from it. Democrats should look at last month's Bernie Sanders rally in Warren, and use that as a starting point for understand what voters want and what will motivate them.
Donald Trump offers an angry populist economic message to the economically disadvantaged. The Democrats need to wake up and adopt their own, one that is bumper-sticker-able: "The rich are screwing you."
And more importantly, they should actually do something about it.
Chris Skupny
Livonia
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Detroit is my home and heart. I am honored to represent it in the Michigan State House. Raised here by my mother and grandmother, this city shaped me. It's where my wife and I are raising our children. Because I love my community, there is one reality that I cannot accept: that our Black infant and maternal mortality rates are among the worst in the nation. For Black Maternal Health Week this month, I am calling on all of us to tackle this problem head-on.
Many disparities persist throughout our healthcare system, but they hit Black mothers the hardest when they are seeking to have healthy pregnancies and births. Not only do Black mothers lack access to the care they need, but even when they do get care, their concerns are often dismissed. I have witnessed it in my community, and my wife and I experienced it firsthand.
When my wife, Shaunté, and I were expecting our first child, we had a plan. But, as often happens, the best-laid plans can go awry. We wanted a birth as free from unnecessary interventions as possible, but as her labor progressed slowly, we felt pressured to rush things along. She was given an epidural and oxytocin. Before we knew it, doctors were wheeling her away for a C-section — which we both knew came with increased risk to her. In what should have been a joyous time, I was consumed by fear, knowing the statistics about Black maternal health.
My wife and child came through the delivery safely. But during her recovery, Shaunté experienced excruciating pain. Doctors dismissed her concerns, telling us it was normal. Years later, we learned that extensive scar tissue from the C-section was the reason for her pain. Finally, we received acknowledgment of what should have been recognized and respected years earlier. My wife had joined the awful club of Black women whose health was ignored by the medical system. My wife — and all Black women — deserve to be listened to, not ignored.
As a husband and father, my role was to support her through one of the most vulnerable times in her life. As a legislator, my duty is to take that experience and fight for change so no family has to endure the same struggle.
When we had our first baby, we both prepared as much as we could. We took birthing classes, had a midwife and a doula and even went to a natural birthing center. But still, I was unprepared. I didn't know what to ask or advocate for, nor what to expect. I compare it to my early days as a legislative staffer. I had to listen to others to do my job effectively. The same is true for birth experiences. We need to share our stories to help others navigate this system and change the situation.
I want to be a voice calling for dads, men and entire communities to engage. This isn't just a women's fight — it's a fight for all of us. In Michigan, we are fortunate to have the advocates at Mothering Justice championing the Mamas' Agenda. The women at the helm of this organization have solutions to not only reduce maternal and infant mortality rates, but also increase essential programs that allow families to thrive, such as paid leave and affordable childcare.
In our legislature, Sens. Erika Geiss and Sylvia Santana and Rep. Stephanie Young are leading the charge in making these solutions a reality. I am calling on all my colleagues to step up and stand beside these leaders.
This won't be easy. From our environment and water quality to democracy and health care, our city and state have a hell of a lot of challenges. But with determination, and by listening to each other and our community advocates, we can improve the care Black families receive and reduce our Black maternal and infant mortality rate.
Donavan McKinney
The writer represents Michigan's 14th District in the state House of Representatives
The recent Signal leak of attack plans reveals gaps in our national security and threatens our prosperity. Our elected officials need to do their job providing oversight of these appointed officials and hold them accountable for their serious blunder.
U.S. Rep. Jack Bergman, R-Watersmeet, represents Northern Michigan. He is also a retired Marine Corps Lieutenant General, and a member of the House Armed Services Committee. I retired as an Air Force Major who held a high-level clearance. I know the Signal screwup exposed classified information to a reporter due to the carelessness of appointed officials including the national security advisor, secretary of defense, and other intelligence community leaders.
For those not familiar, classified information is any information that could cause harm to our national security if it falls into the hands of an enemy. The information shared in the Signal chat included the specific timing, military units and types of attack for an upcoming operation. That is all classified before an operation happens.
Communicating attack plans over an unapproved system puts that information at risk of being leaked. If I had mishandled classified information as a military member, I would have been punished and possibly imprisoned for not properly protecting information that could have gotten my fellow service members killed. Rep. Bergman knows this, and must do his duty to guarantee our national security, protect classified information, and hold these officials accountable.
Classified information is similar to trade secrets in the commercial world. Companies require employees to sign non-disclosure agreements in order to maintain their competitive edge. This is no different than the the non-disclosure agreements military members sign to protect classified information.
Imagine Paul, an employee of Ford Motor Company, communicates with coworkers via group text about a new Mustang engine. He thinks the group only has Ford engineers. He didn't realize that his co-worker Mark added his friend, John, who is an engineer from Chevy. Even if John doesn't share these trade secrets, Ford would almost certainly fire Paul and Mark for not protecting information that could damage the company.
In this recent Signal incident, we were incredibly lucky it did not lead to disaster. If the information had been published when the reporter first got it, America's enemies could have killed our highly trained service members, destroyed expensive airplanes paid for with your tax dollars and led to mission failure.
The difference between the car company example and the recent Signal chat is the latter group are people leading the departments of the executive branch. They are supposed to be safeguarding our nation. Their unserious actions put our nation, service members and tax dollars at risk. People entrusted with the nation's secrets need to be held accountable for their mistakes — just like any one of us would be for failing at our jobs.
Every Michigander, regardless of their ideological leaning, must care about this because it is not only the national security and safety of our service members, but ultimately the prosperity of our nation. I call on Rep. Bergman, and all of our elected leaders, to hold these appointees accountable, ensure the proper handling of classified information, and protect the interests of the citizens they represent.
Jennifer Caulk
Cheboygan
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: 'The rich are screwing you' ought to on a bumper sticker | Letters