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November 4, 2024 44 mins

In this episode, Tudor discusses the upcoming election with Monica Ross Williams, a former Democrat who has shifted her political views. They explore the impact of COVID-19 on personal autonomy, the education crisis in Michigan, and the role of government in addressing these issues. Monica shares her insights on the manipulation during the pandemic, the decline of the education system, and the urgent need for mental health and addiction support. The Tudor Dixon Podcast is part of the Clay Travis & Buck Sexton Podcast Network. For more visit TudorDixonPodcast.com

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Episode Transcript

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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hey, everyone, Welcome to the Tutor Dixon Podcast. As you know,
I talk about Michigan a lot because obviously I'm in Michigan,
and I really feel like Michigan is going to be
the deciding factor in tomorrow's election. I can't believe we're
already here, we are already at election day. It's like
so exciting. I feel like this has gone on for
ten years. I honestly feel like we have been watching

(00:22):
this race go on four years. Well, we technically have
been watching it for years, but tomorrow is the day.
And that's why I wanted to bring someone who we
saw on social media and I thought, what an interesting story.
Her name is Monica Ross Williams. She is a lifelong
Democrat and a former Democrat elected official. As I write

(00:42):
her story, I'm like, if you're in Michigan and you
read the story. I mean, she has worked with Jocelyn Benson,
who is our Secretary of State. She has worked with
Dana Nessel, who is our attorney General. She has been
invited by Gretchen Whitmer to meet a few different times.
I mean, this woman has been heavily involved in the
Democrat Party and loyally involved in the Democrat Party, but

(01:05):
recently feels like that party has changed. And she is
a Bobby Kennedy fan. As you heard from one of
our podcasts last week when we had Zachary Levi on,
he is also a Bobby Kennedy fan, and that is
what moved him over into the Trump category. And I
think that's what we're going to hear from Monica today. So,
without further ado, I want to welcome Monica Ross Williams

(01:27):
into the program. Monica, thank you, thank you.

Speaker 2 (01:30):
I just want to say it's literally an honor and
a pleasure to be here today with you too.

Speaker 1 (01:34):
There, thank you so much. I mean, reading your story,
I want I want to know what moved you because
we keep being told like the Democrats in Michigan are
dug in, they're very hardcore on the and this is
a decision you made a couple of years ago. So yes,
I think that was a really hard time to make

(01:55):
this decision, because in twenty twenty two, we know there
was abortion on the ballot, was a heavy like you've
got to be loyal to the Democrats and loyal to women.
So what made you say something's off?

Speaker 2 (02:07):
It started really with me in twenty twenty twenty twenty one,
twenty twenty during the COVID as I like to call it,
the COVID madness, That's.

Speaker 3 (02:18):
What I feel like it was.

Speaker 2 (02:19):
I believe that there was a lot of psychological manipulation
that went on during COVID to try and make people
basically fall in line with what it is that were
mandates quote quote inside of the state to do the

(02:41):
bidding of people at the top of the astrolouts.

Speaker 3 (02:45):
I really do believe that.

Speaker 2 (02:47):
I was always a person who believed in my body,
my choice, and I believe in that for born humans,
right born humans have a right to have my body,
my choice in regards to what goes into their body.
They have a right to make the direction of their
medical decisions.

Speaker 3 (03:06):
They have a right to reject.

Speaker 2 (03:08):
Things that's not aligning with their personal views or their
views period, especially when it comes to medical I go
back and I tell a story, and I got this
from my mother. My late mother died in two thousand
and five, and she had stage four breast cancer and
she didn't find out until really late. And I remember

(03:32):
there was a team of fifteen doctors that came into
her room and said, well, pretty much, we need to
give you, you know, chemo and radiation, and my mother
was like, no, I'm not getting that. You know, she refused,
and you know, they told her various things, but my
mom lived eight months by doing it her own way.

(03:56):
She made that decision even though they told her maybe
six weeks. And my mom after that, I will That's
when I learned, in two thousand and five, really that
you have to be the arbitrator of your own body
in regards to your medical decisions.

Speaker 1 (04:12):
It's very interesting because I think that was the first
time we've been told you can't come in here if
you haven't done what we tell you. Yeah, And it
was beyond that. I went and I spoke to people
across the state. I was shocked by the number of
doctors who had had their medical license revoked or put
in question because they gave people ivermectin. And there was

(04:35):
this there was this decision that was made by the
governor that no one could have ivermectin, and it really
came from her and her administration because it was not
a federal demand and it was and it came from
absolutely no medical expertise that said ivermectin was dangerous because
it's not dangerous. It's the most prescribed medicine in the world.

(04:57):
I mean, it's not a dangerous medicine, and doc were
seeing benefits from it, and yet they told me when
they were caught, which they were like, what do you
mean caught? You know, we're the medical professionals.

Speaker 3 (05:10):
Let us try it.

Speaker 1 (05:11):
And this was a in an era where we had
just had right to try, you know, we had just
had this go through, and yet you had the government
coming in and saying no, you can't try something that
might save your life. That to me was when I went, wait,
what how can this be?

Speaker 3 (05:29):
Yeah? It was so very disturbing for multiple levels.

Speaker 2 (05:33):
I have my master's degree in organization psychology, so I
studied at of behavioral psychologists and I saw a lot
of behavioral psychology manipulation, and it just it was it
was absolutely insane. The bribing of people to go and
get things for donuts.

Speaker 3 (05:53):
Honestly, we.

Speaker 2 (05:55):
You know of college scholarship, the.

Speaker 3 (06:00):
Gift cards, right, how many gift cards can you collect?

Speaker 2 (06:05):
You know, the separation of families, including people in nursing homes.

Speaker 1 (06:11):
It tore my heart up and I forgot though that
you could actually that you had the Krispy kremes that
you would get if you got your your vaccination, and
it was it was like a bribe to go get this.
They were really forcing people at a time where I
think people were incredibly vulnerable to that.

Speaker 2 (06:30):
Yeah, they were because they were they were in the house, right,
So people could not go out a lot tutor and
just honestly just visit other people. And so because of that,
you know, they're in the house all day, maybe on
the computer or on TV, you know, getting bad the
same messes over and over and over and over again.

(06:51):
And and it's falling deeper and deeper, in my opinion,
into the psychosis of what it is if they.

Speaker 3 (06:56):
Plead of COVID, and it's.

Speaker 2 (06:59):
It's so easy to do unless you recognize the signs, right,
And that was the difference.

Speaker 3 (07:06):
I recognized those signs.

Speaker 2 (07:08):
I saw it, and I also knew a little bit
of science, a little bit of I mean I'm not
saying I'm a you know, a virologist, but you know
a little bit of a biology nerd. And I'm like, well, okay, well,
if it's by air, well don't we all breathe air?

Speaker 3 (07:27):
I mean, how is it? Yeah? What are you going
to do.

Speaker 1 (07:29):
I think people tend to forget, like the six feet
of distancing was so silly. And then I don't know,
I'm sure because you're just on the other side of
the state from me. In our mere, in our grocery store,
we actually had arrows on the floor because you could
only go down in aisle one way for because if
you were all going in the same direction, COVID couldn't

(07:50):
get you.

Speaker 2 (07:50):
It was so just to get sort of plastic things
where it's like air doesn't go over through it, under it.
It was, it was, It was insane. But I really
feel like a lot of people were mentally broken during
that time as law tutor, and they haven't came back
from that.

Speaker 1 (08:11):
And so but you're so right, so many people are
constantly I think there was a fear instilled in people
that they can't get over, a fear of going outside,
a fear of being close to others. And there's now
this this the political yes, demographics Now it's like a
division of fear and freedom. Are we ready to go

(08:32):
back to freedom?

Speaker 2 (08:34):
Then?

Speaker 1 (08:34):
And you've seen I mean you've talked about Tulca Gabbard
and Bobby Kennedy and censorship they're all saying, wait a minute,
when did it get to the point where we can't talk,
where we can't have conversations like this was not JFK's
Democrat Party, and it wasn't hit Bobby Kennedy's father's Democrat party.
But it goes beyond that, I think, even in the

(08:55):
state of Michigan, because there have been a lot of
communities in this state, whether it is Northern Michigan, whether
it's the Upper Peninsula or Detroit or Flint or all
of these different communities that have been very forgotten when
it comes to critical rights. And I believe that that

(09:15):
education is truly a right that we say as a country,
we will provide education. And we have locked a lot
of kids of in Northern Michigan out of education because
of the lack of infrastructure there to have it. And
kids in Detroit have been locked out of education, and
the numbers show it, but nobody will talk about it.

Speaker 2 (09:32):
Why ooh, this is a subject that touches my heart.
You know, my dad always told me education is something
no one could take away from you. But our government
has and a lot of cases to people, and it's
absolutely terrible. We have kids that are stale either two
now maybe three to four years behind and cognitive reading

(09:55):
skills because of the fact that they were sitting at
home on a computer trying to do school instead of
we have we have young young, young, younger I call
them the one sixes that are still trying to understand
language skills because of the fact that they missed that
because people had things over their faces.

Speaker 3 (10:17):
Kids, young kids.

Speaker 2 (10:18):
They have to see the mouthing of words in order
to understand how to sound them.

Speaker 3 (10:25):
Right.

Speaker 2 (10:25):
This is if anyone that knows anything about basic language
skill development know that.

Speaker 3 (10:32):
Right.

Speaker 2 (10:33):
So we have those children, right, we also have the
children who are older. Right, They're there some cases they
are just they're meleal, least scarred is a good way.

Speaker 3 (10:46):
To say it. From everything that occurred.

Speaker 2 (10:48):
And then you have the manipulation of their minds inside
of some Michigan public schools to the point that it
has them questioning who.

Speaker 3 (11:00):
And what they are and this being allowed.

Speaker 2 (11:04):
I don't know what to say about this tutor, but
this this angers my heart. I you know I was
I you know, I taught as a I guess I
helped kids do a CT prep and many times through
Kaplan I have taught as a job professor inside of

(11:25):
Washingtot Community College to see education be weaponized like it has.

Speaker 3 (11:34):
And I was always a person that was never you know, school.

Speaker 2 (11:37):
Of twee and well, I should say charter schools, right,
I was not charter schools. I believed in the public
school system.

Speaker 3 (11:45):
Absolutely not any more.

Speaker 2 (11:47):
Parents need to have the right to make the decision
in regards to where it is that it's best to
educate their child. The trust inside of the public school system,
uh in.

Speaker 3 (11:58):
Large, has been lost, and I don't think is coming back.

Speaker 1 (12:01):
Let's take a quick commercial break. We'll continue next on
the Tutor Dixon podcast. We can't just allow the public
school system to crumble and to get away with sentencing
these kids to a life in prison. And that's really
what this is, because there's no question that the data

(12:21):
shows if you don't know how to read your chances,
your likelihood of ending up in prison is incredibly high.
And I hear people say Detroit has had this major comeback,
but I would like to argue Detroit just had the
largest mass shooting in the state's history in July and
nobody said anything about it. How do we not say
anything about this? And that I think goes back directly

(12:44):
to the fact that there is not opportunity for kids
who cannot read. And that's just a fact. People can say, oh,
that's not fair, whatever, it's a fact. There are certain facts.
And somebody I saw on social media said, you know,
if you're not willing to acknowledge a p then you
will never solve the problem. And I feel like that's
where we are with the public school system in in

(13:07):
the state of Michigan. We have declined so much. I
think we're forty third now in the nation. We've declined
so much in the last six years, thirteen thirteen places down,
and there's nobody saying this is not okay. How are
we going to get businesses here? I mean, really, when
you look at the economy, how do you get businesses
here when you have one of the highest state income
taxes in the country. How do you get businesses here

(13:29):
when you have property taxes highest we have? And how
do you get businesses here when the executives are going
to say, well, I'm not putting my kids in these schools.
These schools are horrible. And how do you get workers
to come? How do you get the working class to
engage in the state of Michigan if they have to
be home homeschooling their kids because the education system is
so bad and everybody wants their kids to have a chance.

(13:52):
It doesn't matter what community you're in. I do not
believe that these politicians think that there are certain communities like, oh,
I don't care about it education, Just do whatever you
want with my kids. Baloney.

Speaker 3 (14:03):
I think every community cares about education.

Speaker 2 (14:06):
I agree with you. I remember, maybe because you know
my age. I remember when I went to school and
Michigan was in the top ten of schools per seat
in the country. Right, this was just in the late seventies,
early eighties.

Speaker 3 (14:23):
So look how far we have declined.

Speaker 2 (14:25):
Right, We have children that cannot read at a third
grade level.

Speaker 3 (14:32):
And so what does that say.

Speaker 2 (14:34):
As they begin to grow and continue to manifest themselves
inside the society, if they cannot understand the meaning and
the comprehension behind words, what does that say?

Speaker 3 (14:46):
Well, I can tell you what it says.

Speaker 2 (14:47):
What it says is that eventually they're going to give up, right,
because they're not going to feel like, well, why should
I continue to keep doing this if I'm never going
to be able to understand it. Yes, and you are
segment them to prison or things of that nature, or
you segmenting them to be economically stressed the rest of
them of their lives. Right, And the fact that we

(15:10):
have an uncaring and I say this uncaring state legislature
which is controlled by the Democrats on both fans. Right,
we have an uncaring governor, right, Gretchen, I'm talking to you,
uncaring governor.

Speaker 3 (15:24):
It's just absolutely wild.

Speaker 2 (15:27):
They're so busy trying to run around, especially Gretchen, going
to get TikTok fame.

Speaker 3 (15:33):
Then she is about educating the children in our state?
What does that mean? Right?

Speaker 2 (15:38):
When I see, you know, some of the former Democrats
that I used to be aligned with, and just see
how they're acting, Dana, really, I mean, I endorsed you.
That's a convention. You asked me to endorse you. I
asked you to be a Frank Kelly ag. That's what

(15:59):
I ask for the endorsement. You have made it all
personal about you as the ag. You can put legend,
you can literally do memorandums in regards to our state
educational law, basically trying.

Speaker 3 (16:13):
To get it back on track as it relates to
our children. You haven't done anything. Why these things are these?

Speaker 2 (16:19):
These are the things that when you're talking about, you know,
why is it that people have left the party?

Speaker 3 (16:26):
These are why to your tutor, we see what's happening.

Speaker 1 (16:29):
Well, you know, it's interesting too, because I think that
oftentimes you can have the best intentions putting a law
in place, and the law doesn't actually have the intended effect,
or it has an unintended effect. And so we had
the third grade reading law, and we thought, well, okay,
now we won't pass students on the problem is that
a law only goes a law can only do so much.
A law doesn't actually teach kids. So they ended up

(16:51):
saying we're going to pass them anyway. We're going to
pass them anyway. Well, this past year they were like,
let's get rid of the third grade law. We're not
going to hold kids to reading it third grade. So
at this point you had a law in place. I
don't think it did what it's supposed to Obviously it
didn't do what it was supposed to do. But instead
of saying that didn't do what it was supposed to do,
we have to solve this problem, which is like, let's

(17:13):
get rid of it. So it's not so obvious that
is not a solution. I would say, also, another law
that was recently put into effect that I think will
hurt people and not solve the problem is the safe
storage law. And that is not because I am against
safe storage. I am for safe storage. But if you're
going to pass a law like that, why wouldn't you

(17:35):
tell people? Why wouldn't you have a massive campaign? Because
we do have a problem in this state where young
children get a hold of their parents, or their grandparents
or somebody's weapon that was not securely stored in their
home and they end up dying because of it. But
now we're putting people in jail after the fact, and
it hasn't stopped this from happening. Why can we not

(17:58):
step back and say, I've got to do something to
educate people about the danger of guns. We've got to
do something to educate people about the importance of reading.
I mean, there are so many things in this state
that I believe in. I believe in reading by third grade.
I believe in safe storage for your gun. But how
do we get there. Let's sit down and talk. Both

(18:20):
sides talk, Because I know the Democrats have different feelings
than I do, and I learn when they are willing
to talk to me, but they won't. I mean, I've
said multiple times now. A few weeks ago, I sat
down with some hair supporters who didn't know who I was,
and they gave me all of their different reasonings for
positions that they take, and I was like, you know,

(18:41):
I see where you're coming from. It's different when I
hear it from you because you won't normally speak to me.
But I think that we have got to come back together.

Speaker 3 (18:50):
Yes we do.

Speaker 2 (18:52):
So, you know, obviously the state has and this is
again a thorn at my side, the state has, you know,
mandated free school lunches for everyone, right, whether or not
you basically carry.

Speaker 3 (19:06):
Your own lunch, don't like your school lunch, or actually
need the lunch at.

Speaker 2 (19:09):
School, or you're rich yeah, or you're rich, they have
mandated free school lunch for everyone. Now it's like anywhere
estimated from a thirty five to forty percent waste of
lunch and also dollars that is.

Speaker 3 (19:22):
Attached to our tax dollars attached to that. Now, here's
what I'm wondering.

Speaker 2 (19:27):
Why didn't you mandate after school learning for everyone?

Speaker 3 (19:32):
Right? And means promised right, exactly right.

Speaker 2 (19:36):
After school learning in order to get kids caught up
in between the you know what they had learning loss? Right,
Why didn't you mandate that? Why didn't you put dollars
for that? Why didn't you provide transportation to get them
home after that?

Speaker 3 (19:51):
Why? Right? That could have been done. It easily could
have been done that you.

Speaker 2 (19:57):
Had after school learning, you know, provide it's the transportation
for kids to get home and have them catch up
on the reading comprehension skills, have them catch up on
the math skills.

Speaker 3 (20:09):
First of all, you got to get rid of the
common core.

Speaker 2 (20:11):
Math and go back to actual math, and that way
kids actually learn how to do math. But you know,
you have them catch up on socialization or better yet,
even social studies and things that are needed to know
about the society as a whole. I just think it
was absolutely just infuriating. So when you when they claim

(20:33):
they care about the education in the state, I'm sorry, tutor,
they do not. You have children who are as I
like to call i EP right i P, which is
individual education Personalization programs. Right, the kids with i EEP
that was supposed to.

Speaker 3 (20:52):
Have one on one.

Speaker 2 (20:55):
Studies with a special education professional during COVID they were
ignor right right.

Speaker 3 (21:01):
Okay, now I see.

Speaker 2 (21:03):
Them running around time about we need dours for special education.

Speaker 3 (21:06):
What how about you? Actually?

Speaker 2 (21:07):
I mean there still is a lack of special education
teachers inside the state because our economy is so bad
here young folks that probably could be special education teachers
are moving somewhere else, right, So you know it is
what's some millage on that this on the side, I
just have to ask, I really do.

Speaker 1 (21:23):
Stay tuned for more of my interview with Monica Ross Williams,
but first let me tell you more about my partners
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(22:26):
and give at eight eight eight four eight eight IFCJ.
That's eight eight eight four eight eight four three two five.
Now there's going to be more of the Tutor Diiction
podcast coming up right after this. I think special education,
I think the tutoring program we desperately needed. I think
the mental health facilities that we desperately need, and drug

(22:50):
addiction facilities that we desperately need. I mean, as a country,
we have got to start saying we have a drug
addiction problem. And if you have a drug addiction, there
is no place for you to go in this country,
not just in Michigan. There is no unless you are
a rich person, you cannot get off drugs. It is
so hard to find a rehab center and I'm so
sick and tired of that. When I hear people say, oh,

(23:11):
Detroit has had this great comeback, I'm like, for the
for the rich white elites. Yeah, oh yeah, because they'll
go into certain places of Detroit middle Oh it's so beautiful,
how wonderful. And yet they continue to allow the youth
of Detroit to go uneducated. It is criminal. It's like,
how could you. I can think of nothing more arrogant

(23:34):
than going, look at how beautiful it is. It is
only beautiful for you.

Speaker 3 (23:38):
And so as a as a farmer student.

Speaker 2 (23:41):
Because at one point in time my parents got divorced,
I actually went to Detroit public schools. I actually went
to McFarland Elementary School. I went to Durfy Middle School.
Both of those schools are no longer there by the way,
you know, I remember the education that I got inside
the again or eighties. I first learned how to play

(24:02):
a violin, believe it or not, in Detroit public schools,
right because I had a music class in the fifth
grade and we actually learned how to play violins. It
hurts me when I go down to the areas that
I used to live at in the city of Detroit,
which is off of Livinois and Dexter in that area.

(24:24):
It hurts me to see those communities so tore up
like they are. You know, down Livnois used to have shops, right,
I'm talking about in the Dexter area, used to have
shops like mom and pop shops.

Speaker 3 (24:36):
Right.

Speaker 2 (24:37):
I remember this little ice cream shop that was right
across the street from Central High School where Durfy was
at and we used to always go in there and
get the ice cream and the candy before you got
ready to go to school, before you know, walked across
the street to go to school. It's gone. You can't
even see that anymore. All I mean, you got tall grass.
You have a lot of depression, right, that's what you have.

(24:58):
You have depression with in those areas.

Speaker 3 (25:01):
And that does not work help fundamental environment.

Speaker 2 (25:07):
Right, Well, you want to do to have success. I mean,
it's still say it.

Speaker 1 (25:12):
I mean, you see the legislature giving massive amounts of
taxpayer money to the big developers in Detroit, and they're like, look,
you know, Dan Gilbert is going to build this huge
building and it's going to build up Detroit. But the
community needs to be able to build up itself. The
regulation that has gone into Detroit has made it almost
impossible to open one of those mom and pop shops

(25:34):
and a nearly impossible to keep it open. The taxes
in Detroit are higher than any place out in this state,
and it is more expensive. The inflation has gone up
in Detroit, higher than any other city in the state.
So how did they say that they have taken care
of Detroit? And then, to add insult to injury, the
Democrats in the legislature this year said they believe that

(25:57):
they should put a tax on entertainment in only Detroit.

Speaker 2 (26:01):
Oh my god, you're trying to literally just, you know,
honestly harm Detroit. I mean, I'm not going to go
to Detraye if I have to pay a tax when
I can go to Canton Nova love oon ya. You know,
I'm just basically putting it out there. If I have
to pay more for whatever I'm doing in the city

(26:22):
of Detroit, then that's going to make me go elsewhere.
You know. It's almost like the same thing I avoid
in Arvord the same way.

Speaker 3 (26:29):
Right.

Speaker 2 (26:29):
There was used to be a time now I used
to go down to the Grotzias. I love the grass seas.
Me and my daughter once a year we would have
our grotzy meal, right. I don't even go down to
the in Arvor anymore. First of all, the driving trying
to get there is too much stuff on the road.
It's too many distractions. It's not welcoming.

Speaker 3 (26:45):
So in other words, basically, what you're trying to do
is make Detroit not welcoming to a whole bunch of
people that don't want to pay a tax in order
to enjoy the entertainment of the trade.

Speaker 2 (26:57):
I mean, it's I'll understand. I think they are bored
up in lancing, right, and they's like, okay.

Speaker 3 (27:02):
Whatever it is.

Speaker 1 (27:03):
Well, you have a full time legislature.

Speaker 2 (27:05):
They want to make way too much, which is way
too much. I'm in favor of a part time legislature.
I am because of I used to do a podcast
and I covered what they did up in lancing. Most
of the time. They're not needed up in lancing, right,
I'm just being real. They're not They're not needed up
in lancing. Most of them only work on average three days,

(27:27):
maybe two. This is being real, right, So if you
worked on the average three to two days, wouldn't that
be a part time job for you?

Speaker 3 (27:34):
Tittor right?

Speaker 1 (27:35):
Yeah, exactly.

Speaker 3 (27:36):
I'm just accent well.

Speaker 1 (27:38):
But the point you make about not wanting to go
into Detroit or not wanting to go into ann Arbor.
This is one thing that I think is key for
the entire state. Michigan's a beautiful state. A lot of
people don't realize if you're outside of Michigan. I had
a guy come one time and we were in Holland
and he was like, I love this town. It's so cute.
I don't understand all of the lighthouses. That seems a

(27:59):
little in the Midwest. And I'm like, you go a
mile down the street and you're going to be at
the beach. What are you talking about the beach. I'm like,
we have skiing, we have beaches, we have great cities,
we have shopping there are it's the state of Michigan
is so diverse and it's so beautiful. It's so stunny.
I mean, from Macana Island to Detroit to West Michigan.

(28:21):
I just think that this is the most beautiful state
in the entire country. And that's the beauty of having
people come and visit. Just like Florida has their visitors
pay their taxes, Michigan can do the same. You can't
tax the visitors to the point where they won't come.
That's a problem. You want them to come to your state,
so they spend all the money, and as they're spending money,

(28:43):
you are taking sales tax and all of that. And
eventually your visitors pay your taxes for you and your
members of community, your citizens will no longer have to
pay income tax. I mean, there are ways to do this.
There's a great there is a phenomenal hunting community here.
It has been that the other side has tried and

(29:03):
tried to shut down hunting in the state of Michigan.
Hunting is a billion dollar industry that could bring so
much money into the state and again, pay the taxes
for the people in Western Michigan, pay the taxes for
the people in Detroit, pay the taxes for the people downriver,
all of these people who are paying so much money,
and it's not going to our kids, it's going to billionaires.

(29:25):
That's the other thing that blows my mind. I'm like,
we this year we took away school safety funding where they.

Speaker 2 (29:32):
Absolutely crazy, and then they sat there and we had
a major shooting at MSU campus, right and they cried
about it, especially Gretchen again, I call you by your
first name because we know each other. So basically, she
cried about it, right, she cried about it.

Speaker 3 (29:49):
Tina cried about it, you know. Jocelyn was over in
a corner crying.

Speaker 1 (29:53):
Lissa Sluckin came out and cried about it.

Speaker 2 (29:55):
Yeah, Melissa Slacklin was crying too. And then they take
away school safety funding? What type of what.

Speaker 1 (30:04):
In Oxford just to two years before that?

Speaker 3 (30:07):
Right, That's what I'm saying. It's like, make it makes sense, right,
I mean, what are you talking about?

Speaker 2 (30:13):
You talk out of one end and then something else
completely comes out of another, and then you wonder why
folks are migrating away from your party. Then you wonder
why you know, I'll just say it, African American Democrats
are for former because I'm not anymore former.

Speaker 3 (30:32):
African American Democrats like myself are like, we're done, right,
you know what it may only be about.

Speaker 2 (30:39):
I've disgustimate anywhere from like maybe eleven to fifteen percent
of us, but every vote matters, and so even if
it's eleven to fifteen percent of us, when it comes down.

Speaker 3 (30:51):
To it, that's a lot. And so when we move towards.

Speaker 2 (30:55):
If this election, whatever happens in this election, obviously I'm
supporting and endorsing Donald Trump and JD. Van Swin, but
if they actually do it, trust me that trickle is
going to become like a faucet running because it's like
we're tired.

Speaker 3 (31:12):
The people of the state Tutor are tired.

Speaker 2 (31:15):
I see so many people living on the edge of
thirteen fourteen hundred dollars a month. You know, you make
a dollar over and now they're cutting off your food stamps.
And now they're basically telling you you're medicaid you need
to have a we want to talk about spin downs.
You got to pay anywhere from six hundred to twenty

(31:38):
six hundred dollars a month before you get Medicaid.

Speaker 3 (31:41):
And these people are like, how about to do this?
I mean I can't.

Speaker 2 (31:43):
Even barely afford groceries. I can't barely afford my rent.
I can't afford to, you know, my car insurance. And
they're saying what I mean. I I work in these communities.
I see the panic in people's eyes, you know, when
they're getting these letters, right, and.

Speaker 3 (32:00):
It's just like, come on, don't tell me you care,
because you don't.

Speaker 2 (32:05):
You're not trying to solve any problems, you're trying to
exacerbate the problems.

Speaker 3 (32:09):
That way, you have people continuously dependent on you.

Speaker 2 (32:13):
That's what you want, And they cannot tell me, Gretch, Gretchen,
Dana Jocelyn cannot tell me, and that state legislature cannot
tell me.

Speaker 3 (32:23):
That is not their autimate goal. It is.

Speaker 1 (32:25):
Well, I will I want to go back really quickly
to what you said about the school shootings because in
this state, I think that we're probably the only state
that's had two major school shootings so close together, and
then on top of that, had the legislature cut school
safety funding also the state police in twenty eighteen when

(32:45):
Gretchen was running. Right as she was elected in twenty nineteen,
they brought her a plan for school safety. It was
not implemented. Had it been implemented, likely Oxford would not
have happened, is what the prediction is. There has still
that still has not been impled. There still is no
discussion on that. For as much as people come out
and cry and use every tragedy for political advantage, when

(33:07):
they actually have the power to do something about they don't.
And the reason it's very serious for me is as
I was campaigning one of the girls and I will
never forget this, and I kept this. One of the
girls whose best friend was killed in the Oxford shooting.
She came to me and she handed me a piece
of paper and she said, I've tried to talk to

(33:28):
everybody in government about this, and she had drawn out
a memorial statue for her friends from Oxford, and she said,
if you become governor, I'm asking that just a little
money be put aside to put this at our school.
And it struck me so hard because I thought, not
only did those kids lose someone, but in our community

(33:49):
we had two kids that committed suicide because of COVID.
There were multiple suicides across this state. And when you
talk about the fact that our kids are hurting, it
is such a deep it's such a deeper hurt than
we ever knew growing up. The stresses that they have
on them today, whether it is social media or a
pandemic or a school shooting, the stresses are so much

(34:12):
more serious for them, and there's no one really recognizing this,
and instead we pull the money. And the money was
pulled not only for school safety, but also for mental health.
And so I say, how do these people go out
in campaign on I mean they're saying that, you know,
Republicans love this, they want this to happen. Bolooney, Boloney,

(34:33):
do you think any of us? I worry every day
when my kids go to school and every it is
a constant thought in my head. How do we solve
this problem? How do we solve this problem? You know
how many people have told me there's no solution for this.
There's no solution for educating kids in Detroit. There's no solution. Baloney.
I refuse to believe it.

Speaker 2 (34:50):
I don't believe that there are solutions, you know, But
we have to get real about the conversations.

Speaker 3 (34:55):
We can't be over and under talking it.

Speaker 2 (34:58):
We have to go straight on on to what are
the problems and what are the tangible solutions to these problems?
What type of solutions can be done. We can't just
basically ignore it. You know, That's what the Democratic Party
is doing. They're ignoring the issues at hand. I mean,

(35:19):
first of all, why is it that a memorial hasn't
been done for their kids at Oxford?

Speaker 3 (35:25):
Right?

Speaker 2 (35:26):
It's not that much and it's not that expensive to do, right,
Why couldn't money be allocated aside in our large state
budget for a fifty thousand dollars memorial.

Speaker 1 (35:39):
Why these kids were still in school?

Speaker 3 (35:41):
Right? Exactly?

Speaker 1 (35:42):
You know?

Speaker 3 (35:43):
I mean what makes that not a priority?

Speaker 2 (35:46):
Right? What makes it not a priority to provide mental
health counseling for children who have had traumatic injuries to
their minds?

Speaker 3 (35:59):
What?

Speaker 2 (36:00):
And that means we got to do COVID and beyond?
I mean pretty much, we got to do this. This
is something that's deep, right. Why is it the priorities
are only whatever is a hot button issue at the moment,
and we're not basically getting down to the tangibles.

Speaker 3 (36:15):
Why is that?

Speaker 2 (36:15):
I don't know. Well, I can tell you what I
believe is because the care is not there. And when
you don't care, when it's all about you and your
ego tutor and all about what's going to get you
possibly going to the maybe a candidacy for president one day,
then that's what your concern is. And your concerned is

(36:36):
not nothing else but that, Gretchen.

Speaker 1 (36:40):
I mean, I one hundred percent agree with you, and
I think that's we've been a victim of that in
our state on both sides. I will say, on both sides,
I've seen it on both sides, and I will be
the first to tell you I will call out corruption
on both sides. I've seen it. It's shocking. Actually, I
had no idea before I ran for office. I'd been
in the conservative movement so long and I've had this

(37:02):
like maybe Pollyanna view of people run for office because
they want to serve you. It's a service position. And
then I got into it. I'm like, oh my goodness.
There are so many people players on both sides, and
they are playing a game. That's what it is. But
if you think about the way government is set up,
the representatives are to come together so that you can

(37:23):
sit down with the person from Detroit. You can sit
down with the person from Marquette, you can sit down
with the person from Alpina, and you all sit together
and you go, what, I don't live where you live,
So tell me about where you live. That has fallen
by the wayside, and it's time to bring that back
because that is the way that we bring our state
back together. And we recruit businesses to come to all

(37:46):
corners of our state. Because if we diversify and we
bring business here, and we bring visitors here, and we
show off our beautiful state. Then we are going to
be in a financially better situation, and ultimately that puts
money back into the pockets of the people. The more
money people take home, the more willing they are to
come and live and build homes and all of that.
You know that. But I just think that there's a

(38:07):
huge opportunity.

Speaker 3 (38:09):
It is a huge opportunity.

Speaker 2 (38:10):
And you know, first things first, I think we have
to reform and our state government. I'm I'm a believer,
especially after seeing the candidacy of Robert F. Kennedy, that
we have to reform state government on local levels right particularly,
I'm still trying to figure out why our partisan Why

(38:30):
are local elections partisan?

Speaker 3 (38:33):
Right?

Speaker 2 (38:34):
I think local elections should be about serving the people,
not serving a party. So in that case, then all
local elections, whether they're you know, city, county, village, those
need to be nonpartisan, right, the let the best candidates win.
I think that goes a long way. As it relates

(38:54):
to the state government. Oh boy, that needs so much
major reform, especially in the state legislature.

Speaker 3 (39:00):
It just really does.

Speaker 2 (39:01):
Right, you don't have it's almost like the part if
you're not in power, right, then the other party is
just sitting there collecting the paycheck.

Speaker 3 (39:10):
Well, then why do we have them there? If we can't.

Speaker 2 (39:13):
Better reform the state government to allow for equal or
somewhat equal representation of the people who are actually.

Speaker 3 (39:22):
In state government, then we have a problem. Oh, ethic laws.

Speaker 2 (39:26):
Why don't we have ethics laws actually follow in the
state of Michigan. You know, when you go on the
other side and you talk about that, you know, one
of the things I was gravely against was the legalization
of marijuana.

Speaker 3 (39:39):
Why because I knew that it was a setup. Right.

Speaker 2 (39:43):
We had Republicans on that side that was pushing it.
We had Democrats on that side that was pushing it
in communities like where I live at, which is you know,
ipslanting it Plying township. Right. Oh yeah, there's plenty of dispensaries. Right,
but where's where's the money coming back in the communities
as a result of that. I mean, everyone knew in
the legislation it was only going to be point I'm sorry,

(40:06):
one point five percent of that money coming back to
local communities.

Speaker 3 (40:09):
Oh they were going to get rich, I mean you know,
I mean, yeah, they were going to just really get rich.

Speaker 2 (40:14):
No, it was never about that, right, and so now
as a causation of that, we have our kids that
are on very high THC chemically also altered cannabis, and
then we wonder why there are mental health effects afterwards.
I mean, we need so much reform tutor. It's it's

(40:36):
we really need to have it. But I do believe
that it begins locally. And it begins also and I
know this is a controversial subject. You know, to open
up a bit of the state constitution in nineteen sixty
three and make it a more of have it to
be more modern for today's times, because it's like I'm
telling you, it's too many edges that has been use

(41:00):
and manipulate it inside of our state government in order
not to serve the people.

Speaker 1 (41:04):
Well, I think that those ballot initiatives have been about
staying in power. They haven't been about what's best for
the people. It's been about staying in power. And I
mean both sides are like, what can we do, What
can the next ballot initiative be that will drive voters?
How do we drive voters. It's never about well, this
is a really good change for the people. It's about
driving voters. And so ultimately, yeah, I agree with you.

(41:27):
I think that there are cultural shifts. And that's like
I said when I said, sometimes you see the unintended
consequences of a law. That that's what you can go
back and look at. Does this law make sense? Has
this law impacted us for the better? Has going into
private businesses and telling them we're going to now take

(41:48):
over your vacation time? What the state's going to take
over paid time off in our businesses? How are we
going to get businesses to come to the state of Michigan.
And I think also you have young people in the
legislature who are they are right minded? You know, they
want to help people, whether on both sides of the aisle,
they're there for the right reason because they want to help.

(42:11):
They have not thought through all of the consequences. And
that's where a leader comes in and says, look, I've
been in a small business here. Let me ask you
to look at it this way and tell me how
you think that works out for the business. And how
do you convince other businesses to come if they have
to abide by this now stringent law where you have
government inside of your business. And I do believe that

(42:31):
most people are reasonable and they would talk it through,
but you don't have a leader. You don't have a leader.
I haven't seen a true leader in the state in
a very, very long time. And I know I've taken
more of your time than I said I would. It's
been fascinating talking to you. I would love to stay
in touch because I think there's so much that we
can learn and share with other people and just share

(42:53):
about our communities across the state and move toward a
positive outcome for all people.

Speaker 2 (42:59):
Well, I think that so very important. And I'll just say,
as someone who did vote for you, right, thank you
with you because I saw that debate and I saw
the passion and the cared that you were putting for
michiganiers right. It was obvious that you care deeply about
our state and our state's future. You know, obviously you're

(43:20):
probably not going to say anything, and I wouldn't expect
you to, but I'll tell you, I hope you run again.

Speaker 3 (43:25):
I hope you run again.

Speaker 1 (43:26):
Thank you, Thank you. That is very encouraging. I will
say that We've had a few people say that, and
it means a lot. It really does. I mean, it
is a hard thing to do, but I definitely have
the passion to take care of the people of the
state and to serve them, and so someday I hope
I will serve them. And I appreciate your vote. And
if I ever run again, I hope I'll have your

(43:47):
vote again. Oh definitely, thank you. Thank you so much,
Monica Ross Williams, thank you for being on. I'd love
to have you back sometime.

Speaker 3 (43:54):
Thank you. You have a great day.

Speaker 1 (43:56):
Absolutely you two, and thank you all for joining us
on the Tutor Dick and podcasts. As always for this episode.
In others, you go to tutordixonpodcast dot com or the
iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts
and join us next time on the Tutor Dixon Podcast.
Have a blessed day.

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