What COVID Teaches Us About Democratic Governance

In this episode

Faced with a common threat – a deadly novel virus – we have had trouble uniting behind public health measures to reduce its spread. In this episode, our guests talk about the lessons they learned from the politics of COVID-19 – from vaccines and voting to polarization and partisan outrage. How strong is our democracy? Can we overcome the legacies of racism? Is it possible to cultivate public virtue?

See the Kaiser Family Foundation’s COVID19 Vaccine Monitor Dashboard for data on COVID deaths and vaccinations based on socio-economic and political factors.

This episode was recorded on June 3, 2021.

LISTEN 01:00

Host

Victoria Vuletich, J.D., is a public speaker, corporate trainer, consultant and coach focusing on ethics and professionalism. Her company, Ethics², LLC, equips individuals and organizations with practical, helpful ethics tools for navigating today’s complex world. A lawyer by training, she has extensive and unique experience in professional ethics and its connection to individual and societal wellness. She is a Distinguished Emeritus Professor at Western Michigan University Cooley Law School, and, for 10 years, she was the Deputy Division Director/staff attorney to the Professional Standards Division of the State Bar of Michigan. She is a board member of WMU’s Center for the Study of Ethics in Society.

 

 

 

 

 

 Guest

Devin Schindler has written extensively on a variety of constitutional law Issues. He has had more than 300 media appearances on a variety of platforms, including The New York Times, Reuters, Time magazine and National Public Radio. Before joining the full-time faculty of the Western Michigan University Cooley Law School in May 2007, Schindler was a partner with the law firm of Warner, Norcross & Judd, in Grand Rapids, where he specialized in constitutional litigation and health-care reform. While practicing, he was named a "Superlawyer" by The Detroit News and was also named as one of "The Best Lawyers in America" in health-care law. He has served on several committees dedicated to providing free legal services to individuals living in poverty, including the State Bar of Michigan's Pro Bono Service Committee. He is a Distinguished Emeritus Professor at Western Michigan University Cooley Law School.