By Daniel Heyns/Michigan Department of Corrections I know for the past several years the Center for Michigan has been an active participant in the dialogue surrounding lowering corrections costs in Michigan. The Center facilitated the creation of the Corrections Reform Coalition — a collection of business, education, local government and nonprofit groups focused on enhancing […]
Bridge Staff
Bridge’s mission is to inform Michigan citizens about their state, amplify their views and explore the challenges of our civic life.
Posted inSuccess
A day at the Jordan Valley Glassworks
Jay Bavers’ Russian grandfather first taught the East Jordan glassblower the details of the craft. At Jordan Valley Glassworks, glassblowing remains a family affair, as Bavers and co-owner Glenna Haney rely on assistance from Bavers’ wife, daughter, son and grandson. Jordan Valley has been going for 14 years and, despite a recent dip due to […]
Posted inGuest Commentary
Guest column: Replace expensive, unreliable wind power with natural gas
By Kevon Martis/ Interstate Informed Citizen’s Coalition Michigan voters recently defeated a renewable energy mandate by a nearly 2 to 1 margin. Since Michiganders desire cheap, clean, abundant electricity, should we try again to mandate higher percentages of renewable energy? Or is there a wiser path? Industrial wind facilities are similar to that disappointing Christmas […]
Posted inMichigan Government
Gun bill questions go unanswered
Why? Why would a young man enter a school and kill 20 children and the adults who sought to protect them? What, if anything, can be done to stop America’s recurring nightmare with public massacres at the hands of crazed shooters. Those are nearly universal questions across America now. Questions made even more timely in Michigan with […]
Posted inGuest Commentary
Guest column: Getting serious about ‘Agenda 21’
By Brad Garmon/Michigan Environmental Council Depending on where you hang your political hat, United Nations Agenda 21’s environmental recommendations represent one of two things. It could be the playbook of a shadowy global elite working to achieve total “global control,” in the words of former Fox News provocateur Glenn Beck. This is a commonly held […]
Posted inGuest Commentary
Guest column: Flashing yellow turn lights improve driver safety
By James Lake/Michigan Department of Transportation The flashing yellow arrow left-turn signal is becoming more common on Michigan roads. If you haven’t seen one on your travels yet, you will soon. As with anything new, however, the flashing yellow arrow can be a bit confusing at first. But, as drivers encounter them more often, and […]
Posted inBusiness Watch
RTW law and referendum just won’t mix
Michigan is one of 24 states where the public can pass judgment on the work of their elected representatives via the power of referendum. But just as Superman’s foes found kryptonite could neutralize him, Michigan legislators have found their way to neutralize the referendum. The majorities backing Right to Work legislation included a $1 million […]
Posted inBusiness Watch
Right to Work bills won't touch State Police
Thousands of union workers converged on Lansing Tuesday to protest the passage of Right to Work legislation. They stood on a Capitol grounds well-populated with Michigan State Police troopers – troopers who, ironically, are not only unionized themselves, but insulated from the current debate due to a constitutional provision. A spokesman for MSP declined Tuesday […]
Posted inBusiness Watch
Right to Work bills revamp how courts handle challenges to them
In September, an Ingham County Circuit Court judge ruled against a state law backed by Gov. Rick Snyder and the Republican legislative majority to require state employees to make an additional payment to their pension plan. It’s not the first time that an Ingham County judge has ruled against the state as part of that […]
Posted inGuest Commentary
Guest column: NY Times flubs Mich. tax breaks
By Tim Bartik/ W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research Louise Story, an investigative reporter for The New York Times, recently wrote a three-part series on state business incentives. The series was accompanied by a new database, which reports annual dollar figures for business incentives for each state. This database reports that Michigan’s business incentives total […]
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