By Doug Rothwell/Business Leaders for Michigan The pizza guy, the office furniture guy, the chemistry guy … they have more in common than you know. The leaders of Michigan’s Domino’s Pizza, Steelcase and Dow are coming together to talk about higher education. Their conversation is urgent and critical, because they all are challenged with finding […]
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 inGuest Commentary
Will personal property tax tug-of-war drag cities into the mud?
Legislation that would phase out Michigan’s personal property tax — essentially a business equipment levy — on industrial and commercial property is working its way through the Michigan Senate. The repeal is strongly backed by business groups such as the Michigan Chamber of Commerce and manufacturers. It is just as strongly opposed by alliances of […]
Posted inGuest Commentary
Guest column: Early childhood efforts need more than office equipment
By Jack Kresnak/Michigan’s Children A new report on the nation’s efforts to provide quality early learning shows Michigan was one of the few states to increase preschool funding last year. The bad news: We still serve only 18 percent of 4-year-olds and no 3-year-olds, putting Michigan in the bottom half of states in accessibility to […]
Posted inGuest Commentary
Guest column: Traditional polling worthless in predicting ballot-proposal votes
By Mark Grebner/Practical Political Consulting Inc. Some polls prove to be right on the money, while a few miss by five or even 10 points. But some polls that aren’t worth anything at all: The ones that try to predict how a ballot proposal will fare with the voters. When the final pre-election poll published […]
Posted inMichigan Government
See where personal property tax hits
Bills that would lead to the elimination of the personal property tax for almost all Michigan businesses are now before the Michigan Legislature. Business groups have expressed strong support for PPT repeal, arguing the levy on business equipment makes Michigan less competitive. A coalition of local government and school groups says the plan by the Snyder administration could strip hundreds of millions of dollars from local governments. The administration says most of those dollars will be replaced by state funds appropriated by the Legislature each year.
Posted inMichigan Government
Guest column: Parolable lifers are safe to release; expensive to keep
By Paul D. Reingold/University of Michigan Law School In the public debate over how to save money in corrections, one group is consistently overlooked — the roughly 850 “parolable lifers” who are eligible for release. Paroling just half of them could save about $16 million a year. And the risk to the public would be […]
Posted inTalent & Education
Is the state retreating from public education?
In coming weeks, the Michigan Legislature will finish work on Michigan’s fiscal 2013 budget — including funding out of the state’s School Aid Fund to local public schools. In today’s 42North debate, Glenn Nelson and Brit Satchwell of Ann Arbor argue that Gov. Rick Snyder’s 2013 (and 2014) budget plans continue a harmful policy of […]
Posted inQuality of Life
Michigan's map of LUST
There are approximately 9,100 underground storage tanks in Michigan (LUSTs in environmental parlance) leaking fuel into the surrounding soils and water. While more than 13,000 such sites have been cleaned up over the years, Michigan’s current backlog is the second-largest in the nation. Half of the current sites fall under the responsibility of the state — and the […]
Posted inMichigan Government
Guest column: Real truth in sentencing could save really big prison dollars
By Richard Stapleton/Citizens Alliance on Prisons and Public Spending Ultimately, the least expensive prisoner is one who isn’t there. While the prison population has dropped by about 8,000 over the last five years, the Michigan Department of Corrections’ projections anticipate no further decline. But the projections assume the status quo on policies. Those assumptions can […]
Posted inMichigan Government
Gov. Bill Milliken: Too good — and steely — to fail
By Craig Ruff William G. Milliken marked his 90th birthday on March 26. He became Michigan’s governor in 1969 when Gov. George Romney was appointed to the U.S. Cabinet. Milliken served as governor through 1982. During his tenure, Michigan moved to the forefront on a variety of reforms, among them passage of open meetings and […]