* A new analysis by the Senate Fiscal Agency says, “During 2013, both the U.S. and Michigan economies are expected to expand at a slightly slower rate than during 2012. Both the U.S. and Michigan economies are forecast to exhibit both income and employment growth during 2013, although Michigan is expected to grow more slowly […]
Derek Melot
Derek Melot is a former assistant editorial page editor, columnist and reporter at the Lansing State Journal, where he covered state and local issues extensively, earning awards from the Associated Press and Michigan Press Association. The Oklahoma native moved to Michigan in 1999, and served as Bridge editor through mid-2013.
Posted inLand O Links
Land O Links — Gun data edition
This is the 100th edition of Land O Links. Thanks for reading. By the way, readers can send suggestions for links to dmelot@bridgemi.com. We are looking for the interesting, informative and, occasionally, odd. Today brings another round-up focused on the unfortunate No. 1 topic around the land — firearms. * Do concealed weapon laws result in […]
Posted inLand O Links
Land O Links
* Regardless of where you stand on gun control, isn’t it always better to do the actual research on an issue? “Now, a huge problem when delving into gun safety research, as I wrote about in July, is that Congress has suppressed, and in some cases explicitly outlawed, the use of government funds to research gun […]
Posted inBusiness Watch
What you need to know about Legislature's 'lame-duck' session
A post-election headline in Bridge summarized expectations for an “active” “lame duck” session of the Legislature. We didn’t know the half of it. Ending at 4:30 a.m. last Friday, the Michigan Legislature passed almost 300 bills in the holiday season, including fundamental changes in how Michigan handles unions, business taxes, abortion regulation, welfare limits and even […]
Posted inMichigan Government
Snyder veto sought on gun-zone changes
School, religious and hospital leaders plan to continue their opposition to pending changes to Michigan’s concealed weapon law this week by asking Gov. Rick Snyder to veto Senate Bill 59. That bill, passed in the last hours of the recent “lame-duck” legislative session, would allow certified concealed weapon permit holders to carry weapons into schools […]
Posted inLand O Links
Land O Links
* Michigan is No. 15 among the states for its reliance on coal to produce electricity, according to these figures. While Michigan voters rejected a constitutional amendment to mandate a greater use of renewable energy sources for electric power, the trend is toward less coal. And Michigan is far from alone on that front, as […]
Posted inLand O Links
Land O Links — RTW edition
Michigan’s dash to become the 24th Right to Work state — and the physical and political turmoil in Lansing last week surrounding it — drew plenty of attention from the national media. * In “Rick Snyder, Michigan’s reluctant union-buster,” Alec MacGillis of The New Republic wrote, “For now, we’re left with Rick Snyder, the Hamlet of […]
Posted inLand O Links
Land O Links
* The New York Times, in a national review of business tax breaks, focused on Michigan’s star-crossed film incentive program: “As the ‘Oz’ shoot was under way, Pontiac moved on to its third emergency manager, Louis Schimmel, and he was not a fan of incentives. A former municipal bond analyst, Mr. Schimmel spent decades warning Michigan […]
Posted inLand O Links
Land O Links
“It is not power that corrupts, but fear; fear of losing power corrupts those who wield it, and fear of the scourge of power corrupts those who are subject to it” — Aung San Suu Kyi, Burmese democracy activist and Noble Prize winner. * How well does Michigan do versus other states in public investing? […]
Posted inTalent & Education
Land O Links
* The Nation rounds up data on why U.S. children struggle in comparisons with youth in other industrialized nations: “In one long-term study of roughly 200 children born into poverty in Minnesota, the quality of the mother-child relationship during the first three and a half years of life strongly predicted whether the child would drop […]