Jeffrey Polet

In Detroit, they paved Paradise Valley, and put up I-375. The people who lived in the way? Collateral damage, as always. Why can't we consider the human cost of coddling the car?

There’s nothing like a powerful steel chariot to make a person feel strong, free — and rude.

Grandparents vote, and politicians know it. That’s why older people get far more attention from policy-makers. Younger ones would be wise to remember this.

Make all the jokes about “none of the above” you want, but if you really hold your beliefs true, it’s difficult to make some choices in the voting booth.

Where did you grow up? It may be a bubble, but it’s a Grover’s Corners, too, full of lives worthy of respect and attention.

It’s patriotism season. A few thoughts on how this seemingly simple emotion is far more complex than we might think.

Here’s a revolutionary concept for education: It isn’t, and shouldn’t, be just about “college and career readiness.” Maybe it should just be about itself.

This local isn’t popping popcorn for a movie set in west Michigan, given how other towns have fared at the hands of Hollywood.

Heroes or sacred cows? Police and firefighters do important jobs, but their mythology can make it difficult to be realistic about their costs and benefits.

Want a closer neighborhood? Ditch the expensive sidewalk snowplow and clear your own walks. And your neighbors’. (Photo by Flickr user Simon Law; used under Creative Commons license) It comes in the night, disrupts our sleep, blocks the driveway and rips the grass, and leaves in its wake what it touches at its point. I […]