The state Department of Corrections will cut back on patrols outside its prison walls and change the job classifications of some corrections officers next month to save an estimated $25 million a year. But the head of the union representing the nearly 8,000 corrections officers complained those moves could make the prisons less safe, while […]
Michigan Government
Citizens cannot do their job of running their government if they don’t know what their public servants are doing.
Posted inMichigan Government
Guest post: The inhumanity of for-profit prisons
By Shelia Bedi/Southern Poverty Law Center Before Michigan legislators send inmates to a GEO Group operated prison, I urge them to consider Mississippi’s experience with the nation’s second largest private prison operator. Mississippi’s Walnut Grove Youth Facility was known for its violent and corrupt culture – a culture perpetuated by facility management and staff. As […]
Posted inMichigan Government
All hail our robotic car overlords!
We all remember the dumb things we did behind the wheels as teens. And parents can regale any cocktail party with stories of what their teenagers are doing behind the wheel today. So, I doubt there will be much opposition to Senate Bill 756, Sen. Howard Walker’s bid to change the traffic code to bar […]
Posted inMichigan Government
Legislature + lobbyists is a match made with money
Willie Sutton reputedly said he robbed banks because that’s where the money was. Freshmen lawmakers new to the ways and means of Lansing find the same principle applies when replenishing their campaign accounts mere weeks after taking the oath. Where the money is for that purpose can be a quick step across the street from […]
Posted inMichigan Government
Michigan 'weak' in lobbying oversight
Two relatively narrow economic interests come to Michigan’s Legislature seeking movement on issues that have tied the place up in knots for years. The primary argument of both lobbying efforts to a House and Senate dominated by Republicans is that consumers deserve choice from among the options free and open markets can provide. Other interests […]
Posted inMichigan Government
Highland Park school crisis divides Democrats, Republicans
In late February, the Highland Park School District faced the prospect of not being able to pay its staff, even though the district receives higher than average per-pupil funding: about $14,000. The district had been spending an even larger amount, about $16,000 per student, and was out of money and options. In a matter of […]
Posted inMichigan Government
Loose rules allow lobbyists to fatten lawmakers
When it comes to ethics guidelines, or ordering off the menu, the Michigan Legislature has long set a low bar for itself. Other states bar lobbyists from buying meals and drinks for lawmakers. Others set limits on how much food and beverage a lawmaker can accept from a lobbyist in a single setting — $50 in […]
Posted inMichigan Government
The people who want to serve
The Michigan State University Political Leadership Program selects interested citizens for training in how to help their neighbors as public servants. It’s a highly successful endeavor. For example, the PLP reports that around half of its graduates are serving or have served in elective or appointed positions around the state. The PLP just announced its […]
Posted inMichigan Government
Dollars many; delegates few
CFM Chairman Phil Power was riffing today in his weekly column about the growing role of big-bucks contributors on the campaign process. The boss is not going to like the latest news out of the Michigan Campaign Finance Network: “First quarter television advertising in Michigan related to the 2012 presidential election stands at $7.6 million. […]
Posted inMichigan Government
Are private prisons Mich.'s cost savior?
Michigan has shrunk its prison population by more than 7,000 inmates since 2006. Nevertheless, the state’s prison system continues to consume more than 20 percent of the state’s general fund budget. Now, some legislators are considering whether shipping some of the state’s 43,000 inmates to a private prison would, finally, make a dent in Michigan’s […]
You must be logged in to post a comment.