Phil's Column

If we’re going to save America from repeated near-disasters like this month’s war over the government shutdown and the near-default on our debt, we’ve got to have an urgent conversation about gerrymandering, both in Michigan and the entire nation. Here’s why. The practice of “gerrymandering” — drawing congressional and legislative districts to favor one political […]

I don’t know just how close our country came to economic disaster last week, but I do know most Americans are sick and tired of the entire mess in Washington. Up to now, I never thought the country was close to ungovernable, but I’m beginning to wonder. It’s no secret we came near to chaos […]

Believe it or not, there is good news out there. The news from Lansing may be, at the very best, mixed, and Washington had, even before the shutdown, fallen into a vast sinkhole of dysfunction, fueled by partisan and ideological wars. Still, it may sooth the mind and rekindle a little optimism to consider these […]

The cover has a big picture of an ear. Underneath, the headline: “This is a politician’s ear. Bend it!” It’s the cover of the discussion guide for this year’s round of Community Conversations sponsored by The Center for Michigan. They’re small gatherings designed to call forth Michiganders’ views on where our state should be going. […]

How would you feel if you had a case in court — and suddenly realized that the judge’s campaign for office had been generously and secretly backed by the party opposing your lawsuit? “Shocked, outraged and mad as hell” is probably an understatement!Well, now for the really shocking part. In Michigan that can actually happen. […]

Last week marked moving-in day at college campuses all around Michigan. Normally, the start of term is a time of happy confusion: Excited kids going off to college, and anxious and proud parents wondering what the next few months will bring. But campus suddenly felt much more contentious this season. Last week an English professor, […]

Finally. After months of struggle, Michigan’s state senate passed legislation last week to accept Washington’s offer to extend Medicaid to nearly half a million of our state’s working poor. The vote was close – 20 to 18 — and the run-up to it was complicated, intense and very partisan.  But when crunch time came, eight […]

“Michigan, My Michigan.”  That’s the refrain of a song widely believed to be our state song.  Sung to the tune of “Oh Tannenbaum,” the lyrics were originally composed in 1862 but recast in 1902 by Douglas Malloch to include the fine lines: “The whisper of the forest tree The thunder of the inland sea Unite […]