It was a close election, one with many cross currents surging under the surface vote count. In the aftermath, everybody will be asking “who won and who lost?” More important is looking into what the wins and the losses really mean. I suggest these takeaways: * Michigan voters continue to be plenty sane and sensible. Despite $150 […]
Phil's Column
Phil Power is the founder and chairman of the Center for Michigan.
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Center for Michigan arms voters with info for Election 2012
This election is unlike any in my memory – that goes back a long way, since I’m 74. In addition to candidates for the state House of Representatives, justices of the state Supreme Court and various other local issues, there are six proposals on the ballot, five to amend the constitution and one a referendum […]
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McGovern’s political legacy turns sour
Last week’s news that George McGovern, the longtime South Dakota senator and presidential candidate had died triggered a flash of memories going back to the terrible summer of 1968. I was pulled back to memories of the war in Vietnam, political turmoil, violent street protest, assassinations. Although I admired President Lyndon Johnson in many ways, […]
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Reserve constitutional changes for serious matters; reject Props 2-6
I urge statewide voters to make a forthright statement at the polls on Nov. 6 that the Michigan Constitution is not for sale. Voting no on Proposals 2 through 6 stops special interest groups from hijacking the constitution, which is the state’s basic governing document. None of the matters addressed by these amendments belongs in […]
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Ban on per-signature fees can help rescue our Michigan Constitution
While giving a speech last week, I asked the audience some questions: “How many have seen TV ads on any of the six ballot proposals?” Every hand in the room went up. “How many like the ads?” Not one hand was raised. “How many have had your minds changed by the ads?” Again, not a […]
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The glorious beauty of Michigan in fall
The fish jumped, twice, each landing shattering the glassy calm of the lake into thousands of brightly colored shards of light. To the north, where the ground is high and rocky, the maples are blazing red and molten gold. And to the west, where swamp gradually turns to a pitched hill, the yellow-green of the […]
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Encourage lawmakers to take action on preschool funding gaps
For the first time in years, the door to far-reaching school reform in Michigan is gradually creaking open. But will it stay open? Over the past two weeks, Bridge, the Center for Michigan’s online magazine, has been running a series on early childhood learning programs — something virtually all experts and educators call the essential […]
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It's all about human capital, people
“Today, money flows toward people who also have knowledge, advanced skills and the relentless determination to find a better way. Michigan, historically, has not grown enough of this kind of talent. That kind of change will take time and an evolution of our education system.” — Ron Dzwonkowski, the fine now-retired associate editor of the […]
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Michigan condemns 30,000 kids to bad start
Anybody who cares about Michigan’s future should know these facts: Children learn the quickest and best from birth to age 5. Early childhood learning programs, especially for poor, minority and vulnerable kids, result in much, much better progress through school and sharply increased graduation rates. Return on investment in pre-kindergarten programs is as high as […]
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West Michigan gets serious about global race for talent
Anybody who still thinks Grand Rapids is a stodgy and unexciting city either hasn’t been there lately; is in need of a big attitude adjustment; or both. I got a powerful dose of the new Grand Rapids last week, when I was there for the West Michigan Policy Forum’s annual conference. The town was jumping […]