Rich Robinson is executive director of the Michigan Campaign Finance Network, a non-profit, non-partisan campaign finance watchdog group in Lansing. Here are his thoughts about judges who contribute big bucks to political campaigns and the role big money plays in judicial elections. Q. What do you think about Michigan Court of Appeals Judge Henry Saad […]
Why Michigan citizens should care about money in judicial politics
Posted inGuest Commentary
Northern Michigan residents “ho hum” over Detroit’s bankruptcy.
Ask just about any northern Michigander about Detroit’s bankruptcy and they’ll tell you much the same—should have happened 20 years ago. After moving here some 41 years ago from Lansing myself and eventually becoming the editor and publisher of the Petoskey News-Review, I have found the attitude towards Detroit hasn’t changed much. Probably the strongest […]
Posted inQuality of Life
Homeless in Detroit: Deep in the trenches of poverty
Ericka Murria was 17-years-old when she first went to Coalition on Temporary Shelter with her one-year-old daughter. Murria, a survivor of domestic violence and sexual assault, she lived on hard times after her mother passed away. She’d been living with friends who were into drugs and alcohol. But after her friends stole her Bridge card […]
Posted inBrunch with Bridge
Misplaced rage over minimum wage: Workers need options to leave burgers behind
WRONG RECIPE: One-day strikes by fast-food workers, like this one last year in Milwaukee, are spreading, with demands for higher wages. But fast food shouldn’t be a long-term stop for most workers; their energy would be better-spent on school and training. (Photo by Flickr user Light Brigading/used under Creative Commons license) The recent marching and […]
Posted inBrunch with Bridge
For military spouses, a needed break; for Legislature, a call to act
WHEN DADDY (AND MOMMY) COME MARCHING HOME: Military service is hard on soldiers’ families, too. So why are bills to give soldiers’ spouses leave time from work languishing in the Michigan legislature? (Photo by the National Guard; used under Creative Commons license) I really wanted to tell a story this time, a sad one. The […]
Posted inQuality of Life
Cutting a new trail for the Pure Michigan economy
END TO END: A recreational trail from Detroit to the Wisconsin border won’t be the same along its full length. Urban sections will likely look like – or include – the Dequindre Cut trail through Detroit, top, while Upper Peninsula portions may encompass parts of the North Country Trail, below, which is closed to bicycles. […]
Posted inBusiness Watch
How a Michigan entrepreneur overcame pork politics
Marc Santucci’s long experience of working in international trade came in handy, strangely enough, when he stepped out of that world several years ago and became a Michigan pig farmer. His effort to import blond Mangalitsa pigs from Hungary to Haslett pulled him into lengthy talks with members of Congress and U.S. Department of Agriculture […]
Posted inTalent & Education
2013 Michigan Scorecard
CATEGORY2008201020122014Student PerformancePoorPoorPoorPoor4th Grade Math33rd39th41st42nd8th Grade Math37th37th36th37th4th Grade Reading31st31st35th36th8th Grade Reading30th33rd33rd29th4th Grade ScienceNANA28th28th8th Grade ScienceNANA24th18thHigh School CompletionGoodFairGoodGoodGraduation rate75%76%76%76%Drop-out rate15%14%11%11%Adults with a diploma87%89%89%91%K-12 InvestmentGoodFairPoorPoorPer pupil expenditure16th20th24th25thTeacher salary7th9th12th8thCollege completionPoorPoorPoorPoorNational ranking35th35th35th37thCollege affordabilityPoorPoorPoorPoorNational rankingNA47th48th45thHigher education investmentPoorPoorPoorPoorNational ranking37th42nd41st39th JOBS, PROSPERITY AND ECONOMY SCORECARD CATEGORY2008201020122014Personal incomePoorPoorPoorPoorPer capita income ranking36th40th40th35thUnemployment ratePoorPoorPoorPoorUnemployment rate7.9%12.8%9.3%8.7%Job growthPoorPoorGoodGood Job growth ranking49th49th13th4thOverall economic growthPoorPoorGoodFairState GDP growth ranking50th50th13th18thExportsN/AFairGoodGood Exports ranking […]
Posted inGuest Commentary
Don’t mess with the Great Lakes
In a surprising development, in late July a Congressional committee acted like, well, thoughtful, rational legislators. Why? Six words: Don’t mess with the Great Lakes. Here’s the story. First came behavior we’ve come to expect from the U.S. House of Represenatives. An appropriations subcommittee — which has primary responsibility for determining Great Lakes funding levels […]
Posted inBusiness Watch
As vets find jobs contractors fight hiring preferences
Reconnecting military veterans to the workplace after they have served their country has been one the most talked about labor market issues by state and federal policymakers in recent years. After all, what could be more noble than helping veterans, many of whom have risked their lives during combat tours of Iraq and Afghanistan, find […]
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