Why is a conservative Republican Legislature enacting a pro-business agenda that breaks the mold by embracing Right to Work laws? Because the GOP has the votes in the House and Senate to put it on Gov. Rick Snyder’s desk for his signature. Control all three legs of the stool and you can craft law on […]
On RTW, money talked, GOP answered
Posted inMichigan Government
Expert’s sure Asian carp are in Great Lakes, but is hopeful for future
Asian carp are considered one of the most serious environmental and economic threats facing the Great Lakes. Bridge Magazine recently discussed the threat of Asian carp invading the lakes with Lindsay Chadderton, director of aquatic invasive species for The Nature Conservancy. Chadderton worked with the University of Notre Dame as part of a four-person team […]
Posted inPhil's Column
Michigan still needs action on schools, universities, Detroit
It is what it is. I am referring, of course, to the political firestorm that has engulfed Michigan ever since Gov. Rick Snyder announced he would sign Right To Work (or Freedom To Work, if you prefer) when legislation ending the union shop reaches his desk. Naturally, we all wish we could live in a […]
Posted inLand O Links
Land O Links — RTW edition
Michigan’s dash to become the 24th Right to Work state — and the physical and political turmoil in Lansing last week surrounding it — drew plenty of attention from the national media. * In “Rick Snyder, Michigan’s reluctant union-buster,” Alec MacGillis of The New Republic wrote, “For now, we’re left with Rick Snyder, the Hamlet of […]
Posted inGuest Commentary
Guest column: NY Times flubs Mich. tax breaks
By Tim Bartik/ W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research Louise Story, an investigative reporter for The New York Times, recently wrote a three-part series on state business incentives. The series was accompanied by a new database, which reports annual dollar figures for business incentives for each state. This database reports that Michigan’s business incentives total […]
Posted inGuest Commentary
Guest column: Oakland County school helps students thrive in IB curriculum
By Joan Stelzer More than 300 Oakland County high school seniors at the International Academy in Bloomfield Hills recently passed a key milestone when their 4,000-word essays electronically flew to evaluators around the world. Taking six months to research and write, each extended essay was an investigation into a topic never before published. It is […]
Posted inMichigan Government
Truth Squad calls tech foul on pro-RTW ads
MICHIGAN TRUTH SQUAD ANALYSIS: Pro-Right to Work ads Who: Michigan Freedom Fund What: Radio and TV ad Truth Squad call: Technical foul The debate over Right to Work legislation has spilled out from the State Capitol and onto the state’s airwaves. Michigan Freedom Fund is backing both TV and radio ads supporting passage of RTW. […]
Posted inMichigan Government
Legislature poised to lock in strict time limits on cash aid to needy families
Michigan’s massive welfare reform, which removed 15,000 families from cash assistance in its first year, was never the law of the land. That may be about to change. Senate Bill 1386, which would codify the Department of Human Services’ controversial time limits on cash assistance, is rushing through the Legislature this week, in what appears […]
Posted inBusiness Watch
Is Michigan too light on tax lures?
How many economic development incentives does Michigan need to compete for jobs and business investment? A debate is raging over that question since Gov. Rick Snyder largely shifted the state’s economic development efforts away from trying to buy jobs from other states to helping Michigan companies grow, a process he calls “economic gardening.” Soon after […]
Posted inBusiness Watch
Business recruiters watch changes in Michigan incentives with concern
Local economic developers say they’re worried that Michigan isn’t spending enough on incentives to compete in the increasingly expensive fight among the states for jobs and business investment. Gov. Rick Snyder’s administration has ended the state’s practice of handing out expensive business tax credits, which cost the state nearly $1 billion a year, in favor […]
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