“Poverty and lack of knowledge must be challenged” — Russell Simmons, American music entrepreneur and philanthropist. * This New Yorker piece lays out a case for having national chains take over American health care, thereby ensuring consistent quality. Marianne Udow-Phillips of the Center for Healthcare Research and Transformation in Ann Arbor wrote in Bridge recently […]
Land O Links
Posted inMichigan Government
Tax vote ad plays it close to the vest; no foul from Truth Squad
Who: Michigan Alliance for Prosperity What: Radio ad in favor of a ballot proposal to require supermajority tax votes Truth Squad call: No foul Questionable statements: “… the cost of living for the average family is outpacing growth in their household income. Families everywhere are paying more for basic needs like food, clothing, utilities and […]
Posted inMichigan Government
Truth Squad issues warnings on biz-backed ad on union measure
Who: GrowMIjobs.org (created by the Michigan Chamber of Commerce) What: Internet ad — “Michigan: From worst to 1st in job growth” Truth Squad call: Warnings Questionable statement: “Did you hear the news? Michigan leads the nation in job growth, from worst to first in the nation.” After making that assertion, the ad scrolls through a […]
Posted inQuality of Life
Poverty, then pregnancy for teen mothers
The Catherine Ferguson Academy is on its summer schedule, and the custodians’ floor-polishing has pushed much of what is unique about the Detroit charter high school into the halls. A line of high chairs blocks a row of lockers. A table with built-in chairs for four infants stands near a pushcart designed to hold nine […]
Posted inSuccess
Don’t fit in school? There’s a different WAY
Jessica Cooper was so turned off by all the drugs and the social drama at her Livingston County high school that she finally dropped out during her junior year. “You had to be popular, or in a specific group,” she explained. “It just made me want to be alone.” Soon after she enrolled in the […]
Posted inMichigan Government
Election 2012: Community stays attached to its government; confusion crops up on citizenship query
Michigan’s primary election did not pass without a couple of bumps — one for poll workers navigating Michigan election law, another for advocates of a plan to actually dissolve one of Michigan’s 1,000-plus local governments. In Onekama, southwest of Traverse City, a proposal to abolish the government of the village of Onekama — and thereby […]
Posted inMichigan Government
Truth Squad issues warning over ad opposing union ballot proposals
Who: Citizens Protecting Michigan’s Constitution What: “Auction” – radio/Web ad Truth Squad call: Warning This ad comes from Citizens Protecting Michigan’s Constitution, a group based out of the offices of the Michigan Chamber of Commerce and formed to advocate against a variety of constitutional amendments headed for Michigan’s November ballot. The largest contributors to the […]
Posted inLand O Links
Land O Links
“All science requires mathematics. The knowledge of mathematical things is almost innate in us. This is the easiest of sciences, a fact which is obvious in that no one’s brain rejects it; for laymen and people who are utterly illiterate know how to count and reckon” — Roger Bacon, 13th century English philosopher. * Doug Luciani, […]
Posted inGuest Commentary
Guest column: Going green, getting green with new mileage standards
By Mark Schauer/ BlueGreen Alliance The first Model T rolled off the assembly line to great excitement about the future of an emerging industry — and the potential for this new product to take Americans places they’d never been before. More than 100 years later, the auto industry is a keystone of the American economy. […]
Posted inBusiness Watch
Forecasting a slower, pricier car industry
Cars might cost $50,000 on average by 2025. Vehicle sales in the United States may never bounce back to the levels of a decade ago. And electric vehicles aren’t likely to catch on with consumers for years, if at all. So says Sean McAlinden, executive vice president of research and chief economist at the Center […]