“Knowledge is of two kinds. We know a subject ourselves, or we know where we can find information on it” — Samuel Johnson, 18th-century English author. * The jury’s still out on whether Gov. Rick Snyder’s approach to renewable energy will be better than his predecessor’s: http://mlui.org/landwater/fullarticle.asp?fileid=17517 * Where it is dangerous to be a […]
Posted inTalent & Education
Earned a college degree; got a pizza box
Last Monday evening, a professional career counselor in Plymouth named Jim Danielski received this email: “Mr. Danielski: I am trying to assist my college graduate son in his pursuit of a job. He graduated in 2010 with a degree in Political Science. He really didn’t have a plan of where that would lead him for […]
Posted inMichigan Government
No grass-roots for govn't consolidation
Last week, I drew attention to a memo from Eric Scorsone regarding the potential cost savings from consolidating local governments and services. My takeaway from the memo was that consolidation is not the big kahuna if your goal is simply to save money. The issue is far too nuanced for one single policy change to […]
Posted inChildren & Families
Too poor for a homeless shelter? Only in Michigan
In Michigan, some families may be too poor to stay at a homeless shelter. That’s the sad reality facing some Michigan families who will be facing the double-whammy of being cut off from cash assistance Oct. 1, and being kicked out of homeless shelters because they then have no source of income – a requirement […]
Posted inQuality of Life
Veteran's tears reflect progress
I was talking to a Vietnam vet — who happens to be a member of the gay community — about the repeal of the federal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” rules for military service. When this Michigan native got the news the ban had been lifted, he just sat down and cried. These were no tears of sadness, […]
Posted inMichigan Government
How 15,000 lost a lottery they didn't even play
Did one man’s luck turn into a financial catastrophe for Michigan’s poor? Mention the name Leroy Fick in a room of social service agency directors, and the temperature drops. Heads shake. Shoulders slump. Curses are mumbled. Fick won the lottery — and 15,000 people will lose their food assistance, as of Oct. 1. That’s the […]
Posted inPhil's Column
Behind good policy is good research
The other day, suitably fitted with required jacket and necktie, I made my way to the Detroit Athletic Club for the 95th annual meeting of the best-respected — and least-known — institutions in our state: the Citizens Research Council of Michigan. CRC is one of Michigan’s crown jewels. If you aren’t familiar with it, you […]
Posted inBusiness Watch
Michigan Web firm rides torrent of growth
Liquid Web is one of mid-Michigan’s biggest success stories. Launched in 1997, the managed Web-hosting company serves more than 20,000 clients in 120 countries. In 2009, it opened a 90,000-square-foot data center in Delta Township just west of Lansing. Liquid Web has expanded from 19 employees in 2005 to about 150 in 2009 to nearly […]
Posted inMichigan Government
Man behind the law: Bruce Timmons
When it comes to the state’s judiciary and laws against crime, perhaps no one alive has had a greater role in drafting them than Bruce Timmons. Timmons is not a member of the Legislature. But he has been a key staff member for the House Judiciary Committee going all the way back to an internship […]
Posted inBusiness Watch
MEDC plunks $5 million on Manistique mill
Is this really “economic gardening”? Manistique Papers Inc., an Upper Peninsula paper mill operation, has been saved from liquidation by Gov. Rick Snyder’s administration. The Michigan Economic Development Corp. announced Wednesday that it had approved a loan of up to $5 million through the MEDC’s Michigan Business Growth Fund/Loan Participation Program for the troubled company. […]