One of the more ill-advised things the Legislature and Gov. John Engler did back in the 1990s was to impose their “wisdom” on Michigan communities that made residency requirements for certain public servants. The Legislature decided that for the city of Detroit to require police officers to live in Detroit was unacceptable, for example. They […]
Posted inBusiness Watch
Jobs of the future: Where they'll be in Michigan
Jim Danielski tells horror stories, but not the kind shared with toasted marshmallows around a campfire. Danielski’s horror stories are the kind that should keep Gov. Rick Snyder awake at night. At his career counseling center in Plymouth, Danielski sees a steady stream of people who aren’t ready for Michigan’s new economy. Some have no […]
Posted inBusiness Watch
Five fields that will still pay well
Michiganians looking to increase their odds of landing a full-time job with above-average pay should head directly to a hospital. Can’t stand the sight of blood? Maybe you would prefer being a financial analyst. Not good with numbers? Think about oil and gas. The job outlook in Michigan is projected to remain tight through 2018, […]
Posted inBusiness Watch
Job prospects take on oily sheen
The list of the fastest growing jobs in Michigan is dominated by one unlikely industry – petroleum. Five of the six fastest-growing occupations are connected to petroleum and natural resource extraction through 2018, according to Bridge Magazine job projections based on federal data. The projections assume the same kind of explosive growth in hydraulic fracturing […]
Posted inBusiness Watch
Law degree proves costly bargain
It’s been six years since Andrew Rockafellow earned a law degree from Cooley Law School in Lansing. He’ll be lucky to earn $20,000 this year, with no health-care benefits. For those doing the math, Rockafellow’s $100,000 law degree is the equivalent of five years’ pay. By comparison, those graduating with a one-year Cisco certification at […]
Posted inPhil's Column
Frayed political culture is frightening
In the days after Sept. 11, our nation came together in a way it hadn’t in years, in common shock and anger and resolution. Strangers greeted each other while standing in line at the supermarket. Families reached out to hold each other in grief and gratitude for safe passage. Partisan quarrels that had seemed earth-shaking […]
Posted inQuality of Life
Get out of jail free
Anyone who’s played Monopoly knows the importance of having a “Get Out of Jail Free” card in their pocket. If a physician friend of mine is right, some Michigan teens have something similar stuffed in their wallets and purses. The doctor and his colleagues have seen an influx of parents coming in with their teen […]
Posted inBusiness Watch
Health costs decide health of Mich.
“Higher doctor fees drive U.S. health care costs, report finds” Well, no surprise there. And no, I’m not saying doctors should work for free or for a pittance. The story behind the story on this is why there’s such a fee differential between the U.S. and the rest of the Western nations. This story is […]
Posted inBusiness Watch
Stomach-churning: Highs and lows in Mich. economy
Michigan has starred in its own disaster movie in the first decade of 21st century. The economic equivalents of F5 tornadoes and magnitude 9 earthquakes have battered the automotive industry and smashed construction work in the state. You knew all that, having lived here. But amid all the destruction there was surprising growth over the […]
Posted inBusiness Watch
Agriculture's growth real, but not the stuff of myth
Late last winter, Gov. Rick Snyder officially dubbed March 17, 2011, as Michigan Agriculture Day. The proclamation lauds the industry as “the source of virtually everything we eat each day,” and says it plays a “key role in the growth and reinvention of Michigan’s economy.” It’s one of the ways that Snyder has singled out […]