In Michigan in 2012, there’s really only one issue on the radar: jobs. How does the state get more of them? How do residents fill them? How much do they pay? In the hours leading up to Gov. Rick Snyder’s second State of the State Address, some notable numbers came in: Michigan’s unemployment rate in […]
Gov. Rick Snyder
Posted inMichigan Government
Budget numbers improve; does it matter?
On Friday, the financial experts in the legislative fiscal agencies and the Department of Treasury will meet to agree on a new snapshot of Michigan’s economic and fiscal situation — and the trend lines for the near future. Based on these early House and Senate releases, the news should be quite positive — if you […]
Posted inMichigan Government
The business of business is business
Rick Snyder campaigned primarily in 2010 on his credibility as a businessman. He wanted to fix, not fight; optimize, not antagonize. Snyder also campaigned, however, as someone interested in getting past labels and promoting shared solutions. He pledged to seek that often-sought, yet never-quite-reached bipartisanship. In Michigan, the political divide between Republicans and Democrats plays […]
Posted inMichigan Government
Guest column: Snyder charts right course on roads
By James A. Jacob/Ajax Paving Cars swerving to miss potholes, bumper-to-bumper congestion, concrete falling from dangerous bridges and a lack of enhanced safety features such as broad shoulders along roadways create hazards for Michigan drivers. Michigan roads are notoriously known as some of the worst in the nation. A recent trucker survey ranked Michigan second-worst […]
Posted inMichigan Government
Oh, horrors, a recall election
The jobless rate in Michigan is above 11 percent (it’s higher than that, but the official rate is 11.2 percent). The Legislature and the Snyder administration have taken budget actions that are leading to cuts in employment in the public sector. The private sector, meanwhile, is caught with the rest of the nation in a […]