Rep. Mike Shirkey reeled off statistics about the economic growth of Right to Work states faster than the person on the other end of the phone line could jot them all down. Shirkey, a Jackson-area Republican, also said he spent weeks anonymously calling corporate site selection specialists and asking them if their clients, mainly manufacturers, […]
Michigan State University
Posted inLand O Links
Land O Links
“The old believe everything; the middle aged suspect everything, the young know everything” — Oscar Wilde. * It’s March Madness, so everyone’s trying to figure out how to use the temporary obsession with brackets to convey interesting or amusing information. WARNING: At this point, Michigan State University alumni and fans should stop reading. At the […]
Posted inMichigan Government
The people who want to serve
The Michigan State University Political Leadership Program selects interested citizens for training in how to help their neighbors as public servants. It’s a highly successful endeavor. For example, the PLP reports that around half of its graduates are serving or have served in elective or appointed positions around the state. The PLP just announced its […]
Posted inMichigan Government
This man has power over 1 in 5 Mich. lives
Stephen Fitton has a corner office on the top floor of a state office building in Lansing, which is perhaps fitting for the person who directs the second-most expensive program in Michigan government To be clear, the corner office, like the man who inhabits it, is far from ostentatious. Fitton has plenty of windows — […]
Posted inMichigan Government
Parting gift for college grads: $25k in debt
Clark Eagling has $45,000 in student loans — and he’s the lucky one in the family. His wife, Aimee Kessel, owes $90,000 for her undergraduate and graduate college education. The debt is so large that the couple may be collecting Social Security before they finish paying for college. “We’ve both essentially said that we don’t […]
Posted inMichigan Government
'College tax' burdens students, state
Caroline Robinson and Barbara Twist are cousins who share far more than bloodlines. They are both seniors in college; each attends one of the top public universities in the nation. The similarities stop, however, when the tuition bills arrive. Barbara is paying twice as much for her education at the University of Michigan as Caroline […]
Posted inTalent & Education
'College tax' varies by campus
Michigan has 15 public universities (though three are technically part of just one university system — the University of Michigan). Students attending 12 of these 15 schools are paying a “college tax” — meaning that the annual net cost to them is higher than the average cost found at peer institutions in other states. The […]
Posted inPhil's Column
Michigan is turning students into beggars
For more than a decade, Michigan’s elected officials have imposed what amounts to a severe tax on the hundreds of thousands of students who attend our public universities. The consequences of this “college user tax” – clearly amounting to millions of dollars per year – include raising the cost bar for young Michiganders to attend […]
Posted inMichigan Government
Guest column: Communities should find tax-spend 'niche'
By Mark Skidmore/Michigan State University Consumers instinctively look for bargains — quality products at a good price. We purchase the items that offer the right combination of price and quality we desire. This principle also hold true when we look for a place to live. Potential residents “shop” for the right mix of quality and […]
Posted inLand O Links
Land O Links
“The knowledge of yourself will preserve you from vanity” — Miguel de Cervantes, Spanish novelist, poet and playwright. * If you are wanting to start the new year in a sunny frame of mind do NOT read Joseph Stiglitz’s piece in Vanity Fair this month. If you DO want to learn some important points about […]