FROM LAKE TO HERE: Waukesha, Wis., wants to draw its city water supply from Lake Michigan under the provisions of a 2008 compact of Great Lakes states. (courtesy photo/used under Creative Commons license) *Waukesha, Wis., located about 15 miles west of Milwaukee’s Lake Michigan shoreline, wants to draw its water from the Great Lakes because […]
Ohio
Posted inLand O Links
Land O Links
“Knowledge conquered by labor becomes a possession – a property entirely our own” — Samuel Smiles, 19th century British author. * Education Trust-Midwest advises that parents in many Michigan communities are going to be surprised, and dismayed, at new calculations on how their children’s schools are performing: http://www.edtrust.org/midwest/press-room/press-release/achievement-gaps-lurk-within-some-elite-michigan-schools-state-repo * Ohio has a school of choice […]
Posted inMichigan Government
Casino plan foes overstate ballot implications, Truth Squad says
What: Radio ads — “Don’t sign away your rights” and “Casino expansion kills Detroit jobs” Who: Protect MI Vote, an organization opposing a proposed constitutional amendment that would authorize eight private casinos, one in Detroit and seven scattered around the state, ran radio ads during the collection of signatures for a casino ballot proposal. Truth […]
Posted inBusiness Watch
In Ohio, tax repeal advocates tout anecdotes
While Michigan tinkers with its tax structure in an effort to improve its business climate, its neighbor to the south already is collecting accolades and attracting investments. Site Selection magazine, in its March issue, awarded Ohio its Governor’s Cup for attracting 498 major capital investment projects in 2011, the most among the 50 states. Michigan […]
Posted inBusiness Watch
Calley: PPT plan puts Michigan ahead of Ohio
Lt. Governor Brian Calley testified last week on behalf of the Snyder administration’s proposal to phase-out the personal property tax (read business equipment tax) by 2022. The proposal is strongly backed by business groups and just as strongly opposed by groups representing local governments and schools, which fear the loss of almost half a billion […]
Posted inMichigan Government
Teacher pension gaps pop up around Great Lakes
As dire as conditions are for the Michigan Public School Employees Retirement System, be advised it could be worse. Just look at Illinois. Across the country, pension funds are suffering from the same confluence of factors, including rising health-care costs, falling returns on investment, lax oversight and more. It is very difficult to directly compare […]
Posted inMichigan Government
Smart, not tough: Reconsidering juvenile justice
As he looked around at the mix of politicians and social activists about to announce their support for reducing the number of people in Ohio’s prisons, Mike Brickner was struck by a revelation. He and other officials of the American Civil Liberties Union Ohio chapter had found common ground with politicians spanning the entire political […]
Posted inLand O Links
Land O Links: Prison edition
The political dynamics of each state will vary, but the trend toward changes in how states deal with prisons and holding felons is unmistakable. A few highlights from around the nation: * A full rundown, from an advocacy group, of state by state reform efforts, including whether the states have sentencing commissions: http://www.famm.org/StateSentencing.aspx * Georgia […]
Posted inMichigan Government
Redistricting poll is no triumph
Michiganvoters want a nonpartisan commission to take charge of drawing election lines in the state — a job now tightly in the grip of the Legislature. That’s the message the Michigan Redistricting Collaborative is trumpeting from a new poll it commissioned of statewide voters. (Note: The Center for Michigan, Bridge Magazine’s parent, is a member […]
Posted inBusiness Watch
Michigan lost more people in 2009-10 than once thought
Larry Rosen of Public Policy Associates in Lansing recently utilized data from the Census Bureau’s 2010 American Community Survey to analyze residential patterns for Michigan in- and out-migrants between 2009 and 2010. This analysis has drawn significant media coverage. Sometimes, though, the data can lead you astray. The conclusion that “The data indicate a continuing […]
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