Sheesh. We’ve already seen a ton of dueling political TV ads already, and we’re not even into summer — which officially begins this year on June 20, the day with the most sunlight in the year. Regardless of the season, you might say we need a little more light shed on our political process. And […]
right to work
Posted inPhil's Column
Michigan profits from Snyder's long view
Broad agreement has been reached on the last of the budget bills, and the Legislature will soon adjourn. The Detroit Regional Chamber of Commerce’s Mackinac Island policy conference has come and gone. Summer, in other words, is almost here, a blessed pause before the noisy chaos of the fall’s political campaigns. So this may be […]
Posted inLand O Links
Land O Links
“Integrity without knowledge is weak and useless, and knowledge without integrity is dangerous and dreadful” — Samuel Johnson, 18th century English essayist. * In our increasingly “yes/no” political world, let’s start off today with a thought experiment about “maybe.” Settle in. What if you were told the Legislature and governor just enacted bills to increase […]
Posted inMichigan Government
Local govn'ts say union relations are fine
There’s been plenty of speculation about the prospects for, and motivation behind, Right Work legislation in Michigan. Why a big puswh on unionization rules since those rates have been dropping for years? And it can’t pass unnoticed that the Right to Work effort does not have the heads of Ford, Chrysler and General Motors standing at […]
Posted inBusiness Watch
No easy answer on Right to Work benefits
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, […]
Posted inBusiness Watch
Right to Work sparks political frenzy
Supporters of a proposal to end compulsory union membership had high hopes that neighboring Indiana’s recent adoption of Right to Work legislation would lead Michigan to soon follow the Hoosier state’s lead. That all changed on March 6 when a group backed by organized labor announced a ballot proposal for the November election that would […]
Posted inMichigan Government
Who's right on Right to Work?
The recent decision by Indiana to become the 23rd state (and first in the Great Lakes region) to enact a Right to Work law had Lansing buzzing this winter that Michigan may soon be the next. At least one legislator was preparing to push the idea and Gov. Rick Snyder, while downplaying the concept, did […]
Posted inPhil's Column
Political physics pulls us back to the center
It wasn’t a revolution — but it just might signify a sea change. I’m referring to the results of the Nov. 8 off-year elections, which were anxiously scrutinized for possible indicators of public mood. Would that message be a continuation of 2010’s sharp tilt to the Tea Party-driven right — or a cautionary tale about […]
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