Pioneers, Reformers, & Millionaires is a historical narrative that reads like a novel. Elizabeth A. Homer is a public historian with a passion for political and women’s history — and a curator with more than 20 years of experience at the Michigan Women’s Historical Center and Hall of Fame and the Turner-Dodge House. This spring, she published a book, Pioneers, […]

Karen is just one of 272,500 Michiganders who signed up for coverage through Healthcare.gov, where a strong finish to 2014 enrollment bodes well for next year. So much good news, it’s hard to know where to begin. On Thursday, Obama administration officials predicted health insurance premiums would be stable in 2015, thanks to a large and varied pool of insured […]

They keep trying to dig them up, but Americans are responding with success stories instead.

Dodgy or dumb? When Republican candidates won’t talk about the issues, it’s tough to tell the difference. What is it with Republican candidates refusing to talk about their positions on the issues? Maybe they’re afraid voters won’t like what they have to say. Or maybe they don’t know the answers. In the case of David Trott, who is running for […]

Even Republicans aren’t happy about Trott’s predatory practices. That won’t do him any favors in his bid for the seat held by Kerry Bentivolio, who’s on shaky ground himself. David Trott’s reputation as a foreclosure vulture precedes him. And it’s going to be a huge albatross hanging around his neck in his campaign in Michigan’s 11th Congressional District. He’s been […]

New projections from the Congressional Budget Office show just how well the Affordable Care Act is working. In news that’s certain to have Obamacare’s opponents sputtering with outrage, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released updated estimates on Monday on the cost of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) to the federal government — and to individuals. The verdict? It’s going […]

People continue being helped by Obamacare — and it’s a winning issue. Politicians and pundits, take note. When City of Detroit retiree Cora Dolley learned that she’d no longer be receiving health insurance coverage from the City, she was worried. For 10 years, $150 had been deducted from her pension check to cover hospitalization expenses and provide other healthcare services […]

Enrollment started April 1 and it’s going gangbusters. There’s no deadline to enroll, but why wait? Experts are standing by. Open enrollment for 2014 coverage through the Affordable Care Act (ACA) marketplace ended March 31, but the people and organizations dedicated to helping people get health insurance haven’t slowed down. This is especially true in Michigan, where you might say […]

Bottom line: You need us and we need you. You know what we’re up against. There’s a giant pile of money being shoveled into Republican campaigns, more than ever since the Supreme Court ruling on McCutcheon v. FEC. But there’s something money can’t buy: The passion and energy of dedicated people who are devoted to making this country a better […]

Refusing to debate fair pay is one more way Republicans are trying to marginalize women — and their votes. It should come as no surprise that Senate Republicans have blocked the Paycheck Fairness Act for the third time. On Wednesday — the day after Equal Pay Day — they blocked a vote to simply open debate on the bill. Republicans […]

Rep. Kildee calls for an immediate up-or-down vote on a bill he introduced to restore emergency unemployment benefits. Since last November, Congressman Dan Kildee (MI-05) has been at the forefront of efforts by U.S. House Democrats to extend, and then renew, unemployment insurance (UI) benefits. Immediately after the bipartisan passage of a bill in the U.S. Senate on Monday to […]