This guest post was written by Donald Cohen, the Executive Director of In The Public Interest, a “comprehensive resource center on privatization and responsible contracting”. They are committed to equipping citizens, public officials, advocacy groups, and researchers with the information, ideas, and other resources they need to ensure that public contracts with private entities are transparent, fair, well-managed, and effectively […]

The following is a guest post from Teresa Blundell of Michigan. She gathered signatures asking Governor Snyder to agree to participate in multiple debates with Democratic gubernatorial candidate Mark Schauer. This is her account of getting the run-around from Gov. Snyder’s office in her attempt to deliver the petitions. When you’re through reading it, ask yourself if this sounds like […]

This guest post was written by Sue Browne, Regional Program Manager for the BlueGreen Alliance. On Tuesday at the Michigan AFL-CIO offices in Lansing, labor and environmental leaders called on Governor Snyder and state and local lawmakers to take the lead in crafting a flexible state plan to help Michigan meet its emissions reduction targets, as laid out in EPA’s […]

This guest post is by Julia Morrissey, RN, a nurse in Ann Arbor and a member of the Michigan Nurses Association. It is cross-posted with permission from the Progress Michigan blog in honor of National Nurses Week. It’s not that I don’t appreciate the pizza, pens, and little pink teddy bears with signs like, “Nurses are Heroes!” that employers give […]

Last October, I wrote about an exciting new project in Detroit called the Veterans Green Village to bring green energy projects to the city and put military veterans to work. I have stayed in contact with Gordon Soderberg (pictured right) who heads up the project. His group has teamed up with the Motor City Blight Busters of Detroit to create […]

Yesterday we heard from a faculty member about the Education Achievement Authority “public forum” held on the campus of Eastern Michigan University in Ypsilanti, Michigan. In that account, we learned that the forum was little more than a staged promotional event for the EAA. Today, we hear from David Chapman, an organizer with the EMU student group Students for Ethical […]

First, I want to reiterate what I said yesterday: there is a very good chance that Republicans are close to having enough votes to to expand the State School Reform/Redesign district (HB 4369) which, for now, is only the EAA. They may vote as early as today if they get enough votes. Two Democrats, John Olumba & Harvey Santana, are […]

“I can’t hear you with all these facts I don’t believe in in the way…” The following post is by my friend Emma White, a specialist in communications and messaging. In the wake of the epic fail of the Koch brothers’ Americans for Prosperity ad featuring Dexter, Michigan resident Julie Boonstra, Emma’s observations & commentary on the difficulty of using […]

Obamacare provides more than affordable coverage. It protects patients and their rights, too. December 23 is the last day you can buy health insurance at HealthCare.gov that kicks in on January 1, 2014. You can continue to buy coverage for 2014 through March 15. As people enroll for coverage, there’s been an emphasis on the “affordable” aspects of the Patient […]

A woman’s place is in the House. And the Senate. And … One of the most closely watched races of 2014 is the one for Michigan’s 7th Congressional District which pits Republican incumbent Tim Walberg against former state House Speaker Pam Byrnes. The contrast could hardly be more stark. On nearly every issue you wish to name, Tim Walberg is […]

They think their pensions are OK, too This guest post is by Roger Kerson, a Michigan-based media consultant for labor unions, environmental groups, and non-profit organizations. He was director of public relations at the United Auto Workers during the GM and Chrysler restructuring. As an associate of the Arlington, Virginia-based firm PRWRK, he has provided strategic counsel to the Transport […]