This guest post comes from Sean McElwee — a research associate at Demos and an excellent follow on Twitter. Find out more about Sean and his work by checking out his most recent post for Eclectablog. Also be sure to follow Brian Schaffner on Twitter @b_schaffner. In my latest Salon column, I explore a new working paper by political scientists […]

The following guest post was written by Denny Green of Clean Water Action – Michigan. Enjoy. Anytime you hear that something or someone’s days are numbered, you get the idea that it’s a matter of grave significance — certainly something to be regarded with the utmost concern and action. Well, it’s been more than 140 days since Michigan Attorney General […]

The following open letter to Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder was penned by Eastern Michigan University College of Education faculty member professor Stephen Wellinski. Professor Wellinski has been a leader in demanding that EMU end its partnership with Gov. Snyder’s failed education experiment on Detroit school kids known as the Education Achievement Authority. Dear Governor Snyder This Tuesday (December 8th) at […]

I have been writing about the Education Achievement Authority since August of 2011 when I first reported on then-Chancellor John Covington’s history at Kansas City schools. The EAA – Gov. Rick Snyder’s failed experiment with Detroit school children – has been a colossal failure rife with scandal, grift, corruption, and utterly terrible “leadership”. The other day as I was looking […]

I blame the economy. November’s jobs report confirmed that 2015 is likely to be the second best year of job creation this century, only trailing 2014. Instead of wrecking the economy, Obamacare has led us to more new jobs than we’ve seen all century. While the president’s signature health care reforms face real challenges that demand improvements, more than 17 […]

This past Wednesday during a Senate Education Committee hearing, Committee Vice Chair Marty Knollenberg (R-Troy) was discussing why some schools “fail”. During the course his comments, he made a statement that has dropped jaws across the country. “You mentioned why these schools fail,” he said. “You mention the economically disadvantaged and non-white population are contributors to that. And, you know, […]

By all appearances, the wheels appear to have all but completely come off the catastrophe that is Michigan’s Education Achievement Authority, Gov. Rick Snyder’s failed experiment on Detroit school children. Following the departure-under-scandal of former EAA Chancellor John Covington, the new Chancellor Veronica Conforme set out to poach students from neighboring districts using deceptive letters sent to the community. She […]

Leaders from all faith traditions are spreading the word about ACA open enrollment, especially the weekend of December 5-6. For people of faith, their church, mosque, synagogue or other place of worship is central to their community — a vital resource for guidance and support. That’s one reason organizations like Enroll America work closely with faith leaders to help spread […]

Ellis Kempf is an 18-year-old high school student at Royal Oak High School. He’s a three-letter varsity sports player, and is captain of the Royal Oak High School wrestling team. He’s also deaf. WDIV-TV’s Mara MacDonald reported last night that Kempf and his parents are suing the Michigan High School Athletic Association because they refused to allow him to have […]

Last week I wrote about Congressman Lamar Smith (R-TX) and his attacks on federal scientists, trying to intimidate and bully them because he didn’t believe the science they were sciencing. Smith had demanded to be given copies of all emails sent by a group of climate scientists working for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) relating to recent research […]

The bills stipulate that all health insurers must make rider policies available to all women. Women’s reproductive health took a giant step backward in Michigan in 2013, when legislation written and lobbied for by Right to Life passed the Michigan Legislature. The law, which took effect in 2014, requires women to buy a separate insurance rider in case they might […]