There are three things that should never be privatized and profitized. You don’t have to be an expert in public policy to know that when profits are on the line, the needs of those being served will be trumped by the desire to increase profits. The first of these things is healthcare. We’ve seen the tragic outcome of that in […]

Human memories are fickle and fade, but the Internet never forgets. And that may cause deep regrets someday for politicians in Michigan who have hitched their wagons to Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump. It’s been true for many months that every week Trump somehow finds a way to stoop to a new low. Since the start of the Democratic National Convention, however, […]

Bill Schuette says he has some “bold new ideas” for Michigan. Widely expected to run for governor in 2018, Schuette is testing out the planks for his bid at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland this week. So what are these bold new ideas? Tax cuts and school choice. In other words, the same stale, failed ideology that Republicans have […]

The Detroit News recently published an article highlighting two Michigan tea party activists who are working on a “Dump Trump” campaign to deny Donald J. Trump the Republican nomination for president by changing the rules of the Republican convention. One of them is Wendy Day, a Howell-based tea partier who is best known, at least to me, as the woman […]

The following guest post was written by Sean McBrearty, Campaigns Organizer for Clean Water Action in Michigan. Enjoy. Last week in a legislative session that went until the early hours of Thursday morning, both chambers of the Michigan Legislature passed the budget for 2017. Included in the budget omnibus bill is $114.3 million in emergency supplemental funding for solutions to […]

The following guest post was written by Jen Eyer, Vice President of Vanguard Public Affairs. Jen has spent many years in the world of journalism and most recently managed the newsroom for The Ann Arbor News, part of the MLive Media Group. You can read her full bio HERE. Enjoy. As Michiganders, we should all be concerned about the way […]

This afternoon, Michigan Governor Rick Snyder, with no apparent sense of irony or sarcasm, sent out an email titled “An historic night for Michigan”. He was referring to the previous evening when Republicans passed “bailout” legislation for Detroit Public Schools that has inadequate funding for DPS, harms children by putting unqualified, uncertified teachers in their classrooms (illegal in every other […]

SILENCED! Back in 2012 when Republican Jase Bolger was still the Michigan House Speaker, his colleagues began passing bill after bill with “immediate effect”. Immediate effect allows a bill to became law as soon as the governor signs it rather than having to wait the statuatory 90 days. However, in order to pass a bill with immediate effect, there must […]

The following guest post was written by my friend Jen Eyer, Vice President of Vanguard Public Affairs. Jen has spent many years in the world of journalism and most recently managed the newsroom for The Ann Arbor News, part of the MLive Media Group. You can read her full bio HERE. This piece was first published at the Vanguard Public […]

In an interview with the Associated Press last week, Michigan Governor Rick Snyder pointed to Michigan’s economy as heading in the right direction. Gov. Rick Snyder on Wednesday said people should be mindful of Michigan’s continued economic resurgence even as the state grapples with lead in Flint’s drinking water and enormous debt in Detroit’s public school district. The Republican governor, […]

“Sit, dog. Sit. Good legislator! Have a check.” NOTE: This post has been updated to clarify the changes that have been made with regard to collective bargaining contracts. In the dog training world, dogs are often trained using delicious treats. When a dog does what it’s told to do, it gets a treat as a reward. Then, over time, the […]