Lots of talk these days from conservatives and tea partiers in particular about too much government spending. Rather than seeing government spending as the investment that it often is, they see nearly all government spending as waste to be eliminated. As I wrote yesterday, tea party mayor of Troy, Michigan, Janice Daniels, led a coalition of like-minded tea partiers to […]

In a rather stunning rebuke this week, the Obama adminstration, through the Center for Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight (CCIIO) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services denied an effort by the Republican Snyder administration in Michigan to thwart part of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA). The federal government has denied a request by the […]

Alright! Now THIS is more like it! Michigan’s unemployment rate fell by eight-tenths of a percentage point last month to 9.8 percent. This is the first time since November of 2008 that Michigan’s jobless rate has dropped below 10 percent. The national November unemployment rate is 8.6 percent. The jobless rate fell by eight-tenths of a percentage point in November. […]

Okay THIS is kind of creepy. Michigan residents have enjoyed or endured a roller-coaster year in terms of weather, and they’re not alone. Roughly 3,000 monthly weather records — covering rainfall, snowfall, extreme temperatures, fires or drought — have been broken in areas across the country this year, according to data released Thursday by the Natural Resources Defense Council. That […]

The mayor of Troy, Michigan, Janice Daniels, a proud member of the tea party, updated her Facebook status in June with this: “I think I’m going to throw away my I love New York carrying bag now that queers can get married.” She refused to apologize for this insulting public statement until this morning. Daniels apologized for the comment on […]

With Detroit facing an imminent takeover by an Emergency Manager, I thought now might be a good time to remind everyone about a subtle but incredibly important change that occurred when Public Act 4 — the Emergency Manager Law — was passed. This was first published in June. Please share widely if you care about this issue. When Michigan Republicans […]

Last week, I wrote about Carson Borbely & Katy Butler, two inspiring Ann Arbor teens who have done something tangible and important to combat bullying in Michigan. Fighting back against a Senate-passed “License to Bully” bill that claims to be “anti-bullying”, the created a petition at Change.org. When I wrote my piece last Thursday, the petition had a bit over […]

Last week, I wrote about the so-called “anti”-bullying bill passed by the Michigan Senate a couple of weeks ago that is not only not anti-bullying but, in fact, is generally known as “The License to Bully Bill”. In my article, I mentioned two Ann Arbor teenagers who stepped up to respond in a powerful way. Two Ann Arbor-area students, Katy […]

This is a worthy question for Michiganders to be asking tonight as we host the clown show that is the Republican primary debate in our fair state: “What if Mitt Romney had been President in 2009?” When the candidates seeking the Republican nomination for president stand onstage in Michigan tonight to debate the future of this country, they will be […]

After several years of hearing how Democrats are demoralized and unwilling to get involved in politics and elections, an event in Ann Arbor showed that the so-called “enthusiasm gap” is slimming and not just by a little bit. On Sunday, Obama for America (OFA), the official campaign of the Obama reelection drive, opened their campaign office in Ann Arbor. Despite […]

During her time as governor, Jennifer Granholm made significant investments in diversifying and expanding Michigan’s economy. These things take time to have their impact but, according to a new study, they are. Michigan is second in the nation in recovering from the recession. Michigan’s economy is recovering from the recession at the second-fastest pace in the U.S., lifted by reviving […]