In a previous post I explored the nearly two decade bipartisan addiction Michigan policy makers have to cutting taxes. The latest evidence of the continuation of the addiction is the near unanimous vote by both houses of the Michigan legislature…
I have written previously that the state budget policy on a bipartisan basis for two decades has made tax cuts, corrections and health care the priorities. Which by necessity –– or as Bill Clinton says math –– has meant that…
As we start the new year I thought it would be helpful to take a step back from the specifics I normally write about to delineate the themes that these posts are about. For the past several years––no matter who…
We have written frequently on the correlation between college attainment and both income and employment. It is now the best predictor of both. (See data in this previous post.) Education attainment is also a––if not the–major cause of rising income…
Brian Dickerson's Detroit Free Press column "What Rick Snyder wants most of all" column is highly recommended. It raises all the right questions about what direction the Governor wants Michigan to head in. Using the Governor's proposal for another big…
Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel in an interview with NPR laid out the case as well as anyone that vibrant central cities are central to future economic vitality. And that public investments in those central cities is essential to staying competitive.…
I highly recommend reading That Use to Be Us by Thomas Friedman and Michael Madelbaum. It is a really good overview of what it will take for us as individuals as well as a country to compete in a continuously…
A recent LA Times story is headlined "California billionaires plan to put big tax hike on the ballot." You read that right: private sector leaders pushing for a tax increase! What do they want to do with the increased funds?…
Happy New Year! I want to start the year by writing about those who provide lessons and/or ideas on the agenda that can allow us to move towards Governor Snyder's goal of a Michigan 3.0. Seems like I spend a…
It goes from bad to worse when it comes to transit in metro Detroit. First the city and state walking away from the Woodward light rail, now the city of Troy refusing to take federal funds for a transit center.…