By Peter Berkowitz RealClearPolitics Contributor August 15, 2017 With the Trump administration careening from controversy to controversy, the denizens of Capitol Hill confirming the people’s low opinion of Congress, and much of elite media validating suspicions that they view themselves not primarily as reliable chroniclers of events but as a valiant political vanguard, it is easy to […]
Detroit News: Employee Benefits Dragging Michigan Down
Detroit News Editorial Aug. 14, 2017 Michigan is making headway in its government pension reforms, and retiree benefits at the local level are up next. Gov. Rick Snyder says this is a priority for him in his last year and a half in office, and local leaders should get on board. If they don’t, the […]
Will Anti-Gerrymandering Proposal Qualify for 2018 Ballot?
by Jonathan Oosting, Detroit News Aug. 14, 2017 A Michigan petition aimed at preventing political gerrymandering will go before the Board of State Canvassers on Thursday, when potential approval could end a delay that cost organizers more than a month of prime summer signature-gathering time. The “Voters Not Politicians” petition proposes creating an independent citizen redistricting commission […]
The Problem with the Restaurant Boom
by Jeff Spross, The Week Aug. 11, 2017 Back in the mid-century, manufacturing was the backbone of the American economy. Soon, the restaurant industry may well replace it. Since the start of the year, the restaurant sector — which includes sit-down establishments, fast food, and bars — produced almost 200,000 new jobs. Only health care […]
Weaver v. Kincaid: Flint Mayoral Match-Up?
History could be made in Flint, Michigan (again!), in November. If Karen Weaver’s challenge to a recall election against her loses in court (as it has so far) and a veteran Flint city councilman, Scott Kincaid, is allowed to confront her head-to-head three months from now, history may be made. Never before in Michigan history […]
Flint Mayor Weaver Faces November Recall Election
Genesee County Clerk John Gleason announced that a recall election would take place this coming November 7 against Flint Mayor Karen Weaver after his office’s review of recall petition signatures determined that organizers had obtained a sufficient number to hold the vote. Weaver had challenged the recall effort against her on July 31, […]
PowerLine: Do Democrats Realize How Much Trouble They’re In?
BY JOHN HINDERAKER Aug. 3, 2017 The Democratic Party has never accepted the result of the 2016 presidential election, and Democrats in Washington are working feverishly to destroy the Trump administration. At the moment, it appears that they might well succeed. But the current drama in Washington shouldn’t obscure the bigger picture: the Democratic Party is […]
Why Everyone Hates the Press
By Mary Katharine Ham The Federalist AUGUST 2, 2017 The Trump presidency has made newspapers great again. That’s the thesis of a long “Vanity Fair” feature on the competition and current fortunes of America’s foremost newspapers, the Washington Post and New York Times. In a business that’s supposed to be driven by the pursuit of knowledge, there is a stunning scarcity […]
The Real Reason Car Sales Are Falling
By Kyle Stock August 2, 2017 It’s been a tough few months in Detroit. After seven years of gangbuster sales, the U.S. auto market is skidding badly. The American car and truck segment is remarkably easy to get a handle on, but a look at some of its indicators may induce some head-scratching. For the past 20 years, […]
What’s In A Name? For Candidates, A Lot!
Two polls released last week showed that Michigan-based musician Kid Rock holds a whopping lead in a hypothetical 2018 U.S. Senate primary against three announced Republican candidates.What is really shocking is that one of the polls shows him actually leading incumbent U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-Lansing) while the other shows him only eight points behind.”Kid […]