Author Archives: John Bebow

Education talk everywhere on the Island

By John Bebow | Published: June 3, 2011
Maybe it’s the K-12 and higher education budget cuts … Maybe it’s the intensifying battle over teacher tenure reform … Maybe it’s the uncomfortable prospects of teacher layoffs, school closings and growing class sizes playing out now in many hometowns across Michigan … Whatever the motivation, education is the main topic of conversation at the Mackinac Policy [...]
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Marching in the streets of Grand Rapids

By John Bebow | Published: June 3, 2011
“Regional cooperation” is a buzzword every year at the Mackinac Policy Conference. Now, here’s some regional cooperation for you… Grand Rapids stuntman extraordinaire Rob Bliss created this world’s largest lip sync and filmed it in mid-May in response to a Newsweek report claiming GR was one of “America’s Dying Cities.” For anyone who’s visited downtown GR [...]
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Undiscovered Traverse City

By John Bebow | Published: June 2, 2011
If you’re among the hundreds of thousands of people who get an opportunity to spend a little time each summer in Traverse City, you have probably recognized the impact of Michigan’s decade-long recession along East Grand Traverse Bay. For many years, the little community of Acme included a bustling community of mom-and-pop motels and upscale shops greeting [...]
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Special Report: Public wants cuts to biz tax, schools dialed down

By John Bebow | Published: May 19, 2011
One year ago, The Center for Michigan culminated the three-year Michigan’s Defining Moment Public Engagement Campaign – 580 meetings involving 10,500 people – with a report called “10,000 Voices to Transform Our State.” That report included a 10-point citizens’ common ground agenda to transform Michigan. The purpose of this report is to: 1) Provide a progress [...]
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Special Report: Citizen views on state tax priorities

By John Bebow | Published: May 19, 2011
SUPPORT FOR A MODEST BUSINESS TAX CUT We found majority support for the concept of cutting business taxes to create a better climate for business and job growth. But, in both random statewide phone polling and instant polling with hand-held devices in Common Sense Conversations, there was much more support for a “modest” cut than the [...]
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Special Report: Citizen views on budget priorities

By John Bebow | Published: May 19, 2011
FINDING THE RIGHT MIX As we went into the field to poll citizens and hold Common Sense Conversations, Michigan faced a $1.4 billion budget deficit. Setting aside all individual options to close that gap, we asked citizens for their favored general approach. They clearly favored a mix of tax increases and budget cuts: Which approach do you [...]
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Prison spending earns front-page scrutiny

By John Bebow | Published: April 21, 2011
The Corrections Reform Coalition’s efforts to increase attention to the state’s ever-growing prison budget  received front-page attention this week from Crain’s Detroit Business. The Corrections Reform Coalition also was the focus of a segment Thursday on the Craig Fahle talk show on WDET public radio in Detroit. Catch an archived version of the broadcast, here. Prison spending is, [...]
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Any idiot can lower price. Isn’t Michigan worth more?

By John Bebow | Published: April 20, 2011
Michigan has the best fly fishing in the country! That’s what Field & Stream magazine declared earlier this month as anglers across the Midwest prepped for their annual pilgrimages up north for the opening of Michigan’s fly-fishing season, which is April 30 this year. Here’s what Field & Stream said about us: “The first brown trout in America [...]
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Have YOUR say with The Center for Michigan in April in Royal Oak, Dearborn, Wixom, Lansing and Grand Rapids

By John Bebow | Published: March 31, 2011
There are five more ways for you to join the fray as the Center for Michigan travels the state this spring to give citizens the opportunity to talk back to Lansing about Governor Rick Snyder’s numerous plans to remake the state’s tax system and redefine what government does and how it does it. Join us next [...]
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Talk taxes, budget, and politics with us Wednesday night in Ann Arbor!

By John Bebow | Published: March 22, 2011
We have just a few seats remaining for our March 30th (Wednesday night) Common Sense Conversation on Michigan’s Future at Washtenaw Community College. The  address is 4800 E. Huron Dr., Ann Arbor, 48105.  We are in room ML 101; (ML stands for Morris J. Lawrence Building). The event is co-sponsored and co-produced by The Center for Michigan, MiVote.org, [...]
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