Author Archives: Phil Power

How citizens can cut through interest group politics this year

By Phil Power | Published: July 15, 2010
This is an election year. And with the primary less than a month away, candidates are frantically seeking endorsements. Some of these come from individuals. For example, we have Detroit’s members of Congress, Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick and John Conyers, endorsing Democrat Virg Bernero for governor. Mitt Romney, the once and future Presidential candidate, has endorsed [...]
Posted in Columns, Fresh Thoughts | 2 Comments

Phil’s new take on tart cherry pie

By Phil Power | Published: July 1, 2010
Longtime attentive readers of this column will recall that I often write about cherry pie at this time of the year, during the few weeks when Michigan cherries are perfectly ripe. My reason is simple: Family history. My great- great grandfather, Eugene Power, was one of the first to plant cherries [...]
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Is Michigan’s BP Disaster Brewing in the UP?

By Phil Power | Published: June 27, 2010
Today, TV screens, newspapers and the Internet are  consumed worldwide with the horrendous British Petroleum oil leak into the Gulf of Mexico, now believed to be the greatest man-made environmental disaster in our history, if not that of the planet. But something eerily similar is going on, far from the cameras, in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula near [...]
Posted in Columns, Fresh Thoughts | 6 Comments

California's fight against hyperpartisan elections

By Phil Power | Published: June 17, 2010
Last Tuesday, California voters did something that got little attention in this part of the world — but which could change enormously the way politics works in this country. They passed Proposition 14, which replaces traditional party primary elections with wide-open races. From now on, the two top vote-getters in primaries in our biggest state will [...]
Posted in Columns, Fresh Thoughts | 7 Comments

Phil's quote bag from Mackinac

By Phil Power | Published: June 10, 2010
Last week I spent several days at the Mackinac Island Policy Conference, the Detroit Regional Chamber of Commerce’s annual bash for those who consider themselves movers and shakers. Lots was said up there … some of it well worth paying attention to. Here’s a selection of comments, plus a few remarks of my own. John Rakolta [...]
Posted in Columns, Fresh Thoughts | 6 Comments

Great Debates coalition offers unique venues for gubernatorial visions

By Phil Power | Published: June 3, 2010
Memo to: Virg Bernero, Mike Bouchard, Mike Cox, Andy Dillon, Tom George, Pete Hoekstra and Rick Snyder. You’re all running for governor. So far, you’ve all qualified for the Aug. 3 primary ballot, and are competing for your party’s nomination to face off in November’s election. And no doubt you’re all discovering — perhaps to your dismay [...]
Posted in Columns, Fresh Thoughts | 2 Comments

A gleaming engine for Michigan's new economy

By Phil Power | Published: May 26, 2010
Today I’m going to tell you about one of the best and most exciting things happening in Michigan. It’s called the Great Lakes Entrepreneur’s Quest awards — and on June 10, some of the smartest, most entrepreneurial people in our state will be gathered in one room in East Lansing, waiting to see who’s going to [...]
Posted in Fresh Thoughts | 1 Comment

Motown Mojo

By Phil Power | Published: May 6, 2010
One of the hopeful things now going on in Michigan is the newly re-energized discussion over how to revive the city of Detroit. Most sensible people know Michigan cannot prosper without its largest city prospering too. And plenty of new and good ideas about how to make this happen are circulating. Some have to do with [...]
Posted in Fresh Thoughts | 4 Comments

Missing the potential of Michigan's youngest students

By Phil Power | Published: April 29, 2010
When do children learn the fastest? Scientific studies are unanimous that it’s from birth to age five. So when do we start sending them to school? In most cases, not till Kindergarten, which usually begins at age five. In other words, there’s a vast disconnect between what we know and what we do. Which brings us to [...]
Posted in Columns, Fresh Thoughts | 7 Comments

People ahead of politicians on reforms

By Phil Power | Published: April 22, 2010
The most depressing news item I’ve seen in awhile came in a recent story in the New York Times on the announced retirement of the longest-serving current member of the U.S. Supreme Court: “Justice John Paul Stevens … may be the last justice from a time when ability and independence rather than perceived [...]
Posted in Columns, Fresh Thoughts | 5 Comments