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Columns

Who will tell the People?

November 21, 2008 – 11:01 am

Most of us are aware of our state and national economic crisis. But there is something else looming that few have noticed -- and which will profoundly affect the way our country works.
Newspapers as we know them are imploding, maybe not quite as dramatically and rapidly as the domestic auto industry, but just as surely. [...]

By Phil Power | Also posted in The Center at Work | Comments (1)

Questions MI candidates should answer

October 24, 2008 – 11:16 am

At long last, we're coming into the home stretch of a long, loooong election campaign.
Yes, many of us are ready for it to be over, and yes, there are all sorts of important races on the ballot. But take a minute to think about some vital ones that aren't getting that much attention.
In many ways, [...]

By Phil Power | Also posted in The Center at Work | Comments (2)

Menu of Reforms Set for Lansing Action

October 17, 2008 – 7:51 am

The circumstances were dire: Michigan was facing a government shutdown in the wee hours of October 1, 2007.
So at the last moment, with the state facing disaster and after much wailing and gnashing of teeth on all sides, the Legislature adopted a balanced budget that temporarily resolved the state's budget crisis for a couple fiscal [...]

By Phil Power | Also posted in Accountability, Clear Taxing & Spending, Fresh Thoughts, The Center at Work | Comments (2)

Mass Transit as a Job-Creation Machine

October 9, 2008 – 4:05 pm

We've been falling behind in mass transit in Michigan since 1956, when Detroit (supposedly under pressure from General Motors) sold the city's street cars to Mexico City and tore up the rails.
Today, Detroit is the only major U.S. city without a rapid transit system, unless you count a patchwork system of inefficient buses.
This remains the [...]

By Phil Power | Also posted in Fresh Thoughts, Quality of Place, The Center at Work | Comments (11)

Birkholz Shows Bipartisanship Works

October 2, 2008 – 2:00 pm

Now to reflect on some good news: The Michigan Legislature did accomplish two big things this year:
The first was passage of the Great Lakes Compact, which paved the way for President George W. Bush to sign into federal law this extremely important measure, which protects the Great Lakes from any unreasonable and dangerous withdrawal of [...]

By Phil Power | Also posted in Accountability, Fresh Thoughts, The Center at Work | Comments (2)

Business fixes for state government

September 26, 2008 – 11:32 am

Remember a year ago, when after much squealing and great flailing, Michigan's legislature finally adopted a "balanced budget?"
Sure you do, even if you'd rather forget. After several false (and baffling) starts, some taxes were raised. Some spending cuts were made.
And very modest changes in public employee fringe benefits were achieved. But a great opportunity was [...]

By Phil Power | Also posted in The Center at Work | Comments (3)

Michigan venture capital 'coming to life'

September 17, 2008 – 2:12 pm

Okay, admit it -- as the weekend approaches, you can think of more
exciting things than reading about yet another conference.
Well, so can I. But hang in here with me for a moment, because this one
is the real deal, when it comes to Michigan's future.
Last week, Detroit hosted the 15th annual conference of the National
Association of [...]

By Phil Power | Also posted in Economic Development, Entrepreneurialism | Comments (1)

What you can measure and what you can't measure

September 10, 2008 – 3:39 pm

You cannot manage what you cannot measure.
Although that's an old line, going back at least to the 1950s, when the folks at IBM started using it, it's absolutely true.
And as a result, that motto has led to all manner of measurement devices that now permeate our culture, from batting averages in baseball to crime statistics [...]

By Phil Power | Also posted in Quality of Place, The Center at Work | Comments (1)

Power: There's a national stirring among citizen groups

July 25, 2008 – 10:20 am

"The public doesn't have a lobbyist!"
That outburst drew nodded heads from a group of 16 people gathered in one of more than 180 "Community Conversations" held recently to discuss Michigan's future.
Many people have grown steadily disillusioned with state and national politics. Nearly two decades ago, columnist and author E. J. Dionne noted that "on [...]

By Phil Power | Also posted in Fresh Thoughts, The Center at Work | Comments (0)

Sensing a New Era

July 18, 2008 – 11:45 am

Some weeks ago, I arranged to meet a friend at the gas station at the Grand River exit off I-96, just north of Brighton. As I waited, I watched the traffic go by: SUVs, big pickups, RVs. Every one of them happily guzzling gas on a warm spring afternoon.
And I thought to myself: I’m watching [...]

By Phil Power | Also posted in The Center at Work | Comments (2)

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