Comments on: Lansing rope-a-dope must end

By: William Harris

William Harris — Sat, 20 Dec 2008 18:48:50 +0000

It's not just Lansing. We have been afflicted with a fractured stakeholder community as well. The damning failure of the MBT was that when the Chamber got the removal of the old tax it did not have something lined up; there was a profound lack of foresight.

In the face of a fractured Legislature made all the weaker by term limits, it will be up to the stakeholder community to be the primary generator of reform ideas. However to fulfill that role the community must also forge links with other players instead of simply arguing for its own "best" interest. A case in point, the continuing advocacy of right to work will remain a stumbling block for many in the stakeholder and political community who would otherwise participate with business leadership.

In short, to move ahead and past the gridlock, stakeholder conversations need to be broader and less parochial.

By: Alan Stamm

Alan Stamm — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 22:35:33 +0000

Economic conferences seem to be one pocket of growth in Michigan, with three within five weeks next spring:

* May 11 – Green Today, Jobs Tomorrow: Dept of Labor & Economic Growth conf. in Lansing for biz, education and training, labor, environmental groups, policy advocates, community reps, faith-based orgs.

* May 27-30 – Mackinac Policy Conference: T. Boone Pickens and players to be named later

* June 15-17 – National Economic Summit in Detroit: Bob Nardelli, Rick Wagoner, CEOs of ConocoPhillips, McGraw-Hill, US Chamber, others

I'm all for idea incubators, such as your 2,000-voice Michigan's Defining Moment Public Engagement Campaign. And perhaps this other cluster will be a stimulus package for caterers, lobbyists and communicators, at least.

By: JOE

JOE — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 22:32:31 +0000

There isn't any independent thinking from most of our politicians in Michigan or Washington. The leaders of each Party decide what is supposedly best for us when it all comes down to what is best for each of them. Witness the number of lobbyists. Think they are representing us?

By: Dale Westrick

Dale Westrick — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 13:42:20 +0000

It appears that by the time we are done pointing fingers the foreign auto manfactures will have gained a larger market share. Does it really matter who is at fault it doesn't change the outcome. Lets move but learn from our mistakes.

By: Ed Roth

Ed Roth — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 20:08:08 +0000

I agree. As a common citizen of this great state, I am not aware of any meaningful changes being implemented or presented to give us hope for change soon.

By: Anna Marie Ferguson

Anna Marie Ferguson — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 19:36:34 +0000

RE: Lansing rope-a-dope. I agree with every word of this article. Does anyone remember how we were told that "…you will be blown away". I sincerely believe we literally have.