Commentary
Rick Haglund: Michigan Republicans show hostility to China after courting companies for years
There are hundreds of Chinese companies employing tens of thousands of workers in Michigan, partially a result of aggressive efforts by Republican leaders over the past decade to bring them here. GOP former Gov. Rick Snyder led a record eight trade missions to China during his eight years as governor. His last trip, a weeklong […]
Column: Republicans in Congress, stop playing politics with our livelihoods
I’m going coast to coast on a bus trip this spring, telling my personal story with Courage for America. We’re calling on extreme members of the Republican House majority across the nation to sign a promise to protect the essential benefits Americans rely on. Our message to MAGA Republicans who are acting without concern for […]
Column: As budget negotiations continue, here are top health and human services issues
The legislative action taken in the first quarter of 2023 has felt like a combination of a sprint and a marathon. Full disclosure: I’m not a runner, so it’s possible this analogy doesn’t hold up, but I think we can all agree that the pace of legislation passed in these last few months has been […]
Rick Haglund: Will the new UAW president’s tough talk translate to wins at the bargaining table?
When newly elected United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain said Detroit automakers and other multibillion-dollar companies were the union’s “one and only true enemy,” my mind flashed backed to one of his combative predecessors: the late Stephen Yokich. Yokich, who led the UAW from 1994 to 2002, was a brash, tough-talking labor leader who didn’t […]
Column: Gun violence is a proxy war on the American public
As the riot of gun violence in America produces fresh massacres by the day, firearm fundamentalists refuse to acknowledge the blood on their hands, and their suicidal stance in the face of escalating carnage is that more guns are the answer. But it’s worse than that. Take a close look at the arguments that gun […]
David Hecker: Don’t fall for well-funded, divide-and-conquer tactics
Throughout history and across continents, wealth and power have often been concentrated in the hands of just a few people and organizations. That’s while the rest are left to contend for scraps, and the United States is no different. The ultra-wealthy are an extremely small part of the population, so they work to hold onto […]
Rick Haglund: Whitmer says ‘bigotry is bad for business.’ Is it true?
It was a clever phrase designed to grab headlines, and it did. “Bigotry is bad for business,” Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said in her January State of the State speech, imploring lawmakers to add anti-discrimination protections based on gender identity and sexual orientation to the state’s civil rights law. They ultimately obliged and Whitmer signed the […]
Column: Expanding affordable housing access will improve health and education outcomes for kids
Our state has long failed children, particularly those from families with low incomes, when it comes to education. According to the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s Kids Count project, for the last two decades, Michigan has ranked near the bottom of the states in education, with the rate of fourth-graders not proficient in reading and eighth-graders […]
Susan J. Demas: As other states attack LGBTQ+ kids, Michigan emerges as a safe haven
After decades of fighting for basic rights and dignity, LGBTQ+ people last week finally became full and equal citizens in Michigan. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Thursday signed a landmark bill expanding the state’s Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act (ELCRA) that bars discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation. The Lansing ceremony was marked by hugs […]
Rick Haglund: Michigan’s state budget is flush with cash. Is it sustainable?
For decades, sluggish tax revenue and difficult funding decisions defined Michigan’s state government budgeting process. Yes, total revenue went up every year. But it wasn’t nearly enough to keep up with inflation and address growing spending needs for roads, education, payments to local governments and other responsibilities of state government. Oddly enough, the COVID pandemic […]
Column: Current postpartum coverage leaves out some of Michigan’s most vulnerable pregnant people
In our training as medical students, we have had the privilege to participate in the care of new parents during postpartum visits. We were surprised to see the different types of health complications that can come after giving birth. We talked to new parents experiencing postpartum depression, saw exacerbations of high blood pressure, diagnosed new-onset […]
Rick Haglund: More education funding is a good start to boost Michigan’s economic competitiveness
Thirty years ago, then-Gov. John Engler used to say that the best-educated state wins. Michigan has not been winning. It ranks among the bottom 10 states in high school completion. Nearly half of Michigan’s 2022 high school graduates were not enrolled in college six months after graduating. Fourth- and eighth-grade reading scores plunged in national […]