The Ann Arbor Independent Editorial Team 2249 posts 224 comments

by Steve Rosenfeld IN COMING DECADES, America will face an economic crisis of epic proportions as tens of millions of citizens lean toward poverty as they reach their senior years. What is done about it will define what kind of country…

by Richard Eskow “OVERCOMING POVERTY is not a task of charity,” said Nelson Mandela, “it is an act of justice.” When the War on Poverty began a half-century ago, it was widely seen as the moral obligation of a wealthy nation.…

The rapidly improving technology, declining costs, and increasing accessibility of clean energy is the true bright spot in the march toward a zero-carbon future.  by Kiley Kroh & Jeff Spross While the news about climate change…

Please note: Kathy Griswold is the Chair of The Ann Arbor Independent's Editorial Board. JOAN LOWENSTEIN, A long-time member of the Downtown Development Authority Board of Directors launched a website titled A2BetterCity.com.  On her…

In 2011 AATA employed 8 managers who earned above 90K. In 2014, 9 top-level managers earn six-figure salaries.  IN SEPTEMBER 2011, former Ann Arbor News government reporter Tom Gantert reported in the Michigan Capitol Confidential that,…

CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS are preparing themselves for the Battle of the Budget. There is a $450,000 “surplus,” over which Council members are expected to compete. This petty cash, as it were, distracts from the reality that Council members must…

THE DISCIPLINE GAP. Put simply, the term describes the gap between the number of minority students (primarily Black and Hispanic) and white students who are formally disciplined and/or expelled from the public schools they attend. Data from…

ANN ARBOR’S CITY Administrator Steve Powers, in explaining why a snow emergency had not been called in order to facilitate faster more efficient clearing of the 11 inches of snow that fell between January 4-5 claimed “a snow emergency has…

The Influenza A (H1N1) virus, which became pandemic in 2009-2010 with at least 18,138 global deaths, has staged a comeback in the U.S., including Ann Arbor. IT WAS RECENTLY reported that, “Health officials at University of Michigan…

by Warren Liverance LATELY, BOTH LIBERAL and conservative blogospheres are abuzz with discussion of the “The Common Core.” It seems that for once, the majority of both sides oppose something that would be bad for the country. Since this…