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Economic Development
Green Energy Programs in Michigan Rely Heavily on Federal Subsidies—Some U.S. Senators Want To End the Flow of Money
by Rob Smith
Federal funding for rail. Federal funding for roads. Federal funding for green energy. Between 2009 and 2011, the state of Michigan has been the recipient of over $17 billion dollars in federal stimulus money also known as…
Michigan Backs Financial Scheme of Convicted Felon & Now Taxpayers on the Hook for $18 Million
by P.D. Lesko
Guess what you can get in Michigan for a $10,000 donation to Rick Snyder's campaign? You can get $18,000,000 in state money to bail you out when your project crashes and burns just 10 months after it's launched. You can also…
How The 1 Percent Create Jobs: Officials Dump Millions In Public Money Into Local Job Creation & Exercise Little Oversight
by P.D. Lesko
Michigan has bled jobs, and the state's residents have suffered Depression-era unemployment levels.
The Detroit Free Press recently concluded in its report card evaluation of Governor Rick Snyder that Snyder's first year in…
Ann Arbor Politicos Dish Up Millions in Public Money & Give SPARK Pals A Pass On Public Accountability
by P.D. Lesko
I read a Tweet from Ann Arbor SPARK on November 17th: "Paul Krutko, Ann Arbor SPARK's CEO, speaking at the VC breakfast in San Jose, California. http://twitpic.com/7felds."
Krutko was the Chief Development Officer for the…
New Report: Michigan Economy Is Moving “Significantly Backward” By Hiking Taxes on the Poor
by P.D. Lesko
The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, one of the nation’s premier policy organizations working at the federal and state levels on fiscal policy and public programs that affect low- and moderate-income families and…
Interview: U.S. Rep. Schauer
by Chris Savage
In 2008, Democratic state Senate Minority Leader Mark Schauer was elected to be the Representative for Michigan's 7th Congressional District, replacing Republican Tim Walberg. The 7th District, which spans a large…
Forbes Mag. List of Cities With the Happiest Young Professionals Includes Detroit But Not Ann Arbor
by P.D. Lesko
The Boomers on Ann Arbor City Council are fixated on turning the city into a mecca for Young Professionals. After all, 35,000 wanna-be YPs study at the University of Michigan, and if all of them would just stay put, in less…
Interview: Michigan Municipal League Director Dan Gilmartin—Rising Above Politics to Save Michigan
There are few people in Michigan more qualified than Dan Gilmartin to talk about what it will take to return Michigan and its varying municipalities to prosperity. On his blog, Gilmartin covers everything from what makes municipalities…
New Research Shows Sharp Increase in Childhood Poverty in Michigan. Gov. Snyder Responds By Announcing Junket To Asia
Analogy Alert: President Obama is buying books (and playing golf) on Martha's Vinyard. In Sunday's New York Times, Maureen Dowd took the President to task as only she can. Dowd writes: "Is Obama so isolated he can’t see that Americans are…
Bloomberg BusinessWeek Analyzes “Job Creation” Snyder-Style: Service Industry Jobs That Create More Working Poor
Legend has it that Helen of Troy had a face that launched a thousand ships. Michigan Governor Rick Snyder, on the other hand, has a "job creation" strategy that has launched a recall effort. It's a strategy that has resulted in Snyder…