Econ

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…

by P.D. Lesko In July, all of Michigan's Republican Senators voted to put a 48-month time limit on public assistance. The same Bill passed the Michigan House on August 24, 2011. If Governor Rick Snyder signs it, on October 1, 2011, an…

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…

Is it possible for gluttony, purity, and morality to coexist with affordability? Or is this utopian vision a myth?

By Chris Savage The Peter Principle: In a hierarchy every employee tends to rise to his level of incompetence. In February of this year, Roger Fraser resigned after nine years as Ann Arbor City Administrator to assume the role of Deputy…

Small businesses owned by individuals, couples and families do one thing really well: take out as much money as possible from the business, and minimize the tax burden as much as possible. This can be confirmed by just about any small…

A2P Notes: This is filed under "Scoops & Scores" because you read it first here. In response to multiple FOIAs, information released by city officials shows that perks including monthly car allowances, city-provided cars, mileage…

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…

According to information provided to A2Politico in response to a FOIA, in Ann Arbor government, an attorney, planning department staffers, police officers, and even a DDA employee receive stipends worth $50 to $400 a month to put toward…

A2P Notes: This is filed under "Scoops & Scores" because you read it here first. Over the past 36 months Council has struggled with budget "deficits," threatened to close Mack Pool and the Burns Park Senior Center to make ends meet,…