Opinion

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…

IN A RECENT issue of The Ann Arbor Independent, the newspaper published an article which identified a cluster of Ann Arbor elementary schools at which fewer than 10 percent of the fifth grade students have scored “Advanced” on the MEAP in…

ON SECOND THOUGHT, perhaps the revolution will be televised. And “Liked.”  And “Tweeted.”And commemorated with an emblazoned equality sign via millions of Facebook profiles. And co-opted by Smirnoff vodka.  And then blessed by Her Lady of…

THE MAJORITY OF the new and returning members of the Michigan House of Representatives can boast perfect attendance records with respect to the 534 roll call votes taken between January and December 2013. Michigan legislators earn $71,865…

by Tom Watkins RAISED AS A Catholic, I experienced a mix of Catholic and public school education while growing up, eventually graduating from a Catholic high school. Yes, the nuns whacked my knuckles a few times, but honestly, that…

ROMAN SENATOR CATO The Elder, who lived in the 2nd century BCE, had a “mantra.” At the end of each speech delivered in the Senate Cato would declaim: “Carthago delenda est,” or “Carthage must be destroyed.” Ignoring a peace treaty, Rome…

OVER THE PAST decade, the city’s Mayor and Council members whom he has endorsed, and with whom he has allied himself, have neglected to tend to the basic infrastructure needs of Ann Arbor’s various neighborhoods. Roads and sidewalks have…

AT THE DECEMBER 16th Ann Arbor City Council meeting, Council members Eaton, Lumm and Kunselman introduced a resolution to allocate $125,000 to Police Chief John Seto’s department. The money will fund enhanced traffic enforcement in order to…

THE CITY’S 2013 National Citizen Survey revealed that 92 percent of Ann Arbor residents rated the city as an “excellent” or “good” place to live based on overall quality of life. That figure is unchanged from the National Citizen Survey…

by Dan Sirota FOR MONTHS A debate over Edward Snowden’s status has raged. In the back and forth, one question about this icon who disclosed NSA abuses has dominated: Is he or is he not a whistleblower with all the attendant protections…