I am writing today to announce the closure of the Michigan Messenger. After four years of operation in Michigan, the board of the American Independent News Network, has decided to shift publication of its news into a single site, The American Independent at Americanindependent.com. This is part of a shift in strategy, towards new forms [...]
An abstinence-only presentation provided to numerous school districts in Calhoun and Eaton Counties in October of this year provided false and misleading information to students about HIV, experts allege.
Two county registers of deeds filed a class action lawsuit Monday on behalf of Michigan’s 83 counties alleging that the Mortgage Electronic Registration Services owes millions of dollars in property title transfer taxes.
Despite evidence of the impact of mercury on children and public health, Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette last month joined with 24 other state attorneys general in filing a lawsuit to scuttle new EPA regulations that would reduce mercury emissions from power plants.
Lt. Gov. John Cherry, the presumptive Democratic nominee for governor in 2010, said on Thursday that since the votes are not there in the state legislature to enact structural reforms to place the government on a firm revenue footing, it may require a popular referendum to get it done.
“The public has a jaundiced eye,” said Cherry, who is seen as the frontrunner for the Democratic nomination for governor next year. “People are not happy with the capacity of state government to solve problems right now.”
A ballot initiative will probably have to be led by outside groups, such as the education community, he said.
“The best thing we (he and Gov. Jennifer Granholm) can do is be supportive,” he said.
Reforms might include extending the sales tax to services, moving to a graduated income tax or other changes.
He might well be right. Unless something changes soon, there’s no way any plan for real structural reform is going to be passed by both houses of the state legislature. And if our political leaders can’t or won’t do it, perhaps the voters themselves will have to.
Do you know where to vote on Election Day? Do you know what to bring with you? Get comprehensive voter information for your state here.
Sign up for our email newsletter