Michigan's handgun owners could get an extra layer of privacy protection if a newly introduced Senate bill is passed and signed into law. … more

If it hasn’t already, this broad overview of a higher education system on the cusp of a transformation brought about by online learning should be sending chills up the spines of high-paid university presidents and their legions of administrators. … more

Union representatives were silent in June 2004 when the Michigan Quality Community Care Council was created when Jennifer Granholm was governor. The MQC3 worked with the Service Employees International Union to manage the collection of dues taken from more than $44,000 home-based caregivers. The MQC3 created at least four employees with a combined salary of $177,000, according to state documents. The MQC3’s funding came from the state's Community Health Department. … more

The positive results hold for nearly every category of school and student CREDO analyzed. For instance, it didn't matter if a charter school was located in an urban, suburban, town or rural area — students from each of these geographical categories averaged better learning gains than their peers in conventional schools. … more

Michigan Education Association President Steve Cook tells members of the state's largest union in a memo that the recall of Republican Rep. Paul Scott may have backfired. … more

When evaluating the options within any specific public policy issue, only a relatively narrow window of options will be considered politically acceptable by politicians. The window of acceptable policies is not primarily defined by the politician’s preference, but by what he or she can support without jeopardizing re-election.  … more

Sen. Tory Rocca, R-Sterling Heights; Sen. Mike Green, R-Mayville; Sen. Mike Nofs, R-Battle Creek; and Sen. Tom Casperson, R-Escanaba, voted against giving workers the freedom to choose whether they want to pay union dues or fees as a condition of employment.. … more

Just because a business happens to operate in a certain municipality does not give a majority the right to extract money from them for a private entity. And in the same way, state government should not force workers to send money to a union because of where they work. … more

A new study holding for race, poverty and other areas shows that students in Michigan charter schools perform far better academically than their conventional school counterparts. The pupils who took advantage of school choice had academic growth 82 percent above the state average in reading and 72 percent above the state average in math. … more

“We’re hoping the administration remembers that we’re recovering and doesn’t do any damage to this industry,” a cautious General Motors Co. manager told me. “We can meet consumer demands, but not necessarily government’s demands.” … more

Seven of the eight people facing felony charges for their alleged actions on Dec.6 at the State Capitol have connections to the SEIU Healthcare Michigan union. One of them, Joshua Kersting, is the son of the union's president Marge Faville. … more

Readers may find it of interest that all but four of these new members appear to have previously held another office, worked for a special interest group, or worked for a unit of government, a public school, a government-funded entity, or a government employee union. … more

A conflict of interest would be as follows: First, government union elects politician by funding their campaign and organizing a massive get-out-the-vote drive; second, politician supports employee pay increases, generous pensions and condition of employment; third, union takes dues (read: taxpayer money) and starts the cycle all over again for selected politician. … more

Whether the reader looks at the number and sees an inflection point or four years of economic stagnation depends on presentation. Overall, there is no denying that the recession was severe and prolonged, and the country has yet to fully recover. … more

The per-capita income in non-right-to-work states was $43,666 in 2011. The per-capita income in the 25 right-to-work states was $38,308. Michigan’s was $36,264. … more

This new law won’t affect districts for several months or maybe even a few years, since it only applies to new contracts signed after March. Unions, however, will likely try to deny or at least delay this new freedom for employees by getting districts to renegotiate and agree to new long-term contracts before then — forcing school employees, at the risk of losing their jobs, to pay fees to unions. … more

In the face of alleged ethics violations ranging from tax fraud to money laundering, Michigan Supreme Court Justice Diane Hathaway announced this week that she is resigning. That does not mean, however, that she will no longer be receiving taxpayer dollars … more

LANSING — The Democrats got cookies; the Republicans got crumbs. That's how members of Michigan’s 97th legislature were welcomed by union members here on Wednesday.  … more

"Two kinds of companies seek subsidies: economically uncompetitive companies, which need the subsidy to survive, and potentially competitive companies, which use subsidies to pad their bottom lines. Neither case can be justified." … more