Are Americans less patriotic now than we were 50 years ago? By traditional measures, the answer is probably yes. Many observers unfavorably compare this year’s sporadic A250 celebrations to the pride seen in past events such as the 1976 Bicentennial. It can seem that something about the patriotic spirit of our country is lacking. But one pleasant surprise of 2026 is that a soccer tournament, of all things, boosted Americans’ appreciation of our country.
This article originally appeared in The Detroit News May 19 2026.
When you paid your taxes last month, perhaps you grumbled about the amount. Did you know your tax dollars are used to call for higher taxes?
Local governments use public funds to argue for tax hikes. School districts blanket communities with information about the benefits of millages and other tax measures. Taxpayer-funded bureaucracies hold public town halls and plaster social media with demands for more of your money. Superintendents warn about the dire consequences if the measure fails.
The lawyers, lobbyists and advocates for corporate welfare demonstrate a lot of creativity. They’ve developed a variety of gimmicks to hide financial transfers collected by their clients. Let’s dig in on what they’ve come up with because it shows a remarkable effort to conceal taxpayer payments to select companies.
This article originally appeared in The Detroit News May 12, 2026.
Driving around Saginaw in 2023, I noticed large yellow “Vote No” signs, urging the community to reject a massive school bond. These signs stood out. While high-quality “Yes” signs are common for local tax hike campaigns, this was the first time I had seen an organized and professional opposition.
At a time of high inflation, many of the policies enacted in Michigan in recent years have made things less affordable. But there are also bills in the state House and Senate, some supported by both Republicans and Democrats, that would tackle an affordability agenda.
Why are towns all over the United States convulsed about development plans for data centers? Dennis Talluto says size matters.
“I think the primary concern that's really driving the paranoia and and the noise level is basically the size and the scope of data centers,” says Talluto, founder and principal of LVL Strategies. “Twenty, 30 years ago, you might have, say, a 50,000- or 100,000-square-foot data center that might draw four megawatts of power. And now you've got half a million square feet for a data center that's drawing five hundred megawatts to a gigawatt just for one site. So I think the the size of the site, the size of the facilities, the acreage involved, that is what's really driving the noise level.”
By Cate Welch
The debate over data centers is often framed as a simple choice: embrace technological progress or stand in the way. That framing is wrong. Data centers are no different than any other business and should be treated likewise.
Artificial intelligence, cloud computing and the digital infrastructure supporting them are no longer optional luxuries. Data centers power everything from banking and logistics to traffic lights to a rapidly expanding AI economy. In other words, they help people get what they want.
Two rural school districts in Gratiot County each needed to hire a new superintendent. They both chose to hire the same person to oversee their separate operations. Ryan Portenga, the current principal of Pewamo-Westphalia Middle/High School in Clinton County, will be the new superintendent of Ashley Community Schools as well as Fulton Schools.
How free is Michigan’s economy? By one widely used measure, not very. Michigan ranks 31st among the 50 states on an objective index of economic liberty. That middling showing carries consequences. States with more economic freedom tend to see stronger growth, more jobs and greater population gains. Michigan’s relative stagnation reflects the poor policy choices its leaders have made.
This article originally appeared in The Detroit News June 2, 2026.
My father gave me some advice when I first started working.
He developed his advice after working as a salesman at a shoe store. The store experienced busy periods, as well as slow stretches in the day.
This article was originally published by The Detroit News May 5, 2026.
Ben Sasse is dying. The former Republican U.S. senator from Nebraska was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer in December. The cancer has metastasized. Without a miracle, it will kill him.
This article originally appeared in The Detroit News November 10, 2024.
Children are our hope for a bright, beautiful future. Tragically, far too many see their future dimmed by the trauma of abuse and neglect. When a child’s home becomes unsafe, the state must step in as a temporary guardian while helping the child find a permanent, safe, stable home. Sometimes, finding a suitable new family means crossing state lines.
By Molly Macek
This article originally appeared in The Detroit News May 7, 2026.
Michigan’s largest teachers union has named Gov. Whitmer the “Champion of Education,” despite her record of significant declines in student achievement and record-high school spending.
The Michigan Education Association created a new award to honor the governor’s impact on education during her time in office: a time marked by the rapid-fire repeal of critical reforms that had been put in place to improve student achievement, school accountability and educator quality.
This article originally appeared in The Detroit News April 28 2026.
“There is no such thing as a free lunch,” said Nobel-prize-winning economist Milton Friedman, but Michigan policymakers sure are trying to prove him wrong.
Michigan's 2026 school aid budget allocates $248.1 million to provide breakfast and lunch to all of the public school students, regardless of family income. Students from needy families already qualify for the federal free and reduced meal program, so the state’s program feeds kids from well-off families. Private school students are also eligible for free school meals, as long as their school participates in the federal program.
Michigan’s Transportation Asset Management Council expects roads to be repaired as fast as they fall apart, according to its latest report on the conditions of Michigan’s roads and bridges. That’s an improvement from the previous year.
This chart shows the projections made about the percentage of roads in good or fair conditions from reports in 2011, 2018, 2024 and the most recent year, 2025.
Traverse City Light & Power, a government-owned entity that provides electricity and internet service, is raising its electricity rates by 5%. This increase was approved by the City Commission of Traverse City at its May meeting.
TCL&P Chief Financial Officer Karla Myers-Beman said the rate increase was necessary because of “decommissioning of coal plants, surging electricity demand from data centers, and an accelerating transition to new energy resources.” She added that the increase “would not fully close the utility’s current operating deficit, but is part of a longer-range plan that anticipates incremental rate adjustments in future years.”
“I think the future for America is very bright,” says Dave Hebert, senior research fellow at the American Institute for Economic Research. “I think the future for the American manufacturing sector is very bright, provided, of course, government stays out of the way.”
Michigan’s tourism economy depends on giving visitors places to stay. Hotels, bed–and–breakfasts, cottages, cabins and homes all play a role. In Michigan, many communities are built around tourism, and in others the economy is changing — for the better — as travel helps revitablize our towns.
By Cami Pendell
As a think tank, we spend a lot of time discussing what free markets and limited government require to function well: property rights, the rule of law, sound fiscal policy, and regulatory restraint. These are the visible structures that support a society built on individual freedom and responsibility.
Complaints about high housing costs are widespread. Economists have one simple answer to bring prices down: Build more houses. Increasing the supply of housing to lower the price of owning or renting is not only theoretically sound, but it’s backed by strong empirical evidence.
This article originally appeared in The Detroit News April 7, 2026.
There’s a fight in Grand Rapids. The city’s financial watchdog raised concerns about spending at city hall. The response? The officials, whose spending he reviews, gutted his office.
Grand Rapids Comptroller Max Frantz is now suing to protect his office’s independence, staff and budget. This case, no matter the outcome, will influence how cities across Michigan manage their finances.
Workers for Opportunity is joining a broad coalition to oppose the Faster Labor Contracts Act. This legislation would remove democracy from the workplace and empower government bureaucrats to mandate arbitration for initial contracts between unions and businesses.
This article originally appeared in The Detroit News April 21, 2026.
In Michigan, you need a license to cut hair, roof a house or operate a polygraph machine. But you need no training at all to write the laws that govern those professions.
Elected officials make important decisions for their constituents, appropriating billions of dollars of taxpayer money and designing state programs that affect millions of people. Lawmakers would do well to learn and remember basic economics.
This article originally appeared in The Detroit News September 25, 2025.
Data centers are facilities that house computing and telecommunications infrastructure. They have been around for a long time, but demand is skyrocketing thanks to the rise of the internet, crypto currency, artificial intelligence and cloud data storage. More data centers are being built around the country.
Michigan received a $125 million federal grant that it will share with school districts to cover the cost of buying 322 electric powered buses and 54 propane powered buses. The grant was designed to replace older diesel fueled buses with lower emission vehicles. With the grant ending, school districts will need to make their own purchase decisions about which vehicles are best.
