Commentary: Fix the “damn roads”? But how do we pay for the “damn roads”?
By Paul Rozycki Are you ready to “fix the damn roads?” It was Gov. Whitmer’s campaign promise, and just about everyone agrees that it’s job one for Michigan this year. But, how do we pay for it? By most estimates, the state needs to raise about $2.5 billion to get the job done. And even then, it will take years to undo the harm from the underinvestment over the past decades. In 2018, only 77 percent of the state’s roads were in...
Commentary: Roads, schools, water, taxes–a short tour of Gov. Whitmer’ $60 billion budget
By Paul Rozycki In March Governor Gretchen Whitmer began a tour of the state to defend and explain her first budget proposal to the public. She’s already been to Grand Rapids, Detroit, Dearborn, Jackson, Port Huron and Adrian, and plans are to continue the statewide journey as the budget works its way through the legislature. Though her itinerary isn’t complete, there is a good chance she will be in the Flint and Genesee County area...
A number of numbers to watch in 2019
By Paul Rozycki I once knew a math professor who argued that everything in the universe could be explained by numbers and mathematics—from the creation of the most basic atoms, to the formation of the stars and galaxies, to the most complex life forms, to all types of mechanical and electronic devices. I don’t claim to be enough of a mathematician to prove him right or wrong, but numbers do matter a lot. And most of the biggest...
I love Flint: Baker’s dozen reasons why my town is NOT the 11th “Worst City to Live In”
By Harold C. Ford I’m an unabashed, unashamed, scream-it-from-the-rooftops supporter/defender of Flint. And yet once again, my hometown was put on another “worst” list. This time it was a publication called 24/7 Wall St. Using “an index of over two dozen measures to identify the worst cities to live in,” Flint was ranked the 11th worst in the U.S. I was drawn to the article while perusing the website of the Detroit Free...
Commentary: Civility in politics 2019? Maybe, but don’t count on it
By Paul Rozycki “It’s tough to make predictions, especially about the future.” -Yogi Berra With a newly elected Congress in Washington, a new administration in Lansing, and a mayoral election in Flint, this year will be anything but tranquil politically. As has been the case for the last few years, predictions are easy to make, but often wrong. Like so many things attributed to Yogi Berra, I don’t know if he actually said, “It’s tough...
Village Life: A tale of two signs on the “Eastside” of Flint
By Gary Fisher They’re just metal street signs. Been there for years, decades, a very long time, after all. There they are perched at the top of a standard street sign pole. Nothing to see here, folks. Or maybe there is. Well at least for me there is. That’s because sometimes street signs aren’t just street signs. Sometimes they are so much more. Those two signs were the literal and figurative signposts of not only my life, but also...
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