Guest Commentary

It’s easy to take things for granted, like the ability to move freely in your community, the ease at which you can go to your local store and buy fresh produce for your dinner table. It’s time we think about the people that work hard to put that produce on our tables.

Michigan can’t foist the energy transition on rural communities without their consent, but instead should build bridges that demonstrate we are all in this together.

I urge Michigan lawmakers to be faithful to our calling to care for children by choosing hope and healing rather than life-long condemnation.

The federal government still regards marijuana as a Schedule 1 narcotic, preventing nationally-backed financial institutions from conducting normal business with Michigan cannabis companies or their employees.

We must unite to ensure that any medical facility performing surgical abortions adheres to the same rigorous health and safety standards as other outpatient surgery centers.

Michigan should continue to embrace a commonsense, all-of-the-above approach that prioritizes reliability and affordability in our energy policy.

Vulnerable women who are most in need of support and care who will be hurt the most if a set of bills being considered in the Michigan Legislature are approved.

We can’t get complacent or assume that the progress we are making in education will last — the future of our children and students depends on it.

Right now in the state legislature there’s a bill to ensure that farmers don’t have to waste an entire crop just because they couldn’t repair their equipment.

We deserve clean energy to power our homes and businesses. We deserve affordable energy that taps into renewable sources like wind and solar.

Building a clean energy economy means demanding corporate accountability for human and ecological impacts of production — and that starts by supporting workers with good union contracts.

It’s not a good idea to increase the size, scope, and power of bureaucracy, but that seems to be the direction Democrats are driving the state.

We can help Michigan teens get to college by making FAFSA completion universal, and making financial aid more transparent.

Those costs would be passed to tenants in the form of higher rents, specifically harming low-income residents. Better to reform zoning codes which would spur a greater housing supply.

The fundamental mission of schools is the nurturing of productive, responsible citizenship within a democratic society. That’s the true narrative of U.S. schools and their heroic educators who deserve much better.

If decarbonization is our priority, we simply are not serious about achieving that objective without nuclear power in the mix. Without nuclear, Michigan will face exorbitant electric rates and more reliance on fossil fuel.

Michigan’s 12 regional public universities offer a deep connection to their communities and an affordable option for students seeking a better life, particularly first-generation college students, nontraditional students and students of color.

Legislation would require funeral homes, crematoriums and cemeteries to refrigerate deceased individuals awaiting disposition to protect their dignity and prevent neglect.

Only 33 of 83 counties are served by a community college. This makes it more difficult and expensive for students from generally poorer and more rural counties to take advantage of the Michigan Reconnect program.

Democrats must be more transparent in making their case for nuclear energy. Michigan is better served by investing in wind, solar and battery, which can be added more quickly and at less expense.