Guest Commentary

Getting a good deal is more important than a fast deal for our Michigan children in the upcoming state budget.

Medical debt is a public health issue, and Michigan should enlist Community Health Workers to help residents navigate a system designed to confuse.

Michigan needs real solutions, including hazard pay, rather than policies that steal corrections workers from their families.

We know that some elected officials still worry that comprehensive sex education is not popular with constituents. This is untrue. It is long past time to update Michigan’s sex and health education standards.

The 2022 clean energy plan was written to support unions like mine, making sure that American workers don’t get left behind.

We can fix our roads without reversing progress on clean mobility. Let’s not let a well-intentioned fix become a costly mistake.

The state has acted to attract more new teachers. Now we must take steps to improve retention.

Too often, Lansing has micromanaged school budgets, limiting the ability of local schools to respond effectively to the unique challenges they face. Our budget fundamentally changes this approach.

These earn-while-you-learn programs are one of the most effective tools we have to connect people with high-wage, in-demand careers.

Put the old-fashioned word “character” at the top of your criteria for selecting a new U-M president. The regents have neglected that trait twice in a row.

If Michigan students are to receive the support they need, we must invest in student mental health more intentionally.

Many assume the solution is simple: fill the funding gaps left by the federal pullback. But philanthropy alone can’t replace public investment – and many argue it shouldn’t.

The time has passed for empty campaign promises and meaningless headlines. Michigan’s leaders need to act and deliver a real solution for our road funding problem.

For our utilities and state leaders, the catastrophe is a warning of what’s to come if we don’t adapt our grids to an increase in both frequency and intensity of severe weather.

Medicaid isn’t a fringe benefit for the few — it’s a critical lifeline for millions. And it’s a key part of the financial foundation for hospitals that serve our most at-risk communities. But that foundation is crumbling.

Federal funding is necessary for Community Action Agencies to survive. Eliminating or reducing funds would be devastating to many in our communities who could be our neighbors and friends.

This isn’t just a budgetary issue — it’s also a moral one. When we talk about slashing Medicaid, we’re not talking about trimming fat, we’re talking about cuts that will hurt our most vulnerable children, neighbors, family members and friends.

The state should respect local leaders when they determine something is best for their community. That’s why we have local governments. That’s why we have democracy.

It's more important than ever for Michiganders to have the ability to invest in their own reliable community power generation. It’s time for the will of the voters to matter more than dirty utility contributions to politicians.

Michigan needs a wartime leader, a victor valiant who will stay and be a champion. Ono wasn't. The regents must make it clear that his replacement should be.