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Phil's Column
Phil Power is the founder and chairman of the Center for Michigan.
Articles
Phil Power | Michigan will miss John Dingell’s leadership
Imposing, funny, sometimes scary, John Dingell was a legend who left his mark on the state and the nation. We may never see his likes again
Phil Power | Please help Bridge expand its nonpartisan journalism in Michigan
Reader donations are the lifeblood of our work and powers our improvement and growth.
Phil Power | Reflections on a rainy Michigan Election Day
As political parties crouch behind competing notions of white identity politics and a celebration of diversity, how will America manage the inevitable shift in national demographics?
Phil Power | Michigan’s elections are rigged. Is redistricting proposal the answer?
Proposal 2 would take the drawing of legislative lines out of the hands of politicians. But it could also exclude people of good will who want to participate.
Phil Power | Noting the passing of Homer Neal, who worked to change the face of physics
The longtime U-M professor transformed how college physics is taught, making his mark in a field where African Americans remain a rarity
Phil Power | The leader Robert Kennedy might have become
Kennedy’s shooting, 50 years ago, ended the life of a presidential candidate who had established a remarkable emotional bond with an extraordinary range of Americans
Phil Power | The case for ending Michigan’s system for term limits
A quarter century after Michigan adopted some of the most restrictive term-limit legislation in the nation, a new report reveals the law’s failures
Facebook is hardly the only threat to our online privacy
We are living in a daunting new world in which technology companies can grab anybody’s personal data and and sell it for profit.
Barbara Bush spelled class. These 4 Michiganders also merit the term
Former Gov. William Milliken, lawmaker Paul Hillegonds, educator Marilyn Schlack and Judge Damon Keith bring civility and respect to the hard work of making Michigan better.
How to bring the Michigan Truth Tour to your town this election year
The Center for Michigan and Bridge Magazine tour is designed to elevate citizen engagement as the state faces critical decisions on how to lift Michigan’s fortunes going forward.
Lawmakers fiddle as Michigan burns
The public wants Lansing to fix the roads, improve education and keep our water safe and clean. In response: Nothing.
Michigan’s #1 election issue is education
Tolerating continued deterioration of our schools contributes to the long-term abuse of our children. Don’t vote for any candidate who lacks a detailed, long-term turnaround plan.
The best hedge against fake news is the Michigan Truth Tour
The Center for Michigan and Bridge Magazine are countering the pernicious effect of misleading online “news stories” by bringing rigorous, fact-based events and reporting to Michigan’s 2018 elections.
Why Michigan schools fail, and what to do about it
Absent changes to the state constitution, the pressure is on lawmakers to rescue our schools from the abyss
Will Florida shootings shift Republican dogma on guns?
High school students around the country seem to be executing the transformation from observers of repeated classroom shootings, to survivors, and finally to drivers of political protest.
Allowing governor to name college boards is a quick fix. But is it wise?
There are risks in any sudden and hasty attempts to radically impose change on a system that has served Michigan pretty well over the years.
As Gov. Snyder fades, searching for bipartisan solutions in Lansing
Public revulsion at the nakedly partisan nonsense in Lansing and Washington has grown so strongly that it's possible there might emerge an opening for a bipartisan effort to undo our deadlocked democracy.
Amazon to Michigan: Fix your schools!
The link between struggling schools and a paucity of job talent has been clear for years. Those running for state office in 2018 need to make education gains job one.
Feel ignored in Lansing? Let us help you find your voice.
The Center for Michigan and Bridge Magazine are devoting 2018 to making Michigan residents the best informed, most factually grounded electorate in our history. Check out what we’re doing.
Forget the gossip, focus on the character of our elected leaders
If we focus solely on candidates’ backgrounds and policy positions, we won’t learn enough about how they are likely to behave in office.