Other Voices

OTHER VOICES: High-tech education is crucial difference

05/14/13 They say admitting you have a problem is the first step. My problem isn't finding work, it's finding qualified workers.

OTHER VOICES: Businesses must do their part to find talent

05/08/13 Michigan is on the road to recovery, and employers must now find better ways of attracting the talent they need to fill jobs.

OTHER VOICES: Workforce training must fill skills gap

04/25/13 Michigan's economy is on a roll. Powered by the automotive recovery, the state is once again seeing increasing demand for skilled jobs.

OTHER VOICES: Vital sector missing from the conversation

03/24/13 I applaud the state's foresight in hosting the 2013 Governor's Economic Summit last week at Cobo Center. I agree that Michigan needs to focus on job supply and demand to make a measurable dent in our job creation goals. However, I'd also like to draw attention to a vital industry that was missing from the conversation: the creative sector.

OTHER VOICES: Shine light on government

03/12/13 It's your government. And it's your money that's paying for it. You deserve to know how that money is being spent and if waste, fraud, corruption, conflicts of interest or just bad decision-making are getting in the way of the results you expect.

OTHER VOICES: Offer voters mayor-council slate

02/24/13 The Detroit City Council has been a do-nothing body since approving a consent agreement with the state last year.

OTHER VOICES: TRANSPORTATION: Fix more than beaten track

02/14/13 Jim Byrum, president of the Michigan Agri-Business Association, says a much broader strategic focus on transportation in Michigan is necessary if we really want to bring our infrastructure into the 21st century and grow our economy.

OTHER VOICES: TRANSPORTATION: Gov's road map worth following

02/10/13 The Michigan Chamber of Commerce strongly supports Gov. Rick Snyder's call for transportation investment.

OTHER VOICES: Talent crisis in manufacturing is real

01/30/13 If you want to know if a problem is real, ask those who are impacted by it the most -- those who are on the front line.

OTHER VOICES: Island tax haven? Not so crazy

01/22/13 Selling Belle Isle for $1 billion to private developers, severing it from the state of Michigan and establishing it as an independent federal tax haven? The proposal might be considered half-cocked if it were not being supported by Mackinac Center for Public Policy, the Midland-based research and educational think tank, along with the former head of the Michigan Chamber of Commerce.

OTHER VOICES: State needs to grow educated middle class

01/07/13 Michigan may have invented the American middle class. Through a combination of corporate innovation and strong unions, Michigan for most of the last century was a place where both owners and workers prospered. It was where most anyone willing to work hard could achieve the American Dream.

OTHER VOICES: Biz, labor must unite for progress

12/18/12 Relations between business and labor appear to be at an all-time low. After an unusually bruising election season, the battle over right-to-work legislation has ignited passions and made constructive partnerships between unions and managers seem all but impossible. This situation is destructive for Michigan's economy and poisonous for our politics.

OTHER VOICES: As 'cliff' nears, small biz must be proactive

11/25/12 I am a parent, spouse, small-business owner, manufacturer, neighbor and friend. I am the segment of the economy that is painfully aware that in the past 10 years, we have experienced an economic downturn second only to the Great Depression.

OTHER VOICES: What counts the most, calories or coins?

11/15/12 The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported this summer that Michigan had the fifth-highest state rate of obesity at 31.3 percent. The CDC also projected that 42 percent of adults nationally will be obese by 2030.

OTHER VOICES: State gives big boost to small businesses

11/07/12 Other voices: Rob Fowler, leader of the Small Business Association of Michigan, says the state's restructuring is producing the intended results by improving the state's climate for small-business owners.

OTHER VOICES: A nonprofit's mission must be clear to all

10/23/12 This week is Crain's annual philanthropy issue, so it seems appropriate to remind donors and nonprofits alike about the importance of mission.

OTHER VOICES: Take action on student debt

10/15/12 Trillions of dollars are owed in student debt, and the issue has reached a crisis point, says lawyer and former OU Trustee Henry Baskin in this guest column.

OTHER VOICES: 3 more signs show state biz is recovering

10/08/12 More evidence supports the case that Michigan business conditions are growing faster than the national averages. Most encouraging is that the growth stems from structural improvements that should help Michigan to compete in the long run, says guest columnist David Sowerby.

OTHER VOICES: Consider city income tax cut

09/30/12 In the late 1990s, Mayor Dennis Archer and the city of Detroit agreed to legislation that would reduce over several years the city income tax -- which was the highest in Michigan. This automatic cut in the rate has been limited by the city not meeting certain financial thresholds or city officials winning approval of legislation to freeze the current rates.

OTHER VOICES: Immigrants are the (partial) answer

09/23/12 Many U.S. cities caught in a spiral of economic decline think they have a rescue plan: an influx of immigrants. Officials are carrying out policies aimed at attracting foreigners in hopes that their energy and drive will reverse decades of population losses and set the stage for a revival.

OTHER VOICES: Detroit ideal place to debate U.S. future

09/17/12 Forget the recently completed party conventions and nonstop orchestrated campaign events that are ongoing until Election Day. If you really want to draw contrasts between the visions of President Barack Obama and Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney, see exactly how they come down on ways to fix Detroit.

OTHER VOICES: To leave no child behind, teach adults

09/10/12 Michigan's recent receipt of a waiver from the well-intended but flawed, federally mandated No Child Left Behind program is good and bad news for the state and Detroit.

OTHER VOICES: Time to reinvest in nonprofit leadership

08/30/12 We often refer to the bedrock beneath Detroit as the foundation for what has been built here. I suggest that in addition to the geological bedrock, Detroit is supported by a foundation of nonprofit cultural, business development and human service organizations that collectively are just as substantial -- and maybe even more important to the structure and stability of our city.

OTHER VOICES: Michigan must do better for its children

08/08/12 A recent report tackles a big question: How are our kids doing? The answer: Not so great. The Kids Count Data Book, released by the Annie Casey Foundation, ranks Michigan behind 31 other states for overall child well-being. Michigan lagged behind all other Great Lakes states.