Recent criticism of the Michigan Legislature for reducing state funding for higher education is wrong, as are claims that students are being gouged by the state. In fact, students benefit the most from the current policy of funding state universities partly through tax revenues.
I am writing in response to "Recalls shouldn't be used as threats" (SN 7/23). For years, our governor and Legislature have mismanaged the budget, refused to make critical reforms and continued to seek tax and fee increases. Their failure to address the unsustainable level of teacher pensions and health care benefits results in millions of dollars being redirected away from the classroom every year. Their failure to expand school choice and increase educational opportunities condemns tens of thousands of children to failing schools. Their failure to stand up to the big labor raises the cost of doing business in this state.
In response to Colleen Maxwell's article "5 compete to design museum" (SN 7/19), why did MSU bother to fly anyone in? The conceptual designs of these five architectural firms are nothing more than egotistical expressions of their own personal bias.
I recently had the pleasure of traveling to Washington, D.C., New York and Chicago. As someone who spends most of his time in Detroit, it's only natural I make some comparisons between these big cities and our state's own urban cornerstone.
It should be common knowledge that performing the same task time after time will not garner new results. Many schools are teaching abstinence-only education in hopes of preventing teenagers from having sex. The New York Times reported last week that, despite the prominence of abstinence education, there has been no sign that teenagers are waiting to have sex.
Recently, publisher Merriam-Webster announced 100 new entries in the new edition of its collegiate dictionary.
Some voters in Michigan are unhappy with the potential for tax increases they are faced with as a result of the state's struggling economy. Under current policy, voters can recall elected officials if they are unhappy with their policies, replacing them before the end of the term if enough signatures are collected. Although the move takes 25 percent of the voters from the previous election to overturn a legislator, it hasn't happened in Michigan since 1983, when two senators were recalled.
Prostitution should be legalized and destigmatized in the U.S. Out of almost 15 million arrests in 2005, an estimated 84,891 were for prostitution or commercialized vice, according to the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting Program.
Last month, Gov. Jennifer Granholm stood in the middle of a field in East Lansing and spoke wonderfully of MSU's role at the forefront of biofuel research, thanks to the largest research grant ever.
I am writing regarding what Jon Vereecke said within the article "Luxury tax being considered" (SN 7/17). Vereecke made the statement that "the tax would not overburden students but rather place a tax where it could benefit Michigan the most." Well, Vereecke, I disagree.
Some state offenders will spend less time behind bars if Gov. Jennifer Granholm's sentencing reforms are passed. Granholm's administration introduced a proposal to alter Michigan's sentencing laws, which would house 3,300 fewer inmates in state prisons and county jails over three years, according to the Lansing State Journal.
Tuition is one controversial issue at MSU. There are a lot of comments about this. In my opinion, increasing tuition is a great amendment because of quality teaching, quality facilities and quality service. Quality teaching is a requirement for survival in any university.
In response to the recent editorial "Republican task forces feign inclusion" (SN 7/16), I would like to support the House Republican initiatives in addressing key issues in our state.
In Michigan, 1,032,727 people have no health insurance - more than 10 percent of the state population, according to U.S.
I agree with only one aspect of Michael Thom's column "Flaws with science" (SN 7/17). The debate over the existence of God is silly and does not belong within the realm of science. Atheists should not flock to science to refute the existence of God.
We can be a pretty lazy nation, but one thing that gets us riled up is our health, right? When a baby is sick, look out.
Whoever titled Michael Thom's opinion column "Flaws with science" (SN 7/17), needs to reread it.
College students in blue states have an easy time being liberal. Especially when they spend a prominent amount of free time in coffee shops discussing the horrors of corporate America, capitalism, materialism, etc. Writers like Noam Chomsky, Michael Moore and Bob Woodward become iconic figureheads for those who have it right, while conservatism quickly evolves into a two-dimensional ideal harbored by followers of a pope or pharaoh, preaching subservience and doublethink to a single unwavering ecclesiastic doctrine. But upon further thought, I realized that even myself - an environmentalist, semi-socialist, agnostic vegan - found things in common with popular conservative beliefs.
Minimum wage in Michigan rose to $7.15 an hour this month, but a recent report by the Michigan League for Human Services stated it's still not enough. A single person working full-time would need to earn $9.08 an hour to scrape by, according to the report titled "Economic Self-Sufficiency in Michigan: A Benchmark for Ensuring Family Well-Being." The amount factored in necessities such as housing, health care, transportation, taxes and personal items.
I am writing in response to the letter "DeVos should serve time for Quixtar scam at MSU" (SN 7/16). The author, Chris Hansen, has no idea what he is raving about.