Author name: Victor Skinner

Economics

Detroit Ranked Second Worst City for Jobs in America

A new analysis of the Best Cities for Jobs in 2025 ranks Michigan’s largest nearly dead last. The personal finance website WalletHub compared more than 180 U.S. cities across 31 key indicators of job-market strength – from opportunities per job seeker, to employment growth, to monthly average starting salary – to determine the best for finding work.

The analysis produced an overall rank for 182 cities, as well as a job market rank and socio-economics rank, and Detroit ranked among the worst in all three. Overall, the Motor City came in 181st out of 182, one spot ahead of last place Memphis, Tenn. Detroit ranked 176th for job market and 178th for socio-economics.

For the job market, WalletHub considered indicators like job opportunities, employment growth, starting salaries, unemployment, job security and satisfaction, full time employment, and workers in poverty, among others. Memphis was the worst, followed by Detroit, San Bernardino, Calif.; Augusta, Ga.; Baton Rouge, La.; Gulfport, Miss.; Bakersfield, Calif.; Huntington, W. Va.; Stockton, Calif.; and Shreveport, La. Detroit’s persistently high unemployment is due in part to bigger problems in Michigan under Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. In just the last year, 36,000 more Michiganders became unemployed, marking a 17.3% increase since November 2023.

Read the Full Story at The Midwesterner

Economics

Whitmer’s Michigan: Nearly 20,000 Michiganders Got Pink Slips for Christmas — Most of Any State

The number of new Michigan unemployment claims swelled by more than 7,800 last week over the week prior, significantly outpacing every state in the nation. In total, the state estimates 19,349 Michiganders filed new unemployment claims during the week of Christmas, or 7,810 more than the 11,539 that filed claims during the previous week, according to the U.S. Department of Labor’s weekly unemployment insurance claims report.

That growth in new claims dwarfs all states and the District of Columbia, with the next closest states of New Jersey at 5,637 additional claims, and Pennsylvania at 5,331. Across the U.S., the net increase in initial unemployment claims was 7,441, as declining unemployment in 26 states was outpaced by increases in the rest. In November, about 9,000 Michiganders lost their jobs as the state’s unemployment rate ticked up for the eighth straight month, growing at double the national average.

State officials in November reported Michigan’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate jumped two-tenths of a percentage point from September to come in at 4.7% for October, then later revised that figure to 4.6%. The Michigan Department of Technology, Management and Budget reports Michigan’s unemployment rate has since swelled to 4.8%, jumping another two-tenths of a percentage point as the national unemployment rate increased by 0.1% in November. It’s now at the highest point since November 2021, when the state was still reeling from government imposed pandemic restrictions. 

Read the Full Story at The Midwesterner 

Economics

Michigan Gov. Whitmer Paid Out Full $600M to GM Before Jobs Were Created

Michigan taxpayers gave General Motors $600 million to create thousands of jobs at an Ultium Cells battery plant near Lansing, now they’re waiting to see if a South Korean company fulfills that obligation. GM announced earlier this month it’s backing out of the joint venture with LG Energy Solution that was funded in part by the largest taxpayer incentive package in state history, but neglected to mention it already pocketed the cash.

“State records obtained by The Detroit News indicate the entire performance-based grant was paid out by the Michigan Treasury Department to GM and its partner in an EV battery plant between June and September 2023, more than a year before the Detroit automaker announced Dec. 2 that it would sell its stake in the Lansing area battery plant that had received part of the grant,” the news site reports.

The 2022 incentive package, the first approved through a newly created Strategic Outreach and Attraction Reserve fund run by the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, paid out a record $666 million for the Ultium Cells plant and to transition GM’s Orion Township assembly plant to produce all-electric pickups. The agreement was predicated on GM’s promise to invest about $4 billion in Orion Township and $2.5 billion in Ultium Cells, and create about 3,200 jobs – 1,840 in Orion Township and 1,360 at the Ultium Cells plant.

Read the Full Story at The Midwesterner

Economics

Michigan Tops U.S. States for Corporate Welfare — More Than Double No. 2 South Carolina

Michigan lawmakers are doling out taxpayer cash to corporations faster than any state in the nation, and it’s not even close. “From 2018-2023, Michigan spent twice as much on incentives as the #2 state,” David Guenthner, the Mackinac Center for Public Policy’s vice president for government affairs, posted to X Thursday, along with the data to back up his claim. “6x Texas, 8x Florida, 12x Tennessee. “All of those states are lapping Michigan in job creation and population growth,” he noted. “Because MI pols would rather subsidize @GM & @Ford than fix the damn roads.”

An attached chart from IncentivesFlow, “a Service from FDI Intelligence,” shows Michigan spent $2.663 billion in taxpayer-funded economic incentives over the six-year time frame. South Carolina, the next closest state, spent $1.6 billion, followed by California at $1.3 billion, Indiana at $1.215 billion, and Oregon at $1.013 billion.

The spending data follows just days after the Mackinac Center released a report titled “Front Page Failures” that exposes the futility of Michigan’s taxpayer-funded economic incentives. “Front page new stories in Michigan’s largest newspaper from 2000 to 2020 announced the creation of a total of 123,060 new jobs,” according to the report. “State reports show these deals created just 10,889 jobs in the end, a success rate of just 9%. Only one in 11 of the announced jobs in these front page stories ever came to fruition.”

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Uncategorized

Democrat Michigan Attorney General Suggests Playing Music Outside to Discourage Porch Pirates

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel is fighting against porch pirates with Christmas lights and holiday music. The top cop in the Great Lakes State offered advice to Michiganders on Wednesday to help them avoid package thefts in the leadup to Christmas, one element of a Holiday Scams Campaign run by her Consumer Protection Team that launched on Black Friday.

“Whether it’s a package or a piece of mail, unattended deliveries are easy targets for porch pirates,” Nessel said in a statement. “By planning ahead and taking security measures, you can make sure your sell-deserved gifts and packages reach you safely while keeping thieves from stealing your holiday cheer.”

Much of the advice from the AG includes obvious anti-theft measures, such as shipping packages to secure locations like Amazon Lockers, FedEx offices, and workplaces. Porch cameras, motion detectors, and keeping porches well lit are also good ideas, according to Nessel’s office. But there’s also nuggets of sage advice that will help residents “create the illusion of presence.” “Even when you’re not home, make it look like someone is present by leaving lights or music on,” the AG suggests.

Read More at The Midwesterner

Uncategorized

67% Oppose Government’s $7,500 Consumer Tax Credit for EV Purchases

In a surprise to nobody, a new poll reveals what the public thinks about the government coerced transition to electric vehicles: most don’t like it.  Napolitan News Service this week posed a couple simple questions to 1,000 registered voters with the polling help of Scott Rasmussen. “Should the federal government encourage people to buy electric vehicles rather than gas powered vehicles by using regulations and financial incentives? Or, should the government simply let consumers decide what cars best meet their needs?” the online survey read.

Just 26% backed the government incentives, while 67% opposed, preferring instead to allow customers to decide. Another 7% said they’re not sure.

“Currently, the federal government provides a $7,500 subsidy for those purchasing Electric Vehicles,” the news service reports. “Sixty-one percent (61%) of voters favor a proposal to eliminate those subsidies. That support comes from 76% of Republicans and 53% of Democrats.”
The results, while not shocking, are bad news for Democratic lawmakers in both Washington DC and Lansing, both of whom are staking the future on an electric vehicle industry that’s growing far slower than many had hoped. The survey comes as sources close to Trump’s transition team contend the 47th POTUS is crafting plans to kill the $7,500 consumer tax credit for EVs as part of a broader tax reform package, a move backed by the world’s largest EV producer, Reuters reports.

Read the Full Story at The Midwesterner

Uncategorized

Detroit Pastor’s Family Still Awaiting Answers on Illegal Immigrant Released After Fatal Crash

Teri Singleton is still waiting for answers. It’s been nearly three weeks since her husband, beloved 72-year-old Detroit-area pastor Stephen Singleton, was struck and killed by an illegal immigrant motorist as he crossed Rochester Road in Rochester Hills. A “gravely injured” Singleton, who was wearing a lighted reflective vest and using a crosswalk at the time, was rushed to the hospital. The illegal immigrant behind the wheel of the 2013 Ford Focus that sent him there was questioned by police, then released. “I had to sit and watch my husband of 53 years die in front of me and then to know that the person who did this is walking around is very difficult to deal with,” Teri Singleton told WJBK.

For several days, the Singleton family was left with little more than time to reflect on the pastor’s dedication to serving his community and others in need. Among the memories are the former medic’s efforts to search for survivors and offer spiritual guidance in New York City in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, mission trips to Africa, and driving supplies to survivors of Hurricane Katrina and a deadly Alabama tornado.

The Oakland County Sheriff’s Office told WXYZ the driver of the vehicle is an illegal immigrant from Columbia who held a valid foreign driver’s license that’s recognized in Michigan. Officials did not release the immigrant’s name, but said neither speed nor alcohol are believed to be factors in the crash, which occurred in a commercial area with a 45 mph speed limit. U.S. Customs and Border Protection confirmed the 28-year-old driver is in the country illegally, and is now free while awaiting a federal court date, WJBK reports. “He’s dead and they’re walking around,” Teri Singleton said. “That’s bothering me.”

Read the Full Story at The Midwesterner

Uncategorized

George Soros and Secretary Of State Jocelyn Benson Funded Democrats’ Michigan Supreme Court Victories

The Michigan Supreme Court expanded its liberal majority in 2024, with the help of massive cash infusions from billionaires including George Soros, dark money groups, and Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson.

Dark money groups not required to disclose donors contributed more than $5 million to help elect incumbent Justice Kyra Harris Bolden and law professor Kimberly Ann Thomas to the state’s highest court, an amount that exceeds the total raised by all four candidates for the two seats by more than $1 million, Bridge Michigan reports. The donations included nearly $4.4 million through mid-October from a shady Massachusetts-based nonprofit called The Justice Project Action, the largest donor to Supreme Court candidates this year.

Those donations went to a Justice For All super PAC backing Bolden and Thomas that has spent nearly $10.7 million on Democratic nominees to the high court since 2020. In 2024, $5.25 million out of $7.9 million raised by Justice For All came from dark money groups, which also included the Michigan Civic Action Fund and the Strategic Victory Fund. Other funding included $1 million from former billionaire New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, and $560,000 from the George Soros funded super PAC State Victory Action, according to Bridge’s review of campaign finance records through mid-October.

Read the Full Story at The Midwesterner

Election

Jocelyn Benson Ally Marc Elias Attempting to Overturn Pennsylvania Election Results

Just two months ago, a beaming Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson appeared on a “Defending Democracy” podcast with Democratic attorney Marc Elias to discuss concerns about certifying the 2024 election. “We’ll get the results certified,” Benson told Elias, the man best known as the mastermind behind the “Steele dossier” that fueled the Russia collusion hoax against Donald Trump. “What will happen, also, is there will be legal consequences” for local officials who refuse.

“I think it’s going to be much harder legally, practically, realistically for anyone to not certify and get away with it,” Benson, a former hate crimes investigator for the disgraced Southern Poverty Law Center, told Elias. “If they don’t like the election results, we’ll be there the minute, the second it happens.”

Fast forward to now, and Elias is leading an effort to overturn the election results in Pennsylvania, where The Associated Press has already called the U.S. Senate race for Republican Dave McCormick.

“The Pennsylvania Senate race is not over,” Elias posted to X on Thursday. “More soon.” “Election day has past (sic), but the fight for democracy continues. Here is some of what my firm has been up to:” Elias posed in a follow up on Saturday. “Thursday: Intervened against rightwing lawsuit in Pennsylvania.” In other posts, Elias pointed to a statement from the Pennsylvania Department of State that shows “at least 100,000 ballots remaining to be adjudicated” and Republican Senate candidate Dave McCormick’s 32,000 vote lead over Democrat Bob Casey.

Read the Full Story at The Midwesterner

Democrats

Analysis: Michigan Democrats Become Party of Corporate Welfare

A review of business incentive deals approved by Michigan’s Democratic government trifecta reveals the party’s rhetoric on corporate welfare doesn’t match reality.

“Taxes are much higher than they need to be because Michigan politicians continue to finance one of the most expensive corporate welfare programs in the country. Lawmakers could afford to cut the state income tax significantly if they would just stop lavishing select businesses with taxpayer subsidies,” the Mackinac Center for Public Policy noted in its October 2024 “Blueprint for a Brighter Future.” “Instead of authorizing $4.5 billion in corporate incentives during a single legislative term, Michigan could have eliminated businesses taxes for everyone. Taxing all businesses to redistribute the proceeds to just a few is unfair and ineffective,” the MCPP reported.

In 2023, the year Democrats took over majority control of the Michigan Legislature, taxpayer funded corporate subsidies skyrocketed from less than $1 billion the year prior to well over $4 billion. The total has since swelled to about $4.6 billion in the current term that runs through Jan. 8, 2025, with additional bills pending in the lame duck session that could push that figure to $11 billion, the Mackinac Center reports. A breakdown of lawmakers who have voted in favor of the spending between 2001 and this year shows 61 Democrats approved 100% of business incentive deals, while a dozen Republicans have approved none.

Read the Full Story at The Midwesterner


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