Invoking sources of wisdom and folly ranging from “The Lego Movie” to the Eisenhower administration, the Free Press’ opinion section leader has a unique way of conveying the meaning and impact of public policy decisions and social trends with startling clarity. The work of Nancy Kafer 2024 has brought a light-hearted, poignant deliberation to pressing issues, always steering the discussion toward unity, compassion, and sound government, and has made clear, with unquestionable clarity and certainty, why Michigan is a better place to live than Texas.
GM leaves RenCen. It can’t become the next ruin of Detroit.
“Packard factory80 massive, handsome buildings have loomed abandoned on 80 acres of Detroit’s east side since the last Packard rolled off the line in 1956.
“Fisher Body No. 21a 600,000-square-foot run-down building at the curve of I-75 and I-94, abandoned since 1993.
“Continental Motors on Jefferson Street, which had been empty since the late 1990s, was finally demolished in 2022.
“In Highland Park, which is luxurious, sprawling Ford Model T The administrative building where production stopped in 1974.
“Detroit is full of auto industry husks. The Renaissance Center cannot be next.”
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Mike Duggan’s independent run for governor of Michigan is a risky gamble
“Like most people, Mike Duggan’s best thing and his worst are the same thing. “For the mayor of Detroit, he’s the guy who gets things done.”
“I wrote that back in 2019, after the Detroit City Council gave Duggan a short-lived reprimand over a bond sale to finance a new round of neighborhood demolitions. (Later that year, he accomplished that.) That was always Duggan’s calling card : He’s the guy who’s not afraid to roll up his sleeves or crack some eggs to make an omelet, and even if you really want scrambles, it’s still breakfast.
“Explaining his decision to run as an independentDuggan said he doesn’t fit comfortably into either party’s ideology, which is surprising, because Duggan has been one of the most powerful Democrats in southeast Michigan for nearly 40 years. “He certainly would have entered the Democratic race with significant advantages, rather than the uphill climb he now faces as a third-party candidate in a state where this sort of thing has never been widespread.”
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Trump’s plan to mass deport illegal immigrants would transform Michigan
“Have you really thought about what? Mass deportation What would 11 million illegal immigrants look like?
“It’s Item No. 2 on Donald Trump’s Agenda 47, and it’s inhumane and written in capital letters:”He carried out the largest mass deportation in American history. The whole premise, of course, is a sly wink: White voters, and perhaps black voters, are supposed to understand that this doesn’t mean… we. that it they, People who speak English with an accent, do low-skilled, low-paid work and definitely don’t live in your neighborhood.
“This is fantasy.
“Any serious attempt to undertake the largest mass deportation in the nation’s history would require an unprecedented level of law enforcement intervention in our lives that is completely foreign to most Americans, even those who live in communities subject to excessive police surveillance.”
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America is divided. We have to find connection in order to have a future as a nation.
“Talk about civility was popular a few years ago. It’s not entirely misleading. We shout at each other a lot. Our culture is more coarse than ever, which I don’t like, although I laughed a lot.” Along with everyone else when one of the Detroit Lions flipped a double jumper on the other team’s jeering fans after a bad call.
“Yet civility has always seemed like a ribbon on a pig. When we accuse each other of hating America, or deny each other’s rights, or pursue a policy or policies built on indifference to each other’s humanity, does it matter whether we do or not?” well?
“I think what we lack is empathy, a desire to truly see each other as full human beings like we are. We have decided that some groups of people are not worthy of our care, whether they are undocumented immigrants or MAGA voters, and we act accordingly.
“If I’m right, there’s good news – we can learn empathy. And bad news – you have to learn it.” He wants to.”
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Zillow says Generation Z will move to Texas, but Michigan is much better
“These days, I’m not sure I can live or pay taxes Any country With the death penalty.
“Especially Texas(“”Old Sparky“), where 587 people They have been executed since 1982, more than any other state in the country. Including, in 2004, Cameron Todd WillinghamWho was he? He is almost certainly innocentAnd just last month, Ivan Cantuabout whose guilt serious questions arose. People convicted of murder in Texas are more likely to be sentenced to death If the victim is white. Death row inmates in Texas They are disproportionately black and Hispanic. …
“Generation Z is widely viewed – and defined – as The most diverse generationthe most educated, and The most progressive on the political level And more focused on racial equity and justice. One recent poll found that more members of Generation Z identify as LGBTQ+ than Republicans. However, in 2022, more than 76,000 Gen Z members moved to deep red Texas, real estate website Zillow found in an analysis of the U.S. Census’ American Community Survey. California ranked second, with 43,913 new Gen Z residents.
“Dead last? Michigan.”
“I’m not mad at you, Gen Z – when I was young, I certainly didn’t look to the country’s progressive policies, or lack thereof, to decide where to move. I was mostly concerned with career and social opportunities (I mean – Newspaper function and City Club) But I consider myself lucky to have arrived in a country with a policy that I can be proud of. Gen Z, I want you to be better than me. …
“So, let’s talk about Texas.”
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