The “College Admissions Scandal,” which broke in March 2019, galvanized the nation’s interest. The scandal involved parents paying illegal bribes to gain admission for their children to prestigious universities. The fact that some well-known celebrities were arrested in the FBI investigation, code-named “Operation Varsity Blues,” attracted widespread attention. What has attracted less attention is that the scandal offers evidence that college rankings are grossly overrated in importance.

The Green New Deal, which was proposed by Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) and supported by numerous presidential candidates, has received a great deal of attention. Proponents advocate that the plan is necessary to reduce carbon emissions. Proponents also claim that implementing green technology, such as upgrading buildings for energy efficiency and switching to renewable energy sources, will create jobs.

The 2018 news cycle was dominated by political turmoil, evidenced by the controversy surrounding Judge Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination to the Supreme Court. This noise overshadows the fact that, all things considered, 2018 was a prosperous year. As Americans, we have a lot to be thankful for.

The cut in the corporate tax rate from 35 percent to 21 percent is the centerpiece of the Tax Cut Package that took effect this year. This put the United States in line with the rest of the developed world, which has a 24.1 percent average corporate tax rate.

President Trump’s so-called “trade war” has gotten a lot of media attention. Tariffs raise prices for consumers, as illustrated by the recent price increase for washing machines, a good that recently received tariff protection. Tariffs on raw materials raise costs for U.S. manufacturers, which cuts into their profits and reduces their competitiveness. Second quarter 2018 earnings for General Motors decreased by three percent due in part to higher aluminum and steel prices resulting from tariffs. The auto maker recently said that proposed tariffs on auto parts might result in layoffs and reduced investment. Tariffs also close markets to domestic producers if foreign countries retaliate. Recently, the European Union retaliated with tariffs on U.S. agriculture products and the U.S. government has pledged $12 billion of taxpayer money to farmers to partially offset the loss of overseas markets after China.

It has been a decade since the Great Recession, and Michigan’s economic recovery is a mixed bag. The state got hit harder than the rest of the nation. Our economy declined by an average of 6.5 percent in 2008 and 2009, while the nationwide economy declined by an average of 1.9 percent. Michigan’s unemployment rate peaked at 14.5 percent, compared to ten percent nationwide.

Michiganders remember when anyone could get a high paying factory job straight-out of high school and then retire in 30 years with a pension. Those days are gone. Why?