Duggan should have pursued appeal

It's too bad. Duggan had a shot at prevailing in his argument that such a narrow reading of the law violates the spirit of the City Charter. More

When a King dreamed in Detroit

50 years ago this week, Martin Luther King Jr. marched on Detroit, giving his first 'I have a dream' speech. We take a look back at a special moment for civil rights, Detroit, and America. More

'Opportunity Detroit' energizes downtown

At a time when Detroit has hit rock bottom fiscally, Opportunity Detroit is a roadmap to growth beyond the hard restructuring that is necessary to steady city government. More

Hard days ahead for city retirees

If Detroit lands in bankruptcy court this summer, it likely won't be the big, bad bankers who force it there. It will be the retired cops, firefighters and clerks who are drawing pensions and enjoying city-paid health insurance. More

• Detroit retirees angry, anxious over EM's pension proposals

America's libertarian underbelly

Are Americans becoming more libertarian on cultural issues? I see evidence that they are, in poll findings and election results on three unrelated issues – marijuana legalization, same-sex marriage and gun rights. More

Saluting small business, protecting American jobs

Today, obstacles are being needlessly placed in the way of entrepreneurs. Three barriers to opening a new company are affecting our economic climate: Obamacare, taxes, and our regulatory system. We need real change to help put America back to work. More

In Inkster and Buena Vista, Lansing lawmakers dismantle community schools

Recent school consolidation legislation removes local control from the decision-making process, forcing school districts to dissolve and forcing neighboring districts to take these children without any consideration for local and underlying social issues. More

In Detroit: Good, bad and ugly

Re: Henry Payne's June 18 column, More

Happy trails, Mike Duggan

Readers send off Mike Duggan, who was kicked off the ballot for the 2013 Detroit mayoral race. More

Readers: Our government, wrong

Detroit News readers adopt the H.L. Mencken view of politicians: The only way to look at them is down. More

Letter: On NSA snooping, don't kill the messenger

The attempts to smear whistleblower Edward Snowden get more preposterous by the moment. There is absolutely no evidence that he functioned as a spy for anyone. Right or wrong he simply acted in what he thought was in the best interest of his country. More

A Supreme Court victory for simplifying voting

The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that states cannot further burden voters by requiring that they produce proof of citizenship when they register to vote. The decision vindicates Gov. Rick Snyder's veto of similar state legislation last year. More

Bond issue too broad, costly

The Farmington Public School District has a $222 million bond proposal that looks great on paper. But a closer look at the issue, scheduled for a vote Aug. 6, show this proposal is not right for the district and should be rejected. More

Immigration debate is about border security

The conflict at the heart of the Senate debate over comprehensive immigration reform: Most Republicans believe a policy to give a path to citizenship to 11 million illegal immigrants must be conditioned on stronger border security. Most Democrats don't. More

A King's dream, not yet realized

50 years after Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s historic March on Detroit, the fight for opportunity and justice still goes on. More

Is Lansing serving the people?

Re: Chad Livengood's June 14 report, 'Senate Dem leader accuses GOP of leaking discussions to media': Senate Democratic Leader Gretchen Whitmer walks out on discussions on raising taxes to fund road repairs, and accuses Republicans of leaking confidential More

Water: Detroit's regional jewel

Re: Robert Snell and Darren A. Nichols' June 18 report, More

Orr's blueprint puts city residents first

Legacy costs – debt, pensions, retiree health care – consume 42.5 percent of Detroit's revenue, and are headed to 64 percent by 2017. Detroit would effectively exist to sustain its retired workforce and creditors, with little left to serve its residents. More

Insolvency doesn't deter Detroit politicians' War on Business

Detroit, which needs all the jobs it can get, has not been very welcoming of two recent ventures that have brought jobs and commerce to the city. This is unsustainable at a time when the city itself is broke. More

Editor's Picks: Detroit is a tough business partner

An oil sands byproduct, petroleum coke, has brought more business to the city's waterfront. An industrial center in the Motor City's heyday, the Detroit River today is pocked with empty buildings and weed–choked loading platforms. More

Obamacare won't fix broken health system

Every week we read another article on the fuzzy math and ridiculous mark-up for our routine health care. Do your own research; see Elizabeth Rosenthal's article in a recent Sunday New York Times, ' More

U.S. should avoid entering Syrian civil war

Syria is a tragedy. But that is no reason to make it America's tragedy. President Barack Obama should ask: Does he want his administration to be defined by involvement in an unnecessary and unpopular no-win war, as his predecessor was? More

Wars on vice expand government power

Today, Congress exercises police powers never granted by the Constitution. Conservatives who favor federal 'wars' on drugs, gambling and other behaviors should understand the damage they have done to the constitutional underpinnings of limited government. More

The security state: Our readers speak up

Readers weigh their freedoms with govenment security. More

The great school funding debate

Should small, poor school districts be forced to consolidate into nearby districts? Our readers say yes. More

Another Kwame robs Detroit

Detroiters weigh in on the performance of City Councilman Kwame Kenyatta, who has been MIA from City Hall lately, and emergency manager Kevyn Orr, who just unveiled his plan to fix Detroit's finances and reinvest in the city. More

Let's reward the best teachers

School teachers know this: They are the most important factor in a student's success, outside the home. And, as in any profession, not everyone is equally talented or motivated. More

Pushing the envelope, NSA-style

If the tide of the War on Terror is receding, why this vast, ever expanding NSA dragnet whose only justification is an outside threat? Which is it, Mr. President? Tell it straight. We are a nation of grown-ups. We can make choices. More

Stop outsourcing national security

Aside from questions about the legality, constitutionality, ethical propriety and necessity of the federal government's intrusion into the Internet and phone records of untold millions of Americans, two things about the recent National Security Agency con More

Finley: In Detroit, searching for Kwame

City Councilman Kenyatta is still drawing his roughly $74,000-a-year salary, and he still maintains an office staff at a cost of about $270,000 a year. Only problem? He's not showing up to work anymore. More

• Kwame Kenyatta quitting Detroit council