The Mackinac Center for Public Policy is pleased to host monthly Issues & Ideas Forums in Lansing. These luncheons, which feature experts on a diverse array of subjects, offer a forum that enhances and broadens the policy debate to include theoretical and philosophical ideals — and suggestions for achieving them.

Legislators, staff, news media and other interested friends are cordially invited to the

JUNE 4 ISSUES & IDEAS FORUM

“A Panel Discussion on Property Rights”

featuring

Alan Taylor
Dolores Michaels
Charlie Curtis
Rep. Jack Hoogendyk

Moderator:

Russ Harding
Director of the Property Rights Network

DATE:	Wednesday, June 4, 2008
TIME:	12:00 - 1:00 p.m.
NEW LOCATION:	The Lansing Center 333 E. Michigan Avenue, Lansing The Lansing Center is connected to the Radisson by a covered walkway.
COST:	Lunch is provided at no charge, with reservation.

Property rights in Michigan are being steadily eroded by overregulation. Through regulatory takings, government is restricting the use of property so severely that a commercial or residential lot can be rendered virtually useless. This is occurring with such frequency in Michigan that the Mackinac Center’s Property Rights Network was formed to document regulatory abuses at both the state and local levels, as well as to equip Michigan residents to fight for their property rights.

The panel discussion will feature three Michigan property owners whose businesses have been negatively impacted by the actions of state and local governments. Alan Taylor, owner of high-tech medical devices manufacturer Hart Enterprises, said he may be forced to move his company to another state because the Department of Environmental Quality will not allow him to expand a parking lot on less than an acre of land that retains water for a few weeks every year.

Also participating will be Dolores Michaels, whose King of the Wind Farms has incurred hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal fees in battles with township officials and the DEQ; Charlie Curtis, whom the DEQ has prevented from developing a 1.1 acre parcel of commercially zoned land that is adjacent to a McDonald’s Restaurant and a highway; and Rep. Jack Hoogendyk, Vice Chair of the House Government Operations Committee, who will bring a legislative perspective on protecting private property rights.

The luncheon begins promptly at noon. To make reservations for yourself and your guests, please call the Mackinac Center at 989-631-0900 by 5 p.m. on May 30.

The Purpose of the Issues & Ideas Forum

The nature of the legislative process is such that public policy debates are often framed by specific constituencies and political pragmatism rather than by sound principles. On occasion, these principles are most effectively conveyed by a single case study. By offering a forum for wide-ranging discussion, the Mackinac Center for Public Policy hopes to broaden the debate to include theoretical and philosophical ideals — and how to achieve them. The best interests of Michigan citizens can be served only when legislation incorporates our best understanding of legal, economic, psychological, moral and scientific principles.