“We have to pass the bill so that you can find out what is in it,” Nancy Pelosi famously said in 2010, referring to the legislation that became Obamacare. She might not have meant this literally, but many people took it as proof of poor policymaking practice. Michigan voters find themselves in a similar situation with Proposal 2 on this year’s ballot.
It’s good to see Mackinac Center work get cited in the race for governor. In the second gubernatorial debate, moderator Jason Colthorp pointed at our analysis showing that major job deals in Michigan from 2000 to 2020 delivered just 9% of the jobs announced when deals were made. Republican candidate John James also referred to our study showing that Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s job efforts have cost $1.8 billion but have delivered just 602 jobs.
You might, like me, find yourself reaching for a pumpkin beer this fall as you take in the changing colors. In every sip is a distinctly American tradition, brought to us not through central planning but instead by decentralized knowledge, ingenuity and experimentation.
Outgoing Attorney General Dana Nessel is leaving Michigan with an antitrust lawsuit that can only lead to higher healthcare costs, while she claims it will do the opposite. The case filed less than a month before the 2026 general election accuses Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan Mutual Insurance Company, BCBSM, of operating an illegal health insurance monopoly that “has significantly contributed to, or caused, many of the rising costs and negative health outcomes facing Michigan residents.”
“The one major difference between pharmacy and a lot of the other health professions is that we’ve been operating under what we call a bright-line-rules enforcement strategy,” says Deeb D. Eid, director of government relations for Empower Pharmacy, a Houston-based compounding and mail-order pharmacy. “So, you know, there are rules out there that tell you the square footage that your pharmacy countertop needs to be.”
This article originally appeared in The Detroit News September 8, 2026.
The gubernatorial field is set. Democrat Jocelyn Benson and Republican John James won their respective primary elections and have selected running mates. Now they are accumulating political endorsements. On Nov. 3, Michigan voters will pick our next chief executive.
This article originally appeared in Real Clear Energy September 2, 2026.
Energy affordability will be a central issue for Michigan voters in the November election. High gas prices, rising electric bills, lost jobs due to the closing of a major generation plant, and increasing opposition to data centers are near the top of the list of issues in the Michigan 4th Congressional District race.
University Prep Schools in Detroit wants to pay some math teachers a base salary of $100,000, and it can do so only because it is not beholden to a union contract.
University Prep posted a job listing that calls for “a proven track record of strong student achievement data,” five or more years of teaching experience and a secondary teaching certificate. The public charter school, which says it is looking for “model teachers of secondary mathematics,” also offers a signing bonus of $5,000, with $10,000 in relocation aid available for those who move from a distance.
By Cami Pendell
A scene in “Young Washington,” a film released this summer about George Washington's early years, caught my attention. Young George is being taught about civility and how he conducts himself around others. At one point, he is told something simple but meaningful: Respect must be earned.
Is protectionism paying off? President Donald Trump is trumpeting the announcement of a new steel mill in Iowa, promising 1,750 jobs, as evidence of the gains from his trade wars. America is successful; but it succeeds despite the trade wars, not because of them.
This article originally appeared in The Detroit News August 4, 2026.
Three weeks ago, I offered seven questions people can ask to analyze policy ideas. Several readers told me the framework was helpful. Here are four more ideas for your policy analysis toolkit.
This article originally appeared in Real Clear Energy September 2, 2026.
Energy affordability will be a central issue for Michigan voters in the November election. High gas prices, rising electric bills, lost jobs due to the closing of a major generation plant, and increasing opposition to data centers are near the top of the list of issues in the Michigan 4th Congressional District race.
This article originally appeared in The Detroit News August 18, 2026.
The University of Michigan says letter grades are too stressful for freshmen. Starting next academic year, the college won’t assign grades for the first semester of some first-year students. This policy is a disservice to students.
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer earlier this year proposed a 4.7% tax on sales of digital advertising on online platforms such as Google, Facebook, TikTok, and Amazon. Both Utah and Illinois adopted similar taxes in 2026. Twelve states have enacted taxes on digital goods and services in 2026 alone, and 10 more state legislatures are considering new digital taxes.
Why is the federal government incapable of spending restraint? Americans for Tax Reform President Grover Norquist joins the Overton Window Podcast to discuss why soaring tax revenues seem to make no difference in closing the national deficit or paying down the debt.
Michigan voters will have the opportunity next month to call for a new state constitutional convention. If voters approve, delegates to the convention would have a big job ahead of them. They should start with the basic question of “How is the state constitution doing?” For some portions, the answer is clearly, “Not well.”
This article originally appeared in The Detroit News August 25, 2026.
The United States and Canada have both wrestled with an important question about public policy. Which branch of government should make law — the legislative body or the courts?
Tim Haggstrom is a constitutional lawyer from Calgary, Alberta. Haggstrom spent three days in Michigan this month, where he and I discussed economic relations between our countries, differences in our legal systems and the overlapping history of our judicial philosophies.
This article originally appeared in The Detroit News August 11, 2026.
On Aug. 4, local government entities in Michigan sent 900 tax proposals to their local voters, and 842 passed. Policymakers who are concerned about affordability issues may want to focus on the cost of local government.
This article originally appeared in The Detroit News July 28, 2026.
Change is coming to public education in the United States, brought on by cultural shifts, legal decisions and technological advances. Michigan policymakers would do well to anticipate the revolution, or our schools will be left behind.
This article originally appeared in the Washington Post August 5, 2026.
Anne Davis is a psychotherapist who spent two decades counseling homeless people and patients with mental illness in Colorado. But when she moved home to Michigan — which has a severe shortage of counselors, social workers and therapists — it took more than a year for the state to allow her to get back to work.
This article originally appeared in the Wall Street Journal July 31, 2026.
The next battle between socialists and conventional Democrats will be fought in Michigan on Aug. 4, in a primary election for the U.S. Senate. Many Michiganders will vote that same day on tax hikes and other critical local questions—all in off-cycle elections in which low turnout makes them likelier to pass. This isn’t unique to the Great Lakes State and deserves more attention nationwide.
Michigan set itself on a path toward unreliable and expensive electricity a few years ago, but a recent decision by a federal regulatory agency should bring some good news to the state.
Various laws, including Public Act 235 of 2023, require that least 60% of all electricity supplied to Michigan residents and businesses be met from solar or wind power by 2023. (Last year 13% came from those sources.) But wind and solar are unreliable, and the net-zero laws, enacted in the name of eliminating carbon-dioxide emissions from power plants, ignored nuclear power, which is emissions-free and reliable.
Michigan’s policymakers cannot do much to change the world price for petroleum, but they can take two steps to help lower gasoline prices. They could reduce the state gasoline tax, which is almost 40% higher than Ohio’s comparable tax. Doing this could save up to $650 million per year. A second step would be to work with federal officials to enact a federal law that could save Detroit-area residents $95 million per year by helping them avoid a mandate that requires a high-priced summer blend of gasoline.
The new state budget that takes effect Oct. 1 will likely be the final piece of fiscal policy Gov. Gretchen Whitmer authorizes before she leaves office. It’s a good time to review her policy accomplishments in office — specifically, in fiscal matters, dollars and cents. Her ability to veto legislation and line items in the budget makes her the chief policymaker, and a big part of the state’s business is determining how much to tax and where to spend. So how is state tax and spending policy different now compared to eight years ago, before the governor took office?
“Political risk,” a concept from international investing, could be coming to the United States, Richard Shinder warns, starting with the state that was once the national byword for sound and forward-looking government. As California and other states move toward policies favored by the Democratic Socialists of America, they risk falling into a category once reserved for foreign kleptocracies and failed states.
