Is online learning a substitute for the classroom or a distinct form of education in its own right?
Barbara Oakley joins the Overton Window podcast to discuss how attitudes toward online education have shifted over the past decade and what research suggests about how people actually learn.
Michigan lawmakers responded late in 2025 to the federal One Big Beautiful Bill Act by putting a three-year pause on the implementation of five new federal tax provisions, including one for expensing of research and development costs. This “decoupling” from the federal tax reforms is aimed at saving revenue for the state budget, but it puts Michigan businesses at a competitive disadvantage. Michigan should revisit this decision, just as Congress did last year.
The state government now spends $1.8 billion more on transportation than it did when Gretchen Whitmer entered office, a 30% increase when adjusted for inflation. This level means roads will likely be repaired faster than they fall apart. Yet the governor deserves little credit for the solution and plenty of blame for years of holding the road fix hostage to her quest for higher taxes.
This article originally appeared in Bridge Michigan March 26, 2021.
Taxpayers should expect more for $1.5 billion.
Taxpayers will spend around $1.5 billion on Michigan’s 15 public universities this year. State support varies among the schools from a low of $3,100 per student at Oakland University to a high of $8,900 at Wayne State. While these amounts are determined each year by lawmakers, very little consideration is given to the performance or efficiency of each university.
The Overton Window, developed by Joseph Overton here at the Mackinac Center, describes the principle that at any given time, policies can fall within a window of possibility. This window is set not by politicians but by public opinion. To learn more about Joseph Overton or the Overton Window, you can visit this Overton page.
The University of Michigan hospital system says it uses a federal program to buy discounted medicine from drug companies in order to provide charity care and help the uninsured. But new research suggests the program is not being used as intended.
The 340B drug pricing program gives certain nonprofit hospitals the ability to buy medicine at a steep discount, charge patients and insurers for it, and pocket the difference. Hospitals benefiting from this program say they use the money for charity care, better equipment and other purposes.
The Minnesota Somali day care scam ought to outrage people on both the left and the right. Seeing money intended to help poor parents allegedly taken by bad actors is a reminder that we have much to do to improve government efficiency.
But there is a lot to be gained from fixing public spending decisions. While partisan debates focus on how much the government will spend on a program, what often matters more is how that money gets spent.
By Derk Wilcox
This article originally appeared in The Detroit News Nov. 2, 2025.
SEIU Healthcare Michigan announced in November that it had won an election allowing the union to represent nearly 32,000 home health caregivers who assist people with disabilities in their homes. But only 4,025 of the 31,616 eligible caregivers voted to be represented by the union — a mere 12.7% of the group.
Some Michigan lawmakers pushed for more business subsidies at the end of 2025 but were unsuccessful. They are likely to try again in 2026. Lawmakers should start the debate with a healthy skepticism about their ability to drive economic outcomes. And there’s a way to focus the debate.
This article appeared at JohnLocke.org January 8, 2025. We are grateful to reproduce it here with permsission.
As we begin a new year, it is worth reflecting on the institutions that shape public policy in America — and the principles that ought to guide them. For the John Locke Foundation, that reflection is especially fitting. Since opening its doors in February 1990, Locke has worked to define and defend the proper role of a nonprofit research institute in a free society. Nonprofit think tanks occupy a distinctive place in our civic life, serving as sources of ideas and analysis rather than instruments of political power — a role that is often misunderstood and, at times, unfairly caricatured.
Chris Surprenant’s path from traditional academic philosophy to hands-on public policy work reflects a deep sense of responsibility to the community he serves. Now a professor of ethics, strategy, and public policy at the University of New Orleans and Director of the university’s Urban Entrepreneurship and Policy Institute, Surprenant spoke on The Overton Window Podcast about how his academic career shifted from traditional philosophy toward financial literacy and education reform rooted in local needs.
This article originally appeared in The Detroit News December 23, 2025.
My great-uncle George Pancio — Uncle Bud to us — was the Santa Claus in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City.
Growing up in western New York, my siblings, cousins and I simply knew him as the town Santa Claus.
Michigan law mandates ever-increasing use of solar photovoltaic cells to replace reliable, affordable, coal, natural gas and nuclear power. Consider that after decades of mandates, tax breaks, and subsidies that add to your taxes and electricity bills, solar is only generating a bit over 2% of Michigan’s electric demand.
This article originally appeared in The Detroit News December 16, 2025.
Trust in government is falling. Only 17% of Americans believe the federal government will do the right thing “just about always” or “most of the time.” The Pew Research Center says this is nearly the lowest level ever recorded. But policymakers and public employees can help rebuild trust by emphasizing integrity, competence and the rule of law.
This article originally appeared in The Detroit News December 9, 2025.
Alex Tokarev grew up in Bulgaria during the Cold War. Life under socialism, he says, was “miserable.” Twenty-five years ago, he and his wife moved to the United States, and he now teaches economics at Northwood University in Midland. Tokarev offers a blunt warning for Americans flirting with socialism.
This article originally appeared in The Detroit News December 2, 2025.
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, who took some of the most aggressive measures in the country during COVID-19, recently said she has no desire to review her pandemic management. Appearing on the Financial Audit podcast Nov. 3, the governor deflected when host Caleb Hammer questioned Michigan’s lockdown policies.
This article originally appeared in The Detroit News November 25, 2025.
Last Thursday night in Detroit, the Federalist Society Michigan Lawyers Chapter honored a public interest lawyer who has made an indelible mark on Michigan’s legal environment.
The Federalist Society, a network of conservative and libertarian lawyers, conferred its prestigious Grano Award on Patrick J. Wright, who directs the Mackinac Center Legal Foundation.
This article originally appeared in the Washington Examiner October 6, 2025.
Government unions are fighting President Donald Trump tooth and nail. The American Federation of Government Employees alone has filed numerous lawsuits to block the president from reforming the federal workforce and rolling back collective bargaining at government agencies. Unions claim that the president’s actions hurt workers, the economy, and even the country as a whole.
The year 2025 produced little agreement between Michigan’s Republican-controlled House and the Democratic-controlled Senate. That’s not bad news for Michigan taxapyers. Lawmakers went an entire year without approving more spending on select business subsidy programs. That is the first time lawmakers have avoided giving corporate welfare to local favorites since at least 2000, when the Mackinac Center began its Business Subsidy Scorecard.
Michigan policymakers overhauled the state’s auto insurance laws in 2019. Drivers were paying some of the highest premiums in the country and had for decades. Michigan’s “no-fault” insurance laws were the only in the country that required every driver to purchase unlimited personal injury coverage. Forcing everyone to buy uncapped insurance for medical expenses resulting from a car accident led to expensive mandatory premiums.
I love the holiday season. I love being bundled up inside with the wood stove going and a fresh blanket of snow across the ground. I enjoy spending time with family and friends, and celebrating the season with holiday lights and baked goods. I also enjoy the tradition of sawing down a tree and dragging it into my house. Finally, I thoroughly enjoy watching holiday-themed movies, including the countless versions of “A Christmas Carole” (the Muppets version being my favorite), “The Grinch,” “The Christmas Chronicles,” “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation,” “Assault on Precinct 13” (John Carpenter’s version, which is far superior to Die Hard), and even the classic “Santa’s Slay” featuring none other than Bill Goldberg as Saint Nick.
This article originally appeared in the Washington Times July 9, 2025.
Unions like to claim that they are the ultimate champions for workers, fighting for better pay and benefits. But do they deliver? A new report from the Mercatus Center, paired with recent news about layoffs at UPS, suggests unions might not be the golden ticket workers hope for.
With 15 years of life left, there is no urgency to close the J.H. Campbell, coal-fired power plant near Holland. It supplies 10% of Michigan’s electric demand. The plant’s owner, Consumers Energy, invested a billion dollars in air pollution control equipment to dramatically reduce emissions at Campbell and other coal plants. The company also signed an agreement with Ashcor this year to recycle all the residual coal ash into concrete.
While lawmakers have ended the worst excesses of Michigan’s business subsidy programs, they are still likely to continue taking money from taxpayers and giving it to select businesses. A bipartisan group of Michigan House members introduced a package of bills to fix some problems with the policies.
This article originally appeared in Crain’s Detroit Business September 19, 2025.
For much of the 20th century, the Midwest was the engine of American manufacturing. Cities and small towns alike prospered from factories that produced cars, appliances, steel, and furniture.
