Stop the Presses! All of Michigan's Problems Solved
Bill would make Iosco County "birding capitol" of Michigan. … more
GQ Hit Piece on GR ArtPrize
"Like fairgoers sampling sideshows at a carnival." … more
Kent County Taxpayers Question Land Bank
Group alleges "crony government gone wild" in tax lien sale. … more

Lansing Builds a 'Scaffolding for Plunder'
GOP Representative supports
House Bill 5667 has several flaws … more
Crime Hinders Economic Development
Michael LaFaive in The Saginaw News. … more
An Evening With the Mackinac Center
A Video of the November 14 Special Event With Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels and Michigan Governor Rick Snyder
The Green Jobs Myth
Paying more to get the same thing does not improve the well-being of families, businesses, the economy or the nation. … more
Taxes and the Life and Death of Great American Cities
Low-tax metropolitan areas experience much greater growth than high-tax ones. … more
State Regulations Suffocate Hospitality Industry
Rep. Doug Geiss (D-Taylor) wants to ease some of the regulatory burdens on Michigan’s hospitality industry. … more
Another MEGA Loser
In the latest government economic development failure in Michigan, Evergreen Solar files for bankruptcy. … more
Good News From Marathon
Extra refinery capacity in Detroit will not only bring jobs and revenue, but also protect against gas price spikes and allow utilization of oil sands. … more
Strange Brew
Legislators to craft brewers: You don't count, but here's a cookie. … more
Some Good GDP News for Michigan
Michigan’s 2009-2010 state GDP growth rate was 2.9 percent, its best since 2002. … more
Lansing Township Action Puts Taxpayers at Risk
Government shouldn't be in the real estate business. … more
Michigan Tax Reform Signed
Changes will make Michigan more competetive
The Michigan Business Tax will soon be no more. … more
Brownfield Credits Are No Level Playing Field
There is nothing “fair” about unelected boards deciding which companies pay higher taxes and which companies pay less. … more
Who Benefits From Lower Business Taxes?
Just as individuals respond to changes in their personal financial situations, businesses, too, are affected. And taxing business will surely give us less of it. … more
Gov. Granholm Leaves Michigan to Find Work
Today is the 5th anniversary of Gov. Jennifer Granholm’s promise that Michigan residents would be “blown away” by the gobs of jobs her latest economic development program would create. How ironic then that she of all people would flee the state to find work. … more
Business Owners Favor MBT Surcharge Repeal
Business owners are cheering a proposal in Lansing to repeal and reform the Michigan Business Tax and the 22 percent surcharge that comes with it, according to WJRT-TV12 in Flint. … more
MBT Surcharge Repeal Could Create 27,900 New Jobs Through 2016
It’s probably no coincidence that the first bill (HB 4001) introduced in Michigan’s new Legislature is to repeal the 21.99 percent surcharge slapped onto the Michigan Business Tax in 2007. The surcharge is despised by the business community, and is seen as a job killer by policy analysts and politicians alike. … more
Michigan Fiscal Policy a Two-Sided Coin
Michigan residents have a reasonable expectation that elected officials can do more than one thing at time. It is time for our leaders to meet those expectations. … more
Saginaw Fails to Repeal Prevailing Wage
Saginaw County officials have quietly buried a previously scheduled vote to repeal its “prevailing wage” ordinance for construction projects costing more than $50,000. Prevailing wage laws prohibit granting a government contract to the lowest bidder unless the company pays above-market, “union-scale” wages. … more
The Rose-Colored Glasses of Political Dusk
Despite political spin, Michiganders shouldn't be convinced that the economy right in front of their faces is a sign of progress. … more
Climate Negotiations Carry a Chilling Message
Recent climate conferences in Stockholm and Cancun have revealed what the global climate change issue is really all about — the transfer of wealth from developed nations to developing countries. … more
Tear Down This 'Film Industry' Facade
Ending the handouts would send a signal that this state is done playing games with ephemeral and failed "economic development" programs, and instead will focus on a real economic growth agenda, including across-the-board tax relief, labor law changes and other regulatory reforms. … more
Michigan’s Economy: From Worst to Average
There's no question that Michigan's economy has performed poorly over the past decade. Essentially, the state lost one out of every five jobs since employment peaked in 2000. However, Michigan's economic trends have changed in recent months. It is no longer the worst performer in the country. In fact, since the end of the U.S. recession, Michigan's performance is average. … more
Governor Describes Film Subsidies as Jobs Program, so "Why Not Give Them Spoons?"
The headline of a story today's Detroit Free Press characterizes Gov. Jennifer Granholm's understanding of the state film production subsidies' role like this: "Goal of film tax credit is jobs, not more revenue." This reminds one of the late economist Milton Friedman's question upon seeing a U.S. taxpayer-funded public works project in a poor country where thousands of men with shovels were moving dirt one spadeful at a time. … more
Government Subsidy Deal Off for Competitor to Lansing Restaurant Owners
Existing, home-grown restaurant owners in the area — who pay their taxes in full and get no special privileges from the government — are no doubt relieved that they won't have to compete with a politically favored and subsidized outsider. … more
GlobalWatt Claims on Applications for MEGA Deals Disputed, Raise Questions About MEDC Scrutiny
State Should Investigate GlobalWatt's Claims, Says Center Analyst
Broken Windows on Display in Michigan Senate Finance Committee
Mark Adler, a lobbyist for the Michigan Production Alliance, and Carrie Jones, the director of the Michigan Film Office, defended the state's film subsidy program in a Senate Finance Committee meeting today. To do so they employed a long-recognized economic fallacy, the "Broken Window" theory, which only considers economic activity that is "seen" while ignoring unseen economic costs. … more
Bill Reveals New Politically Correct Economic Development
A newly introduced bill in Michigan gives new meaning to the phrase "politically correct economic development." … more
Federal Government Wants to Decide Which Car Models Americans Drive
When it comes to which model of vehicle Americans should buy, the federal government knows best — or believes it does. … more









