Results 101 to 200 of 819
The Government’s Plan to Fix Wall Street Will Do More Harm
Washington’s response to the mortgage crisis ignored the very government policies that created the problem. more
American Greetings Says Hello to More Incentives
Policymakers are quick to issue press releases about how many jobs will be created when they give discriminatory favors to certain businesses. Where are the press releases when those predictions fall short? more
Public Education: Time for Change Based on the Merits
A merit-pay program for Michigan's public schools would reward teachers based on student achievement, rather than longevity and advanced degrees. more
Michigan Supreme Court Decision Limits Agency Powers
In practice, this ruling will make it more difficult to achieve policy change through executive fiat because the courts will engage in a meaningful review to determine whether the agency action was permitted by the Legislature’s statute. more
Smart Growth Is Neither
Implementation of smart growth policies frequently results in the loss of private property rights. more
State Checkbook Still Missing From Internet
The decision to “show Michigan the money” — or not — is a matter of priorities, not resources. more
Eight Ballot Measures We Would Like to See
Michigan lawmakers are unlikely to pass any of these eight ideas into law any time soon, even though a case can be made that each one would help turn around Michigan’s moribund economy. Sometimes the people have to act when legislators won’t. more
Survey 2008: School Service Privatization Grows Again
Done right, school support service privatization can save money and improve services — even if the privatization option is used solely to persuade public employee bargaining units to sharpen their pencils. more
UVL Data, Migration Study Underscore Michigan Troubles
The Mackinac Center has long recommended a “Big Three” of tide-turning policies: Eliminate the Michigan Business Tax, prohibit employers from mandating union membership as a condition of employment and rein in oppressive regulation. more
Do Unions Really Need the Money?
But even with this very generous definition of what constitutes a representation expense, our review of union financial reports reveals that a typical union local in Michigan spends little more than half of its money on representing its members. more
Amending the State Constitution for Partisan Advantage?
To the extent that this document is what it appears to be, it leaves little doubt that the Reform Michigan Government Now ballot initiative is a partisan power play. more
Great Lakes Directional Drilling Ban Should Be Lifted
Our leaders in Washington and Lansing should encourage the responsible development of our abundant oil and natural gas reserves by eliminating arbitrary road blocks such as the ban on directional drilling. more
Keep Michigan’s Successful Electricity Competition Law
Given a state unemployment rate of more than 8.5 percent, Michigan cannot afford to abandon competition in electricity supply for the benefit of its two biggest utilities. more
Changing Direction. Are We There Yet?
Michigan’s political establishment has a proven ability to postpone the hard work of truly reforming and downsizing state government. more
Latest Economic Numbers Confirm Failure of Status Quo
The question that apologists for the status quo have failed to answer is why investors and job providers increasingly avoid Michigan. more
Privatization Rolls on Despite Rhetorical Opposition (Viewpoint on Public Issues)
Since our last survey, media reports from around the state indicate that additional schools are using privatization to yield savings. more
Greenhouse Gas Accord Will Further Damage Michigan's Economy
Michigan’s future energy policy is far too important to leave to the behind-closed-doors manipulation of government officials. more
The Worst Legislature in Michigan History
These failed policies will see Michigan taxpayers actually writing huge checks to politically “sexy” enterprises favored by political elites. more
Free Trade a Boon to Michigan’s Ailing Economy
The competitors who are eating Michigan’s lunch aren’t Mexico or Canada, but other states where investors and entrepreneurs enjoy lower tax rates, better labor climates and fewer excessive and unreasonable regulations. more
MEDC Rejects Development Bird-in-the-Hand
As long as the MEDC exists it should do one thing noticeably well to help facilitate job creation: advance right-to-work legislation. more
As Time Goes By
Maybe it’s time that we as taxpayers and voters query candidates for public office less on what they will do if elected and more on what they won’t do. more
My Union Dues Paid For That?
Because unionized workers in Michigan generally cannot withhold their dues without putting their jobs at risk, those employees and their dues are particularly vulnerable to waste, fraud and abuse. more
Putting the University’s Cart Before the Economy’s Horse
Clearly, if one is looking for the cause of economic growth or decline, the relative number of bachelor’s degrees in a state is a weak indicator at best.. more
State Should Adopt Health Savings Accounts
Across Michigan, institutions such as businesses, government, nonprofit organizations and unions are or have attempted to revise the way they address skyrocketing health care costs. more
The Wizard of Oz Has No Clothes
The answer is simple: Politicians don’t care about job creation as much as they care about the perception of it. more
Bad Science Fuels Environmental Policies
The obvious disconnect between environmental policy and science is hardly surprising given the political pressure to act on climate change. more
Can Michigan Attract Knowledge-Based Industries?
True reform can only come when we first secure a more rewarding business climate as the source of all new job creation. more
Beach Affront
We should not happily accept the erosion of one of the pillars of our society — the right to own property, which necessarily includes the power to exclude. more
The Unvarnished State of the State
Someone once said that politicians will do the right thing, but only after they have exhausted every other option. Michigan may have reached that point. more
Automotive Production Expands – Elsewhere
Michigan has carefully built and continues to maintain a culture of decline that is overtly hostile to outsiders and fearful of their competition. more
Let the Union Buyer Beware
On average, union employees spent 41 percent of their time representing members, according to their own report. more
Michigan Needs Worker Freedom of Choice
Ultimately, voluntary unionism is not anti-union. It is decisively pro-worker. It encourages unions to be more accountable and responsible. more
Migration Trends, Indiana Campaign Show Need for Policy Changes in Michigan
Indeed, if the state’s economic landscape doesn’t change soon it may need to change its official motto from “If you seek a pleasant peninsula, look about you” to “If you seek a pleasant peninsula, move to Florida.” more
State Budget Is Business as Usual
The just-concluded budget saga demonstrates that the real priority is to preserve the government status quo, quite literally at all costs. more
School Boards Empowered to Save Insurance Dollars
The real answer to reducing the cost of health care for teachers and school employees is for school boards to utilize the advantages of competition. more
Water Agreement Not Right for Michigan
It would be bad for this state and bad for the Great Lakes were Michigan lawmakers to ratify Annex 2001 in order to placate the other Great Lakes states. more
Supreme Court Decision Complicated, But Correct
Ironically, the Michigan Supreme Court is being criticized for a “political” result when that result comes from applying the long-recognized standing doctrine that is meant to keep the courts from engaging in political activity. more
Budget Savings Can Replace Recent Tax Hikes
In the short term the need is for immediate savings to allow repeal of the destructive $1.3 billion tax increase adopted as the capstone to this year’s state budget debacle. more
Tax Increases Harmful to Michigan’s Health
The budget agreement that passed in the dead of night on Oct. 1 will raise taxes on Michigan residents, businesses and service providers to the tune of $1.358 billion for the coming fiscal year. more
Governor and Legislature Appear Unable To Judge Priorities
Sadly, however, the Legislature has ignored judicial recommendations that would promote meaningful long-term change. more
The Love of Power vs. the Power of Love
I resolve to learn more about the principles of love and liberty so that I can convincingly defend them against the encroachments of power. more
Sweet Home Alabama
If the trend of the last five years holds, a majority of right-to-work states will have higher per capita disposable incomes than Michigan by 2010, at which point Michigan will be the real right-to-work-for-less state. more
