The Top Ten Things People Believe About Canadian Health Care, But Shouldn't
Speech delivered by Brian Lee Crowley before the Mackinac Center's Issues and Ideas Luncheon in Lansing Oct. 9, 2003 … more
Great Things In Mind For Michigan
John Coonradt explains what the Mackinac Center is about, in an article published in The Diamond Line, the quarterly newsletter for employees, retirees and directors of Frankenmuth Mutual Insurance Company. … more
Why Michigan Should Shelve its "Economic Development" Programs
Mackinac Center Director of Fiscal Policy Michael LaFaive was invited to testify before a joint committee of the Michigan Senate. … more
Privatizing State Fairs Could Gain State $60 Million
Another money-losing year for fairs coupled with huge state deficits strongly suggests a change is needed. … more
More Disclosure of Union Finances Is Coming
Unions will have to show how they spend their members' dues on lobbying, politics, charities, staff perks, and organizing. … more
Delaying State Income Tax Cut Will Cost Nearly 3,000 Jobs
An econometric model predicts the loss of nearly 3,000 new jobs if lawmakers prevent the scheduled state income tax cut. … more
How Overregulation Kills Cool, Hip Cities
Maybe government can't do 'cool.' … more
Close the Teacher Strike Loophole
The recent Detroit teachers' walkout shut down schools in subversion of the state's law prohibiting teacher strikes. … more
The Candy Police
What level of government should determine the proper use of candy in the classroom? … more
Detroit School Establishment Turns Down $200 Million Gift
One of the nation's worst urban school districts would rather perpetuate failure than accept competition from charter schools. … more
French Fried by the Welfare State
How could nearly 15,000 elderly French die in the summer heat, in a country whose welfare state cares for people from cradle to grave? … more
S&P School Web Site Provides a Wealth of Data
One reason state education officials want to shut down a new web site could be because parents can use it to compare schools in ways that really matter. … more
Hearings Should Focus on Reforming Economic Development Policy, Mackinac Center Says
The Legislature should disband its economic development agencies, the MEDC and MEGA, and focus on lower taxes, reforming regulation, protecting contracts and property and nurturing a free labor market. … more
Destruction Is No Blessing
Some people are under the nonsensical impression that natural disasters provide a beneficial economic stimulus. … more
What's the Deal with Oil Prices?
There are a host of reasons for the latest spike in oil prices--none of which has anything to do with oil company greed or price gouging. … more
Air Travel: A Hundred Years of Safety
The breathtaking safety success of the U.S. aviation industry has been a steady upward curve, unaffected by regulation or deregulation. … more
Mackinac Center Calls State Report on NMH Strike "Deeply Flawed and Inflammatory"
A report by a panel appointed by Gov. Granholm on the nurses' strike at Northern Michigan Hospital claims the hospital leadership is at fault without saying how or why. … more
Signs of Wisdom at UAW
New labor agreements between the UAW and the Big Three automakers may indicate newfound wisdom on the part of union leaders. … more
K-12 Education Funding Hinges On Appeal Now before Supreme Court
A presentation by the Mackinac Center's Brian Carpenter is featured in an article for MyBayCity.com … more
Michigan High Schoolers To Hone Debate Skills at Mackinac Center Workshop
Next week, more than 550 students from 35 Michigan high schools will attend the Mackinac Center for Public Policy's 16th annual High School Debate Workshops. … more
A Victory for the Gas-Powered Engine
Good news for people who want transportation that is powerful, affordable, and clean. … more
Inaugural Presentation of the Overton Award
Lynn Harsh of the Evergreen Freedom Foundation is the first recipient of the award named in honor of the Mackinac Center's senior vice president, who died tragically on June 30. … more
Bay County Taxpayers Paying Extra for "Union Only" Deal
Bay County has effectively barred non-union contracting firms from bidding on its library construction project. … more
The Ultimate Rationale for School Choice
Brian Carpenter's remarks before the Traverse City Rotary Club, Sept. 2, 2003 … more
Anti-Sprawl Report Flawed
Diane Katz's remarks before the Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce. … more
New 'Tool Tax' Audits Could Drive Jobs Out of Michigan
Just when manufacturers need every reason to create jobs in Michigan, along comes an army of auditors looking for untaxed tools. … more
FCC Order Will Fail to Open the Telecom Market
The agency would still require local phone companies to subsidize their competitors. … more
School District Saves Teachers' Jobs by Privatizing
When Clare school officials had to choose between teacher layoffs and seeking better bids for food service and health insurance, they chose to keep teachers on the payroll. … more
The Best Way to Empower Workers
A right-to-work law would be the ultimate economic development program, and it would respect workers' individual dignity in choosing whether to support a union. … more
Starting school after Labor Day; Schools limit enrollment to cut costs; Schools use choice programs.
With Friends Like This, We're Winning
An institute supporter explains why the Mackinac Center is appreciated, and needed. … more
Budget Balancing Endgame
If Gov. Granholm and state employee unions can't agree how to cut costs, government itself will get another black eye. … more
Agenda and Facts Collide in Land-Use Report
Official report recommends a host of government expansions without mentioning any possible drawbacks. … more
Binding Arbitration Is Ripe for Reform
Local arbitration boards could end the delays and costliness that characterize negotiations for local police and firefighters. … more
Should Intermediate School District Officials Be Elected in Secret?
Executive Vice President Joseph Lehman answers questions for the Port Huron Times Herald. … more
Eliminate Intermediate School Districts
Michigan's intermediate school districts constitute an extra layer of unneeded bureaucracy rife with abuse, and should be abolished. … more
Eliminate Intermediate School Districts
Michigan's intermediate school districts constitute an extra layer of unneeded bureaucracy rife with abuse, and should be abolished. … more
A Hard Pill for UAW Members to Swallow
For the U.S. auto industry to remain competitive, the UAW must prepare workers for a competitive labor market. … more
Land Use Council Prescribes Social Engineering
It's a thankless task indeed to make a case for more stringent government land-use control. … more
Don't Blame Deregulation for the Blackout
The blackout was primarily the result of failures at the transmission level — where almost no deregulation has occurred. … more
Are Teachers Paid Enough?
Mackinac Center Scholar Prof. Richard Vedder analyzes teacher pay and working conditions. … more
Re-Hyping the Head Start Program
If no one explains why a popular program has failed for 38 years, a real opportunity to improve education will be lost. … more
Charter Schools Don't Need More State Oversight
Charter schools face the ultimate accountability already: parents who are free to send their children elsewhere. … more
Reverse Robin Hoods at the University of Michigan
U of M gives students of richer families what amounts to a tax-free tuition subsidy at the expense of poorer ones. … more
Lawrence W. Reed Named Advisor to LifeSharers
Mackinac Center President to Assist Effort to Save Lives Lost to Organ Shortage. … more
Michigan's Largest Land Preservation Program Is a Failure
New Mackinac Center study says most money goes to land least likely to be developed. … more
Michigan's State Budget: Where It Stands Today
Michael LaFaive's remarks before the Midland Area Chamber of Commerce. … more
