25 CCs of Adrenaline
Get year-end energy from 25 Current Comments that charged up our Web site. … more
Underground Wine Sellers?
Michigan should end laws discriminating against out-of-state wineries.
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Michigan Education Digest
$1.3 billion tax credit savings, Detroit school audit, year-round schools. … more
School Break
A Mackinac Center survey suggests schools get good services for less with privatization. … more
Historically Correct
A great new book sets the record straight on American history. … more
Fixed Liability
From tariffs to outsourcing barriers, government price-fixing burdens the poor. … more
Grand Juries
Private courts and jurors offer expertise and efficiency. … more
Michigan Education Digest
High school MEAP; state budget shift; competing for charters. … more
The Changing UAW
The auto workers union is adapting to a competitive market. … more
School Dance
America's 170-year waltz with school reform will drag on forever without school choice. … more
Asian Food for Thought
New TIMSS results will likely show that free-market schooling is brain food. … more
Any Way We Can
The latest international test results show we need bold reform in U.S. education. … more
Michigan Education Digest
Funding adequacy, new ISD laws, no Detroit plan. … more
Intelligent Design?
Michigan schools aren't helping kids use their heads. … more
Golden Calf of Democracy
Democracy may facilitate peaceful change, but it is not an end in itself. … more
Dereliction of Duty
The plight of U.S. veterans illustrates the tragedies of government health care. … more
Out of Bounds
Municipal governments should slice golf courses from their balance sheets. … more
Michigan Education Digest
Detroit deficit, fewer foreign students, Pell Grant changes. … more
Rethinking Mental Health
The state's mental health system should empower patients and guardians, not state agencies. … more
Ironic Choices
Detroit parents will continue to choose their kids' schools, so the state might as well help. … more
Food Fights
Chemical scares shouldn't ruin your Thanksgiving. … more
Michigan Education Digest
Detroit deficit, Benzie contract talks, special education law. … more
Bequeathing Freedom
We thank James M. Rodney for his contributions to the Mackinac Center and to the progress of liberty. … more
Patient Approach
Medical Savings Accounts are a modest, but meaningful step forward. … more
Capitalizing Trouble
With a new venture capital program, Michigan government has stepped in where angels fear to tread. … more
Michigan Education Digest
State Senate on MEAP, 'Prop A' review, Detroit school closings. … more
Free and Rich
A new study suggests Michigan would be wealthier if it were freer. … more
Indian Outsourcing
Indian parents are outsourcing education to private schools, making their kids competitive with ours. … more
Granny Clause
“Granny Clause” isn’t Santa’s mother. It’s a sweeping rationale for government power. … more
Profit, Loss and Pluto
The success of a private spacecraft demonstrates the power of the marketplace. … more
Michigan Education Digest
Possible MEAP phaseout, failing high schools, Detroit board proposal. … more
News Release: Howard Headlee Comments on Father's Passing
Information about Richard H. Headlee from his family. … more
Remembering a Giant: A Tribute to Richard H. Headlee
Dick Headlee was a living example of the ancient republican ideal. … more
Englishmen in da Moonlight
Two illustrious Brits are commemorated in the Upper Peninsula. … more
Balancing Budgets
Fiscal Policy Director Michael D. LaFaive says he would prefer more money for your family budget than for the state's. … more
An Outsourcing Parable
How a good synergism helps us and our neighbors, both at home and abroad. … more
Michigan Education Digest
Holland privatization, NCLB reform coalition, Michigan school funding. … more
From Arbroath to Austin
As the idea spreads, the reason remains the same. … more
Just Pay Me Tuesday, Warren
A renowned investor gets some tax advice. … more
YouVote.org
MichiganVotes.org can help you fight "rational ignorance." … more
Time Change
As we "fall back" this weekend, we should recall how the market created time zones. … more
Giving Currency to Bad Ideas
Money is the root of all inflation. … more
Spending Fix?
First they came for the smokers. … … more
Striking Out
Without a market, the union army goes on the march. … more
Teaching by Example
Public school teachers are nearly twice as likely as other parents to send their children to private schools. … more
Michigan Education Digest
Kentwood contract, Proposal 1 education, Gaylord dispute. … more
Recycling Garbage
Two state Senate bills would repeat the error of trying to jump-start recycling markets. … more
Gaining Ground
Eternal vigilance is paying off.
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Bay Mills Charter Crews
Bay Mills Community College has weathered a storm of controversy in providing schools to those who want them.
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Canadian Health Dare
Americans who long for the Canadian system should be careful what they ask for.
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Michigan Education Digest
Employee school choice, free speech case, Kentwood strike news
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The Unkindest Cut?
A recent series of newspaper articles on federal tax cuts omitted some larger truths. … more
Special Ed Surplus
Has Michigan's funding system caused too many kids to be termed "disabled"? … more
Fewer Students = More Money?
This equation doesn't work. Public schools should cut costs. … more
Storm Drain
Ivan, Charley, Frances and Jeanne really belong to the Jets and the Sharks. … more
Michigan Education Digest
Kentwood district deadlock, Milwaukee voucher study, suspended Internet grants. … more
Freeing to Choose
School-choice advocates gather at the Cato Institute to discuss the education marketplace of the future. … more
An Anchor to Windward
John Riecker, an honored friend of the Mackinac Center, discusses its special intellectual role. … more
Honoring John and Ranny Riecker
The Mackinac Center dedicates its board room to two exemplars of de Tocqueville's America. … more
From Threat to Friend
As bad as it is, the state's Toyota deal has a silver lining. … more
Michigan Education Digest
School choice budget gains, 'count day' prizes, fighting truancy. … more
Revolting Development
State development agencies spent, and Michigan's economy suffered. … more
School Boards: Helping Themselves?
School boards might send a better message to the public if they avoided the Michigan Association of School Boards. … more
Found in Translation
Joseph Lehman explains to Asian free-marketers how to "translate ideas into success." … more
Michigan Education Digest
Bay City MEAP, Michigan college affordability, U.P. home-schooling. … more
Going Dutch
Free-market education policies are time-tested and successful. … more
Teach the Teachers, Test the Students
Book reviews of "There Are No Shortcuts," by Rafe Esquith, and "The $100,000 Teacher," by Brian Crosby … more
Balancing the Budget Without Taxes
Legislative Analyst Jack McHugh offers specific state budget recommendations and responds to the state House and Senate fiscal agencies. … more
The Charter Mirage
Public debate rages over an idea that has never been tried. … more
A Debate Over Outsourcing
A Mackinac Center scholar and the president of the Michigan AFL-CIO go toe-to-toe. … more
Mongol Khan-Quest
A Mackinac Center friend becomes prime minister of Mongolia. … more
Does Teacher Certification Matter?
The state Board of Education chafes on the wrong issue. … more
County Tax Shift: It Quacks, It Waddles; It’s a Duck
The county tax shift in the proposed state budget is a tax increase. … more
Certifiable Numbers?
The state education department has produced dubious certification numbers, hurting charter schools in the process.
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Michigan Education Digest
State SAT scores, D.C. school vouchers, MET, and more
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Labor Gains
American workers have achieved a gold-medal year.
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MEGA May Be Unconstitutional
A federal court has declared an Ohio tax incentive program unconstitutional, casting doubt on a Michigan program as well. … more
Shortchanging Michigan
The Legislature should kill the Toyota land deal and embrace equal treatment instead. … more
Michigan Education Digest
Schools' self-grading, single-sex classes, budget-trimming, and more … more
Teachers, Not Timeservers
A Saginaw public school teacher argues for merit pay. … more
Pivotal? Probably Not.
If passion and rhetoric made presidential elections “pivotal,” the 2004 battle would qualify. … more
Putting a Premium on Education?
Health care benefits for public school personnel are more expensive because of the MEA's powerful insurance arm. … more
Power to the People?
The Board of State Canvassers' most recent action is only the latest infringement of a fundamental political right of Michigan's citizens. … more
A State Gas Tax That Should Run Out of Fuel
To avoid spending discipline, Lansing may extend a state gas tax that has already been poorly administered. … more
Michigan Education Digest
Catholic school union vote halted; Michigan universities ranked; analysis says charters not performing … more
National Board for Professional Teaching Standards: Value Added?
A widely touted national certification program does not appear to produce better teachers. … more
Michigan's Budget Deficit Calls for Structural Reforms
Lansing should cut spending by returning to its core mission. … more
Carpenter Helps Build Jobs With Snow
A Mackinac Center friend asks the right questions of the secretary of the treasury. … more
Will a Detroit-area Catholic School Be Unionized?
A Michigan commission rules that the school’s religious status does not shield it from organizing efforts. … more
Michigan Education Digest
Florida court strikes down school choice program; Bay City schools may require students to pass MEAP to graduate; Flint area outsourcing receives praise, criticism
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The Mackinac Center Announces Venues for Its 2004 High School Debate Workshops
Michigan high school debaters will receive unique resources and training on this year's national debate resolution, which involves the United Nations.
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The Blackout of 2003 Doesn't Justify Regulation in 2004
Free-market reforms didn't cause the blackout a year ago. We shouldn't return to the Dark Ages of electrical regulation. … more
Free Markets Blossom in Vietnam
Ho Chi Minh may have won the battle for power, but he is losing the war for the future to free-market capitalism … more
Michigan Education Digest
Detroit schools on ballot; More state schools show improvement; U.S. home schooling on rise … more
Democracy Isn't Nirvana
Although "democracy" will be the focus of news this presidential season, it's economic freedom that really matters. … more
Symbolic Victories?
The Legislature is considering no fewer than 11 new bills to create state symbols.
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Wetlands You Can't Bank On
The state's Department of Environmental Quality is hurting both the environment and the economy by its foot-dragging on wetland banks.
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Michigan Education Digest
Female sports schedule discriminatory; Parents pay for after-school activities; British homeschooling; Race-based school assignments struck down … more
"Milking the Cow" of State Development Departments
Businesses can turn government development agencies into "cash cows" and hurt economic growth. … more
The Lesson From a Charter School’s Closing
The experiences of Walter French Academy and the Detroit Public Schools show that parental empowerment is a better path to good schools than increased state regulation. … more
