Vindicating Property Rights
The Michigan Supreme Court restores individuals' defenses against government seizures of their property. … more
Make America Safer by Making Government Smaller
Government will fail to do what it is supposed to do if it does too much of what it is not supposed to do. … more
The Better Choice for School Choice
The National Conference of State Legislatures hosted Joseph Lehman to compare vouchers and tuition tax credits. … more
Detroit Schools’ Deficit Appears Linked to Staffing
A review of Detroit Public Schools figures suggests the district engaged in unrealistic hiring as enrollment declined. … more
Michigan Education Digest
ISD reforms signed; Detroit enrollment drops while employment grows; vouchers vs. tax credits; remedial costs. … more
'Offshoring' State Services Benefits Michigan
Preventing the state from using foreign companies results in higher costs, fewer services, or both. … more
Union Subjects Religious Objector to Modern-Day Inquisition
A teacher trying to exercise her rights finds herself forced to substantiate her religious beliefs to a panel of her peers. … more
Michigan Education Digest
Michigan teachers paid 2nd-highest; NCLB progress; Detroit union may sue to stop charters; grants for failing schools; EMU construction scandal. … more
Zogby/Mackinac Center survey: Union members question union organizing tactic
A national survey of union members suggests that a majority would prefer the current secret-ballot system for unionizing a workplace to the “card check” favored by union officials.
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Proposed Electricity Bills in Lansing Would Harm Consumers and Decrease Reliability of Supply
Bills introduced this month in the state Senate threaten to end the lower prices and improved service enjoyed by Michigan’s electrical consumers since deregulation in 2000. … more
Lansing Bureaucracy Threatens New Telecommunications Technology
Impending regulations could stifle Internet phone calling, killing high-tech jobs and slowing economic growth. … more
Eminent Domain Extremism Runs into Judicial Brick Wall
A Michigan Circuit Court Judge stopped Grosse Ile township supervisors from seizing a privately owned bridge, recognizing limits to government’s use of eminent domain power. … more
Do Economic Development Programs 'Feed the Sparrows through the Horses?'
Fiscal Policy Director Michael LaFaive outlines four problems with state-directed economic development programs. … more
Playing Monopoly with Detroit's Kids
Detroit's student enrollment falls while school employment grows. Only a monopoly education system can behave this way and avoid accountability. … more
Michigan Education Digest
California districts withhold special ed cash from charters; school property taxes go back up; superintendents testify under threat of subpeona; teachers with fake degrees dismissed. … more
Cities that Cry Poverty Should Sell Their Money-Losing Ski Slopes
Traverse City's budget has a million-dollar deficit, 8% of which is due to its money-losing ski area. … more
Detroit Should Take Advantage of Teacher Placement Program
Michigan’s largest school district has stopped using one of the most promising ways to get good teachers into the classroom. … more
Calling the Bully's Bluff
The Institute for Justice explains how its attorneys helped the Mackinac Center defeat the MEA's attempt to silence free speech. … more
Michigan Education Digest
Feds tell states to spend cash; Michigan ranks low in college grads; Detroit drains 'rainy day' fund; voters could dissolve ISDs. … more
When Will Conventional Public Schools Be as Accountable as Charter Schools?
Last week a charter public school was closed for financial and educational problems. If only the rest of the public schools were held to the same standards. … more
Are Targeted Tax Incentives Constitutional?
Does it violate the Commerce Clause when states offer some businesses special deals to lure them to locate inside their borders? … more
The True Meaning of Patriotism
Real patriotism is rooted in the ideas that gave birth to a nation -- the rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness -- and a government limited to protecting those rights. … more
Michigan Privatization Report "Around the State"
Privatization initiatives, opportunities and controversies gleaned from headlines around the state. … more
Michigan Education Digest
Colorado high court rejects voucher plan; charter school dissolves itself; voters could eliminate intermediate districts; college aid up. … more
New Cigarette Tax Should Have Gone Up in Smoke
On July 1 Michigan's cigarette tax will become the second-highest in the nation. The new tax will hamper economic recovery and encourage more unnecessary state spending. … more
Should We Pay Sales Tax on Services Too?
One group recommends more than 200 consumer services that could be newly taxed. See the list here. … more
Beggars Can Be Choosers
Adjunct Scholar Dr. Robert Murphy refutes the claims of a reporter that charitable gifts to poor countries makes them poorer. … more
Prison Privatization: A Growing National Trend
Michigan could join other states that are saving millions of dollars by privatizing an increasing share of their prison operations. … more
Michigan Education Digest
Teachers prepare to strike illegally; Kentwood imposes contract; protesters disrupt Detroit board meeting; and fraud charge in 'wired' classrooms. … more
Is Affirmative Action the Right Fight?
No one would be talking about affirmative action in education if we had a market-driven school system that produced good results. … more
Competing for Prize Launches the New Space Race
Private teams vying for a $10 million prize are about to prove that space travel is not the exclusive province of government. … more
Improving Michigan's Air Permitting Program
Businesses will create fewer jobs in states where they cannot predict when, or if, the state will grant them air emissions permits for new plants. (pdf) … more
Lower Gas Prices by Scrapping Counterproductive Regulations
The governor can't control OPEC, but she can help eliminate the most costly regulations that add little or no benefit. … more
Cut Train Subsidies to Re-connect Rural Michigan
The lack of bus service between cities in most of Michigan is about to get worse because of competition from government-subsidized trains along populated bus routes. … more
The U.S. Economy Is Booming
Mackinac Center Adjunct Scholar Dr. Mark Perry argues that the economy is gaining strength, against the opposite view presented by California Congressman George Miller.
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Government Policies and Gas Prices
In a recent survey, three-quarters of respondents said that high gas prices are because of a desire to boost profits. Are they right?
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'Smart Growth' Does Not Equal Intelligent Planning
Diane Katz, writing for the Michigan Townships Association, explains why central planning in land use leads to poorer choices and less freedom. (pdf) … more
Strange Lessons in School Discipline
Odd outcomes are the result of zero-tolerance discipline policies coupled with a dearth of real educational choices.
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Bioavailability Study Needed for Dioxin
The DEQ is threatening to declare a large portion of the city of Midland 'contaminated' without understanding the health effects of dioxin. … more
On the Passing of Ronald Reagan
Reagan's legacy means Americans can look to the future with the hope and optimism that he gave us reason once again to embrace. … more
Education for All: Choice, Reform, and Optimism
U.S. Secretary of Education Rod Paige delivered a special policy address to the Mackinac Center's boards of advisors and directors in Ann Arbor on June 4. … more
Will We Run Out of Energy?
Mackinac Center Adjunct Scholar Mark Brandly explains the economics that govern energy supplies. … more
State Stops Subsidizing Its Ski Resort
After the Mackinac Center revealed how much the state could save by privatizing its ski resort, DNR officials contracted out management of the facility. … more
Michigan Education Digest
Teacher health insurance stalls contract talks; Detroit leaves schools without power; students may work longer hours; and University of Michigan minority admissions down. … more
A Setback for Workers
The Granholm administration decides to stop informing state workers of their legal rights. … more
Why Limit Government?
On Memorial Day we honor those whose military service protected our freedom from foreign aggression. But why must we also limit our own government? … more
Michigan Education Digest
Sin taxes for schools; new MEA member fees; non-union school construction; and disruptive students. … more
Give MDOT a Potty Break
The state should sell its 68 highway rest areas and 13 welcome centers to save millions of dollars annually. … more
Downtowns Need Less Government, Not More
Proposed new tax districts would just give downtown residents and businesses more ways to tax each other – without lowering a single government barrier to enterprise. … more
Homeschooling: An 'Encouraging and Robust' Movement
Up to 100,000 Michigan children learn at home, achieving high academic marks and saving taxpayers $600 million annually. … more
Making a Difference for Liberty Around the World
Mackinac Center President Lawrence Reed finds good news for freedom lovers in China, South Korea, and Vietnam. … more
Cutting Taxes on Smokeless Tobacco Could Improve Health
Instead of raising taxes on cigarettes and other tobacco products, lawmakers should cut taxes on smokeless tobacco and achieve health gains. … more
Private Firms Can Lock Up Jail Savings
If the state allowed counties to privatize their jail operations, local governments could reap savings of 10-15 percent. … more
What Can't Brown Do for You?
There are some problems courts can solve and some they can't. Fifty years after Brown, both racial segregation and black student achievement remain problems. … more
Groundwater Regulation Would Threaten Michigan's Economy
Groundwater permits are unjustified by scientific evidence and would impede job creation for little or no environmental gain. … more
"Free Speech 1, MEA 0"
The Monroe Evening News calls the MEA's failed lawsuit against the Mackinac Center "a frivolous assault" on free speech. (pdf format) … more
AFL-CIO Says: Union Rules Hurt Us
A unit of the AFL-CIO cites high union labor costs as the reason it will not hold a convention at Detroit's Cobo Hall. … more
100,000 Public School Employees Near Deadline to Save $200
Teachers have until June 1 to avoid the MEA's automatic extra deductions from their paychecks. … more
Jobs Outsourcing: Beneficial Trade by Another Name
Outsourcing debate focuses on the visible loss of some U.S. jobs. The less visible benefit of outsourcing -- net job gains -- is seldom acknowledged.
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Wetlands Case Proves Need to Curtail Abuse
A Bay County property owner faces jail time in a wetlands case a federal judge has called "our system gone crazy."
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Back to Basics: State Tax Policy and Economic Development
Should states give special tax breaks to a few hand-picked businesses, or should they reduce tax burdens for all employers?
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Michigan Education Digest
This issue covers changes in teacher pension payments; superintendent salaries; trial of a former ISD official; college vouchers; and the cost of small classes. … more
Lawmakers Can Balance State Budget with Spending Cuts & Asset Sales
A Mackinac Center report shows how Michigan's $1.3 billion budget deficit could be closed with no tax increases.
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Detroit Medical Center Needs Private Turnaround
A former bankruptcy judge recommends privatization after the center lost $500 million in just six years. … more
Jobs, Outsourcing, and the Purpose of Businesses
If businesses could provide goods and services without hiring anyone at all, should they?
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Picturing Successful Government
Government should be as small as possible because it lacks the market-pricing mechanism needed to assure efficiency.
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Is Golf an Essential Government Service?
Losses incurred by municipal golf courses are routinely covered by unrelated parts of the budget. Auburn Hills actually used police funds to help build a new $1 million clubhouse.
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Michigan Education Digest
This issue covers MEAP test replacement; sale of school naming rights; Paige comments on 'No Child Left Behind'; and student loan regulation.
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Former Public School Employee Speaks Out
Union lawsuit against the Mackinac Center leaves questions in the mind of this letter writer. … more
Suit Against Think Tank Leaves MEA Looking Defensive, Foolish
This Oakland Press editorial explains why the MEA may be keeping a low profile these days. … more
Legislature May Give Away $1.6 Billion 'Racino' Windfall
Lawmakers could wipe out the state's entire $1.3 billion budget deficit by auctioning gambling licenses instead of giving them away. … more
Earth Day or Doomsday?
Actual pollutant levels are a better measure of environmental quality than the number of government enforcement actions. … more
Principles of a Proper Tax System
These principles of sound taxation first put forward by economist Adam Smith were the subject of Jack McHugh's WWJ-TV interview in Detroit. … more
No More Czars, Please
Gov. Granholm has vetoed bills to create state-level "czars" while advocating a federal manufacturing czar. In the land of the free, czardom has become a bipartisan fetish. … more
"Not Yours to Give"
Disney's movie "The Alamo" is reintroducing Americans to a backwoodsman-turned-politician who gave a principled defense of limited government. … more
Good News from Korea, China and Vietnam
Liberty and free market ideas are gaining hold in Asian nations through think tanks and classic free market literature, especially the writings of Ludwig Von Mises and F.A. Hayek. … more
Time to Take Another Look at Teacher Certification
Many highly qualified individuals with real life working world experience are denied access to Michigan's public school classrooms by the state's teacher certification requirements. … more
Seven Principles for Selecting a New DNR Director
On Monday, April 19, Michigan's Natural Resources Commission will interview candidates for the new director of the Department of Natural Resources. … more
Remembering a Classic, and the Man Who Wrote It
"Self Help," by Samuel Smiles, published in 1859, was the precursor of today's self-help literature. It inspired a generation to the virtues of honesty, integrity and personal excellence. … more
Victory for Free Speech Against MEA Lawsuit
The MEA's window to appeal its loss in court is closing. Lawrence Reed and Joseph Lehman explain the significance of the union's unsuccessful attempt to suppress the Mackinac Center's freedom of speech. … more
Sinful Sin Taxes
Gov. Jennifer Granholm's plan to hike cigarette taxes by 75 cents a pack to $2.00 will not only kill Michigan jobs -- it will increase cigarette smuggling and might even help fund terrorism. … more
Of Architecture, Philosophy and Individualism: The Alden B. Dow Story
April 10 marks the 100th anniversary of the birth of one of Michigan's most famous and accomplished sons, Architect Alden B. Dow. … more
Laptops for Sixth Graders?
The Grand Rapids Board of Education has accepted a state grant to hand out laptop computers to sixth graders, despite a lack of evidence that computers do anything to improve student achievement. … more
Drain Code Bill Harnesses Unconstrained Tax Power to a New Environmental Mission
A bill being considered by the Michigan Senate would expand even further the nearly unlimited authority of county drain comissioners to impose heavy new property taxes. … more
MEA Wastes Dues
A letter to the editor of the Lansing State Journal questions whether the MEA wasted member dues on a frivolous lawsuit. … more
Michigan on the Wrong Track?
After giving her administration a good start with responsible budget cuts to reign in the state deficit, Gov. Granholm is moving in the wrong direction on several fronts. … more
Has Proposal A Been a Success?
A story on WOOD-TV 8 in Grand Rapids examines whether Michigan's Proposal A has lowered property taxes and increased school funding. … more
Threat to Jobs Is Politicians, Not "Outsourcing"
Michigan and the United States "insource" a lot more jobs than they "outsource." … more
China's Break from Serfdom
Nobel Prize-winning economist F.A. Hayek, whose free-market ideas form much of the Mackinac Center's intellectual underpinnings, published his seminal work, "The Road to Serfdom" 60 years ago. Today, the book is helping China recover from communism. … more
Proposed Landfill Fee Really a Tax
The Legislature is considering a new fee on landfill trash to curtail Canadian waste disposal in Michigan. The fee is bad policy and may even be unconstitutional. … more
Spurring Economic Growth and Jobs in Michigan
Systemic, across-the-board economic reforms will be necessary if Michigan wishes to increase its economic competitiveness. … more
$1.2 Billion State Deficit Is Really Only $327.4 Million
Gov. Granholm and state lawmakers are citing a "billion-dollar deficit" to justify raising taxes. But the deficit is mostly smoke and mirrors. … more
A Museum You Don't Want to Miss
In formerly communist Prague, Czech Republic, "above McDonald's and across from Bennetton," as its advertisement ironically says, is the Museum of Communism. … more
Court Rejects MEA Lawsuit Against Mackinac Center
The Michigan Court of Appeals ruled 3-0 that the Mackinac Center was within its First Amendment rights to quote MEA President Lu Battaglieri after he told reporters he admired what the Mackinac Center has done.
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Brownfield Redevelopment and "Cool Cities"
Gov. Granholm's plan to target specific, favored areas with tax credits for "brownfield" redevelopment will suffer the same fate as all government attempts to direct economic activity. … more
Why a Statewide Property Tax Increase Is a Bad Idea
Even though Michigan's public schools are not spending their money wisely, the state's entire political and educational establishments are clamoring for a tax increase. … more
Political Correctness Suppresses Education
One of the nation's leading educational researchers says a mindless orthodoxy is being imposed on our children's textbooks and tests. … more
Entrepreneur's Son Gives Government an Economics Lesson
There's no telling precisely how small businesses will react to tax cuts. What you can be sure of is that their reaction will be good for the economy. … more
Remembering a Classic, and the Man Who Wrote It
"Self Help," by Samuel Smiles, published in 1859, was the precursor of today's self-help literature. It inspired a generation to the virtues of honesty, integrity and personal excellence. … more
Seven Environmental Challenges Facing Michigan
It's time for Michigan to allow private property owners and the market to have a bigger hand in keeping our environment healthy. … more
