Lack of Transparency at MEDC, MEGA
The Washington Examiner and San Jose Mercury News both recently cited Mike LaFaive, director of the Morey Fiscal Policy Initiative, about the need for transparency within government-run economic development programs. … more
Constitutional Convention Not the Answer
Voters who favor Proposal 1, calling for a constitutional convention, on the November ballot as a way to solve Michigan's problems are misdirecting their anger, according to a Mackinac Center analyst. … more
Beacon of Truth
In an Op-Ed in the St. Louis Beacon, Christine Harbin of the Missouri-based Show-Me Institute argued that "Tax credit programs are not as effective as advertised" and used Mackinac Center research to help make the case. … more
GlobalWatt Media Coverage Goes National; MEDC Gives Texas Different Story
Following up on a Mackinac Center investigation, the Corpus Christi Caller-Times reports that the Michigan Economic Development Corp. "didn't check [GlobalWatt's] claims" on its application for tax credits, despite the agency's insistence that it thoroughly vetted the company. … more
GR Press Cites Mackinac Center Study on Public School District Consolidation
A school district consolidation study done by Andrew Coulson, Mackinac Center adjunct fellow, was cited Thursday in The Grand Rapids Press. … more
Michigan FY 2011 Budget Ignores the Problem
A columnist in today's Detroit News cites research by Center scholars on the disparity between the wage increases in the public sector and wage decreases in the private sector in Michigan over the last decade. … more
Politician Embraces Center Idea
Tim Greimel, D-Auburn Hills, of the Oakland County Board of Commissioners recently wrote in an Op-Ed for The Oakland Press that he embraces the Mackinac Center's transparency initiative and wants Oakland County to post expenditures online. … more
Big Savings With School Contracting
The Oakland Press and Macomb Daily reported recently that school privatization of noninstructional services increased over last year. … more
Hangar 42 Issues Unresolved
Legal problems and a family squabble continue to surround the failed film studio known as Hangar42, according to The Grand Rapids Press. … more
Court of Appeals Dismisses Forced Unionization Case Again
The Michigan Court of Appeals for a second time dismissed a lawsuit filed by the Mackinac Center Legal Foundation on behalf of three small-business owners who object to being forced into a union, according to the Livingston Daily Press & Argus. … more
Legislators Realizing Center Scholars Were Correct
Michigan lawmakers are considering a package of bills that would reverse an anti-competitive energy policy that Mackinac Center scholars warned about in a study more than two years ago, according to The Detroit News. … more
Would Tea Partiers Favor Wealth Redistribution Without the Bureaucracy?
The Gongwer Michigan Report (subscription required) recently did a story on the status of welfare programs today compared to past recessions. The Mackinac Center's Jack McHugh was quoted in the piece, and here he "revises and extends" his remarks to explain that welfare doesn't just redistribute wealth, but imposes bureaucratic micromanagement on the lives of recipients. Further, he believes that most Americans, including Tea Partiers, may object more to the destructive effects of this futile micromanagement than to some level of wealth redistribution. … more
Court of Appeals Must Explain Itself
The Michigan Supreme Court ruled unanimously Wednesday that the Michigan Court of Appeals must explain why it rejected a lawsuit regarding the forced unionization of small-business owners, according to the Detroit Free Press. … more
Bloated Public Sector Hurts Job Growth
Mackinac Center President Joseph G. Lehman addressed the disparity in benefits between the private and public sectors in Michigan as a main reason for the state's economic turmoil at the West Michigan Policy Forum Thursday, according to the West Michigan Business Review. … more
Lawsuit Over Forced Unionization Gets Green Light
A federal district judge in Grand Rapids has ruled that a class action lawsuit brought by the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation aimed at ending the forced unionization of small-business owners can proceed, according to The Grand Rapids Press. … more
Michigan School Privatization Up 8 Percent
WKZO AM590 in Kalamazoo and WSJM AM1400 in Lansing both report that privatization of support services in Michigan public schools is up 8 percent over last year. … more
'Jobs' Fund: More Funds Than Jobs?
A Lansing company that received $2 million in state subsidies three years ago is hoping to expand from 12 employees to 14, according to the Lansing State Journal. … more
Flint Transit Manager: MichCapCon Story 'Accurate'
The director of Flint's Mass Transit Authority disagrees with a recent Michigan Capitol Confidential analysis that shows that cities that buy zero-emission or hybrid buses pay too much money for any resulting environmental benefit, but still calls the story "accurate," according to The Flint Journal. … more
Plagiarism, Credibility Issues for MSU Study
A recent Michigan State University study about school consolidation should be ignored both because of plagiarism issues and because its methodology is flawed, according to an Op-Ed by Education Policy Director Michael Van Beek in Sunday's Lansing State Journal. … more
Worth the Wait?
In an article on a proposed three-day review period for legislation, The Grand Rapids Press cites Center Legislative Analyst Jack McHugh. … more
Free Press Column Riffs on The MC
A recent blog post by James Hohman, fiscal policy analyst, appears to be the impetus for a column in today's Detroit Free Press about job creation in Michigan. … more
Plagiarism Investigation Continues at MSU
A plagiarism investigation of a Michigan State University professor is ongoing, according to The State News. … more
Right-to-Work Is Right for Michigan
Radio host Ron Jolly of WTCM recently wrote about right-to-work protections for employees in the Traverse City Business News, explaining that making Michigan a right-to-work state would lure more job creators to the state while allowing unions to continue operating and organizing. … more
Schools Start to Comply With Transparency Law
Just more than half of the public school districts in Michigan are complying with a new state law aimed at providing better transparency of how tax dollars are spent. … more
State, National Media Report on Possible Plagiarism in MSU School Consolidation Study
State and national media are continuing to report that a school consolidation study commissioned by Booth Newspapers appears to include plagiarism. … more
MSU: 'Full Year' to Investigate Plagiarism Issue
Michigan State University officials said Thursday it could take "a full year" to review 13 pages in a school consolidation study that Mackinac Center analysts believe contain large amounts of plagiarized text, according to The Grand Rapids Press. … more
Center Analyst Alerts Grand Rapids Press to Possible Plagiarism in MSU Study on Which it Reported
The Grand Rapids Press is reporting that a Mackinac Center analyst has raised concerns about potential plagiarism in a Michigan State University professor's study about school consolidation. … more
FOIA Lawsuit Should Continue
The death of a the man who filed a lawsuit seeking copies of e-mails sent among union leaders on government-owned computers in Howell Public Schools should not mean an end to the case supporters say, according to The Detroit News. … more
Michigan Film Subsidy Program Shortcomings
An Op-Ed by Mike LaFaive, director of the Morey Fiscal Policy Initiative, in today's Detroit Free Press highlights the failures and costs of Michigan's film subsidy program. … more
Center Analysts at Heart of School Funding Issues
School spending — an area of expertise for Mackinac Center analysts — continues to dominate the headlines. … more
This Economic Engine Needs a Tune-up
Michigan's business, labor and regulatory climate must change if the state's economy is going to recover, Mike LaFaive, director of the Morey Fiscal Policy Initiative, explained today on "The Tony Conley Show" on WILS 1320AM in Lansing. … more
Explaining Why Public Schools Are 'Broke'
Michigan Public Radio recently turned to Education Policy Director Mike Van Beek to explain some of the issues surrounding funding for Michigan's public schools, which some seem to constantly claim are underfunded, despite evidence to the contrary. … more
Teachers Should Pay Fair Share of Health Care
Detroit Free Press columnist Stephen Henderson says Michigan needs the money that will come from the so-called 'edujobs' bill, but the state must also tackle the issue of school spending reform. … more
Governor, DHS Disagree on Small-Business Owners They Forced Into Union
Gov. Jennifer Granholm's office and the Department of Human Services appear to be at odds over the classification of some 40,000 small-business owners who were forced into a union. … more
Governor's Role in Forced Unionization Case
Patrick J. Wright, director of the Mackinac Center Legal Foundation, was a guest on "The Frank Beckmann Show" on WJR 760AM this morning, discussing recent findings that point directly to Gov. Jennifer Granholm's role in the forced unionization of more than 40,000 small-business owners. … more
Hangar42 Deal Shows Misguided Incentive Policies
The only way to avoid these problems in the future is to shut down the MEDC and the programs it administers. They don't work, are unfair and open to abuse. … more
Charges Filed in Film Studio Deal
The main investor in a Grand Rapids movie studio that applied for state film subsidy money has been charged with attempted felony false pretenses over $20,000, according to The Grand Rapids Press. … more
School Funding Myths Explored, Corrected
Paul W. Smith, who hosts a talk show from 5:30 a.m. to 9 a.m. weekdays on WJR 760AM, cited a commentary on school funding by Education Policy Director Mike Van Beek in his Detroit News column Saturday. … more
Michigan Capitol Confidential Stirs Radio Discussion
Stories in Michigan Capitol Confidential were the subject of recent radio interviews. … more
No Conversation Allowed
Some economic development officials are complaining of “collateral damage” from candidates and others who publicly discuss reining in Michigan’s generous array of targeted business subsidies and incentives. … more
We Report. They Decide
A recent Michigan Capitol Confidential story about driver license renewal for people with outstanding parking tickets was cited as the source of information for two different newspaper editorials. … more
Michael Moore Film Subsidy Blog Picked Up by Other Media
A recent blog post by Michael Jahr, senior director of communications, about Michael Moore accepting a Michigan film subsidy for a movie of his that railed against government subsidies was quickly picked up by other media, including The Michigan View at The Detroit News and The Houghton Lake Resorter. … more
