Focus on the Day Care
Focus on the Family's weekend news program highlighted the Mackinac Center's legal fight against the DHS's forced unionization of 40,000 day care providers in Michigan.
Mackinac Center President Joseph Lehman was interviewed for the segment. He commented:
Mackinac Center President Joseph Lehman was interviewed for the segment. He commented:
[U]nion and government officials ... got together and said, "You know, there's a $300 million day care subsidy that's flowing from government to day care providers, and we wanna grab a chunk of that." ... So they concocted a way to siphon off $3.7 million a year from that day care subsidy.… more
The Court of Public Opinion
The Mackinac Center Legal Foundation's suit against the DHS continues to draw national attention. … more
Balancing Their Problems on Our Backs
The governor and Legislature won't cut their overspending crisis, so Michael LaFaive asks them what part of our own family budgets should we cut to satisfy their thirst for more taxes. … more
The Mitten State Waves Goodbye
Census Bureau figures released today continue to confirm the damaging impact of bad public policy on Michigan this decade. … more
Public School Funding, Consolidation Discussed
Michigan's public school funding continues to draw attention. … more
Expenses Consume Prop A Funding Increases
Personnel costs are responsible for public school budget problems. … more
Story on Film Subsidies Ignores the Full Picture
A report at AnnArbor.com indicates an increase in the number of hotel room rentals in the Ann Arbor area and credits the Michigan film subsidy, but the story fails to mention any impact on hotels - or other businesses - throughout the rest of Michigan that pay taxes to fund the subsidy. … more
School District Consolidation Talk in Lansing
A Detroit Free Press story today on school district consolidation cites a Mackinac Center study on the issue from 2007. … more
Littmann: Michigan Can Recover
Despite its myriad problems, Michigan is a place of "opportunity," David Littmann, the Center's senior economist, tells The Washington Examiner today. … more
David Littmann Discusses Michigan's Unemployment
Littmann: Prediction still valid. … more
Ethanol and HSAs Explained
Center scholars address two issues of the day. … more
Two More Ideas for Fixing Michigan
The anatomy of change. … more
Government Lobbying on the Rise
Government lobbying government: A wise expenditure? … more
MEDC Subsidies Questioned
Another Michigan Economic Development Corp. tax subsidy has come under fire. … more
House Bill 5319 Attacks Private Property Rights
Property owners should expect to be able to use groundwater under their own land without state interference. … more
Ethanol Subsidies Create Problems
Russ Harding's Op-Ed in The New York Times addresses the faults of ethanol subsidies. … more
'Climategate' Raises Questions About Money in Science
Russ Harding explains how money may impact research on global warming. … more
The Overton Window Opens to Another Audience
Joseph G. Lehman, president of the Mackinac Center, discussed the Overton Window on Detroit's WDET Public Radio today. … more
Center Scholars Cited on Economy, Environment, Education and More
Mackinac Center expertise on display. … more
Center Cited in Detroit, Grand Rapids
The Center's work on prevailing wage and government employee benefits was featured in two of the state's largest newspapers Sunday. … more
MEDC-SEIU Arrangement Still Raising Questions
Paul Kersey discusses MEDC-SEIU deal on Frank Beckmann's show. … more
Center Scholars Discuss Dollar, State Spending
Two center scholars were recently called upon for their expertise. … more
LaFaive 'Has Plenty of Ideas,' According to NRO
John Hood at National Review Online yesterday called Michigan the "epicenter of the fiscal earthquake," referring to the overspending crisis created by Gov. Jennifer Granholm and the Legislature. … more
Will Michigan Sit Out This Race?
A Detroit Examiner columnist Friday cited Michael Van Beek, the Center's director of education policy, on Michigan's refusal to pursue school reforms that could help the state secure federal funding. … more
Cigarette Taxes and Smuggling
A study co-authored almost a year ago by Michael D. LaFaive, director of the Morey Fiscal Policy Initiative at the Center, continues to garner media attention. … more
Data Mining
A look at mining issues and water regulation. … more
Epic FOIA Bill Provides Amusement
Politico's Ben Smith passed along the story about the $7 million fee the Michigan Department of State Police would charge to fulfill the Mackinac Center's Freedom of Information Act request. … more
Demanding More Transparency in Government
A Bay City Times editorial enthusiastically echoed the Mackinac Center's rallying cry for government transparency: "Show Michigan the Money." The Times goes on to ask, "Why not require [public posting of financial information] of all agencies and governments that receive taxpayer money? It’s the public’s money they are pending, [sic] and taxpayers have the right to see where it is going." … more
Center Ideas Featured in Detroit News
How to Fix Michigan. … more
Mackinac Center Cited in Wall Street Journal
In a Wall Street Journal Op-Ed, Shikha Dalmia cited the Mackinac Center's recent finding that Michigan's public-sector employees annually receive $5.7 billion more in benefits than their private-sector counterparts. … more
Russ Harding on WMKT
Russ Harding discusses property rights in Traverse City. … more
Reed Cited on Free Speech and Elections
Lawrence W. Reed cited in The Detroit News, Investors Business Daily. … more
Russ Harding on WTCM
Russ Harding, director of the Property Rights Network at the Mackinac Center, was a guest today on "The Norm Jones Show" on WTCM in Traverse City. … more
Getting Money, Saving Money
Mackinac Center media coverage today includes ... … more
New Client for Mackinac Center Legal Foundation
A new client who is part of the Mackinac Center Legal Foundation's lawsuit against the Michigan Department of Human Services is featured in The Flint Journal today. … more
Columnist Cites Michael Van Beek on School Consolidation
A Kalamazoo Gazette columnist Saturday cited Michael Van Beek, director of education policy, on a recent Current Comment he wrote about school district consolidation. … more
Michigan Messenger: Kersey Correct
A reporter with The Michigan Messenger contacted two college professors in response to an Op-Ed that Paul Kersey, labor policy director, wrote for The Detroit News. … more
Michael LaFaive Rebuttal in Detroit News
Michael LaFaive, director of fiscal policy, responded today to a Detroit News story that distorted information contained in a recent policy brief written by Gary Wolfram, Ph.D., a Hillsdale College professor and Mackinac Center adjunct scholar. … more
Coverage of Michael Tanner Speech at Northwood
A speech on health care reform at Northwood University last night sponsored by Students for a Free Economy was covered by WEYI-TV25 and the Midland Daily News. … more
Reed Receives JA Honor
Lawrence W. Reed, president emeritus of the Mackinac Center, will be inducted into the Junior Achievement Business Hall of Fame Wednesday night, according to the Midland Daily News. … more
Mackinac Center Forum on Health Care Coverage
A public forum about Canadian health care hosted Monday by the Mackinac Center was covered by Reporting Michigan. … more
Center Media Highlights
Transparency, spending, health care and the state’s budget process were the topics of several media stories involving the Mackinac Center in the last few days. … more
Shanghai Surprise: The Unionization of Home Day Care Providers
Michelle Malkin said it best when she said, "The Culture of Corruption has never hit so close to home." The prominent author, blogger and commentator was referring in a recent blog post to a shady scheme to shanghai Michigan's home day care providers into a newly-formed, dues-paying labor union. Last month, the Mackinac Center Legal Foundation exposed this scheme in its first lawsuit, Loar v. DHS. … more
Center Cited on Prevailing Wage
Frank Beckmann, host of “The Frank Beckmann Show” on WJR AM760, cited the Mackinac Center in his weekly Detroit News column today. … more
Mackinac Center in the News
A roundup of recent Mackinac Center media citations. … more
Mackinac Center in the Media
Cigarette smuggling and student achievement drew two recent media mentions for Mackinac Center scholars. … more


