By Derk Wilcox
Eight states across the country just passed measures to limit property taxes. Georgia and Florida capped the rates at which property taxes could go up. Michigan already has such a limitation, but its protections have been gradually eroded with the acquiescence of the courts.
A federal law requires manufacturers to sell drugs to nonprofit hospitals at a steep discount. The theory is that hospitals will then sell the drugs at a lower cost to the low-income people they serve. But there’s no requirement that they pass along those savings, so in reality, hospitals pocket the profits.
A new Michigan Supreme Court decision means that controversial pandemic-era emergency policies may never face a proper judicial review, and that government officials who issued them will escape accountability.
The court on Nov. 1 dismissed two important cases about the government’s use of emergency powers in response to Covid-19. The majority on the court declared these cases moot because the mandates in question — making children wear masks at school and forcing restaurants to close — are no longer in effect.
Policy changes do not take place unless they are supported by persuasive presentation. Bob Ewing, an expert in transforming scholars into leaders, breaks down the best practices for effective communication on the Overton Window podcast.
Ewing, the founder and president of the Ewing School — a speaking, listening and leading consultancy — believes in the power of speech. He defines a good speech as “a speech that resonates and connects with the audience,” emphasizing that the goal of public speaking is not just to deliver information, but to forge a connection with listeners.
By Jason Hayes
In late July, Michigan House Rep. Abraham Aiyash introduced House Bill 5902, which proposes sweeping mandates on packaging reduction and recycling. At first blush, expanding recycling might sound noble. However, a closer look shows the bill would hurt the state’s economy and grow a bureaucracy to enforce arbitrary targets while providing little (if any) environmental benefit.
Brendan Carr has been named as President-elect Trump’s choice for chairman of the Federal Communications Commission. Because Carr has already been confirmed by the Senate as an FCC commissioner, President Trump will be able to appoint Carr as chairman without any additional approval from the Senate.
Rep. Matt Hall, R-Richland Township, drafted a plan to spend more money on roads. He would redirect the state’s corporate income tax revenue to transportation and away from corporate handouts. He would also replace the sales tax levied on fuel with a fuel tax that goes to roads. His proposal would put a lot more into roads without raising taxes.
Michigan House Democrats introduced House Bill 6051 in the lame-duck legislative session to require prevailing wage and fringe benefits be paid to workers on broadband infrastructure projects in Michigan. The proposed prevailing wage requirements would apply to “new construction, improvement, maintenance, expansion, alteration, or demolition of lines, cables, or other hardware of a broadband service that is performed by a broadband developer.”
By Molly Macek
Lawmakers are attacking charter schools for hiding their finances from public scrutiny. But these claims are not true. Charter schools publicly report ample financial data, in accordance with state law.
Like other public schools, charter schools are required to produce annual budget transparency reports and post them on their public websites. This requirement exists whether the charter school is independently operated or managed by a private education management organization.
Policy changes would not be possible if no one spread the word. Dave Bondy, digital and video manager for the Mackinac Center, makes it his business to inform the public. On the Overton Window podcast, Bondy discusses how the Mackinac Center reaches people looking to learn more about impactful policy.
Michigan lawmakers are debating bills to give out more money in corporate handouts. It’s a bad idea. Selective business subsidies are ineffective at creating jobs, unfair to the taxpayers who foot the bill, and expensive to the state budget. They also fail to accomplish what their supporters promise. When lawmakers give out more subsidies, they say what they want them to do. And corporate handouts fail to live up to the standards their supporters’ claim.
The entirety of Ford’s normal vehicle profits was undone by its losses on electric vehicles.
Ford’s 2024 Q3 Earnings Presentation delivers the details: The year-to-date losses on Ford’s EV business (what the company calls “Ford Model e”) totaled $3.7 billion. Profits from Ford’s “Model Blue” division, which sells traditional internal combustion vehicles, also happened to be $3.7 billion.
By Molly Macek
A Senate bill package would hurt some of the top-performing schools in the state. Under the guise of transparency and equality, the bills hold charter schools to unequal standards and jeopardize their ability to serve students effectively.
Senate Bills 943, 944, 946 and 947 mostly impact charter schools that contract with a private education management organization. While charter schools are public entities, many of them contract with EMOs to operate certain services such as hiring employees, providing professional development and managing custodial and food services.
Politicians can’t buy more auto jobs. They’ve tried. They’ve tried very hard.
Lawmakers have authorized $22.7 billion in business subsidies since 2000, mostly aimed at bolstering the auto industry. With that money, they could have run the state government without income taxes for two years during this period.
A recent court decision allows Michigan school districts to shield their curricula from parents by keeping materials in the possession of teachers rather than the district.
Under the Michigan Court of Appeals’ interpretation of public records law, school materials held by teachers are not subject to public scrutiny. That decision came in a case that was litigated by the Mackinac Center on behalf of Carol Beth Litkouhi, a mother with a child in the Rochester Public Schools district who requested course materials for a high school class.
The following are a few of the biggest bills and issues the Mackinac Center is monitoring during the Michigan Legislature's lame-duck session. The Legislature has spiked government spending and passed $4.6 billion in special corporate subsidies in the past two years. Despite that spending, Michigan has seen five straight months of employment losses. Yet special breaks for chosen businesses remain the top priority of outgoing lawmakers.
This article originally appeared in The Detroit News October 25, 2024.
This Saturday’s Michigan State-University of Michigan football game pits residents against each other. Because everyone knows a fan of the other side, the rivalry is more chivalrous than others. We’re going to have to live with the fans of the opposition, so we can at least be neighborly.
In 2003, the state of Michigan enacted a law starting the “Venture Michigan Fund.” This was a venture capital program where managers made investments backed by taxpayer funding. By all measures, it was a failure. It had no measurable effect on the economy; the 2004-2015 period saw Michigan lose more than 150,000 jobs, the worst performance among the 50 states. A 2018 Auditor General report found that it spent $450 million on 52 companies for 734 jobs — a dismal $613,000 per job “created.”
This article originally appeared in The Hill October 16, 2024.
It’s been a year since the United Auto Workers went on strike against the Big Three automakers in Michigan. UAW president Shawn Fain trumpeted the resulting contracts as a major win for workers.
This article originally appeared in The American Spectator October 28, 2024.
Last week, someone in Georgia won the Powerball lottery and became an overnight multi-millionaire. The jackpot was more than $478 million, and the winner had two options for collecting the prize — a smaller (though still hefty) lump sum cash payment of $230 million immediately, or an annuitized prize for the full $478 million over almost 30 years. For an individual, this is a once-in-a-lifetime gift, but big corporations across all 50 states are regularly winning the “lottery” and collecting on both payment options — the immediate large lump sum and the yearly longterm payments.
My kids borrowed my cellphone recently to record themselves jumping into leaf piles. This led to the thought of making a slow-motion video by dropping my phone into the pile from the top of our tree. A good idea in theory, except for the tree branches.
North Carolina, like many states, has faced mounting pressure to transition to renewable energy sources in response to environmental concerns. However, Jon Sanders of the John Locke Foundation is looking to change the conversation by calling into question the feasibility and long-term sustainability of the plan. On the Overton Window podcast, he discusses the main challenges and opportunities surrounding energy policy.
The Michigan Democratic Party platform takes a very strong stand against giving favors to corporations:
With billions in corporate welfare, subsidies, tax shelters and tax cuts, large corporations and the wealthiest individuals pay less than their fair share of the tax burden. This forces working people and small businesses to pay more than their fair share... In Michigan, the overall tax burden for corporations is less than zero. This is not only unjust; this is economically unsustainable.
