Michael LaFaive, director of the Center’s Morey Fiscal Policy Initiative, writes in a Port Huron Times-Herald Op-Ed today about what Gov. Rick Snyder should — and should not — pursue in his forthcoming State of the State address. The piece is taken from his Viewpoint commentary of Dec. 5, 2011.
In the recently concluded debate over eliminating artificial limits on the number of Michigan charter public schools, many school district superintendents actively opposed empowering parents with more school choice. So it’s a pleasant surprise to see the Connecticut Association of Public School Superintendents propose a plan that gives parents more options for their children, including more charters.
According to news reports, Michigan’s state government may take in $735 million more than previously expected during the fiscal year that began Oct. 1. Other accounts put the figure as high as $1 billion. But as Capitol Confidential reported yesterday, since 1977 the state has spent $179.8 billion more than if spending increases had been limited to the rate of inflation plus population growth (as under a Taxpayer Bill of Rights law). That’s 244 times more than this year’s revenue “surplus.”
Since 1977, United Van Lines has published an annual analysis of which states (plus the District of Columbia) it moves clients to and from. For four consecutive years (2006-2009), Michigan experienced the highest net rate of outbound moves according to UVL. Full-year numbers are out for 2011 and there is good news for Michigan. The Great Lake State is now fourth among the states for outbound traffic, a considerable drop since 2009.
News reports indicate that Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels and a majority of the Legislature are likely to act quickly on a right-to-work bill that could be introduced this week. Such a move would have significant economic consequences for Michigan.
Right-to-work laws prohibit employers and unions from entering into contracts that make workers’ financial support of the union a condition of employment. There currently are 22 states with RTW laws on the books, and research indicates they outperform neighboring non-RTW states in jobs and state economic growth. No state with a right-to-work law currently borders Michigan.
It's a good thing Walter Reuther didn't live to see this. In the same month that the National Labor Relations Board went the furthest it ever had to rework the rules in favor of unionizing more workers, UAW President Bob King stated in an interview with Reuters that his union would not be naming an organizing target among foreign automakers with plants in the United States. Instead, he said, it would attempt to encourage a more cooperative relationship with companies it wants to organize.
Wall Street Journal columnist Stephen More quoted the Center in his recent story about former basketball star Jalen Rose and the public charter school he started in Detroit.
For more information about the Jalen Rose Leadership Academy, see here and here.
Michael LaFaive, director of the Center’s Morey Fiscal Policy Initiative, was cited by the San Francisco-area NBC affiliate over GlobalWatt’s decision to leave Saginaw.
“Now we know [the state of Michigan] did not really look too deeply into the matter,” LaFaive said.
The Muskegon Chronicle, The Flint Journal, The Grand Rapids Press, Adrian Daily Telegram and The Kalamazoo Gazette all used the year-end missed votes tally on MichiganVotes.org to do stories about how many roll call votes legislators in their respective coverage areas missed in 2011.
MichiganVotes.org sends a weekly report to newspapers and TV stations around the state showing how state legislators in their service area voted on the most important or interesting bills of the past week. This final report of 2011 instead contains votes on a few of the most impactful laws passed during the year.
With 2012 upon us it is time for New Year resolutions. Since the Legislature is on holiday recess and the governor is undoubtedly enjoying the holiday season with family and friends, I have taken the liberty to prepare a list of New Year resolutions for our elected leaders.
(Editor's Note: The following is based on a tribute first published in 2009.)
During its 23-year history, the Mackinac Center's staff and adjunct scholars have been honored by the opportunity to associate with more than a few stellar intellectual luminaries. Of these, perhaps none shines more brightly than Mackinac Center adjunct scholar and supporter Dr. Paul J. McCracken.
The Fraser Institute of Canada reports that the median wait-time for a Canadian who needs surgery or other therapies rose to 19.0 weeks in 2011, the longest since the Institute first began tracking wait times in 1993. The wait time for a patient referred by a general practitioner to a specialist rose from a median of 8.9 weeks in 2010 to 9.5 weeks in 2011 (up 156 percent since 1993). Patients can then expect to wait an additional 9.5 weeks before actually receiving treatment from the specialist, up from 9.3 weeks in 2010 (a 70 percent increase since 1993).
As Christmas is rapidly approaching and shoppers are scurrying to finish last-minute purchases, there is only one thing left on my Christmas list – less government. My perfect Christmas gift would be for the political class to stop playing Santa Claus. I do not want politicians to promise me an endless bag of goodies that cannot be paid for now or even by the next generation. A few items that could fill my Christmas stocking:
An editorial in today’s Detroit News about legislative attempts to tinker with the state’s recall law cites Mackinac Center President Joseph G. Lehman, who wrote about this issue a few weeks ago.
Listen here as Senior Legislative Analyst Jack McHugh discusses the legislative accomplishments of 2011 and the legislative priorities for 2012 with WMKT-1270 AM radio talk host Vic McCarthy. Noting the reform of the Michigan business tax as well as welfare reform, McHugh pushes for stronger regulatory reform on behalf of Michigan businesses for 2012.
Yesterday’s main story by Tom Gantert in Michigan Capitol Confidential titled “Chevy Volt Costing Taxpayers Up to $250K Per Vehicle” made national news.
The article was featured on the Drudge Report and eventually picked up by Fox Nation, Bill O’Reilly, Instapundit, National Review, Human Events, the American Thinker, Powerline, Carpe Diem, Hot Air and Reason.
Assistant Director of Fiscal Policy James Hohman on the Lou Dobbs Show on Dec. 21, 2011, discussing the massive government subsidies allocated to the development and production of Chevy's Volt. This topic was originally published on Michigan Capital Confidential. Listen to the entire interview at the audio link!
Enjoy this season’s Christmas lights; next Christmas it will be considerably more expensive to run the lights that adorn Christmas trees, homes and businesses in many areas around the country, including Michigan.
Most American households would have preferred a lump of coal in their stocking from the Environmental Protection Agency rather than the Maximum Achievable Control Technology (MACT) rule issued by the agency today. The rule is aimed at coal-fired power plants, mandating among other things a 90 percent reduction in mercury emissions. This may be the most expensive regulation on utilities issued by the EPA to date, estimated to cost utilities around 11 billion dollars per year.
The Census Bureau released state-level population estimates this morning and reports once again that Michigan lost population. These are the first one-year state-by-state estimates for population changes released by the Bureau since the official Census state data was released in 2010. The population changes are measured from April 2010 to July 2011.
Mackinac Center President Joseph G. Lehman is cited in the current issue of Dome Magazine in a profile of Doug Rothwell, president and CEO of Business Leaders for Michigan.
Rothwell in the 1990s was president of the Michigan Economic Development Corp. and Gov. Rick Snyder, then an Ann Arbor businessman, was the MEDC’s volunteer chairman. The article notes it is “ironic” that Rothwell is now working closely with Gov. Snyder on economic development policies that are far different than what they championed more than a decade ago.
The state’s flagship corporate welfare scheme — the Michigan Economic Growth Authority — will end Jan. 1, according to The Flint Journal.
“It created job announcements but no jobs,” Michael LaFaive, director of the Center’s Morey Fiscal Policy Initiative, told The Journal. “That’s the only way to facilitate ribbon-cutting ceremonies.
Note: There will be no weekly roll call report during Christmas week.
MichiganVotes.org sends a weekly report to newspapers and TV stations around the state showing how state legislators in their service area voted on the most important or interesting bills of the past week.
Where I live outside of Lansing, there are new bike paths sporting shiny asphalt, but the roads are crumbling. Motorists might be surprised to learn that of the 18.4 cents per gallon of federal gas tax they pay at the pump, only about 11 cents goes to maintain highways and bridges.
A long-time Mackinac Center idea made major strides last night when the Michigan House voted to (gradually) eliminate the arbitrary cap on university-authorized charter public schools. The Mackinac Center has been supporting the rights of parents to choose charter schools since 1988.
