Chris Surprenant’s path from traditional academic philosophy to hands-on public policy work reflects a deep sense of responsibility to the community he serves. Now a professor of ethics, strategy, and public policy at the University of New Orleans and Director of the university’s Urban Entrepreneurship and Policy Institute, Surprenant spoke on The Overton Window Podcast about how his academic career shifted from traditional philosophy toward financial literacy and education reform rooted in local needs.
This article originally appeared in The Detroit News December 23, 2025.
My great-uncle George Pancio — Uncle Bud to us — was the Santa Claus in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City.
Growing up in western New York, my siblings, cousins and I simply knew him as the town Santa Claus.
Michigan law mandates ever-increasing use of solar photovoltaic cells to replace reliable, affordable, coal, natural gas and nuclear power. Consider that after decades of mandates, tax breaks, and subsidies that add to your taxes and electricity bills, solar is only generating a bit over 2% of Michigan’s electric demand.
This article originally appeared in The Detroit News December 16, 2025.
Trust in government is falling. Only 17% of Americans believe the federal government will do the right thing “just about always” or “most of the time.” The Pew Research Center says this is nearly the lowest level ever recorded. But policymakers and public employees can help rebuild trust by emphasizing integrity, competence and the rule of law.
This article originally appeared in The Detroit News December 9, 2025.
Alex Tokarev grew up in Bulgaria during the Cold War. Life under socialism, he says, was “miserable.” Twenty-five years ago, he and his wife moved to the United States, and he now teaches economics at Northwood University in Midland. Tokarev offers a blunt warning for Americans flirting with socialism.
This article originally appeared in The Detroit News December 2, 2025.
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, who took some of the most aggressive measures in the country during COVID-19, recently said she has no desire to review her pandemic management. Appearing on the Financial Audit podcast Nov. 3, the governor deflected when host Caleb Hammer questioned Michigan’s lockdown policies.
This article originally appeared in The Detroit News November 25, 2025.
Last Thursday night in Detroit, the Federalist Society Michigan Lawyers Chapter honored a public interest lawyer who has made an indelible mark on Michigan’s legal environment.
The Federalist Society, a network of conservative and libertarian lawyers, conferred its prestigious Grano Award on Patrick J. Wright, who directs the Mackinac Center Legal Foundation.
This article originally appeared in the Washington Examiner October 6, 2025.
Government unions are fighting President Donald Trump tooth and nail. The American Federation of Government Employees alone has filed numerous lawsuits to block the president from reforming the federal workforce and rolling back collective bargaining at government agencies. Unions claim that the president’s actions hurt workers, the economy, and even the country as a whole.
The year 2025 produced little agreement between Michigan’s Republican-controlled House and the Democratic-controlled Senate. That’s not bad news for Michigan taxapyers. Lawmakers went an entire year without approving more spending on select business subsidy programs. That is the first time lawmakers have avoided giving corporate welfare to local favorites since at least 2000, when the Mackinac Center began its Business Subsidy Scorecard.
Michigan policymakers overhauled the state’s auto insurance laws in 2019. Drivers were paying some of the highest premiums in the country and had for decades. Michigan’s “no-fault” insurance laws were the only in the country that required every driver to purchase unlimited personal injury coverage. Forcing everyone to buy uncapped insurance for medical expenses resulting from a car accident led to expensive mandatory premiums.
I love the holiday season. I love being bundled up inside with the wood stove going and a fresh blanket of snow across the ground. I enjoy spending time with family and friends, and celebrating the season with holiday lights and baked goods. I also enjoy the tradition of sawing down a tree and dragging it into my house. Finally, I thoroughly enjoy watching holiday-themed movies, including the countless versions of “A Christmas Carole” (the Muppets version being my favorite), “The Grinch,” “The Christmas Chronicles,” “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation,” “Assault on Precinct 13” (John Carpenter’s version, which is far superior to Die Hard), and even the classic “Santa’s Slay” featuring none other than Bill Goldberg as Saint Nick.
This article originally appeared in the Washington Times July 9, 2025.
Unions like to claim that they are the ultimate champions for workers, fighting for better pay and benefits. But do they deliver? A new report from the Mercatus Center, paired with recent news about layoffs at UPS, suggests unions might not be the golden ticket workers hope for.
With 15 years of life left, there is no urgency to close the J.H. Campbell, coal-fired power plant near Holland. It supplies 10% of Michigan’s electric demand. The plant’s owner, Consumers Energy, invested a billion dollars in air pollution control equipment to dramatically reduce emissions at Campbell and other coal plants. The company also signed an agreement with Ashcor this year to recycle all the residual coal ash into concrete.
While lawmakers have ended the worst excesses of Michigan’s business subsidy programs, they are still likely to continue taking money from taxpayers and giving it to select businesses. A bipartisan group of Michigan House members introduced a package of bills to fix some problems with the policies.
This article originally appeared in Crain’s Detroit Business September 19, 2025.
For much of the 20th century, the Midwest was the engine of American manufacturing. Cities and small towns alike prospered from factories that produced cars, appliances, steel, and furniture.
This article originally appeared in the Lansing State Journal May 14, 2025.
Voters rejected a second consecutive school bond proposal in St. Johns and by a larger margin than the first. There appears to be a disconnect between the priorities of voters in the St. Johns School District and those of school officials.
This article originally appeared in The Detroit News November 17, 2025.
A recent admission by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer casts doubt on her aggressive COVID-19 lockdown decisions. Appearing on Financial Audit, a popular podcast with 2.65 million YouTube subscribers, the governor talked primarily about Michigan’s finances. During the interview, host Caleb Hammer pressed Whitmer on her “weird” lockdown policies.
This article originally appeared in Crain’s Detroit Business June 25, 2025.
Sheetz, a Pennsylvania-based company that sells gasoline and made-to-order food, wants to expand its footprint in Michigan. The chain, which offers a wide selection of decent meals at a low cost, has plans to add dozens of new stations in metro Detroit.
The Michigan Senate voted to authorize spending $1.9 billion on a program to support developers and their building projects. If enacted into law, the bill would be the first addition to the business subsidy scorecard in 2025. The program, advocates say, secures “transformational” buildings. But it has failed to deliver on its promise, and lawmakers ought to have higher standards before giving it more to spend on developer subsidies.
The push to transform education has accelerated in recent years, largely because parents are asking more of their schools. Chris Waston, founder and developer of the AI tool EdLoop, is one of the entrepreneurs rising to meet that demand. On The Overton Window Podcast, he shares his experiences as an educator and parent while describing the platform he built to close the “gap that exists in the feedback loop in schools today.”
This article originally appeared in National Review September 21, 2025.
The jockeying for the 2028 presidential race is well underway, and Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer will surely be a contender for Democrats. So it’s worth paying attention to her ongoing debate with the state legislature over Michigan’s direction. By the end of the month, when the state budget is due, Americans will know if she’s moving toward commonsense spending and problem-solving — or doubling down on a failed and unaffordable vision of more taxes and spending.
This article originally appeared in the Detroit Free Press August 19, 2025.
Since Detroit’s financial collapse and 2013-2014 bankruptcy, the dramatic revitalization of downtown has been a major part of the city’s comeback story.
Numerous vacant buildings have been rehabbed and converted from office use to upscale apartments and hotels. Once-darkened storefronts now hold retailers such as Gucci, H&M, Nike and a future Apple Store. Every month seems to bring a new restaurant opening.
This article originally appeared in the Wall Street Journal August 1, 2025.
California isn’t only the No. 1 state for illegal immigrants. It’s also the top state for illegal cigarettes. The reason is clear: heavy-handed government. The Golden State has banned some popular cigarettes while jacking up taxes on the smokes that remain. The result has been a rise in crime, lost revenue and yet another lesson in unintended—yet entirely predictable—consequences.
This article originally appeared in the Washington Examiner June 23, 2025.
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer seems all but certain to run for president, and voters need to know about a uniquely concerning part of her record. She has overseen an explosion of earmarks — the pork-barrel spending that politicians dole out without regard to taxpayers — including more than a billion dollars in her latest state budget alone. More taxpayer-funded goodies are surely on the way.
After eliminating the funding source for the state’s largest business subsidy program, Michigan legislators have introduced a replacement, calling it the “Real Jobs for Michigan,” part of a two-bill package sponsored by Rep. Mike Hoadley, R-Au Gres and Mark Tisdel, R-Rochester Hills. The proposal has some distinct and different features from previous initiatives intended to spur job growth. But giving preferences to companies is ineffective at delivering good economic outcomes to Michigan.
