Michigan legislators have not found much to agree about this year. And the Democrats with a majority in the Senate are blaming the Republicans with a majority in the House over the one thing they need to do: pass a budget.
Yet it is unclear what they are arguing about, outside of a handful of issues.
The Middle Michigan Development Corporation will offer taxpayer funded incentives worth up to $2,000 to select Central Michigan University graduates who stay in the area, specifically in Mt. Pleasant or Union Township, according to WNEM news report.
The agency received a grant from the Michigan Growth Office to fund the program, which means all taxpayers are paying for it. For many reasons, practical and empirical, this is a bad idea. There are better alternatives.
This article originally appeared in The Detroit News July 15, 2025.
Voters want to understand vast and complex public policy ideas, ranging from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act to ballot measures before Michigan voters to road-funding deals percolating in the Michigan Legislature. But there are so many issues. People are busy and probably won’t develop a broad range of policy expertise. So it can be easy to judge a bill using weak indicators like which party proposed the idea or who endorsed it.
The abrupt cancelation of Sandisk’s planned $63 billion semiconductor manufacturing plant near Flint is another failure to be filed under “corporate welfare.” State officials offered more than $6 billion in subsidies, $5.5 billion of that money in cash. Taxpayers have already spent at least $260 million. Gov. Whitmer attributed the company’s decision to “national economic turmoil.”
Michigan schools began the 21st century close to the top of national rankings, regularly posting results that were better than scores in most other states, especially those in the south. But the state has endured a long slide from the mid-1990s to today. Michigan’s math achievement ranking declined from 14th to 36th, based on the National Assessment of Educational Progress. Over the same time frame, Michigan’s reading score ranking declined from 20th to 42nd on the NAEP.
In an era when political arguments ruin Thanksgiving dinners, Stephen Henderson and Nolan Finley have built a friendship that proves disagreement doesn’t have to destroy relationships.
The two veteran journalists joined the Overton Window Podcast to discuss their new book The Civility Book: A Guide to Building Bridges Across the Political Divide. With more than two decades of spirited disagreement under their belts, Henderson and Finley have managed to remain close friends despite stark ideological differences.
This article originally appeared in The Detroit News July 8, 2025.
Certain phrases in American political life are instantly recognizable.
“I am not a crook.”
“Read my lips: No new taxes.”
“Mission accomplished.”
“If you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor.”
By Brian Ntwali
When the Michigan Legislature missed its July 1 deadline to pass a K-12 budget, a major flashpoint in the budget impasse was the Senate’s opposition to a House proposal that would eliminate categorical grants (funds restricted to specific programs such as special education or funding for “at-risk” students) and redirect the freed-up funds to the per-pupil foundation allowance.
This article originally appeared in The Detroit News July 8, 2025.
State investigators’ recent revelation of ties between Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s office and Fay Beydoun sheds important light on how politicians and connected individuals abuse the budget earmark process. But the process itself is another abuse, as the Mackinac Center for Public Policy shows in an ongoing lawsuit.
This article originally appeared in The Detroit News July 2, 2025.
Millions of Americans will celebrate July 4 with family gatherings, barbeques, parades and fireworks. You might have plans, too. But did you know our country’s vote for independence occurred on July 2, 1776?
Voters may get the chance to authorize or reject a tax hike on high-earning households in Michigan. A group called Invest In MI Kids will be collecting signatures toward an initiated constitutional amendment that would get rid of the constitutional prohibition on graduated income taxes and increase the state’s rate from 4.25% to 9.25% for high-income taxpayers.
By Molly Macek
This article originally appeared in The Detroit News June 5, 2025.
Is pouring money into smaller class sizes the answer to Michigan’s education crisis? Lawmakers seem to think so. They’ve proposed spending hikes as a way to reverse the downward performance trend in our public schools.
The “No Kings” protest involves millions of people, so it had to mean many different things to many groups of people. Some seem to have been motivated by sincere opposition to President Trump, without reference to a specific policy issue. Others objected to the military parade the president put on. And some were just looking for a chance to join another protest.
Are cities or suburbs winning over more Americans since the pandemic? Lots of different choices go into the decision of whether to live in a major city or one of its suburbs. Some people enjoy the bustling lifestyle and easy commute of a city; others go for a detached home and a lawn of its suburbs. Throughout history there has been booms in both city and suburban growth. Yet cities and suburbs grew at roughly the same rate from 2000 to 2019, meaning that neither cities nor suburbs were more attractive. Since 2019, however, lots have changed. Suburbs pulled out ahead, but only by a bit.
Sandra Hernden, a Michigan mother and veteran police officer, never imagined that advocating for her son during the COVID-19 school shutdowns would lead to a legal battle with national implications. Sandra tells her story alongside Steve Delie, the Mackinac Center Legal Foundation attorney representing her case, on The Overton Window Podcast.
Connecticut governor nixes pay for strikers, ‘missing middle’ housing regs
Connecticut residents have been spared punishing housing regulations and additional payments to organized labor after Gov. Ned Lamont vetoed two bills in late June. House Bill 5002 would have burdened local communities with mandates to provide a “fair share" of affordable and “middle" housing. The bill, which was initially supported by Lamont's administration, ran into heavy opposition from local leaders and community groups. “I think this, you know, crossed the line for a lot of folks, in particular, when it comes to dictating or suggesting the number of units you ought to have,” Lamont said in announcing the veto. The governor also blocked House Bill 8, which would have put Nutmeg State taxpayers on the hook for unemployment payments to workers who choose to go on strike. “Paying striking workers is a bridge too far and doesn’t help our cause,” Lamont said. Yankee Institute President Carol Platt Liebau praised the vetoes, noting that HB 8 would have “discouraged job creation, incentivized labor unrest, prolonged strikes, increased unemployment insurance rates for businesses, and driven up costs for essentials like food and construction.”
Mackinac Island is one of the jewels of Michigan tourism and culture. Probably because of its unique history, state law gives the municipality some unusual regulatory powers. But not all of those powers are good. A proposed statute granting broad regulatory powers over transportation to and from the island would be costly and damaging to this favorite state destination.
Debates over Medicaid policy are intensifying across the country, with rhetoric often running far ahead of reality. In Michigan, that’s playing out in real time — with alarming claims and overblown numbers drowning out thoughtful discussion.
Rather than give in to fear-based talking points, we need to get back to basics: Medicaid is meant to be a safety net, not a substitute for self-sufficiency. Work and community engagement requirements for able-bodied adults are one tool to keep that promise.
This article originally appeared in The Detroit News June 24, 2025.
Michigan sports fans pay close attention to the rankings for college football and basketball, looking to see how the University of Michigan and Michigan State compare to other schools.
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has asked for digital service taxes and House Bill 4142 would create those taxes. It would charge companies such as Alphabet (Google) and Meta (Facebook, Instagram) for their sales of digital advertisements, adding a tax of 2.5% to 10% to the price of each ad. The rate levied would depend upon the taxpayer’s global sales, which raises important legal questions. HB 4142 could also create an unfair penalty for one kind of advertiser and not others. Because this kind of preference is prohibited by a federal law, similar taxes imposed by other states are being challenged in court.
The American experiment has now lasted 249 years. Congratulations to all of us. The country has faced many challenges along the way. More will be coming. It will be easier for us all to face future problems if we try to bolster a great American virtue: civility.
My family would occasionally help an elderly neighbor named Timmy. His finances were no better than his failing health. He left no heirs when he died. What little property he owned was in hock to the bank, and the insatiable tax man threatened the remaining residue.
This article originally appeared in The Detroit News June 17, 2025.
A movie fan walking into a theater 70 years ago had no idea how easy it would be to watch a movie in 2025. Back in the day, if you wanted to watch a movie, you had to call the movie theater, ask for show times and then drive there to watch.
This article originally appeared in The Detroit News June 10, 2025.
A new coalition wants a massive tax hike for public schools. Invest in MI Kids proposes a constitutional amendment that would raise $1.7 billion from high-income individuals and couples. This coalition is part of a growing chorus of calls for more school funding, even though school spending in Michigan has never been higher.
Members of the Michigan House toyed with a better policy to fund universities but backed off. Their proposal would have replaced roughly half of the state’s payments to universities with student scholarships. Doing this would have made the state’s higher education funding fairer and less arbitrary.
