All 2018 Publications

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1. The Mackinac Center Addresses Gov. Snyder's Veto of Donor Privacy Bill
2. Mackinac Center Tracks Lawmakers’ Missed Votes
3. In Memory of Stan Brock
4. Michigan Pays Off Debt from the 80s
5. Legislature Forbids Local Governments From Creating Needless Licensing Requirements
6. Union Release Time Was Once Unconstitutional
7. When Corporate Handouts Were Unconstitutional in Michigan
8. From Prohibited to Permitted: A Legal History of Corporate Handouts in Michigan
9. Fewer Parents Taking Education for Granted
10. Michigan made better choices on forest management
11. Fireworks, Campaigns, Coal Ash, Wages and More
12. Striking a Balance on Environmental Regulations
13. Proposed Law Changes Licensing Rules for Some Psychologists
14. President's Council Luncheon
15. Even Amended, Michigan’s Paid Sick Leave Would Cost Employers $1.1 Billion
16. Red or Blue, Criminal Justice Still Gets a Green Light
17. School Districts Exaggerate the Harms of Losing Students to Choice
18. Amazon and Foxconn Ignite Opposition To Business Subsidies
19. Minimum Wage, Fantasy Sports, Donor Privacy, 5G and More
20. Bullying is a Huge Problem – School Choice is Helping Solve It
21. Michigan Should Adopt a Pilot Program to Fund Roads With Road Usage Charges
22. Union Release Time is a Rip-Off for Taxpayers
23. More Insights from Mackinac Center’s Corporate Welfare Scorecard
24. Lawmakers Have the Authority to Repeal Paid Leave Act
25. The Costly Part of Government-Owned Broadband
26. Serve the Public by Protecting the Integrity of Evidence in Criminal Proceedings
27. IMPACT November/December 2018
28. A Look at What Happens After Minimum Wage Hikes in Michigan
29. What You May Expect To See In Lame Duck
30. Amazon and Foxconn Ignite Opposition To Business Subsidies
31. School Districts Exaggerate the Harms of Losing Students to Choice
32. Red or Blue, Criminal Justice Still Gets a Green Light
33. The Good News And Bad News For UAW Members
34. For Some Students, Transportation is a Barrier to a Better Education
35. Make Michigan’s Bail System Smarter, for All of Us
36. Collaborative Management Can Balance Competing Interests for Federal Lands in Michigan
37. Just A Reminder Of The Growing State Budget
38. Last Call: Reviewing Pre-election Votes Of The 2017-2018 Legislature
39. Comparing Michigan’s Largest Counties on Civil Asset Forfeiture
40. Accessing Better Detroit Schools Out of Reach for Some
41. Bail Reform Effort in Michigan: What It Is and What It Isn’t
42. How to Collaboratively Manage Michigan’s Federal Lands
43. Conflict to Cooperation
44. Legislature Says Yes To Subsidies, No To Tax Cuts
45. Forcing Accountants to Stay in College Doesn’t Make Them Better CPAs
46. Brews and Views
47. Celebrating Russell Kirk’s 100th Birthday
48. Helping More Michigan Students Learn to Read
49. Cities and Suburbs Should Grow Together
50. Seventy Percent of Michigan School Districts Contract Out for Services
51. Let Markets and Innovation Drive Energy Efficiency
52. Michael Dorr
53. New Jersey Wants to Make it Harder for Public Workers to Leave Their Union Despite the Janus Decision
54. Michigan School Privatization Survey 2018
55. How Bail Works in Michigan and Recommendations for Reform
56. Michigan Needs Bail Reform
57. Money and Justice in West Michigan
58. The State Budget is Larger Than $10 Billion
59. How Much Will the Repeal of Prevailing Wage Save Taxpayers in Michigan?
60. Choice Satisfies Most Parents, Appeals to Most Voters
61. How to Control the Pension Debt
62. Policy Guides
63. New Study Explains ‘Voters Not Politicians’ Ballot Proposal in Plain English
64. Proposal 2 of 2018: An Explainer and Key Arguments
65. Business Subsidies, Online Voter Registration, Licensure Reform and More
66. Proposal 2 of 2018
67. Plaintiffs Sue New Jersey for Failing to Protect Employee Freedoms
68. IMPACT September/October 2018
69. Don't Put Faith in Class-Size Reduction
70. The Facts on Michigan’s Roads – and How To Improve Them
71. Roads in Michigan: Quality, Funding and Recommendations
72. Speed Limit Reductions, ‘Points’ for Out-of-State Tickets, Aircraft Owner Tax Breaks, Online Voter Registration and More
73. Michigan Needs to Rethink How it Does Economic Development
74. Company Turns Down Taxpayer Subsidies
75. Planning for Life Workshop – Farmington Hills
76. Unreasonable Demands Stifle Real Environmental Progress
77. Bail Reform: Improving Pretrial Release to Benefit Defendants and Taxpayers
78. Innovative School Districts Seek Greater Flexibility
79. Michigan Wages and Benefits Recovers
80. The New Face of the FCC: Q&A with Chairman Ajit Pai
81. Want Faster Internet? What Rural Communities Should Explore
82. How Much Will the Repeal of Prevailing Wage Save Taxpayers in Michigan?
83. Same Old Story About the Problems in Public Schools
84. Aircraft Sales Tax, Police Sex With Prostitutes, Choose Life Plates, More
85. How to Control the Pension Debt
86. Little Pink House Screening
87. Looking for Legal Help?
88. Choice Satisfies Most Parents, Appeals to Most Voters
89. Enforcing Janus Rights for Public Workers
90. Here’s One Way Michigan Miscalculates High School Graduation Rates
91. What Would it Mean to Unleash the MEDC?
92. Paid Leave, Parole and Minimum Wage
93. Mackinac Center Applauds Gov. Snyder’s ‘Outside the Box’ Reforms
94. Prisons Are Not a Jobs Program
95. Michigan Parents and Voters Strongly Support School Choice
96. Choices & Voices: A Survey of Michigan Charter School Parents
97. Free Speech or Government Speech?
98. Socialism Didn’t Make Detroit Great
99. Copper Mines, Foreign Language Requirements, Eminent Domain and More
100. Guiding Quality Growth in the Charter Sector
101. How Taxpayers Get Fleeced in Michigan
102. Coping with the Growing Number of Felons in Michigan
103. Spending Interests Want Spending
104. Volunteer Fire Departments Save Money, Delivery Quality Service
105. IMPACT July/August 2018
106. What Would it Mean to Unleash the MEDC?
107. More Subsidies And Regulations, Mental Health Restraint Rules, Auto Insurance For Seniors and More
108. Enforcing Janus Rights for Public Workers
109. Later High School Start Times Should Stay Local Decision
110. No One Will Win The Tariff Game
111. Superintendent Earns Praise Painting School – Which Would Be Illegal If He Were Paid
112. Poll: Mich. Voters Back Tax Benefits for School Choice
113. A Plea for Skepticism about the MEDC: An Open Letter
114. Michigan’s Trial Courts Have a Major Funding Problem
115. Election Night: More Corporate Handouts or More Personal Income Tax Cuts?
116. Mail-in Elections, More Corporate Subsidies, Training Tax Assessors And More
117. A Flip Of A Switch
118. MDE Overreach a Serious Concern
119. Why Taxpayers Are Shelling Out More Money for Worse Service
120. When the Cell Door Closes, a Window of Educational Opportunity Should Open
121. Campaign Promises Show Misunderstanding of Charter School Landscape
122. State Lawmakers Should Cut Business Subsidies Even More Next Year
123. Freedom For Government Workers
124. Three Important Criminal Justice Reform Opportunities for 2018
125. Declawing Cats, Debarking Dogs, Strategic Plans and More
126. Can Technology Help Predict Crime and Flight Risk?
127. Michigan Catching Up On State Employee Pension Debt
128. Climate Lawsuits Expose Contradictory Government Policies
129. Politicians Subsidize Less Than 1 Percent of Job Creation
130. New Bills on Guns, Garbage, Farm Weddings and More
131. New Evidence Suggests Harsher Sentences Don’t Always Deter More Crime
132. A Lesson in Endpoint Bias
133. ISD-Run Special Education at Bottom of the Pack
134. Public Safety Workers in Michigan Now Enjoy Right-to-Work
135. Making Waves with the Mackinac Center
136. Where Michigan Stands on Civil Asset Forfeiture
137. Mackinac Center’s Forfeiture Expertise Cited
138. Firearm Seizures, Sexual Assault, Lock Away Painkillers and More
139. State Corporate Handout Program Milks Taxpayer for Cass City Operation
140. Is One Subsidy Really Any Better?
141. Neither Inmates Nor Counties Get Out of Jail Free
142. Policy Proposed for Medicaid Workers Too Broad, Harms Patients and Consumers
143. How Business Subsidies Cut to the Front of the Line for Michigan Tax Dollars
144. National Publications Cite Mackinac Center in Wake of Supreme Court Decision
145. A Political Fiction that Won’t Go Away
146. Snyder Budget Whacks $10 Million from Business Subsidy Programs
147. Legislature Approves New Business Subsidies
148. Supreme Court Restores, Strengthens Rights For Millions Of Public Employees In Janus Ruling
149. 2018 Marks Final Year of High School Debate Workshops
150. Another MBDP Jobs Subsidy Project Doesn’t Work
151. Higher Taxes Would Offer Little for Ottawa Schools
152. State Business Handout Program Wastes Another $2 million
153. Foster Care Scholarships, Pavement Ideas, Career Predictions
154. Smart Regs for Smart Tech: How Government Can Allow Next Gen Internet Networks to Flourish
155. Detroit is Becoming Friendlier to Entrepreneurs
156. Neither Inmates Nor Counties Get Out of Jail Free
157. IMPACT May/June 2018
158. Is One Subsidy Really Any Better?
159. Business Subsidy Programs Grow State’s Bureaucracy, Not Its Economy
160. Planning for Life Workshop – Bay Harbor Yacht Club
161. Whitmer Education Plan Trips Over Charter Schools
162. Mackinac Center and Virginia Tech Professor Dr. Marc Edwards Sue Wayne State Over Flint Water Documents
163. Michigan Lawmakers Consider More Handouts
164. Planning for Life Workshop – Midland, MI
165. Auto Insurance Reform for Seniors, Repeal Prevailing Wage, Medicaid Work
166. Like All Spending, Environmental Spending Needs a Plan and Oversight
167. Lawmakers Repeal Prevailing Wage and Pass Work Requirements for Able-Bodied Medicaid Population
168. Lawmaker Blasts Utilities, Nearly Hits Donor Privacy Rights
169. State Considers Licensing Naturopathic Physicians
170. Study Links Catholic Education and Self-Discipline
171. Should Government Get Involved? What to Consider First
172. Michigan’s New Testing Regime is Better But Should Be Improved
173. Connect Southeast Michigan Transit Proposal: Looking Backward
174. Involuntary Mental Health Treatment, Government Job Training, Aliens, Wine Tasting
175. Reverse Course on Restricting Medicaid Workers With Criminal Backgrounds
176. Getting More College Grads Won’t Improve State Prosperity
177. Beer Glut: The Overregulation of Alcohol in Michigan
178. Why Michigan Should Repeal Prevailing Wage
179. Bicycle Clearance, Extend the Statute of Limitations for Sex Crimes, More
180. Privacy Policy
181. Bonfire of the Bureaucratic Vanities
182. Detroit Charters Send More Graduates to College Than Peers Do
183. Residential Levies for Business Subsidies, Truck Platoons, Baby Boxes and More
184. Michigan’s Convoluted Electricity System Leads to Strife and Strain
185. Why Prescription Drugs Are So Expensive and What the State Can Do About It
186. Kayak Tax Proponents Try to Disguise Cash Grab as Safety Measure
187. An Evening with the Mackinac Center
188. New Scorecard Ranks Every Michigan Legislator on Corporate Handouts
189. The Lawmakers that Voted for the Most Business Subsidies and the Least
190. How Michigan Legislators Voted on Taxpayer-Funded Business Subsidies
191. 'Clear and Convincing Need' Bill Would Limit Overregulation
192. Require Conviction for Police to Keep Seized Assets, School Safety Responses
193. Token Symbols of Growth Damage the State Economy
194. Solar Subsidies Are More than 'Fair'
195. Think Big: Don’t Expand Transit, Uberize It!
196. More Guilty Verdicts Mean More Cash for Local Courts
197. What I Would Like To See From Campaigns This Year
198. Detroit Children’s Business Fair
199. Budgets, Beer Tents, Vehicle Bike Racks and More
200. Proposed Bill Package Would Rein in DEQ Abuses
201. City Denies Alcohol License to Restaurant it Doesn’t Like
202. No More Additional Favors for Solar
203. Pump the Brakes: Michigan Should Rethink Driver's License Suspensions
204. The Battle Between Taxes and Fees in Storm Sewer Finance
205. Michigan Doesn't Fit Profile for Teacher Walkouts
206. School Safety, Frail Prisoners, Pyramid Schemes and Budgets
207. MEDC Is a Moth to a Failure Flame
208. Net Metering Decision Raises Hackles of Solar Supporters
209. Health Policy Consensus Group Calls for Short-Term Health Plan Reform
210. Medicaid Work Requirements, Alien Driver's Licenses, Dead Voters and More
211. A Politically Incorrect Guide to Communism
212. Union Attempt to Force Teacher to Pay Fees Deemed Illegal Under Right-to-Work
213. Free-Range Michigan?
214. More Competition Among Liquor Stores on the Way – For Now
215. Arbitrary Michigan Licensing Laws: Auto Mechanic vs. Makeup Artist
216. Three Criminal Justice Proposals before the Michigan House this Week
217. Updated Research Highlights Impact of Cigarette Tax Evasion
218. Ban Pit Bull Bans, Licensure Mandates for Foresters and Shampooers, More
219. Strong Link Between Cigarette Tax and Illegal Smuggling Rates
220. New Law Removes Obstacles to Classroom
221. Rural School Makes Fast Rise
222. You Don’t Need Six Figures to Live Comfortably
223. DeVos is Right About Michigan Charter Schools
224. It’s Time To Review and Repeal Occupational Licensing Laws
225. Emotional Support Animals, License Mandates and More License Mandates
226. State Funding for Universities Continues Upward Climb
227. Are Competition And Consumer Choice In Education Good Or Bad?
228. How a Top-Performing Charter School in Detroit Overcame Government Obstacles
229. Is it Constitutional to Require Criminal Defendants to Fund Their Own Prosecution?
230. The Great Lakes Trough Truce
231. Back To The Future With Renewable Energy Puffery
232. Study on Arkansas Tourism Campaign Should Make You Scratch Your Head about Pure Michigan
233. Constitutional Amendments on Parents' Rights, State University Boards, More
234. The Steel Industry, Not Taxpayers, Should Pay for New Soo Lock
235. State’s Education Woes Require Full Assessment
236. Cigarette Taxes and Smuggling
237. Where Michigan Lawmakers Stand on ‘Right to Try’ Laws
238. New Pure Michigan Return-on-Investment Figure Won’t Include All Costs
239. Pure Fiction: State Tourism Cost-Benefit Analysis Ignores Costs
240. Passing Bicycles, Peppier Pepper Spray, High School Internship Credit, More
241. Michigan School Employees Can Officially Resign from Their Union at Any Time
242. IMPACT March/April 2018
243. Hamtramck Academy Tops Mackinac Report Card
244. Awareness and Education Effort Launched Around Landmark Janus Case
245. When the Goal of Spending Money is to Spend Money
246. Democratic Attorney General Candidates Favor Civil Asset Forfeiture Reform
247. Dearborn Schools Rise to the Top
248. Bipartisanship on Criminal Justice Reform Continues to Grow
249. A Look At The State Budget for Business Subsidies
250. MSU Sex Crime Lawsuits, Online Voter Registration, Dead Voters, More
251. What Michigan Government Lacks in Transparency
252. State-led Health Care Reforms
253. Cutting the Competition?: The Effects of Licensing Barbers in Alabama
254. Want Money For Roads? Take It from This Failing Program
255. Free Credit Freezes, Expel Student Sex Offenders, Release Frail Prisoners
256. Salt Bill Would Raises Prices On All To Benefit One Company
257. Put ISD Funding on Education Budget Table
258. Property Tax Revenue On a Slow Rise
259. The Flexible State Budget
260. Governor’s 6-Year-Old Corporate Handout Program Should Be Shuttered
261. Juvenile Justice Shouldn’t Create Lifelong Obstacles
262. More Road Repair Money, Restrict Metadata Collection, Medical Marijuana, More
263. Raising the Age: Should 17-Year-Olds be Eligible for Juvenile Justice in Michigan?
264. English as Official Language, More Road Repair Money, a Foster Care Alternative
265. Detroit Schools Will Sell to a Prison, But Not a Charter School
266. Mackinac Center Ranks Michigan’s Elementary and Middle Schools
267. The Michigan Context and Performance Report Card: Public Elementary and Middle Schools, 2017
268. State’s MBDP Job Creation Claims an Inconvenient Fiction
269. ACLU and Mackinac Center Call on Legislature to Require a Conviction Before Police Can Keep Property
270. Education Budget Should Back Parents' Priorities
271. Study: Michigan Business Development Program of Questionable Merit
272. An Assessment of the Michigan Business Development Program
273. Michigan Is Not a Windy State
274. One Tax Cut and One Increased; an Unfair Levy Repealed; Stronger Pepper Spray
275. Michigan’s Long 'Bad Driver Tax' Nightmare Will Finally End
276. Meet Some Law Enforcement Officers Who Support Forfeiture Reform
277. IMPACT January/February 2018
278. Michigan May Surpass 2000 Employment Levels Soon
279. Mackinac Center Policy Expert Recommendations 2018
280. Airbnb Ban the Latest in Detroit’s Short-sighted Thinking
281. Lawyers 'Double Dipping' on Asbestos, Traffic Stop Etiquette, Impaired EMTs
282. Crime Shouldn’t Pay, but Requiring Reimbursement May Not Pay Off
283. Illinois Takes Pension Advice From ‘The Simpsons’
284. New Video Series Looks Underneath the Hood at How School Funding Works
285. Michigan’s Prevailing Wage Law Needs to Go
286. Michigan Charters Get More Bang for the Buck
287. Extreme Cold Highlights Our Need for Better Energy Options
288. Cats and Dogs, Chickens and Fish
289. Traverse City Continuing Push for Government-Run Internet
290. Michigan Considers Allowing Ex-Offenders to Work as Health Professionals
291. Do Michigan Charter Schools Get More Bang for the Buck?
292. Charter Schools a Valuable Investment for Taxpayers
293. Doing More With Less: The Charter School Advantage in Michigan
294. Snyder, New Report Pitch for More Education Dollars
295. Politicians Cannot Keep Up With Dynamic Economy
296. Come or Go, Amazon’s HQ Decision Means Little to Michigan Economy
297. Income Tax Breaks, Environmental Rules Reviews, Ransomware and more
298. Renewable Energy is Not Cheaper After All
299. New Additions to Mackinac Center Board of Scholars
300. Michigan House Votes to Protect Electronic Data
301. Increasing Voter Turnout in School Elections
302. Cash Bail Hurts Innocent Poor People
303. Mackinac Center Tallies Proposed Expansions and Limitations in Gov. Snyder’s Last State of the State
304. Is This Working? The Effects of Occupational Licensing on the Workforce
305. Gov. Snyder Should Make Link Between Jobs and Criminal Justice Reform
306. School Choice Week Puts Michigan Progress in Perspective
307. Education Policy Expert Provides Important Perspective on New School Finance Study
308. Veto Override, Higher Income Tax Exemptions, Charter Schools and ISD Money, more
309. As Medicaid Costs Skyrocket, States Have a New Opportunity to Innovate
310. Laws of Evidence: How Sound Forensic Science Policy Can Help Prevent Wrongful Convictions
311. Deed Restrictions, Neighborhood Watch Vehicles
312. Many Michigan Families Sacrifice for Choice
313. What People Are Saying About Our 30th Anniversary
314. Michigan’s Most Popular Uber Destination is in the City That Once Banned It
315. Governor Granholm Called to Underfund Pensions 6 Years Before Company Bankruptcy
316. How to Help Those with a Criminal Record Find Work
317. 2017 Was Good For Michigan
318. Michigan’s Prevailing Wage Law Drives Up Costs
319. Detroit Ignores State Law, Turns Down Money to Avoid Selling Abandoned School
320. You Can Legally Warm Your Car Now
321. Professor Sues Wayne State University for Failure to Respond to FOIA Requests
322. Michigan’s Well-Being Metric Stuck in “Balanced” Position
323. School Choice Breaks Down Racial Barriers
324. State Forces Hotels And Inns To Fund Private Marketing Bureaus
325. Airline Employees Sue Union For Same Constitutional Protection As Public Employees
326. Facts About Michigan’s Infrastructure You Never Hear
327. State Reforms of Occupational Licensing
328. Michigan's Increasing State Budget
329. Michigan Legislature’s 10 Most Revealing Votes of 2017
330. Michigan Well-Being Metric Stuck in 'Balanced' Position
331. Mackinac Center Legal Foundation