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