All 2025 Publications

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1. Federalist Society honors a guardian of liberty
2. When fighting Trump, take union claims with a grain of salt
3. Cigarette Taxes and Smuggling: A 2025 Update
4. Legislature approves no new business subsidies in 2025
5. Michigan’s 2019 auto insurance reforms worked, most recent evidence says
6. Christmas movies with the Mackinac Center
7. Unions don’t deliver for workers
8. Plan to close J.H. Campbell power plant is misguided
9. New bills would fix corporate welfare problems
10. How tourism could help revitalize Midwest factory towns
11. Lawmakers Seek Bipartisan Reform for MI Economic Development Programs
12. Bond proposal results show taxpayers are skeptical
13. Whitmer says Covid lockdowns were based on bad information
14. Michigan Parent Petitions U.S. Supreme Court After School Board Reports Her to DOJ
15. The inappropriate business pushback toward Sheetz coming into Michigan
16. Legislators should take more care before authorizing another $1.9 billion in developer subsidies
17. ‘I truly believe this will transform education’
18. The choice that will determine Gretchen Whitmer’s future — and Michigan’s
19. Did Dan Gilbert keep Detroit subsidy promises? The Freep is suing to find out
20. U.S. Supreme Court Receives Amicus Brief for Michigan Home Equity Case
21. High-tax California is the nation’s cigarette-smuggling capital
22. Enforce Michigan rule against pork-barrel spending
23. Michael Pung v. Isabella County, Michigan
24. ‘Real Jobs’ unlikely to bring real jobs
25. Michigan would benefit from independent nurse practitioners
26. Zoning is not the only tool local governments have
27. Union support for immigration protests proves workers need freedom
28. Testimony in opposition to Senate Bills 472 and 473
29. Whitmer for president?
30. What was Michigan’s budget fight about?
31. Entrepreneurs, not the MEDC, will lead Michigan’s recovery
32. ‘Film production is a stack of gigs’
33. Three policy reforms to be thankful for on Thanksgiving Day
34. The Buckeye Institute v. Internal Revenue Service
35. Lech Walesa jumped a fence and changed history
36. Indiana's 201% cigarette tax hike will fuel smuggling, not just revenue
37. Fifty-five bills that would free Michigan workers
38. Michigan’s school meals program caters to the wealthy
39. Watch out for the ‘net trap’ when looking at job numbers
40. Let nurse practitioners do their jobs
41. Union Township metrics point to stagnation, decline
42. Smarter rules and better schools could get Michigan back on its feet
43. Michigan can easily handle adding data centers
44. After 2,500 days, Whitmer ignores her open government promise
45. Freedom notes U.S.A.: South Carolina goes farther with charters
46. ‘Leadership of these unions has lost their way’
47. IMPACT September/October 2025
48. Mackinac Center’s Patrick J. Wright to Receive Federalist Society’s Grano Award
49. Michigan lawmakers tackle a difficult problem
50. Banks Township considers going back to how things once were
51. Mackinac Center Launches First Comprehensive Database of Michigan’s Constitutional History
52. Watch out for the ‘net trap’ when looking at job numbers
53. Rochester School Board Censures Trustee for Speaking Out
54. Struggling Bay City rolls out plenty of red tape
55. Traverse City borrows from Peter to pay Paul
56. Michigan budget deal: two steps forward, one step back
57. The Path to Abundant Travel: A conversation with Gary Leff of View from the Wing
58. Why does it cost so much to build? We’ve lost an abundance mindset
59. Michigan’s Licensing Laws Block Second Chances
60. With the budget complete, what should lawmakers do next?
61. Unlock Opportunity
62. Fifty-five bills that would free Michigan workers
63. ‘A lot of libertarianism feels like political science fiction’
64. Mackinac Center Mourns Passing of Nathan Martin
65. New legislation on short-term rentals make sense for communities
66. A look at governors’ track record on job growth
67. Right to Compute laws provide proper balance for AI oversight
68. Mackinac Center Promotes David Guenthner to Lead Workers for Opportunity Initiative
69. Protesting Trump? Reduce Michigan’s reliance on federal dollars
70. Halloween is a free-market treat
71. ‘Tax the Rich’ would hurt the rest of us
72. All schools win under new Michigan budget
73. Traverse City gets in the Zone
74. Michigan’s school meals program caters to the wealthy
75. MEDC Admits Failure of Gotion Project Mackinac Center Warned About
76. Let’s disagree more, and better
77. Free speech requires discomfort
78. States win in corporate welfare pact
79. Road funding is now at record levels
80. ‘We are failing in public education’
81. Farewell to a founding father of the liberty movement
82. Michigan bill would make it easier to be a school librarian
83. ‘Tax the Rich’ would hurt the rest of us
84. Michigan finally has a realistic internet plan
85. Mackinac Center Promotes Cami Pendell to Vice President for Government Affairs
86. Detroit tries making it easier to build, baby, build
87. ‘Millionaire’s tax’ ballot proposal would hurt all Michiganders
88. Mackinac Center Stands with Michigan Caregivers to Oppose SEIU’s New Dues Skim
89. A brief case for electricity choice
90. All schools win under new Michigan budget
91. How should state corruption be measured?
92. ‘These programs do not deliver what they say on the label’
93. Traverse City gets in the Zone
94. Why they want your money
95. Traverse City fiber network rolls out slowly and expensively
96. Cigarette Taxes and Smuggling Rates
97. Michigan to end its biggest business subsidy program
98. Violence is not persuasion
99. AI bills in Michigan House follow heavy-handed and punitive regulatory approach
100. Marquette housing earmark is a bad pork deal
101. Education blob orders more of the same after test scores collapse
102. School officials raise false alarm about House education budget
103. Freedom notes U.S.A.: Charter schools lead long post-COVID recovery
104. Mackinac Center Opposition to 340B Expansion
105. Are Unions Good For Workers?
106. 7 questions for Michigan’s new school superintendent
107. Rein in the federal 340B program
108. ‘What constitutes separation?’
109. Michigan’s environmental department cries wolf over budget
110. AI bills in Michigan House follow heavy-handed and punitive regulatory approach
111. An open letter to the Union Township Planning Commission
112. Director of Labor Policy
113. Mackinac Center sends second demand letter to jobs agency
114. Michigan Court to Hear Mackinac Center Challenge to Hidden Earmarks in State Budget
115. ‘Freedom, horrible freedom,’ districts cry as House budget raises school funding
116. Freedom notes U.S.A.: Trash business fights The Man in Arkansas court
117. President’s Council Breakfast featuring Joseph G. Lehman and Chris Koopman
118. After 76 years, ‘1984’ still resonates and informs
119. Planning for Life Workshop
120. Education blob orders more of the same after test scores collapse
121. Michigan education budget fight centers on local decision-making
122. ‘Everyone already agrees that tariffs are bad, and everyone agrees that we should do something about national debt’
123. Defund the MEDC. Period.
124. Marquette housing earmark is a bad pork deal
125. Internet Access in Michigan: Policy, Progress and Pitfalls
126. Courts side with colleges over students in lockdown fights
127. Summer Internships Every Year
128. Leaders have solutions; they just need problems
129. IMPACT July/August 2025
130. Michigan Economic Development Corp. is not developing Michigan’s economy
131. A citizen’s guide to smarter policy analysis
132. What cities are growing?
133. ‘It’s unlikely they’ll be able to stop tidal waves of cigarettes’
134. EVENT CANCELLATION: Energy Crisis or Opportunity: Navigating Net-Zero Mandates in Michigan
135. Housing Boom or Bust: The Issues Facing Michigan
136. Let the Line 5 Tunnel project go ahead
137. Trump artificial intelligence plan a good start
138. Ohio’s energy policy outshines Michigan’s
139. Repeal the EPA's Carbon Pollution Standards
140. Have legislators learned their lesson about selective subsidies?
141. ‘All of the above’ is the wrong answer
142. ‘All of the above’ is the wrong answer
143. EVENT CANCELLATION: Energy Crisis or Opportunity: Navigating Net-Zero Mandates in Michigan
144. EVENT CANCELLATION: Housing Boom or Bust: The Issues Facing Michigan
145. What Whitmer’s net zero mandate is hiding from you
146. Spoonful of sugar won’t make America healthy again
147. ‘When there’s a threat of failure, people innovate’
148. The incredible shrinking Department of Education
149. Jumping Through Hoops!
150. The Switch Is On!
151. The MEDC Hall of Shame
152. New Report: Michigan’s Green Energy Plan Means Higher Bills, More Blackouts
153. Public tools make state government more transparent
154. Michigan’s Expensive Net-Zero Gamble
155. Conservative lawmakers should resist unaccountable hospital slush fund
156. Will the end of the Sandisk deal bring Michigan back to basics?
157. Lower courts ignore Supreme Court precedent to force union payments
158. Lower courts ignore Supreme Court precedent to force union payments
159. Michigan Caregivers Sue to Block Forced Union Representation
160. What is the budget dispute about?
161. Paying people not to leave
162. Michigan Caregivers Sue to Block Forced Union Representation
163. Energy Crisis or Opportunity: Navigating Net-Zero Mandates in Michigan
164. 7 questions to ask about any policy proposal
165. Will the end of the Sandisk deal bring Michigan back to basics?
166. Michigan schools should go back to basics
167. ‘A functioning democracy requires healthy dissent’
168. Will Whitmer’s legacy include fixing the roads?
169. ‘Goldilocks’ compromise: Reform misuse of categorical grants
170. EVENT CANCELLATION: Planning for Life Workshop
171. FOIA Fight: Detroit Free Press, Mackinac Center Sue Treasury Over Subsidy Secrecy
172. Sneaky budget practice is costing Michigan billions
173. FOIA Fight: Detroit Free Press, Mackinac Center Sue Treasury Over Subsidy Secrecy
174. The real Independence Day
175. Are Schools Underfunded?
176. Tax hike proposal is bad business
177. Improve teacher quality to fix education system
178. The left loves its kings (and queens)
179. Which is growing faster: Core cities or their suburbs?
180. ‘I couldn’t stand by’
181. Freedom notes U.S.A.: No unemployment benefits for strikers
182. Mackinac ferry regulatory expansion is bad policy
183. President’s Council Luncheon featuring Joseph G. Lehman and Jarrett Skorup
184. Claims about Medicaid work requirements ignore facts, fuel fear
185. Claims about Medicaid work requirements ignore facts, fuel fear
186. Michigan underperforms on new worker mobility ranking
187. Don’t select digital service taxes
188. Don’t select digital service taxes
189. Show decent respect to the opinions of mankind
190. Why I fly a flag
191. Innovation revolutionized the movie industry. Could it do the same for education?
192. Schools need accountability, not a blank check
193. Short-term rentals have a big impact in Michigan
194. Lawmakers should change approach to funding higher education
195. Short-term rentals have a big impact in Michigan
196. California takes top spot in cigarette smuggling while Michigan clears some air
197. California is America’s cigarette smuggling king
198. IMPACT May/June 2025
199. ‘Politicians are myopic’
200. Did DOGE succeed or fail?
201. Coalition: Proposed Digital Advertising Tax Would Drive Up Costs for Small Businesses and Consumers
202. Trump’s (other) nuclear option
203. Legislators return to bad ideas for confronting housing costs
204. State House budget proposal respects school leaders
205. How to tame housing prices in Detroit
206. Michigan’s pandemic plan will cause legal fights
207. 2025 graduates, choose optimism
208. Michigan should stop pushing one-size-fits-all fiber
209. Rule of law requires limits on governors, presidents
210. Mackinac Center’s Lawsuit Brings Disclosure from Flint Community Schools
211. Juneteenth is a day to celebrate freedom and acknowledge unjust laws
212. The illegitimate pushback against Sheetz in Michigan
213. Planning for Life Workshop
214. Net zero just isn’t happening
215. ‘Make it in Michigan’ isn’t making it
216. EPA moves to repeal Biden’s costly power plant rules
217. The upcoming state budget battle
218. ‘Get off the floor, wipe your eyes, log off that computer and start homeschooling’
219. Tax debate should be a budget debate instead
220. Chippewa Valley Mom Asks 6th Circuit to Restore First Amendment Rights
221. The country needs skilled trades workers
222. Misread
223. Long live fake rock
224. The Real Costs of Red Tape: Rethinking Occupational Licensing in Michigan
225. States seek jobs from an industry that delivers few
226. ‘Shiny new schools’ won’t improve education
227. Voters say no to blank checks for schools
228. Michigan’s pandemic plan will cause legal fights
229. How to tame housing prices in Detroit
230. Traverse City municipal broadband still in the red
231. ‘Work never gets boring’
232. Bad policy, bad results: Michigan’s economic decline
233. Freedom notes U.S.A.
234. Five Years from Lockdown: Emergency Powers Still a Problem
235. Plan or Panic
236. The standard of success for the latest road proposals
237. New report shows road quality will decline further
238. Michigan needs better teachers, not smaller classes
239. American manufacturing defies the doubters
240. Michigan should stop pushing one-size-fits-all fiber
241. ‘We win, they lose’
242. Lawsuit Challenges Unconstitutional Pork Spending in Michigan
243. Mackinac Center Sues to End Unconstitutional Pork-Barrel Spending in Michigan
244. Nessel finds religion on emergency powers
245. Spain’s grid meltdown shouldn’t be a surprise
246. Michigan takes a step toward worker licensing mobility
247. Smaller class sizes are rarely worth the trade-offs
248. ‘A loss for the American economy’
249. Hands off Meta
250. American manufacturing defies the doubters
251. What’s really going on with young men?
252. Resolved, kids can still speak clearly about important topics
253. New report shows road quality will decline further
254. The high cost of price controls in health care
255. Mackinac Center Honors Edward Levy, Jr. and Terry Bowman with Freedom Awards
256. Disaster response begins with civil society
257. Education "Unconference:" Activating Parents for Change & Choice
258. Michigan needs better teachers, not smaller classes
259. Lessons from the COVID-19 Emergency Response
260. Canada trade is also a state issue
261. The True Costs of Drug Pricing Policy
262. Mackinac Center Sues Flint Community Schools Over Transparency Failures
263. Mackinac Center Sues Flint Schools for Ignoring Public Records Law
264. States, not D.C., should make spending decisions
265. What happens if our friendship with Canada ends?
266. ‘Welcome to the wild and wonderful’
267. An Evening with the Mackinac Center
268. SEIU Recycles Discredited Dues-Skim Scheme to Target Struggling Michigan Home Caregivers
269. It’s time to clear the bar for attorneys
270. The History of the Western Enlightenment – And Why It Matters Today
271. ‘The government never goes out of business’
272. Let’s Roll
273. How Michigan schools can thrive as U.S. Dept. of Ed. evolves
274. Lawmakers relieve Michigan of a millstone
275. When Michigan said No corporate welfare, not so long ago
276. What is the Overton Window?
277. President’s Council Luncheon featuring Joseph G. Lehman and Michael Van Beek
278. Federal workers shouldn’t have collective bargaining rights
279. Daniel Z. Crowe v. State Bar of Oregon
280. The cost of picking ‘winners’ in the steel industry
281. Mississippi surpasses Michigan in fourth grade reading after literacy reforms
282. ‘Darn good policy’
283. Michigan Wins as Army Corps Fast-Tracks Line 5 Tunnel Review
284. Federal scholarship program would help Michigan
285. Will Washington State become king of smuggled smokes?
286. ‘Not in my backyard,’ again
287. Whitmer’s reindustrialization plan, by the numbers
288. Dearborn Schools Top New Context and Performance Report Card
289. The Michigan Context and Performance Report Card: Public Elementary & Middle Schools, 2025
290. You can’t always cut what you want
291. ‘Decarbonization’ means submission to China
292. IMPACT March/April 2025
293. Let the real Detroit renaissance begin
294. If everything is a crisis, is anything?
295. Who else was wrong about COVID?
296. ‘The public can’t stop it’
297. Climate agenda is a regressive tax on consumers
298. Fix this flaw in Michigan’s teacher licensing system
299. Michigan’s conflicted view of school choice
300. Whitmer's plan for licensing deserves action
301. Open letter to Union Township Board of Trustees
302. Teslas are being burned and vandalized
303. Let’s Roll
304. My 2020 pandemic predictions, 5 years later
305. Cigarette Tax Evasion and Avoidance in the Treasure State
306. How Michigan schools can thrive as U.S. Dept. of Ed. evolves
307. Can we recover from the ‘most significant climate change law ever’?
308. Time for Michigan to walk the walk on licensing reform
309. The 340B drug discount program has lost its way
310. U.S. House pours cold water on Energy Dept.’s heater ban
311. Five years later: Why did the lockdown happen?
312. What does natural gas do for you?
313. ‘The government never goes out of business’
314. State Spent $670 Million on Business Subsidies and Delivered Zero Jobs Through SOAR Program
315. A square deal for the Little Guy!
316. Minimum wage hikes hurt vulnerable workers
317. Do as I say, not as I vote
318. Business taxes should raise money for government, not transfer cash to big business
319. How to live the good life in Michigan
320. Lawmakers should consider 5 principles for funding roads
321. Time for Michigan to walk the walk on licensing reform
322. Pharmacy benefit managers
323. The Brew Deal: How Beer Helped Save the Economy During the Great Depression
324. While you were sleeping, the law changed
325. Michigan Should Cut the Personal Income Tax Rate
326. The 340B Drug Discount Program has lost its way
327. No evidence that forcing drug discounts helps patients
328. Michigan’s plan for high-speed internet is slow, expensive and inefficient
329. In Defense of Dollar Stores
330. ‘The battle is not over’
331. Union contracts should not protect drunken teachers
332. U.S. House pours cold water on Energy Dept.’s heater ban
333. Michigan’s broadband spending program day late, dollar short
334. Renewables aren’t renewable
335. An Act to Establish a University of Maine Medical School and to Dedicate Funds from Raising the Cigarette Tax to the School
336. House votes to keep public business public
337. Accountability in Action
338. Michigan can rein in reckless spending
339. Statements From Mackinac Center Policy Experts On Gov. Whitmer’s 2025 State of the State Address
340. The empty promises of industrial policy
341. How to sell pork to both parties
342. Michigan close to last place in latest NAEP results
343. Overlapping broadband programs waste state and federal money
344. Why the hydrogen future is not imminent
345. How many millions did we spend on paid-leave compliance?
346. No one wants to read about fiscal federalism
347. ‘Make the case for reform’
348. Michigan Should Advance Government Transparency with a Ban on Non-Disclosure Agreements
349. Unwind the Green New Deal
350. Expedite the Approval Process for Line 5 Improvements
351. State courts are not the place to set climate policy
352. Federal Court Strikes Down Biden’s Student Loan Forgiveness Plan
353. Fix roads without raising taxes
354. IMPACT January/February 2025
355. Where your tax dollars are going in 2025
356. Consumers’ Research v. Federal Communications Commission
357. Mackinac Center Joins Amicus Brief Challenging Private Delegation of Government Regulatory Authority
358. Testimony submitted to the Food and Drug Administration, Department of Health and Human Services
359. State stiffs online charter students
360. Tariffs are a bad idea
361. Sick leave mandate will hurt Michigan charities
362. Testimony Submitted to the Senate Committee on Finance, State of Rhode Island
363. Testimony to the Maine Joint Standing Committee on Appropriations and Financial Affairs
364. Universal Licensing Reciprocity Would Boost Michigan’s Workforce and Economy
365. ‘The people do have a voice — it's called the legislature’
366. Work Without Walls
367. Sustainable Michigan Budget Empowers Lawmakers, Strengthens Fiscal Future
368. Targeted public investments won’t make grass grow
369. Sustainable Michigan Budget would strengthen lawmakers’ hands
370. Michigan close to last place in latest NAEP results
371. Is employment exploitation?
372. Why housing is so expensive
373. Futures Reclaimed
374. Mackinac Center Announces 2025 Policy Priorities
375. Public Policy Recommendations 2025
376. Trump’s orders boost American energy
377. Overlapping broadband programs waste state and federal money
378. Michigan’s path to prosperity requires a plan
379. Wind and solar are at odds with growth
380. Michigan shouldn’t turbocharge hospital slush fund bills
381. Michigan Has Authorized $4.7 Billion in Taxpayer-Funded Business Subsidies
382. Corporate welfare goes one for eleven in job creation
383. Economic trends for Michigan in 2025
384. Michigan’s $50 million copper mine deal looks hard to justify
385. Take care before killing lame ducks
386. Further curtail state’s emergency powers
387. ‘You’ve got to get it in writing’
388. Why the hydrogen future is not imminent
389. Corporate welfare goes one for eleven in job creation
390. Michigan’s policy choices delay rollout of high-speed internet
391. Michigan legislators authorize new selective business subsidies
392. MEDC has a woeful record of failure
393. Meaningful work is key to finding happiness
394. How you can help the wildfire recovery
395. Can we reverse America’s epidemic of loneliness?
396. Build-build-build
397. Economic trends for Michigan in 2025
398. The Jobless bills
399. ‘Playing with taxpayer money’
400. Sixth Circuit strikes down new neutrality regulation
401. Michigan’s $50 million copper mine deal looks hard to justify
402. A very merry lame duck
403. Pension funding in worse shape after Michigan’s Democratic party trifecta