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