Font size:
Following Proposal 1’s knockout by a 4-1 margin, lawmakers and the public began looking for ideas of how to fund roads. The Mackinac Center was quick to give suggestions, like eliminating ineffective programs such as the Michigan Economic Development Corporation and using that money to fund roads.
It’s not a new idea. In fact, the Mackinac Center has been calling for an end to corporate welfare for years.
Following Prop 1’s historic loss, the Mackinac Center released a poll showing the sentiment of likely voters regarding the MEDC and road funding. The question asked if the hundreds of millions of dollars that go to the MEDC every year would be better spent on roads.
Two-thirds of respondents (66 percent) wanted MEDC money to go to roads. Nearly 70 percent of Democrats who responded said the money would be better spent on roads, while just under 63 percent of Republicans agreed.
The Mackinac Center has been critical of the MEDC since its inception in 1999, arguing that subsidizing select businesses is unfair and ineffective in creating jobs.
The June poll followed a May poll, conducted by the Mackinac Center and Michigan Chamber of Commerce, which revealed that 66 percent of likely voters favored reprioritizing $50 million from Michigan’s film subsidy program to go to roads.
Statewide and national news outlets featured the Mackinac Center polls, including WJR 760AM’s Frank Beckmann, The Daily Caller and Michigan’s Big Show starring Michael Patrick Shiels.
