Font size:
The Michigan Legislature avoided a state government shutdown last night by caving in to union demands that more of the "stimulus" money being reserved for next year - when the state really goes over a fiscal cliff - be used to avoid a 3 percent cut to school aid. The Mackinac Center's Jack McHugh explains in a Current Comment today that this dynamic impacts all of Michigan's troubles:
"At the root of Michigan's budget debacle and almost all its other major problems one will find a union, which helped the problem grow and now is stopping it from being fixed. Fix that problem - the excessive political power of unions - and the transformational reforms Michigan needs become possible. Don't fix it, and we lurch from budget crisis to budget crisis, with politicians offering the false choice of 'cuts vs. tax hikes'."
Get insightful commentary and the most reliable research on Michigan issues sent straight to your inbox.
The Mackinac Center for Public Policy is a nonprofit research and educational institute that advances the principles of free markets and limited government. Through our research and education programs, we challenge government overreach and advocate for a free-market approach to public policy that frees people to realize their potential and dreams.
Please consider contributing to our work to advance a freer and more prosperous state.
