Gov. Gretchen Whitmer made a national name for herself in the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic by issuing some of the strictest lockdown policies in the country. She forced a larger share of businesses to close than any other state. Her edicts were shocking in scope but also a shocking display of unilateral and centralized executive power.
By Tony Daunt
Happy Janusversary! Six years ago, the U.S. Supreme Court reaffirmed the free speech rights of public employees with its Janus v. AFSCME ruling. In this landmark decision, the high court ruled that government employees have the right to decide whether to join and pay a union.
This article originally appeared in the Detroit News June 5 2024.
A proposal to drastically raise the minimum wage will not be on Michigan’s November ballot. The Michigan Supreme Court decided last week to let stand a decision by the Board of State Canvassers not to certify the proposal.
The Michigan Court of Appeals’ recent ruling in a Mackinaw City tax case turned on the distinction between a tax and a fee for service, but it raises a bigger question for Michigan residents. Should cities that provide public services be able to call what they do government actions in some cases and business actions in others, depending on which is more advantageous at the time?
Legislators are considering two packages that would reauthorize film subsidies and earmark money from the corporate income tax to select companies. Because both packages would authorize selective business subsidies, they meet the criteria for inclusion on the Mackinac Center’s Business Subsidy Scorecard.
This article originally appeared in Crain’s Detroit Business May 28, 2024.
Lawmakers have authorized $4.4 billion in selective business subsidies this legislative session, and billions more are making their way through the legislative process. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer made road funding a major campaign plank, but roads are a lower spending priority than writing big checks to big companies.
An upcoming Mackinac Center report will explore the danger posed to Michigan’s energy grid by the state’s rushed transition to weak alternative power sources. But we can already see a looming disaster in projections from the Midcontinent Independent Systems Operator.
By Molly Macek
The Michigan House of Representatives passed a budget that could put hundreds of child care providers out of business. And it would jeopardize access to quality preschool for many disadvantaged families who need it most. This is despite the state’s claim that parents need greater access to pre-K.
What happens when repressed people living under socialist rule finally gain their independence? Do they pursue policies that lead to their own destruction? Do they have the skills to practice self-governance? Will their transition become a model for other developing countries to follow? Michael Van Beek speaks with economist and Fraser Institute Senior Fellow Matt Mitchell to help answer these questions for the Overton Window podcast. Mitchell is the co-author of two books on the transition from socialism to capitalism in Poland and Estonia, which we discuss in this week's episode.
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel announced that her office is seeking proposals from private law firms to prosecute the fossil fuel industry for weather events she claims result from the Earth’s changing climate. According to Nessel:
Warmer temperatures are shrinking ski seasons in the UP and disrupting the wonderful blooms of Holland’s Tulip Time Festival. Severe weather events are on the rise. These impacts threaten not only our way of life but also our economy and pose long-term risks to Michigan’s thriving agribusiness. The fossil fuel industry, despite knowing about these consequences, prioritized profits over people and the environment. Pursuing this litigation will allow us to recoup our costs and hold those responsible for jeopardizing Michigan’s economic future and way of life accountable.
By Molly Macek
Should parents be required to pass a background check to teach their kids at home? According to the editors of Scientific American, the answer is “yes.”
In a recent article, the editors of the celebrated 178-year-old magazine heavily imply that homeschoolers are being left behind. But they provide no evidence that homeschoolers are worse off educationally, socially or physically. And none of their suggestions for improvement make much sense.
Michigan legislators are considering a bill to spend $3 billion on selective business subsidies over the next ten years. Corporate welfare has been a priority for the state’s Democratic majority Legislature and governor; more than any other Legislature in recent memory.
Michigan’s economic health and fiscal policies are critical for its future prosperity. Understanding where the state stands in various economic freedom measures can help identify areas for improvement and guide policy decisions.
Fraser Institute Rankings
Michigan’s economic and fiscal future hinges on adopting sustainable budgeting practices. Insights from other states show the tangible benefits of fiscal restraint, efficiency, and lower taxes. By examining how other states have managed their budgets, Michigan can learn valuable lessons in improving its fiscal health and thus secure a prosperous future.
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore recently signed a budget agreement that would raise taxes on cigarettes and other tobacco and vaping products. The cigarette tax will increase by $1.25, to $5.00 per pack.
Lawmakers should rethink their plan. We estimate that nearly one-third of all cigarettes consumed in Maryland in 2022 came to market through tax avoidance and evasion, or what we call smuggling. Raising the excise tax further will exacerbate a widely acknowledged problem and could bring other unintended consequences.
In The roots of environmental anti-humanism, we traced a fundamental philosophical root of the modern environmental movement back to Rachel Carson's "Silent Spring." Inspired by the "balance of nature" thesis Carson promoted in her book, an even more radical wing of the environmental movement emerged in the form of Deep Ecology.
This article originally appeared in the Detroit News May 28, 2024.
Michigan business and political leaders are gathering on Mackinac Island this week for the Mackinac Policy Conference. The Detroit Regional Chamber hosts a world-class event: It’s in an idyllic setting with prestigious speakers and exceptional food. The event provides access to journalists, entrepreneurs, state lawmakers and members of Congress. Tackling the big issues of the day with civility and good will, the conference gets a strong showing every year.
By Naomi Saneda
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer says that she is reducing costs for Michigan residents, but the impact of her policies does not back up that claim. “I’m laser-focused on lower costs,” Whitmer tweeted recently, “and making life a little easier for every Michigander.”
This article originally appeared in Newsweek May 31, 2024.
"We're not even in the game," Michigan State Senator Dayna Polehanki said recently, lamenting that few Hollywood studios are filming movies in her state, which eliminated its film production subsidies in 2015.
Just four years ago, no states gave parents scholarships that let them send their children to whatever school they wanted. Now nearly a dozen do. It is not a random sampling of states, either. It’s the red states. Corey DeAngelis, national director of research for the American Federation of Children, talks with me about it for the Overton Window podcast. His new book, The Parent Revolution, delves into the reasons behind so much change.
By Molly Macek
Legislators are calling on charter schools to report employee data that’s not required of conventional public schools. They’re touting “equal treatment” of public schools as their reason for subjecting charter schools to unequal reporting standards.
“It’s time for charter school companies to be required to have financial transparency that is equal to traditional public schools,” Sen. Dayna Polehanki recently posted on X.
Michigan lawmakers have approved $4.4 billion in selective business subsidies so far this term and have proposed billions more. The subsidies are billed as economic development programs. Who doesn’t want more economic development? Yet, people should notice that it’s all a show.
By Jason Hayes
When government employees plainly state they’re not experts on an issue, is it advisable to trust them to regulate it?
"Chevron deference" is a legal doctrine based on a 1984 Supreme Court case that established a norm of judicial deference to regulatory agencies on issues where the text of a law is ambiguous. Broadly, the doctrine expects courts to defer to agency expertise in matters over which an agency has jurisdiction.
Why does it often seem that disagreements with the green movement stem not from differences over empirical data but from a fundamental difference in philosophy? The answer is found in a book that was a bestseller during the Kennedy administration.
Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring is widely credited as the catalyst for the modern environmental movement. The 1962 book, which alleged that humans willfully ignored the harmful effects of pesticides on the environment, became a New York Times bestseller and captured the American public's attention.
Utilities and state governments are pushing full steam ahead with decarbonization plans that will lead to costlier energy and power blackouts. The nation’s electricity grid operators, regulators, and reliability watchdogs alike testify that closing fossil fuel and nuclear electricity generation poses an imminent threat to the reliability of the power grid.
