When the end of the year is in sight, it’s common for people to look back on the outgoing year to reminisce on the memories made and accomplishments earned. This year, we here at the Mackinac Center thought we would take a look at our top highlights from 2021 in the form of a popular Christmas song ‑ the 12 days of Christmas!

A Win for School Choice in Michigan

For the first time in decades, school choice is on the move in Michigan. Thanks to a Mackinac Center Legal Foundation lawsuit on behalf of five Michigan families, a provision in the Michigan Constitution that unfairly discriminates against children at religious schools is finally coming under scrutiny. We hope that Michigan courts will rule in favor of parents who just want to give their children the best education opportunities possible.

Two Office Buildings

Earlier this year, the Mackinac Center moved its satellite Lansing office from leased space on Washington Square to the new Freedom Embassy, located across the street from the Capitol. This new space has already proved to be extremely helpful with hosting in-person events, providing office space for our Lansing-based staff, and serving as a meeting place for organizations that are aligned with Mackinac.

Three Wall Street Op-Eds

Getting an op-ed published in The Wall Street Journal is no easy task. Not only does the piece have to be well written, but it must be timely, pass several fact checks, and provide an insight that is unusual enough to make it stand out from the hundreds of other submissions that arrive on a daily basis. This year, members of the Mackinac Center staff were featured not once, not twice, but three times in op-eds, on a variety of topics. This not only speaks volumes about the dedication of our staff, but also the quality of our work.

Four CapCon Writers

Michigan Capitol Confidential, Mackinac’s news outlet, provides its readers with timely stories on topics and a free-market perspective not often covered by other mainstream news outlets. Readers can find every on a daily basis, published both on michigancapitolconfidential.com and in the CapCon Facebook page and Twitter stream.

Five Policy Experts

Our policy experts are dedicated to providing the best research and analysis possible on a variety of free-market, state-focused issues. They work tirelessly to bring you the best information possible so that you can make informed decisions about policies and government practices. In addition to writing studies, our experts write blog posts and op-eds, and other educational materials. In addition, they also provide legislative testimony and media interviews with some of the leading media outlets in the state.

Six Issues of IMPACT

Our bimonthly magazine, IMPACT, has been in print since 1995! Focused on the impact that Mackinac has made in Michigan and around the country, it’s the place where readers can find the latest and greatest accomplishments of our staff, written by our staff. Readers can also look forward to some big changes to the magazine’s design in 2022!

Seven Supreme Court Briefs

This year, the Mackinac Center Legal Foundation had the privilege of submitting seven original and amicus briefs to the United States Supreme Court. It is an honor to be able to submit briefs to the highest court in the land, but again, it is a testament to the quality of Mackinac Center work.

Eight FOIA Lawsuits

Government transparency is one of the Mackinac Center’s core issues. We believe that the government should be accountable to the people that it governs, and the best way to make that happen is to be open and transparent with information. The Freedom of Information Act is a powerful tool in pursuing transparency. Once a state agency or other public organization receives a FOIA request, it must respond within a certain amount of time or risk legal action. We submit thousands of records requests every year, and this year we launched eight lawsuits when government bodies did not comply with the law.

Nine Brand New Studies

This year, the Mackinac Center released an impressive nine studies, including a look at the cost of Michigan’s COVID-19 lockdowns, a primer on electricity in Michigan, and a broadband toolkit for local governments. Our studies are crafted by policy experts and then go through several rounds of edits to make sure the information inside is accurate and will help the general public understand our issues.

Ten Testimonies

Our policy experts often provide legislative testimony in the Michigan statehouse on all of our policy areas. By providing our expertise to lawmakers in this way, we can help keep them informed change policy in Michigan for the better. This year, our staff testified 10 separate times over a variety of issues.

Eleven Statewide Events

We are so thankful that we were able to resume in-person events this year. By opening the Freedom Embassy in Lansing, we were able to host several in-person events. And because not everyone can easily get to Lansing, we also hosted a traveling series of policy forums across the state. Our events often focus on one topic or issue, and they include several experts who discuss he issue, possible solutions, and possible ramifications of those solutions. We are expecting to have several more events next year, so make sure to check back often!

Twelve COVID Recommendations

Our COVID recommendations provide an outline for lawmakers in and around the state for handling the pandemic. We are so thankful that we have been such a prominent voice in Michigan during this hard season, and we hope that these recommendations help point the Michigan state government forward toward full COVID recovery.

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