Senior Legislative Analyst Jack McHugh will be part of a special program titled “The Health Care Act and You” airing at 6:30 p.m. Sunday on CBS-TV62 in Detroit.
“If you like your current health care system’s dysfunctions and perverse incentives you’ll be able to keep them,” McHugh told host Carol Cain. “Plus you get awesome new levels of bureaucratic complexity, trillions added to the national debt, and for most people, substantially higher insurance costs. The shame is, as a nation we could do so much better.”
Like clockwork, every few months it is front-page news around the country: The identity of the Powerball lottery winner becomes public.
Recently, the third-largest jackpot of all time, $448 million, was split three ways.
At a time when our benevolent bureaucrats at the city, state and federal level are all about "nudging" people to make better decisions, the government teams up with the media to promote one of the most irrational ways for people to spend their money. State-supported lotteries are especially rich when you consider all of the low-level gambling that Michigan makes illegal — like March Madness college basketball pools or small monetary bets between friends.
Capitol Affairs Specialist Jack Spencer in this recent Michigan Capitol Confidential story explains how the GOP-controlled state Senate and several corporate backers want to put PAC donations above the rights of employees via Senate Bill 283.
The House and Senate are in the midst of a summer break, so rather than votes this report contains several recently introduced bills of interest.
Note: The will be no Roll Call Report next week. The next report will go out as usual on Friday, Aug. 30.
Senate Bill 450: Give certain public employees property tax break
Introduced by Sen. Jim Ananich (D), to grant a state income tax credit to teachers and public safety personnel who buy and move into a home in a run-down area that has been repossessed by the federal Housing and Urban Development agency and sold at a steep discount. Under a federal “Good Neighbor Next Door Program,” such purchase discounts are available only to these government employees. The bill would allow these buyers to cut their state income tax liability by the amount they owe each year in property tax. If the property tax amount is higher than their income tax liability the difference could not be “refunded,” however. Referred to committee, no further action at this time.
At a time when some education officials blame school performance on student background and a lack of funding, the success of Berrien Springs Public Schools is a welcome contrast.
More than 60 percent of its students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The district participates in Schools-of-Choice and doesn't turn away alternative education students. In fact, Superintendent Jim Bermingham says that 75 percent of the district's alternative education students come from outside the district.
When people hear the terms "capitalism" or "free markets," often their first thought is that these are systems mostly benefiting the wealthy.
In fact, the evidence suggests that it is actually the poor who gain the most from economic freedom.
It is abundantly clear that living in countries with lower taxes, fewer regulations, a rule of law and generally limited government makes all citizens better off. One interesting statistic: Those reading this article are likely among the wealthiest — earning $34,000 per year puts people among the top 1 percent in the world, and half of the world's "1 percenters" on Earth live in the United States.
A recent Op-Ed in the Detroit Free Press by James Hohman, assistant director of fiscal policy, and Jack McHugh, senior legislative analyst, explains why Detroit’s pension funds are in crisis and why state legislators should take heed to correct similar problems in the state employee and school employee pension systems.
The House and Senate are in the midst of a summer break, so rather than votes this report contains several recently introduced bills of interest.
Senate Bill 439: Impose licensure on "anesthesiologist assistants"
Introduced by Sen. Tonya Schuitmaker (R), to impose licensure and regulation on anesthesiologist assistants, with $50 annual license fees, continuing education mandates and more. Referred to committee, no further action at this time.
Research Associate Jarrett Skorup was a guest on “The Art Lewis Show” on WSGW AM790 in Saginaw Thursday discussing the minimum wage.
MSN.com reported recently on a list of recommendations Mackinac Center for Public Policy Fiscal Policy Director Michael LaFaive made 13 years ago that could have saved the city of Detroit billions of dollars.
Excerpt:
In a special issue of Michigan Privatization Report from December 2000, LaFaive wrote about the services the city should privatize and assets it should sell.
Grand Rapids Public Schools is laying off teachers this year and will be using an evaluation system that takes performance — rather than seniority — into account, according to WOOD-TV.
The local teachers union president is unhappy, calling the system "unfair and subjective."
Political columnist Chad Selweski of The Macomb Daily highlights a recent piece by Fiscal Policy Director Michael LaFaive taking politicians to task for using repetitive language in press releases touting so-called “economic development” junkets.
The gap between wages among public- and private-sector workers in Michigan grew 3.4 percentage points between 2007 and 2012, according to the Lansing State Journal.
“It suggests that Michigan should do more in terms of benchmarking,” James Hohman, assistant director of fiscal policy, told the Journal. “The ultimate goal would be that taxpayers get decent value for their money … to make sure they are paying a fair amount for the services they receive.”
I recently had the pleasure of appearing on the Fox Business program "Money" with Melissa Francis to discuss government subsidies for a new entertainment complex that will house the Detroit Red Wings.
Ms. Francis is a talented and gracious host, making the experience on balance a positive one. I was baffled, however, by the apparent beliefs expressed by another guest on the show.
The House and Senate remain in the midst of a summer break, but this week a Senate committee advanced four bills related to the federal health care law's Medicaid expansion to the full Senate.
The main one is a Senate version of House Bill 4714, passed by the House in June (Who Voted "Yes" and Who Voted "No"). This would authorize the Medicaid expansion in Michigan.
The Mackinac Center for Public Policy and Northwood University welcomed Supreme Court Justice Brian K. Zahra as the keynote speaker for Friedman Legacy Day, an event celebrating the life and free market ideas of economist Milton Friedman, who would have been 101 years old Wednesday.
Justice Zahra was introduced by former Michigan Supreme Court Chief Justice and current Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Mackinac Center Clifford W. Taylor.
Zahra reflected on Chapter 9 of Milton Friedman's 1962 book Capitalism and Freedom. In it, Friedman advocates for the elimination of licensure for those who want to practice medicine.
You can read Zahra's commentary on the issue and his entire address given on the campus of Northwood University in Midland July 31, 2013, here.
In early 2011, the word was out. Incoming Gov. Rick Snyder was going to change the “governmental culture” in Lansing.
Yet, that culture remains virtually the same as it has been for decades. In spite of the brave assertion of two and a half years ago, it is neither significantly altered nor even shaken.
Michigan’s Senate recently passed an omnibus budget that specifically prevents the Michigan Department of Education from spending money to implement the Common Core State Standards that are being instituted in many states all over the country. Assuming Gov. Snyder signs the bill, the Senate may have scored a victory for school choice and its beneficiaries.
With numerous examples around the country, it has become clear that there are poor political incentives to properly fund public pension and health care systems.
Consider the case of Detroit, as well as the states of Michigan and Illinois. In each case, pension systems were supposed to be fully funded, yet large gaps remain between what employees and retirees have earned and how much money is in the systems.
Economist Milton Friedman would be 101 today. His passing several years ago was lamentable but many of his ideas — involving monetary policy and price theory, for instance — are immortalized in his many scholarly books, academic papers and tributes by fellow scholars who knew him best.
"Free to Choose," a 10-part television series starring Milton Friedman and highlighting free-market principles, first aired over 30 years ago. The education episode begins with students at Hyde Park High School, the camera panning across metal detectors and armed policemen surveillance as students enter school.
The House and Senate are in the midst of a summer break, so rather than votes this report contains several recently introduced bills of interest.
Senate Bill 391: Allow electronic "proof of insurance"
Introduced by Sen. Michael Green (R), to allow “proof of insurance” documents motorists are required to have when driving under the state’s no-fault insurance law to be an electronic communication from the insurance company. Referred to committee, no further action at this time.
Rod Lockwood, a member of the Mackinac Center’s board, was on Fox Business with John Stossel Thursday night discussing his idea to purchase and develop Belle Isle.
Center analysts have long recommended Detroit sell the island and use the money to help pay down a portion of its crushing debt.
As we read in Ecclesiastes, "What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun." Based on recent examples, this also applies to politicians’ press releases about government "economic development" programs and projects.
There are many issues that led to bankruptcy in Detroit and everyone and his brother seems to have a theory.
Rather than rehashing the reasons why Detroit went bankrupt, let’s discuss what did not save it: Flashy projects.
Back in 2005, my colleague Michael LaFaive compiled a partial list of bold proclamations about projects in the Motor City:
