Recent actions of the Michigan Legislature show a stark contrast between real regulatory reform and silly legislation. On the one hand the Senate passed Senate Bill 272, which contains meaningful regulatory reform along with teeth to enforce the provisions. SB 272 mandates several important changes to the environmental regulatory process in the state including the following provisions:
Writing in the Detroit Free Press, three advocates of selective government tax credits give Gov. Rick Snyder credit for streamlining state government, but believe his administration has “missed the mark” by working to eliminate the brownfield and historic tax credit programs.
Yesterday, a commentary by me in Michigan Capital Confidential described how in both the state House and Senate, some Republican legislators, including ones endorsed by the MEA school employees union, are trying to shield the union-dominated public school establishment from spending cuts recommended by Gov. Rick Snyder.
The Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund is funded from oil and gas royalties that have provided millions of dollars the state has used to purchase large tracts of lands. Those purchases have provided untold outdoor recreation opportunities for residents and visitors. A significant downside, however, is that public ownership effectively takes these lands off tax rolls. Traditionally, the state reimburses local units of government for the lost revenue using general fund money, even though Article IX of the state Constitution allows interest and earnings of the Natural Resource Trust Fund to be used to for these “payments in lieu of taxes” to local government.
A $21.5 million port development along the Detroit River that officials expect will draw cruise ships and other tourists is a misguided use of tax dollars, according to a Mackinac Center analyst.
"On net balance, these kinds of investments are little more than expensive ribbon-cutting ceremonies," Mike LaFaive, director of the Mackinac Center’s Morey Fiscal Policy Initiative, told the Detroit Free Press. "If this was a valuable addition to Detroit's waterfront, entrepreneurs would fall over themselves to fund it."
Over on the Buckeye Institute's blog, Matt Mayer argues that the failure of former Govs. Ted Strickland (of Ohio) and our own Jennifer Granholm to attract jobs to their states bolsters the case for right-to-work laws.
Mayer pointed to an article in Sunday's Columbus Dispatch about the pointlessness of so many state government led economic development programs, which seek to "poach" companies and jobs from neighboring states. Mayer argues that the failure of all this gamesmanship — and Granholm was a pretty big player — only highlights the need for more fundamental reforms, such as state right-to-work laws that make union membership and financial support voluntary.
Just like the market for any other good or service, labor markets are governed by the invariable laws of supply and demand. When the quantity of a good or service increases, prices tend to go down, and when supplies grow tight, prices tend to rise. In light of this reality, it’s worth considering the following report on the quantity of qualified teachers in
Imagine you have made a deal to buy a used car and at the last minute the dealer says, “Of course, if you want a motor that will cost extra.”
That's essentially what local politicians do when they place local police and fire “enhancement” millages on the ballot. These public safety services are not some added extra provided by municipal governments, but rather the core services the public demands from them.
School boards around the state are voicing opposition to Gov. Rick Snyder’s proposal to use “School Aid Fund” revenue to fund community college and higher education budgets. Some Democrats want to amend the Michigan Constitution to prevent this so-called “fund raid,” and the Republican-controlled Senate has passed budgets that use less SAF money for colleges and universities than the governor proposes.
Every week, MichiganVotes.org sends a report on interesting votes and bills in the Michigan Legislature, and includes how each legislator voted. To find out who your state senator is and how to contact him or her go here; for state representatives go here.
The Boston Globe is reporting that the Massachusetts State House has passed a bill that would significantly cut back on the scope of collective bargaining for local government employees. Much like Michigan, Massachusetts law extends collective bargaining privileges to unions representing government employees, and has encountered fiscal difficulties on account of government employee benefits. The approach taken by Massachusetts is similar to one that has been suggested by a recent Mackinac Center study — limit the scope of negotiations.
Federal government policies are partially responsible for the pain that Americans are feeling at the gas pump. The president, congress and the Federal Reserve could help bring down gas prices by taking the following actions:
Critics of developing additional oil reserves in North America claim that drilling for more oil will not bring down prices in the short run because it takes too long to bring production online. They said the same thing 10 years ago. If we had developed ANWR at that time, that oil would be now be flowing to market.
Economist Walter Williams, in a column in The Washington Examiner, cites a study by Mackinac Center analysts on the connection between cigarette taxes and smuggling.
Mike LaFaive, director of the Center’s Morey Fiscal Policy Initiative, and Todd Nesbit, Ph.D., an assistant professor at The College of Charleston and an adjunct scholar with the Center, co-authored “Cigarette Smuggling and Taxes 2010,” which was an update of their earlier work on the same issue.
We live in a time when every group from senior citizens to minorities eagerly asserts their rights. We can now add “Mother Earth” to the list. According to a report in Yahoo News, Bolivian President Evo Morales is preparing a draft United Nations treaty that would give “Mother Earth” the same rights as human beings. Bolivia is leading the way in this fantastical endeavor, having passed a law giving rights to insects, trees and other “natural things.” The treaty would establish a Ministry of Mother Earth and provide the planet with an ombudsman to hear nature’s complaints presented by activist groups and the state.
Communications Specialist Kathy Hoekstra and Michigan Capitol Confidential Managing Editor Ken Braun were both guests on WKAR’s “Off the Record,” shown statewide on public television stations over the weekend.
Topics discussed on the show included Gov. Rick Snyder’s performance, Michigan’s emergency financial manager law, teacher salaries and ObamaCare.
Every week, MichiganVotes.org sends a report on interesting votes and bills in the Michigan Legislature, and includes how each legislator voted. To find out who your state senator is and how to contact him or her go here; for state representatives go here.
Paul Kersey, director of labor policy, testified before the Michigan House Education Committee April 20 on legislation involving penalties for illegal teacher strikes, according to the Gongwer Michigan Report.
The committee was considering House Bills 4465 and 4466. Kersey, who has written about this subject here, said in his testimony that teachers unions that conduct illegal strikes should lose their ability to bargain collectively in their particular school district for at least three years.
An editorial in today’s Detroit News on education funding as compared to performance cites this research by Michael Van Beek, director of education policy.
“The state’s return on investment is poor,” the editorial states, quoting Van Beek’s work showing that Michigan spends $11,337 per student, good for 16th highest in the nation, yet students here rank between 33rd and 39th nationally on fourth- and eighth-grade reading and math scores.
Monday's Wall Street Journal highlighted desperate times and drastic actions taking place in Detroit, where Mayor Dave Bing and Detroit Public Schools Emergency Financial Manager Robert Bobb continue to struggle with high-powered unions. Both seem to benefit from a strengthened emergency financial manager statute that among other things adopts a Mackinac Center proposal allowing an EFM to set aside labor contracts.
A recent bill of more than $544,000 the Michigan State Police wants to charge the ACLU for documents regarding the use of devices that can extract information from cell phones during traffic stops is not an isolated incident, according to Michigan Public Radio.
Suspicions of plagiarism by a Michigan State University professor uncovered last August by Michael Van Beek, the Center’s director of education policy, have been proven true, according to The Grand Rapids Press.
Sharif Shakrani, a senior scholar in MSU’s Education Policy Center, was found guilty of “research misconduct” by a research integrity committee for plagiarizing parts of his 2010 study on school consolidation. The committee also found three articles written by Shakrani in 2008 and 2009 that contain “clear instances” of plagiarism, The Press reported. An MSU spokesman told The Press that a decision on “sanctions or disciplinary actions” is pending.
The Stars and Stripes have been proudly flying over a Belle Tire store since its recent opening on Grand River Avenue in Meridian Township near Lansing. Not so fast, says the Meridian Township Zoning Board of Appeals, which ruled by a 5-0 vote that the flag must be taken down according to a report in the Lansing State Journal.
An Op-Ed in today’s Lansing State Journal by Mackinac Center President Joseph G. Lehman explains that the fact Wayne State University altered the website of its labor studies department after the Center filed a FOIA request with the school “vindicates my organization,” that Wayne State “was perhaps engaging in politics and not just academics.”
A USA Today story on cigarette smuggling cites research by Mackinac Center analysts regarding the “unintended consequences” — namely criminal activity — of higher tobacco taxes.
You can read the Center’s research here and here.
UPDATE: The Honolulu Star-Advertiser on April 21 ran an Op-Ed on cigarette smuggling rates in Hawaii.
Details and circumstances could change in the future, but for now there are good reasons why grass roots reformers should steer clear of the controversy surrounding various proposals for a new Detroit-Windsor bridge:
1. None of the possible outcomes unambiguously serve the public interest.
