Mackinac Center Commentaries

Supposed Benefits of Pension Obligation Bonds Sink With Market

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 14:00:00 -0500

By James M. Hohman.

Michigan legislators who might consider borrowing billions to prop up government employee pension and post-retirement health care benefits should first look at recent developments in California. That state's massive state pension system, CalPERS, may lower its expectations for investment returns. According to the Wall Street Journal, it is considering a drop in its return expectations from 7.75 percent to as low as 5 or 6 percent.

http://www.mackinac.org/12299

Nicely Played, MEA!

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 13:15:00 -0500

By Paul Kersey.

The MEA gave up nothing in the "Race to the Top" deal. They made no concessions in terms of teacher compensation or performance. They may — depending on just how the law is interpreted — have made privatization, which has saved school districts and taxpayers across the state millions of dollars a subject of collective bargaining again. Oh, and the state hasn’t gotten a nickel in federal funds so far.

http://www.mackinac.org/12293

League of Women Voters' Stance on Energy Policy Hurts Women

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 12:15:00 -0500

By Russ Harding.

Energy policy that makes it more expensive for developing countries to provide electricity to their citizens only leads to more human suffering and premature death.

http://www.mackinac.org/12295

Mackinac Center Legal Foundation Director to Testify Today on Bills to Prohibit Stealth Unionization of Small-Business Owners

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 10:45:00 -0500

Mackinac Center Legal Foundation Director Patrick J. Wright will testify today before the Senate Families and Human Services Committee on proposed legislation to end the forced unionization of home-based day care owners and prohibit any stealth attempts to unionize contractors involved in home health care services. The committee will consider Senate Bills 1173, 1178 and 1179 at 2:30 p.m. in Room 210 of the Farnum Building.

http://www.mackinac.org/12294

State Employee Pay Raise Could Cost Them Jobs

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 09:04:00 -0500

Arguing against a 3 percent pay hike for state employees is actually an argument in support of saving their jobs, according to an Op-Ed in The Michigan Daily.

http://www.mackinac.org/12292

MED March 9, 2010

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0500

Health poll, regional contract, bond votes. http://www.educationreport.org/12296

No Money? No Problem

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0500

By Tom Gantert.

Defunded state agency presses on. http://www.mackinac.org/12282

"Fighting for School Reforms" — Against Whom?

Mon, 08 Mar 2010 20:34:00 -0500

By Jack McHugh.

The Michigan Education Association is taking heat even from some of its friends in the media because of the state's failure to qualify for $400 million in competitive "Race to the Top" federal grants. The blame game is afoot, but perhaps the the most curious comment on the exercise comes from the Democratic Speaker of the House, Rep. Andy Dillon: "House Democrats were fighting for major education reforms long before Race to the Top entered the picture." Fighting against whom?

http://www.mackinac.org/12290

35, 34, 33...

Mon, 08 Mar 2010 15:55:00 -0500

By Paul Kersey.

Wages for state employees have gone up half again as fast as they did for workers throughout the state. Certainly they can afford to go without an across-the-board raise this year.

http://www.mackinac.org/12289

Superintendent, Teacher Pay

Mon, 08 Mar 2010 10:47:00 -0500

By Michael Van Beek.

Senate Bill 1148, introduced recently by Sen. Bruce Patterson, R-Canton, would limit the total compensation of public school superintendents to 75 percent of what the governor is paid and prohibit districts from paying any teacher more than what a state legislator makes.

http://www.mackinac.org/12288

Uncertainty Is Certain

Mon, 08 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0500

By Nikolai G. Wenzel, Ph.D..

Central planning at odds with entrepreneurship. http://www.mackinac.org/12274

Cadillac Insurance
vs. Healthy Schools

Sun, 07 Mar 2010 23:59:00 -0500

By Michael Van Beek.

Michigan districts struggle to make payments on employee health insurance that is luxury-class. http://www.mackinac.org/12083

36 Days

Fri, 05 Mar 2010 16:56:00 -0500

By Paul Kersey.

The bottom line is the Legislature has always had the authority to prevent pay raises authorized by the CSC, and collective bargaining agreements between the state and unions representing its employees have always been subject to the Legislature’s acquiescence.

http://www.mackinac.org/12281

CBO Agrees With Littmann — Six Weeks Later

Fri, 05 Mar 2010 16:37:00 -0500

The Congressional Budget Office today said a proposal by the Obama administration to levy a "tax" on banks would ultimately be "borne to varying degrees by an institution's customers, employees, and investors," according to ABC News.

David Littmann, the Center's senior economist, explained why the idea was faulty way back in January.

http://www.mackinac.org/12280

Editorial Praises Center Study

Fri, 05 Mar 2010 14:01:00 -0500

An editorial in today's Midland Daily News says a study about the failures of the Michigan Economic Development Corp. should be "required reading" for legislators.

http://www.mackinac.org/12279

I'm Just a Bill Constitutional Amendment

Fri, 05 Mar 2010 13:00:00 -0500

By Jack McHugh.

Since December members of the Legislature have proposed 13 amendments to the Michigan Constitution. To become law these must garner a two-thirds vote in both the House and Senate, and then be approved by voters at the next general election.

http://www.mackinac.org/12235

Ignore the Facts! Green Jobs are Good

Fri, 05 Mar 2010 11:50:00 -0500

By Russ Harding.

The U.S. Department of Energy should be providing us with unbiased energy information. All Americans should be concerned when federal agencies are used as a political tool to advance policy objectives of the president or members of Congress. Is it any wonder that trust for government it at such a low point?

http://www.mackinac.org/12278

Teacher Compensation: An Analysis

Fri, 05 Mar 2010 11:07:00 -0500

By Michael Van Beek.

Nearly every single aspect of a teacher's job falls under the rules of a union contract. The following is a synopsis of just one of those agreements in Michigan.

http://www.mackinac.org/12252

MEA President Gets 15 Percent Pay Hike

Fri, 05 Mar 2010 08:51:00 -0500

The average salary of the 346 employees of the Michigan Education Association increased 19 percent - to more than $89,000 each - since 2005, according to the Lansing State Journal. Union President Iris Salters was paid $239,000 in 2009, the State Journal reported, which is more than four times the average pay of the classroom teachers the MEA represents.

http://www.mackinac.org/12273

Golden Ruler

Fri, 05 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0500

By Michael Van Beek.

Paying teachers to retire doesn't add up. http://www.mackinac.org/12254

Center Helps Public School District Follow State Law

Thu, 04 Mar 2010 15:54:00 -0500

Northville Public Schools removed a press release from its district Web site announcing that a school board member was running for the Michigan House of Representatives after being contacted by Tom Gantert, senior correspondent for Michigan Capitol Confidential, according to Hometown Life, part of the Observer & Eccentric newspaper chain in metro Detroit.

Senior Legal Analyst Patrick Wright explained that the press release was a violation of state campaign finance law.

http://www.mackinac.org/12270

37 Days

Thu, 04 Mar 2010 15:04:00 -0500

By Paul Kersey.

The process of collective bargaining cannot be allowed to trump the will of the people or the public interest; otherwise, our representative government is in danger of morphing into a plutocracy controlled by government employee unions, who could use collective bargaining to lead the rest of the state around by the nose.

We have 37 days to restore fiscal sanity in Michigan.

http://www.mackinac.org/12268

Wall Street Journal Columnist Cites Center Scholar's Book

Thu, 04 Mar 2010 14:41:00 -0500

Daniel Henninger highlighted recently in The Wall Street Journal a book titled "The Myth of the Robber Barons: A New Look at the Rise of Big Business in America," written in 1991 by Dr. Burton Folsom Jr., senior fellow in economic education for the Mackinac Center.

http://www.mackinac.org/12269

Climategate: A Symposium

Thu, 04 Mar 2010 01:00:00 -0500

What “Climategate” means for the study and reporting of science. http://www.mackinac.org/12263

Risk Assessment II

Thu, 04 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0500

By Dr. Robert Meeks.

The second in a series on risk assessment and informed decision-making. http://www.mackinac.org/12264

Are You My Employer?

Thu, 04 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0500

By Kathy Hoekstra.

The bizarre forced unionization of day care providers raises a fundamental question: If they are union members, who is their employer? http://www.mackinac.org/12234

Testing to the Teacher

Thu, 04 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0500

By Mr. Ryan McCarl.

An inside look at teacher certification. http://www.mackinac.org/12229

Michigan Rolling in Dough? Gives Out Raises, Plus Millions in Tourism Subsidies

Wed, 03 Mar 2010 20:30:00 -0500

By Jack McHugh.

Two votes in the state Senate on Wednesday may cause residents to question how seriously lawmakers are treating the need to restrain government spending. The first vote was on a resolution rejecting a government employee pay hike. (See previous post on this site.) The second measure would spend $9.5 million on tourism subsidies in the form of advertisements paid for by taxpayers. This despite the fact that the main beneficiaries this spending have explicitly rejected using their own money to pay for the ads, as reported by the Mackinac Center's Michael LaFaive.

http://www.mackinac.org/12244

The Plain Language of the Law: Senate Fails to Reject Government Pay Hike

Wed, 03 Mar 2010 17:00:00 -0500

Excerpts from Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 35, which would have rejected a 3 percent raise for unionized state government employees for the fiscal year beginning Oct. 1, 2010:

(Roll Call Vote Details here.) http://www.mackinac.org/12242

Kermit the Frog Meets the Underpants Gnomes: Ron Gettelfinger's Pitch for Green Auto Jobs

Wed, 03 Mar 2010 16:07:00 -0500

By Paul Kersey.

The UAW chief tells us that there are 190,000 new automotive sector jobs about to be created, and we can have them all right here if Republicans and Democrats do…something. What exactly Gettelfinger hopes they will do isn’t spelled out or even hinted at but it probably involves gobs of taxpayer money.

http://www.mackinac.org/12237

Forced Unionization of Small-Business Owners Spreads to Other States

Wed, 03 Mar 2010 11:48:00 -0500

The forced unionization of home-based day care owners, which the Mackinac Center Legal Foundation is fighting against in Michigan, is spreading to other states.

http://www.mackinac.org/12219

Questions Surround Film Subsidy Report

Wed, 03 Mar 2010 10:05:00 -0500

The second annual report from the Michigan Film Office shows that $69 million was transferred from Michigan taxpayers to movie makers in 2009, but is sketchy on further details, according to the Livingston Daily Press & Argus.

http://www.mackinac.org/12233

Forced Unionization Draws More Attention

Wed, 03 Mar 2010 09:07:00 -0500

Another nationally syndicated columnist has written about the Mackinac Center Legal Foundation's fight to end the forced unionization of small business owners.

http://www.mackinac.org/12232

Fixing Michigan's Roads

Wed, 03 Mar 2010 07:51:00 -0500

Everyone can agree that Michigan's roads are in need of repair. How to pay for it, however, is another issue.

http://www.mackinac.org/12231

Mackinac Center Commentaries

Supposed Benefits of Pension Obligation Bonds Sink With Market

Nicely Played, MEA!

League of Women Voters' Stance on Energy Policy Hurts Women

Mackinac Center Legal Foundation Director to Testify Today on Bills to Prohibit Stealth Unionization of Small-Business Owners

State Employee Pay Raise Could Cost Them Jobs

MED March 9, 2010

No Money? No Problem

"Fighting for School Reforms" — Against Whom?

35, 34, 33...

Superintendent, Teacher Pay

Uncertainty Is Certain

Cadillac Insurance vs. Healthy Schools

36 Days

CBO Agrees With Littmann — Six Weeks Later

Editorial Praises Center Study

I'm Just a Bill Constitutional Amendment

Ignore the Facts! Green Jobs are Good

Teacher Compensation: An Analysis

MEA President Gets 15 Percent Pay Hike

Golden Ruler

Center Helps Public School District Follow State Law

37 Days

Wall Street Journal Columnist Cites Center Scholar's Book

Climategate: A Symposium

Risk Assessment II

Are You My Employer?

Testing to the Teacher

Michigan Rolling in Dough? Gives Out Raises, Plus Millions in Tourism Subsidies

The Plain Language of the Law: Senate Fails to Reject Government Pay Hike

Kermit the Frog Meets the Underpants Gnomes: Ron Gettelfinger's Pitch for Green Auto Jobs

Forced Unionization of Small-Business Owners Spreads to Other States

Questions Surround Film Subsidy Report

Forced Unionization Draws More Attention

Fixing Michigan's Roads

Cadillac Insurance
vs. Healthy Schools