Can you smell that smell?

Oooh, that smell. Can you smell that smell? It’s the smell of “Skunk Works” slow-roasting in Michigan’s hot spring sunshine. Over the weekend, emails obtained by the Detroit News through a FOIA request revealed that “Skunk Works” – contrary to what Gov. Snyder has claimed – has always been a government-sanctioned work group. Basically: they…

Far-right: Let’s privatize everything!

Yesterday, the Detroit Free Press’s Stephen Henderson said what everyone’s been thinking about Michigan’s alarming taste for secrecy and privatization: Privatization might sound, in theory, like the way to bring Michigan’s prison costs under control. But because the desired outcomes in the corrections system are about more than bottom-line dollar analyses, privatization is just not…

Mackinac Center Funder: Union labor made our success possible

To the far-right, corporations are like people… only better. Last week, Gov. Snyder insisted that we treat citizens like customers, and despite his calls for “shared sacrifice” the only ones sacrificing anything are working Michiganders. This corporate-first mentality pervades every aspect of Michigan government, and if you didn’t know any better you’d think Michigan is…

You get what you pay for

What happened to us? When did we start asking ourselves “How can we provide our children with the cheapest education?” rather than “How can we provide our children with the best education?” From our outset, we prioritized education, using our taxes to build public schools – recognizing their economic and social value. Now, the same…

Skunk Works still stinks

After the inner-workings of Skunk Works were revealed to the public, Gov. Snyder entered crisis communications mode and immediately replaced the acting lead, his chief information officer David Behen, with Michigan’s superintendent of public instruction Mike Flanagan. Aside from being an obvious act of contrition, the move was meant to remove any pretense of secrecy…