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Articles by Tim Cavanaugh
A wake-up call for Michigan’s earmark habit
This article originally appeared in the Lansing State Journal June 17, 2026. A recent move by the Michigan Court of Claims could spell relief for Michigan taxpayers who have spent billions of dollars on constitutionally unsound pork projects. But the extent of the reform will depend on many factors. The Court of Claims in May granted a preliminary injunction in the Mackinac Center Legal Foundation’s lawsuit challenging two earmarks hidden in the state budget process.
A look at Michigan’s property tax
As Michigan lawmakers consider cutting and limiting property taxes, it’s worth checking out some facts and trends about Michigan’s property tax. State and local governments collected $21.6 billion from property taxes in 2025, up from $20.3 billion in 2024, a 3% increase above the rate of inflation. The property tax is the largest single tax state and local governments assess. The next closest is the personal income tax, which is expected to collect $13.6 billion in the current fiscal year.
Reform Michigan unemployment insurance
Michigan’s unemployment insurance taxes generated $1.14 billion in 2025, more than half of what the state government raises through the corporate income tax. The unemployment insurance tax is, by definition, a tax on employing workers, so it’s vitally important that policymakers get the tax’s design right and reduce burdens on the people of Michigan. Unfortunately, the state’s unemployment insurance system falls short of those goals.
Freedom notes U.S.A.: Nebraska takes over federal environmental reviews
| Font size: 75% 100% 125% 150% California electric bills double under mandates Residential electicity costs in California have doubled over the last ten years, as decarbonization mandates introduced in 2015 limit supply and create perverse incentives for energy providers. “These mandates force utility providers to overhaul their energy generation, storage, and transmission systems, all of which are costly endeavors at the scale required,” writes California Policy Institute’a Sahil Shah.
Seven habits of highly civil people
This article originally appeared in The Detroit News February 17, 2026. Four Michigan governors, Jim Blanchard, Jennifer Granholm, Rick Snyder and John Engler, gathered on Feb. 4 to talk about civility in American life. Their conversation explored what civility looks like and its importance in self-government.
Voters can lower their own property taxes under Michigan rules
Michigan lawmakers want to do something about high property taxes. They should note that voters already get to decide whether property taxes are worth it when they vote on new local millages. But the deck is often stacked against taxpayers, and legislators should give them a fairer shot. The Headlee Amendment in the state Constitution subjects property taxes to voter approval. This ensures that taxes have direct popular support.
Senior discount won’t solve Michigan’s property tax problem
Gov. Whitmer is proposing a property tax break that would provide refunds of up to 10% for Michigan senior citizens. The governor is one of many politicians seeking solutions to homeowners’ high (and rising) property tax burdens. But targeted tax breaks for favored voting demographics will not solve the problem. Michigan imposes heavy property taxes, and state leaders should lower that burden for everybody.
All former governors join Mackinac Center civility panel
All living former Michigan executives teamed up to discuss civility with the Mackinac Center for Public Policy Wednesday. Former Gov. Jennifer Granholm remotely joined former Govs. Rick Snyder, James Blanchard and John Engler at the Lansing Hilton DoubleTree to demonstrate the value of communicating clearly, respectfully, and truthfully in a hotly contested political environment.
Freedom Notes U.S.A.: Americans want the lights on
Texas power grid faces potential new crisis Nearly five years after the Lone Star State’s historic power outage, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, Inc. is increasingly vulnerable to winter power outages, the Texas Public Policy Foundation reports, and the state’s risky gamble on solar power is to blame. “The core problem is a mismatch between the types of generation being added and what the grid needs for winter reliability,” writes Brent Bennet.
Freedom notes U.S.A.: South Carolina goes farther with charters
| Font size: 75% 100% 125% 150% Oklahoma should get tax reform sooner rather than later An ambitious framework for reform of property taxes appears to have stalled in the state legislature, but the Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs notes many recent improvements in state tax laws and suggests reforms that could help the Sooner State’s housing market. “Oklahoma could also consider lowering its annual valuation-growth cap below the current 3 percent limit,” writes Curtis Shelton.
Freedom notes U.S.A.: Charter schools lead long post-COVID recovery
Ohio public unions see 610 opt-outs Public workers in the Buckeye State are leaving their unions in what Freedom Foundation calls a “tidal wave” of opt-outs. “More than 440 of those opt-outs came from employees tied to the Ohio Education Association (OEA) and the Ohio Association of Public School Employees (OAPSE) — unions long reliant on confusing fine print and arbitrary ‘opt-out windows’ to keep members trapped,” writes Ryan Horan.
Freedom notes U.S.A.: Trash business fights The Man in Arkansas court
Kansas property owners get tax break under ‘revenue neutral’ law A growing number of Kansas municipalities are opting to avoid raising property tax rates, and the Kansas Policy Institute credits a 2021 law that prevents municipalities from increasing rates without a thorough public process. “More than 50% of cities, counties, school districts, and other authorities decided NOT to exceed revenue-neutral in the first year,” writes Dave Trabert.
Marquette housing earmark is a bad pork deal
Michigan’s pork barrel spending is out of control. Lawmakers have directed billions of dollars in recent years to politically connected groups, promoting political development, not economic development. The latest deal is a lousy housing investment that is unlikely to lead to any economic growth. As uncovered by The Detroit News, a $15 million legislative earmark is being directed to Invest UP, an Upper Peninsula economic development organization.
Sneaky budget practice is costing Michigan billions
This article originally appeared in The Detroit News July 8, 2025. State investigators’ recent revelation of ties between Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s office and Fay Beydoun sheds important light on how politicians and connected individuals abuse the budget earmark process. But the process itself is another abuse, as the Mackinac Center for Public Policy shows in an ongoing lawsuit.
Freedom notes U.S.A.: No unemployment benefits for strikers
Connecticut governor nixes pay for strikers, ‘missing middle’ housing regs Connecticut residents have been spared punishing housing regulations and additional payments to organized labor after Gov. Ned Lamont vetoed two bills in late June. House Bill 5002 would have burdened local communities with mandates to provide a “fair share" of affordable and “middle" housing.
Cavanaugh: Sneaky budget practice is costing Michigan billions
Tim Cavanaugh View Comments State investigators’ recent revelation of ties between Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s office and Fay Beydoun sheds important light on how politicians and connected individuals abuse the budget earmark process. But the process itself is another abuse, as the Mackinac Center for Public Policy shows in an ongoing lawsuit.
Freedom notes U.S.A.
Support for Dept. of Ed. barely tops one-third in Tennessee poll Half of Tennesseeans support abolition of the United States Department of Education, according to the most recent poll from the Beacon Institute in Nashville. Just 37% of survey respondents support keeping the Carter-era department, which costs taxpayers about a quarter of a trillion dollars per year. The remaining 13% remained undecided.
Whitmer seeks federal emergency laws to cover mild winter
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is seeking Washington’s help in dealing with the consequences of a mild weather. “There is no denying it,” Whitmer wrote in letter sent to Capitol Hill leaders April 3. “We are facing an unprecedented problem resulting in a devastating impact on our businesses and regional economies.” The governor is seeking an easier path for Michigan businesses to receive federal Small Business Administration relief for revenues lost to warmer weather.
Court halts demolition of Roosevelt School
A historic school building at the center of a dispute between the West Bloomfield School District and the local community got a temporary reprieve Friday when a circuit court judge issued a restraining order preventing the district from demolishing the building. “The Court finds that Plaintiffs are entitled to an ex parte temporary restraining order,” Sixth Judicial Circuit Court Judge Phyllis McMillen wrote.
Public Service Commission ruling on the Line 5 Tunnel is a small pre-holiday win for Michiganders
The people of Michigan have one energy win they can look to as they go into the weekend. This week has been a difficult one for Michigan residents as Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed her extreme net-zero energy bills into law, leaving Michiganders with the dual specter of spiking electricity prices and impending electric grid instability.
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is killing nuclear energy
“It’s simple economics. Nuclear has become obsolete.” writes Haley Zeremba, a journalist for Energy Central. “Decades of roadblocks and rising prices are standing in the way” of a viable nuclear industry, Business Insider adds. But just how simple are the economics? It is true that nuclear power comes with enormous up-front costs, and a new nuclear plant takes years to build. Even while the market is hungry for carbon-free sources of electricity, nuclear lags far behind the competition.
Sr. Sue Keim celebrates more than 40 years of serving Catholic schools
MONONA — February 2, the Feast of the Presentation, is also the World Day for Consecrated Life. Immaculate Heart of Mary School in Monona celebrated one of their very own that day: Sr. Sue Keim. A Sinsinawa Dominican Sister for 46 years and a teacher for 42, Sister Sue has given her life to the Lord through teaching his children, and they love her for it! The celebration during Catholic Schools Week was arranged as a surprise, and the second graders – her class – wrote a poem for her.
Beware of expanding the earned income tax credit Original
In a healthy republic there would be no need to explain, to both Democrats and Republicans, why they should not expand a program that misspends more than a fourth of its money. Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer last week announced the expansion of the state’s earned income tax credit (EITC) as the top priority of the state’s new Democratic majority. Michigan is one of many states that piggyback on the federal earned income tax credit by offering credits against the state’s personal income tax.
Secure, affordable, reliable energy: It’s what American families need
| Font size: 75% 100% 125% 150% By Jason Hayes America’s choice to remain dependent on unreliable foreign energy is costing us. This is true at the pump, where gas prices are hovering around 60% higher than when President Biden took office. It’s also true on our monthly heating and electric bills.
Wind industry strikes against local zoning control in Michigan
News Story After losing big in township votes, turbine companies seek state preemption of local rules By Tim Cavanaugh | November 25, 2022 Wind energy businesses are targeting local zoning ordinances after their campaign to coat Michigan with large vertical turbines lost four referenda and seven local government allies in this month’s election. “You ever hear that old saying about winning a battle, but losing the war?
Whitmer, Nessel must end Line 5 legal games
This article originally appeared in The Detroit News August 24 2022. For the second time in under a year, a U.S. District Court Judge has ruled against Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel. The federal court rejected Nessel’s argument that state actions to shutter the Line 5 pipeline should be considered in a state court, upholding the federal government’s jurisdiction over interstate and international pipelines.
Whitmer’s Line 5 ‘no change’ claim is a lot of gas
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer demonstrated the skill of a long-serving politician Tuesday while pettifogging her role in the Line 5 stalemate. “There has been no change to Line 5,” Whitmer said during her debate with challenger Tudor Dixon. “No change.” This is precisely true. The necessary, long-delayed environmental improvements to Line 5 remain on hold.
Unleash the power of the atom!
| Font size: 75% 100% 125% 150% By Tim Cavanaugh This article originally appeared in The Hill October 1, 2022. Nuclear power is back in vogue, buoyed by the demand for a significant source of emissions-free energy. Government should encourage the trend by ending policies that prevent the only reliable carbon dioxide-neutral energy source from flourishing. Old-school counter-culturalists such as filmmaker Oliver Stone are speaking up for the peaceful power of the atom.
Why does Biden continue to hold back the nuclear energy industry?
Nuclear power is back in vogue, buoyed by the demand for a significant source of emissions-free energy. Government should encourage the trend by ending policies that prevent the only reliable carbon dioxide-neutral energy source from flourishing. Old-school counter-culturalists such as filmmaker Oliver Stone are speaking up for the peaceful power of the atom. Democratic politicians such as Michigan Gov.
Confused about crypto?
News Story Michigan government is here to help, with proposed 16-member commission By Tim Cavanaugh | September 13, 2022 Michigan’s government could soon have an elite team of experts working to disambiguate the world of cryptocurrencies and blockchain technologies. Senate Bill 880, sponsored by Democratic Sen. Jim Ananich of Flint and Republican Sen.
Nuclear Wasted: Why the Cost of Nuclear Energy is Misunderstood
| Font size: 75% 100% 125% 150% By Joshua Antonini “Dying of an incurable attack of market forces.” This diagnosis of the nuclear energy industry comes from environmental activist Amory Lovins. Reuters agrees that nuclear power is financially untenable, claiming that bringing reactors online is “too slow, too expensive” as the market for non-carbon-emitting energy heats up. You might be inclined to agree with these skeptics.
Nuclear Defense: Why Nuclear Energy is Safer Than You Think (Part 2)
Nuclear weapons have been used in anger just twice in their 77-year history. Both bombings occurred within a three-day period in 1945, and they were followed by a trend of progressively less lethal warfare that continues to the present day. The real advantage of nuclear technology turned out to be not as a weapon at all, but as a peaceful tool: a power source with almost no CO2 emissions, safe working conditions, plentiful fuel, compact waste, and massive energy output.
Where Do Your Tax Dollars Go?
“What am I paying my taxes for?” That’s the question that occurs to a homeowner wondering why their street is littered with potholes. Or a mother wondering why her child’s school was closed but others were not. Or a taxpayer wondering why a government employee won’t get back about a basic tax or licensing question. Taxes get collected by the government that levies them, and they get spent on whatever purposes their governing boards decide.
Learning to embrace our crosses
“Ohhh,” my teenage son groaned as he clambered like an old man into the car at the end of the school day. “I’m SO tired!” “Why? What did you do today?” I asked, suddenly recalling that his class had gone to the local food pantry for a tour. “Remember that big bag of cans you wanted me to bring to the food pantry?” he said. “I carried it the whole way.” I forgot that they’d had to walk. Had I remembered that I probably would have lightened the load.
So Now Gov. Whitmer Supports the Palisades Nuclear Plant
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s sudden embrace of the Palisades Nuclear Plant is both bittersweet and long overdue. Whitmer asked U.S. taxpayers for more money Wednesday to maintain the nuclear generating station on Lake Michigan, which is slated to close May 31. “Keeping Palisades open is a top priority,” Whitmer wrote in a request to Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm. “The State of Michigan will support a compelling Civil Nuclear Credit application by the May 18 deadline.
This article originally appeared in The Hill March 23, 2022. How devastating would it be for a state to lose all the energy from its vast wind-power apparatus in the middle of a global energy crisis? Michigan is about to find out. The state soon will lose at least 5.8 million annual megawatt hours of carbon dioxide-free energy production. That’s an amount equal to all the energy produced by the wind industry that Michigan has built up over the past 13 years, at a cost of more than $5 billion.
Has the Overton Window shifted to the point where it's acceptable to discuss...the Overton Window? Mackinac Center President Joseph G. Lehman talked recently with the Acton Institute's Eric Kohn about the evolution of public policy ideas, the definition of the Window itself and the life of Joseph P. Overton.
Don’t Be Fooled by Gas Tax Kabuki
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer joined four other governors this week to signal sympathy for citizens enduring a painful spike in energy prices. Unfortunately, Whitmer has no plans to provide actual relief as Michigan residents pay $4.25 per gallon for gas. “We need to do all we can to put money back in people’s pockets,” Whitmer tweeted Tuesday after signing on to a letter in support of suspending federal gas taxes.
Peter Schiff Has the Best Rant You’ll Hear All Week
Mild deflation is a net positive, but only in the context of an increase in productivity (and profits). That allows for benefits to accrue to both the producer and consumer. Deflation that comes about from a lack of demand (often from a contraction in credit), or a supply shock (sudden increase in supply of a good beyond producers expectations) causes dislocations including bankruptcy for producers but at least a sharp decline in investment spending — which is contractionary.
Guide to Cockroaches, Bed Bugs and Rodents in Paterson NJ
This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own. Neighbor News Do you have pests like cockroaches, bed bugs and rodents in your home or business in Paterson NJ? By Tim Cavanaugh, Neighbor Feb 25, 2020 6:57 pm ET Cockroaches Paterson NJ - Bed Bugs Paterson NJ Do you have pests like cockroaches, bed bugs and rodents in your home or business in Paterson NJ? The first thing you need to do is call a pest control company right away.
Lower Pervian School District vs. Mike and Ikes
Policy | Boing Boing has been following the lawsuit Blake J. Robbins v. Lower Merion School District, a class action [pdf] brought by the parents of a boy who was secretly photographed in his home by a remotely enabled webcam in a laptop issued to him by a Pennsylvania school district. The school district has distributed about 1,800 laptops with remote-access webcams and spyware installed, though the extent of its peeping on students in their homes is not known.
What Is the FISA Spy Court and Why Do People Keep Bashing It?
By Tim Cavanaugh, RealClearInvestigations October 02, 2019 A pending report on the government surveillance of Trump campaign adviser Carter Page may shed light on a vital question: Has the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court become a tool used by government to abuse the rights of both guilty and innocent in the name of national security? The court's seal.
Here's Why School Chromebooks Aren't All They're Cracked Up to Be
By Tim Cavanaugh, RealClearInvestigations July 17, 2019 ALEXANDRIA, Va. -- Shell Shockers, a networked game in which players battle eggs armed with Kalashnikov rifles, is a smash hit played by more than 40 million people. And vast numbers of those are kids playing during class time – as I learned during a semester substitute teaching students huddled over public school-issued Google Chromebooks meant to supercharge their educations.
Spring = Tick Season - Exterminator Morganville NJ
This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own. Neighbor Posts Shared from Freehold, NJ As we head into the worst tick season in recent history, it's important to be extra diligent about ticks in your yard. By Tim Cavanaugh, Neighbor | Apr 26, 2019 4:55 pm ET Spring = Tick Season 2019: predicted to be the worst in years - As we head into the worst tick season in recent history, it's important to be extra diligent about ticks in your yard.
The Mind Behind Early American Protectionism
General consensus doesn’t get much more general than U.S. and European economists’ nearly universal support for unrestricted trade and opposition to most or all forms of economic protectionism.
Why A Hollywood Boycott Over Electing A Republican Would Help Georgia
Hollywood is poised to rescue Georgia taxpayers from a scandal-plagued multimillion-dollar drain on public finances, according to hard-featured actor Ron Perlman. The “City of Lost Children” star’s #BoycottGeorgia campaign has attracted broad support from around Tinseltown, which benefits from nearly $200 million in state spending on film, television, and digital production.
Change - Michael Hyatt
The Omega and the Alpha Erin Winick helped speed the progress of technology in America, and now she has mixed feelings about it. As an intern at a Southern California company, Winick worked with a 30-year professional maker of complicated molds to implement a 3-D printing process. The long-time employee offered great insights into the costs and dimensions of making […] Tim Cavanaugh
The Omega and the Alpha
Erin Winick helped speed the progress of technology in America, and now she has mixed feelings about it. As an intern at a Southern California company, Winick worked with a 30-year professional maker of complicated molds to implement a 3-D printing process. The long-time employee offered great insights into the costs and dimensions of making the molds, Winick said in an interview and had perfected parts and tools for the complex job.
Why Is James Clapper Still Employed?
(Alex Wong/Getty Images) If Obama believes what he told 60 Minutes, the director of national intelligence needs to be fired. It’s time for James Clapper to show a little American pride, and resign in disgrace. That suggestion is made with great respect for the director of national intelligence’s service to his country; Clapper deployed twice to Vietnam as an intelligence officer in the United States Air Force and retired as a lieutenant general after a career focused on intelligence gathering.
Jim Carroll Has Died, Died
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In 1999, I twice found myself writing about The Basketball Diaries, a Leonardo DiCaprio vehicle best known for a scene in which the hero fantasizes about shooting his classmates. The movie popped up in one of the articles because it had been blamed in a lawsuit for inspiring the murder of three girls in Kentucky, in the other because it had been blamed in the media for inspiring the Columbine massacre.
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