Blowing Smoke

Although popular in some quarters, government-imposed smoking prohibitions are an assault on private property rights. So it's good news that the Michigan Legislature has acted wisely by leaving in place current law that allows businesses — including restaurant and bar owners — to decide for themselves whether to allow smoking on their property.
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Bark, but no Bite

Government employee strikes are illegal in Michigan, but that has not stopped teachers unions from taking to the picket line and winning concessions. In the recent case of the Wayne-Westland school district, a state judge ordered striking teachers to return to work but exacted no penalties. Since current law appears to be toothless, it's time to consider a new approach.
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Transparency 101

Today's national movement for transparency seeks to put government spending details on the Internet in an easily searchable format. This idea dates back at least to President Thomas Jefferson, who said public expenditures should become "as clear and intelligible as a merchant's books," allowing "any man of any mind" to "comprehend them, to investigate abuses and consequently to control them." But in an era when technology puts this vision within our grasp, the current popularity of the concept leaves it vulnerable to thievery by those with agendas antithetical to its goal.
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Goose, but no Gander

Gov. Jennifer Granholm has been a high-profile proponent of using billions of U.S. taxpayer dollars to bail out the domestic automakers. However, the Granholm administration is more cautious when it comes to risking the pensions of Michigan government workers in this cause.
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Regulation is Job 1

Most of the debate regarding the federal bailout of the American automobile companies misses what may be the most important issue — excessive government regulation. While there is plenty of blame to go around, including bad decisions by auto executives and unsustainable wage, benefit and work rule demands by unions, Congress is responsible for a large part of the plight of the Big Three. If Congress is really interested in helping the American automobile industry, eliminating the following regulations would be a good place to start:
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Not Your Father's Ford

If a genius like Henry Ford emerged today, ready to work his influence on Michigan's economy, what would likely happen to him? He would probably be crushed.
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College Costs Can Be Controlled

Universities like to blame tuition hikes on stagnant state funding, but that doesn't hold water, since tuition increased at double-digit rates even when state aid was rising. For example, from 1992 to 2001 the average tuition at four-year Michigan public universities rose 59 percent, more than double the inflation rate. During the same period, appropriations grew 46 percent.
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Depressing Parallels

About this audio file: On Nov. 27, 2008, Lawrence Reed, president emeritus of the Mackinac Center, was interviewed on “The Mike Rosen Show” on KOA in Denver, Colo. The show’s guest host that day was Jon Caldara, president of the Independence Institute. Reed discussed his monograph “Great Myths of the Great Depression” and how it relates to today’s discussion of government over-regulation and financial bailouts. The interview is 43 minutes and 38 seconds.
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Renaissance Center

(Editor's note: This commentary was originally published July 15, 2002. Co-authored by Michael D. LaFaive and Martin Wing, its recommendations for wide-spread tax relief should be heeded by policymakers who continue to harm Michigan through piecemeal central planning.)

For two decades, governments around the country have been experimenting with an economic development device commonly known as "enterprise zones." The 24 zones in Michigan, usually drawn around economically "distressed" areas, are between 120 and 2,900 acres in size, and are designed to provide special tax relief to businesses and people who operate (and sometimes live) in the zone.
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