Featured Video Archive
Cornerstone Charter Schools
This video profiles Madison-Carver Academy and Cornerstone Health High School, two public charter schools in the City of Detroit. Both schools make use of blended learning, which allows each student to move at his or her individual pace through coursework. … more
Game of Thrones' Economics: It's Not All Fantasy
"The game of thrones in general is a game of cronyism because it's all about forming political alliances, especially with people who can make you better off economically speaking," says Auburn University Economics Instructor Matthew McCaffrey. … more
The Power of Nazi Propaganda
From radio and film to newspapers and publishing, the Nazi regime controlled every aspect of German culture from 1933-1945. Through Josef Goebbels' Ministry of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda, the German state tightly controlled political messaging, promoting deification of the leader—the Führerprinzip—and the demonization of the ubiquitous and duplicitious "racial enemy." A new exhibit at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C., examines "how the Nazi Party used modern techniques as well as new technologies and carefully crafted messages to sway millions with its vision for a new Germany." Reason.tv's Michael C. Moynihan visited with museum historian and curator Steve Luckert to discuss the role and effectiveness of propaganda in the rise of fascism and what lessons can be drawn from the Nazi experiment in mass manipulation. … more
Top Three Myths about the Great Depression and the New Deal
Historian Stephen Davies names three persistent myths about the Great Depression. Myth #1: Herbert Hoover was a laissez-faire president, and it was his lack of action that lead to an economic collapse. Davies argues that in fact, Hoover was a very interventionist president, and it was his intervening in the economy that made matters worse. Myth #2: The New Deal ended the Great Depression. Davies argues that the New Deal actually made matters worse. In other countries, the Great Depression ended much sooner and more quickly than it did in the United States. Myth #3: World War II ended the Great Depression. Davies explains that military production is not real wealth.; wars destroy wealth, they do not create wealth. In fact, examination of the historical data reveals that the U.S. economy did not really start to recover until after WWII was over. … more
Cost Recovery Fees Allow Cities to Double Tax
Michigan cities are raising hundreds of thousands of dollars by charging law offenders, primarily drivers accused of driving under the influence, for ordinary law enforcement expenses related to their arrest. Some cities charge drivers who don't meet the legal limit of impairment. The practice raises the question, How far will cities go to tax and fine taxpayers? … more
Does Stimulus Spending Work?
After the housing bubble burst, the Bush and Obama administrations turned to stimulus in an effort to "create jobs." Does such spending lead to economic improvement? Prof. Antony Davies examines the data to see how increases in federal spending relate to economic growth from 1955 to the present. The evidence shows that there is no connection between federal spending and economic improvement; instead, stimulus money only increases government debt. After three years of stimulus spending, the unemployment rate remains at 9 percent. "One thing that has changed," Davies says, "is that our government is now $4.6 trillion further in debt than it was before the stimulus efforts." … more
Ending Forfeiture Abuse: How States Can Be Tough on Crime and Respect Property Rights
Civil asset forfeiture is one of the greatest threats to private property rights in our nation today. Law enforcement can take your property without even charging you with a crime. … more
Should You Need the Government's Permission to Work?
License to Work: A National Study of Burdens from Occupational Licensing is the first national study to measure how burdensome occupational licensing laws are for lower-income workers and aspiring entrepreneurs.
Michigan has one of the most burdensome licensing requirements. Our state forces people to take classes and pay money to the state for things like painting, floor sanding, cutting hair and low-level carpentry. Few other states require that. … more
Minimum Wage Business Realities
Why do some employers favor a raise in the minimum wage? Profit per employee plays a major role. … more
Shikha Dalmia: 5 Reasons Why Low Skilled Immigrants are Good for the Economy
The Senate's "Gang of Eight" proposed immigration reform plan will likely take a look at how to make it easier for high-skilled immigrants to gain legal status in the United States. Reason Foundation senior analyst Shikha Dalmia gives five reasons why low-skilled immigrants are good for the economy too: … more
CA vs. The Suburbs: Planners, Smart Growth, and the Manhattan Delusion
"One of the things that happens when you force this kind of high-density development is you destroy the very urban neighborhoods that retain the middle class," says Joel Kotkin. "The neighborhoods have to fight this kind of guerilla-style." … more
Roscommon Teachers Break-Up With Michigan Union
Teachers in the Roscommon Public Schools district in Michigan have broken with the Michigan Education Association, the largest union in the state, to form an independent union that is less expensive and more responsive to their collective bargaining needs. … more
Margaret Thatcher (1925-2013)
Margaret Thatcher, one of the greatest of the United Kingdom's Prime Ministers (and the only woman), died Monday. She was among the wave of leaders across the world who helped save their countries from socialist and Keynesian economics and made the world a substantially better place for all people, the rich and the poor.
Here is how she went out in the House of Commons - it is undoubtedly how she would want to be remembered … more
Voices of Right-to-Work: The Mackinac Center Investigates
The Mackinac Center's Senior Investigative Reporter Anne Schieber interviews Michiganders, union and non-union, on their feelings regarding the right-to-work legislation which went into effect March 28, 2013. … more
The Fall Of Tam's: How LA Regulated A Burger Stand Out of Existence
Entrepreneur vs. LA's city government: Who will prevail? Watch Reason TV's video above to find out. … more
What Can We Cut to Balance the Budget?
If the U.S. government cut all government services except Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and payments on the debt, federal spending would still outpace revenues. Prof. Antony Davies argues that there are not specific cuts that will enable government to balance the budget. He says, "Nothing less than a redesign will solve this problem." That redesign should begin by determining what the proper role of government is. … more
Union Conservatives On Right-to-Work
The founder of Union Conservatives, Terry Bowman is a Michigan UAW member and is now working on protecting the state's new Freedom-to-Work law. He discusses the challenges ahead and how his organization plans to meet them. … more
Taylor Teachers Fight Union Insecurity Clause
Three teachers from Michigan's Taylor School District say their union sold them out by approving a decade-long agreement to continue taking money from them. Michigan became a right-to-work state in December 2012. The law bans the practice of requiring employees to pay union dues or fees as a condition of employment. The law takes effect on March 28, 2013. Trying to go around the law, the Taylor Federation of Teachers Local 1085 approved a deal prior to March 28 to lock these teachers into a dues purgatory for the next 10 years. Angela Steffke, Rebecca Metz, and Nancy Rhatigan reached out to the Mackinac Center Legal Foundation for help. They do not want to buy what the union is selling. … more
Making Michigan Home Again: Rick Wadel's Story
Rick Wadel, owner of Wadel Stabilization, Inc., has been in business in Michigan since 1978. He opens up to the Mackinac Center for Public Policy about his struggles under Michigan's economy in the past few years, as well as his hopes and ambitions for his five children. … more
Elkhart, Indiana: A Right-to-Work Recovery
Elkhart, Indiana was in a bad spot in 2009 - they held the dubious honor of highest unemployment rate in the country at 20.3 percent. But now, due to favorable-to-business government policies in Indiana, Elhart is growing faster than most counties in the country at 5.6 percent growth. … more
Dick DeVos on Unions, Right-to-Work
Michigan businessman and entrepreneur Dick DeVos joins Heritage to discuss unions and the right-to-work movement spreading in the Midwest. … more
Gov. Rick Snyder on Michigan's Economic Rebound and Right to Work
Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder visited Washington to talk about the state's new right-to-work law and how his policies have led to an economic turnaround. … more
Mackinac Center on Fox Business: MEA Contract Extensions
The Mackinac Center's Director of Labor Policy, Vinnie Vernuccio, on Fox Business' "Willis Report" discussing MEA contract extensions. … more
National School Choice Week Lights Up Chicago
National School Choice Week is an annual event designed to draw attention to - and advocate for - educational options for K-12 students. During the week, over 200 groups are hosting thousands of events across the country, exploring everything from charter schools and voucher programs to online curricula. … more
National School Choice Week 2013 Kicks Off
Hundreds of students and their parents helped kick off National School Choice Week 2013, January 26, at Union Station in Los Angeles, Calif. The week long celebration includes a 14 stop, cross-country tour starting at Union Station and ending in New York City's Penn Station. … more
State of the State: Union Protests Outside Capitol
Tight security locked out dozens of anti-right-to-work protesters from the State Capitol as Governor Snyder was delivering his "State of the State" address. Protesters tried to disrupt the speech by banging and chanting outside the building. … more
Movin' On Up: Michigan Improving Its Outmigration Rank
United Van Lines has been monitoring outmigration data for 36 years. Michigan ranks 6th highest among states with number of people moving out of the state, which is actually an improvement from #1 since 2010. It all comes down to one word: Opportunity. … more
Great Moments in Unintended Consequences
All actions have unanticipated side effects, but government acting through regulation or legislation is particularly adept at creating disastrous unintended consequences.
Great Moments in Unintended Consequences takes a look at three instances of epic government facepalm: Osborne Reef, Corn Ethanol Subsidies, and a particular clause in ObamaCare that is already doing more harm than good. … more
I, Pencil: The Movie
A film from the Competitive Enterprise Institute, adapted from the 1958 essay by Leonard E. Read. For more about I, Pencil, visit http://www.ipencilmovie.org … more
The Seven Principles of Sound Public Policy
Former Mackinac Center for Public Policy President Lawrence W. Reed, President of the Foundation for Economic Education, presents the keynote address at the Georgia Legislative Policy Forum. … more
Crony Chronicles: Miracle on Wall Street
Our government shouldn't make us "donate" billions in corporate welfare to businesses each year. … more
Michigan Rally Against Right-to-Work Legislation
Teachers, activists and legislative leaders at a rally against right-to-work legislation. Teachers talk about taking the day off school to protest while legislators and social activists speak to the crowd.
The bill was passed by the legislature and signed by the governor. … more
The Voices of Right-to-Work
Michigan union members talk about why they support a right-to-work law. Their reasons are diverse, reflecting economic concerns as well as issues regarding freedom of association. … more
What Is Right-to-Work?
In this video, the Mackinac Center's Anne Schieber explains the significance of a right-to-work law should one be passed in Michigan. The value of a right-to-work law is that an employee wouldn't be fired for refusing to financially support a union that chooses to represent them. … more
Forced Unionization Hurts Families
This is the story of how the Haynes family in Detroit, MI faced off with government unions after being forced to pay union dues. The Haynes family is like many other families all over the country who are working to take care of handicapped family members only to have unions take money from their paycheck with no benefit to them or their loved ones. … more
The Pilgrims and Property Rights: How our ancestors got fat & happy
The Pilgrims founded their colony at Plymouth Plantation in December 1620 and promptly started dying off in droves. … more
In Good Conscience
John Kennedy, CEO of Autocam (Grand Rapids, MI), is one of the brave business owners fighting back against the HHS Mandate. As a Catholic, the things mandated to be covered within the health care plans that John provides his associates are contrary to John's deeply held religious beliefs. So John, together with CatholicVote, is fighting back.
On Monday, October 8th, 2012, John Kennedy, through the CatholicVote.org Legal Defense Fund, filed suit against the Department of Health and Human Services, and its Secretary Kathleen Sebelius (a Catholic). The purpose of the suit is to compel the court to strike down the mandate as unconstitutional. … more
Liberty and Equality vs. Coercion and Egalitarianism
In this archival Free To Choose Network footage, Milton Friedman takes Q & A at Stanford University. The young man's questions get to the heart of tension between the values of liberty and equality -- a tension that is still with us. Friedman dissolves egalitarianism by pointing out a simple fact: wealth redistribution creates state power elites, not equality. And the fact of coercion remains. … more
'Protect Working Families' Lists Proposal 2 Business Supporters Without Their Knowledge
Proponents of changing the state constitution to enshrine collective bargaining and override state laws have repeatedly claimed that its group is supported by "1,000 small businesses." … more
Union Member Says Proposal 2 Is An 'Over-reaching Power Grab'
Terry Bowman is UAW Ford worker and founder of Union Conservatives. He says Proposal 2 will negatively affect Michigan's job market … more
Proposal 4 Ads: Fact or Fiction?
Are the ads in favor of Proposal 4 (2012) telling the truth? The Mackinac Center for Public Policy analyzes these claims with Senior Legal Analyst Patrick Wright. … more
What Would Proposal 4 Do?
A one-minute video, with the Mackinac Center's Senior Investigative Analyst Anne Schieber, describing the effects of Proposal 4 (2012) should it pass. The so-called "Collective Bargaining" proposal would continue an illegal dues skim from Medicaid checks geared towards in-home caregivers, who are often caring for disabled family members. … more
What Would "25 x 25" Do?
Mackinac Center Investigative Analyst Dan Armstrong breaks down the numbers behind Proposal 3 supporters' claims. … more
Emergency Manager Success Stories in Michigan
Public Act 4 of 2011 was signed into law in March of 2011 and provided the state with the necessary tools to ensure the protection of each citizen's health, safety, and welfare. While PA 4, and its predecessor Acts, have been criticized at times, it is important to recognize positive changes Emergency Managers have made in addressing local government financial emergencies. … more
Glossop Family Caregiver Wants Out of SEIU
Steven Glossop moved in with his mother after she suffered a stroke while recovering from a heart attack. He now takes care of her on a daily basis. The former Teamster says the forced unionization of home-based caregivers is wrong and that he gets nothing from the SEIU. He wants out. … more
What Would 'Protect Our Jobs' Do?
Mackinac Center Investigative Analyst Dan Armstrong explains what the "Protect Our Jobs Amendment" would mean for Michigan residents. Rather than protect middle-class job growth for many Michigan residents, the ballot initiative would protect the 3 percent that are government employees and undermine legislative authority in favor of union bosses. … more
Honey, You Didn't Build That
Explaining the debate over "you didn't build that" so easily, a child could understand. … more
The Greatest Man You’ve Never Heard Of: Norman Borlaug, An American Hero
Norman Borlaug has been called the greatest human being of the 21st Century - yet he is scarcely known in his own country. Borlaug is the father of the "Green Revolution" and spent his life teaching poor nations modern agricultural techniques - saving an estimated 1 billion lives along the way.
Read more by clicking here: The "Greatest Man You’ve Never Heard Of: Norman Borlaug, An American Hero" … more
School District Imposes Taxation Without Representation
When school begins this week, Oceana County property owners will be paying more in taxes thanks to a school district merger that was approved without a public vote.
A few weeks after school ended in June, board members from the Mason-Lake Intermediate School District and the Oceana ISD agreed to a merger. Taxpayers in Oceana will now have to pay the higher millage rate assessed in Mason-Lake.
According to the Oceana County treasurer, the higher millage will cost Oceana County property owners an extra $1.02 million a year, or $150 for every $100,000 in taxable value. … more
Who pays the most for minimum wage?
On July 24, 2012, the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) rallied to raise the federal minimum wage to $10.55 an hour. In Michigan, there is currently an effort to raise the state's minimum wage to $10 an hour by 2015. It would be the highest in the country. The Mackinac Center's Director of the Morey Fiscal Policy Initiative, Michael LaFaive, explains why raising the minimum wage would hurt employees and businesses. … more
My American Experience
LIBRE's Executive Director, Daniel Garza, tells of his American Experience as a first generation American - his story includes hardships, perseverance, family cohesion, hard work, and prosperity achieved in a free country that allows each of us to dictate our destiny. … more
Gov. Christie: Please Don't Send Me Any More Money To Hire More Public Employees
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie says he doesn't want the federal government sending more money to the states for a variety of reasons. … more
The Best of Milton Friedman
On the 100th anniversary of the birth of famed free-market economist Milton Friedman, here he is at his best. … more
City Shuts Down Teen's Hot Dog Vendor Cart
In Holland, Mich., a 13-year-old entrepreneur thought he would be able to sell hot dogs and financially help his family with the purchase of a food cart. Unfortunately, city zoning officials have shut down his business, based on an ordinance that prohibits competition to brick-and-mortar restaurants from mobile food vendors. The Mackinac Center's own Anne Schieber investigates. … more
Public Pensions — Lemons, Leaky Basements and a Losing Bet
Public pensions sound dull and complex. The failure to manage them properly, however, can lead to massive debt, fiscal insolvency and a weakened economy.
In Michigan, the public school retirement program is underfunded by $22.4 billion. As elected officials debate the best way to eliminate this ongoing liability, the Mackinac Center’s Dan Armstrong explains the issue … more
Milton Friedman 1979
Friedman shows why he is unsurpassed in modern times in defending liberty. He cheerfully decapitates the ideas of a government-controlled economy, over a wide range of examples. … more
We the People: Rule of Law and Liberty
Business men and women today are faced with looming uncertainties about the regulations and taxes the government will come out with tomorrow. Without a set of laws that limit the influence of government, the rules and institutions that we live by are left to the whims of the powerful or influential.
The Founders understood this and integrated institutions such as the separation of powers, federalism, and the Bill of Rights into our framework. The Constitution is the protector of the rule of law, but it has come under attack many times in the last century.
To protect the Constitution, we must first understand the Constitution … more
Economic Freedom in 60 Seconds
How do you explain the incredible power of economic freedom in 60 seconds? This video does just that, showing just how vital economic freedom is to our quality of life. … more
States Should Flatly Reject ObamaCare Exchanges
States that opt to create an exchange can expect to pay anywhere from $10 million to $100 million per year to run it. But if states refuse, Obamacare says the federal government must pay to create one. Why should states pay for something that the federal government is giving away? … more
Green Jobs: What's In A Name?
Do you know what the Obama Administration considers a "green job"? Do you know what "green jobs" even means? The top Department of Labor statistician is questioned by Congress. … more
Mayor Barrett's concession: What you might not have heard on TV
Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett concedes to Gov. Scott Walker in Wisconsin's first ever recall election of a governor. Some in the audience were not happy, believing the concession was too early. Warning: Offensive language … more
Pro-Walker Marine Vet Gets in the Mix at Dem Rally
Pro-Walker Marine veteren getting in the mix at the Democratic rally with Bill Clinton for Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett on June 1, 2012. Click here for more. … more
Should You Need the Government's Permission to Work?
License to Work: A National Study of Burdens from Occupational Licensing is the first national study to measure how burdensome occupational licensing laws are for lower-income workers and aspiring entrepreneurs.
The report documents the license requirements for 102 low- and moderate-income occupations—such as barber, massage therapist and preschool teacher—across all 50 states and the District of Columbia. It finds that occupational licensing is not only widespread, but also overly burdensome and frequently irrational. … more
Ecorse: Regaining Control
Ecorse, in the shadow of Detroit, has struggled since 1986 with corrupt public officials and overspending. In 2009, former Gov. Jennifer Granholm elected Joyce Parker as Ecorse city manager. By privatizing most services, restructuring the city's debt and renegotiating union contracts where she could, Ecorse has gone from spending $5 million more a year than it took in to achieving solvency in the face of bankruptcy. "She has been a savior for our city," says city resident William Holmes. … more
Milton Friedman on Free Trade and the Steel Industry
The late economist argues for international free trade. … more
Flipped Classrooms Underline Student Learning
Technology enables schools to rethink the way that they deliver instruction to students, and a recent phenomenon that's catching on is called "flipping the classroom." It works by having students receive direct instruction — often via online videos — outside of the classroom, enabling teachers to devote more time to collaboration, project-based learning, developing critical thinking skills and mentoring students individually. … more
Thomas Sowell - Welfare
Economist Thomas Sowell debates the dynamics of welfare with Pennsylvania Secretary of Welfare, Helen O'Banion (1980) in a discussion that would prove prophetic. … more
The Problem With Allen Park
Allen Park went "all in" on Michigan's film subsidy program. When the deal collapsed, the mid-sized city got stuck with the bill. Adding in skyrocketing public employee legacy costs leaves a recipe for fiscal disaster.
For more information, see reporter Anne Schieber's article at www.MichCapCon.com/16734. … more
The Social Security Myth
Using Social Security as his prime example, Milton Friedman explores the idea that the major expansions in government resulted from popular demand. In a speech delivered more than 30 years ago, he directly relates this dynamic to today's health care debate. … more
Thomas Sowell Dismantles Egalitarianism
In this clip from the 1980 special 'Free To Choose,' socialist Frances Fox Piven tangles with economist Thomas Sowell. Sowell discusses the "process" versus aspiration - concluding that whatever the purported social goals of egalitarianism, liberty suffers.
… more
John Stossel's Illegal Everything
The producer of Stupid in America, John Stossel, broadcasts another outstanding documentary. "Illegal Everything" shows how many seemingly commonsense activities are (or may soon be) illegal - including lemonade stands, raw milk, fast food, recording police, and more. … more
Milton Friedman - Freedom vs. Fairness
Dr. Friedman discusses why freedom and fairness sometimes conflict; and how the free market solves this problem. … more
U-M Graduate Students Blue Over Unionization
Are graduate student research assistants at a public university students. ... or government employees? Several hundred GSRAs, many represented by the Mackinac Center Legal Foundation, U-M deans, faculty and the president object to this movement to unionize. A bill to clarify that students are students and not entitled to unionize awaits the governor's signature. … more
Stealth-Unionization Scheme Bleeds Medicaid
Robert and Patricia Haynes of Macomb Township take care of their adult children — Melissa, 34, and Kevin, 30 — who suffer from hypertonic cerebral palsy and function at the level of six-month-olds. Now, some of the Medicaid assistance that is supposed to go to the Haynes family is being diverted to the coffers of the Service Employee International Union. … more
Breitbart's Legacy
"I want the left to know they screwed with the wrong guy." … more
The Vote Pump
Bill Whittle explains the unsustainable problem of government. "To spend $10, our government taxes for $6 and borrows $4. And when they actually spend that $10, $4 buys the actual government and $6 goes to people to buy votes with." … more
Top 3 Myths About the Great Depression and the New Deal
Historian Stephen Davies names three persistent myths about the Great Depression. Myth #1: Herbert Hoover was a laissez-faire president, and it was his lack of action that lead to an economic collapse. Myth #2: The New Deal ended the Great Depression. Myth #3: World War II ended the Great Depression. … more
Home Health Care Forced Unionization
Vincent Vernuccio explains the union's latest method of forcing home healthcare and daycare workers into their unions. This story was broken in Michigan by Michigan Capitol Confidential. For more information, click here. … more
Want To Save Endangered Species? Hunt Them!
(CBS News) -- The scimitar horned oryx . . . the addax . . . the dama gazelle - three elegant desert antelope that you'd hope to see on a journey through Africa, except that their numbers are dwindling there. Which is why Lara Logan went to Texas -- yes, Texas. There, on large grassland ranches, some exotic species that are endangered in the wild have been brought back in large numbers. But there's a catch: a percentage of the herd is hunted every year by hunters who pay big money for a big catch. The ranchers say this limited "culling" gives them the money they need to care for the animals and conserve the species. But animal rights activists don't buy that argument, claiming the hunts are "canned" and that hunting is wholly inconsistent with conservancy. … more
Public School Official Says Parents Don't "Necessarily" Know What School Is Best For Their Children
Debbie Squires of the Michigan Elementary and Middle School Principals Association speaks to the House Education Committee.
"Educators go through education for a reason. They are the people who know best about how to serve children. That is not necessarily true about an individual resident. Not saying that they don't want the best for their children, but they may not know what actually is best from an education standpoint." … more
Landmark Right-to-Work Bill Passes Indiana House
On Jan. 25, 2012, the Indiana House passed a right-to-work bill by a safe margin. Now signed by Gov. Daniels, this legislation makes Indiana the 23rd state to make it illegal to require a worker to pay union dues as a condition of employment. Here is the scene from when the bill was passed, as well as responses from the House leadership, union protestors and everyday Indiana citizens. … more
Milton Friedman - School Choice
January 23-29, 2012 was 'School Choice Week'. Professor Friedman spells out his recipe for fixing America's educational system. … more
Reason TV: What We Saw - National School Choice Week Kick-Off, New Orleans
January 23-29, 2012 is School Choice Week. "I think we ought to give our children the best we possibly can and I think we're moving in that direction," says renowned political operative James Carville. "Yes, I'm very excited about it." … more
National School Choice Week 2011
January 23-29, 2012 is 'School Choice Week'. The week is a bi-partisan coalition of organizations across the country who continue to push for more educational opportunity. Here are some highlights of National School Choice Week 2011. … more
Indiana Right-to-Work Still Stalled
It was another day at the Indiana State House. Another commemoration on the inside, more noise on the outside. The House can't vote on a bill unless 67 of 100 lawmakers show up to form a quorum. Indiana Democrats didn't show up...again. … more
Indiana GOP Leader Discusses Right-to-Work "Threats," "Propaganda"
Indiana House Democrats failed to show up to a full house session, stalling action of Indiana's Right to Work bill. House Speaker Republican Brian Bosma vows to fine each member failing to show up $1000 a day and will deduct the amount from lawmakers' paychecks. The House was adjourned until Monday at 11:30. One Democrat who spoke on the floor said his party will be there. Democrats want the issue considered in a voter referendum. Republicans say this is simply a delay tactic. … more
A Digital Learning Success Story
In Suttons Bay public schools, they are discovering that online learning is more adaptive, aiding those who struggle and boosting all students. Their program is so effective that other districts are adopting it for their own classrooms. … more
Indiana Lawmakers Discuss Right-to-Work Bill
A Republican says unions will "do anything" they can to stop the bill while a Democratic lawmaker hints that there may be a statewide referendum.
Republican State Sen. Jim Banks and Democratic State Rep. Scott Pelath discuss the right-to-work bill being debated for Indiana.
To see more coverage of this issue, click here. … more
Freedom to Work
Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels on right-to-work. … more
A Guide to the American Federal Debt
A satirical short film taking a look at the national debt and how it applies to just one family. … more
Cronyism in America
Professors Don Boudreaux (George Mason University), Susan Dudley (George Washington University) & Bradley Schiller (University of Nevada-Reno) discuss the causes & solutions to Cronyism in America.
For more information, check out www.EconomicFreedom.org. … more
Why the Stimulus Failed
High, persistent unemployment and a sluggish economy underscore what all but the most-dedicated partisans know to be true: The president's 2009 stimulus program was a massively expensive bust.
Understanding why the stimulus failed is an important step in understanding how the government can—and cannot—goose economic recovery. … more
Golden Ticket
Like many charter public schools in Michigan, South Arbor Charter Academy must hold a lottery to distribute its limited classroom slots among an overwhelming number of applicants. In this video, the parents of some 556 student-hopefuls vie for just 26 slots at this achievement - and values - focused school. … more
Do Good-ers Who Do Harm
All too often people who are well-meaning and have good intentions end up creating results which are the opposite of the very thing they are trying to fix. Milton Friedman discusses the efficacy of "affecting to trade for the public good," as Adam Smith put it. … more
Occupy Wall Street & Capitalism: A Professor's Response
The Occupy Wall Street movement expresses valid frustrations, but do the protesters aim their accusations in the wrong direction?
Economics Professor Chris Coyne draws the distinction between crony capitalism and legitimate capitalism. Crony capitalism is government favoritism fueled by handouts and is responsible for the plight of the 99%. Legitimate capitalism, on the other hand, uses competition to align consumer and producer interests and serves to improve everyone's standard of living. … more
Thanksgiving: Overcoming Socialism
The Plymouth Colony was established as a communal society -- an experiment in socialism. No one had an incentive to work, so disease and famine forced the pilgrims to adopt liberty and capitalism. The result? Much for which to be thankful!
To learn more, read "The Lost Lesson of Thanksgiving." … more
Fox Business: Loving Parents or Union Workers?
Fox Business Network picks up the Michigan Capitol Confidential story about Robert and Patricia Haynes, who discuss the Michigan law that forces them to join a union because they care for their kids with cerebral palsy.
The original story can be read here: www.MichiganCapitolConfidential.com/16001. … more
The State Against Blacks
We have always been told that big government programs help minorities and poor people. It's intuitive to think that affirmative action, the minimum wage, and welfare make life better for people living in poverty. In Times Square, people tell Stossel: "Well of course there should be a minimum wage! There should definitely be affirmative action!" But this week Stossel and economist Walter Williams report that what we think we know is wrong. … more
This video profiles Madison-Carver Academy and Cornerstone Health High School, two public charter schools in the City of Detroit. Both schools make use of blended learning, which allows each student to move at his or her individual pace through coursework.
