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…

New Documents Reveal “Skunk Works” Cover-Up

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE News from Progress Michigan Thursday, May 9, 2013 Contact: Jessica Tramontana, jessica@progressmichigan.org, 517-974-6302 FOIA request on secret Snyder voucher group partially denied after online records deleted LANSING – Today citizens’ watchdog group Progress Michigan released the Freedom of Information Act response from Gov. Snyder’s administration on the secret “Skunk Works” voucher group.…

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…

Snyder Administration Refuses to Disclose Costs of RTW Promotional Materials

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE News from Progress Michigan Thursday, April 25, 2013 Contact: Jessica Tramontana, 517.974.6302, jessica@progressmichigan.org Snyder Administration Refuses to Disclose Costs of RTW Promotional Materials State departments deny FOIA request disclosing costs to taxpayers for RTW flyer LANSING — Citizen Watchdog group Progress Michigan is calling on Governor Rick Snyder and the Michigan Department of…

Something stinks about “Skunk Works”

Last week, the Detroit News ran a stunning expose on the up-until-then secret meetings between Gov. Snyder’s executive office and Mackinac Center co-founder Richard McClellan. Their goal is simple: making a profit while educating our children by turning Michigan’s public education system into a voucher-like hybrid. They call their project “Skunk Works.” The phrase “Skunk…