The Detroit Regional Chamber of Commerce’s Policy Conference on Mackinac Island wraps up today. The annual event purports to be an opportunity for prominent politicians of both parties to mingle with Michigan’s business leaders for the purpose of sharing ideas and building consensus on improving our state. Last year, I attended the conference as part of a panel discussion on government race preferences, and found the Conference more akin to a surreal junket to Oz that represents a real threat to Michigan’s everyday citizens.

The atmosphere on the island is very genteel. Elegantly dressed government elites mingle with leaders of the automotive industry and, surprisingly, leaders of taxspending organizations like public university lobbyists, associations representing Medicaid beneficiaries, public schools, and non-profit entities that are dependant on government grants. I kept track of name badges on people I met as my island junket progressed (the Detroit Regional Chamber picked up my tab) and concluded that private sector attendees comprised about 25% of the Conference. And some of those were media members. The other private sector attendees were almost entirely automotive, very large businesses, or not ‘private sector’ in reality (like Blue Cross/Blue Shield). This year big labor union leaders were added to the invite list.

The Island is very beautiful, the food is magnificent, and the wine flows freely. Of course, its ALL free for many attendees. But for those that pay the conference fee, its well worth the price to be part of the ‘in’ crowd making decisions about how much money will be taken from citizens and who it will it be redistributed to.

Guess whose NOT on the Island? You. If you are an everyday taxpayer, a small or medium sized business owner, a student paying tuition, or a retiree, than you are not there. Sure, there are token representatives of the independent business community invited for ‘cover.’ And I was invited as a token opponent to government race preference programs that 80% of the audience attending the panel supported. But the Island may actually exceed Lansing itself in disproportionate representation of taxspenders and taxeaters compared to taxpayers.

Surprise! Policy agreements that crystallize annually during the Conference are big-spending, centrally planned, government boondoggles. Like massive increased government spending on mass transit.

This year, the big agreement on the Island is that the state’s dreaded Single Business Tax, eliminated through a citizen petition drive, will be replaced by a new tax - dollar for dollar. Forget that the citizen petitions stated clearly that the SBT shall be eliminated and replaced by a LESS BURDENSOME replacement. You know, like a tax CUT for Michigan’s disappearing job providers.

Ahh, those citizen taxpayers. Don’t they understand the need for everyone on the Island to find consensus, to get along? The media will gush about the bipartisanship! There will be peace on the porch of the Grand Hotel tonight. The sunset over the tip of Lake Michigan will be enjoyed with new friends, fine cigars and many spectacular glasses of fine pinot noir.

But for the rest of Michigan, the sun is setting too…on our economic future.

Leon Drolet
Executive Director
Michigan Taxpayers Alliance
www.mitaxpayers.org

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