A Lawsuit to Seal Michigan's Pork Barrel
Michigan's constitution is supposed to make it hard to earmark money to pet projects, but patronage always tries to find a way. The state's latest budget includes nearly $1 billion for parochial interests. But now there's a lawsuit asking the courts to step in and say no.
The Mackinac Center for Public Policy sued Michigan's labor department Tuesday, arguing that the budget tramples legal restrictions on earmarks. The state constitution that voters approved in 1963 requires two-thirds of legislators to approve any public money spent for local or private purposes. Lawmakers thumb their noses at the substance of that provision by using write-arounds.
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