Dick DeVos once served on the Mackinac board of directors and has donated "hundred of thousands of dollars" to the right-wing think tank. Let's ask Dick if he approves selling off the state parks.
With assets that range from sparkling lakes to towering sand dunes to remote hardwood forests, Michigan's state parks rank among our most prized resources.
But in these cash-strapped times, a free-market think tank is floating a novel idea: Why not sell off and "privatize" 14 state parks, including Interlochen, Newaygo and Mears near Pentwater?
Not so fast, says state Sen. Patricia Birkholz, R-Saugatuck. Birkholz considers the proposal rash and ill-founded, prompting her and a colleague to introduce bills to protect state parks from any "knee-jerk" sale.
"I don't think it's a good idea. I just don't think the helter-skelter selling of our state parks makes sense. They are an important part of our tourism economy," Birkholz said.
The plan is offered by the Midland-based Mackinac Center for Public Policy, a conservative champion of smaller government and privatization. The proposal was authored by Russ Harding, a senior policy analyst for the center and former director of Michigan's Department of Environmental Quality under Gov. John Engler.
Harding argued that Michigan's park system -- now encompassing 97 sites -- has expanded into "something quite different" than that envisioned by lawmakers early in the 20th century.
"Michigan has acquired many state parks over the years that are not unique in either their natural resources or their historic value," Harding wrote.
He said the sale of those parks he identified as "good candidates for private ownership" would reap several benefits: It would raise funds, cut competition with private campgrounds, put properties back on the tax rolls and let the state focus on its "truly outstanding natural and historic sites."
Yes, the friends of Mr. DeVos would sell off Michigan's assets and take away the public's use of our beautiful parks. Better yet, turn them into housing developments.
I hope our state legislature puts a stop to this nonsense. Sounds like they might.