The integrity of our tax system relies on clear boundaries. Under Section 501©(3) of the tax code, tax-exempt organizations are strictly prohibited from intervening in political campaigns. Taxpayer-subsidized entities must not serve as partisan infrastructure.

The Heritage Foundation’s “Project 2025” raises substantial compliance questions. By developing a personnel database and policy framework explicitly tailored for the current administration, it functions, in my opinion, as a transition operation, blurring objective research with partisan intervention. This is demonstrated by their own statements:

Paul Dans: The former Project 2025 director stated its purpose was to “ensure that the next conservative President is ready to govern on Day One.” By my interpretation, this could constitute a prohibited in-kind contribution of professional services.

Heritage Communications: Their own press release called the Mandate for Leadership “the transition plan” for the administration.

Kevin Roberts: Heritage’s president characterized their work as a “second American Revolution,” aligning charitable resources, as I see it, with combative political outcomes rather than education.

Furthermore, Heritage aligns with the MAGA faction, Turning Point USA and Christian Nationalism — ideologies I believe are fundamentally incompatible with traditional conservative tenets:

States’ Rights: Traditional Republicanism champions federalism and local control over policing. Conversely, President Trump has, according to public statements, advocated for deploying the federal military to police local communities, violating, as I view it, the core conservative commitment to limiting federal overreach.

Government and Religion: Traditional conservatism protects religious freedom through the separation of church and state. Christian Nationalism instead seeks, from my perspective, to use state power to enforce specific religious doctrines. Institutionalizing a single faith makes the U.S. function more like a theocracy, such as Iran, rather than a democratic republic.

Constitutional Accuracy: By my reading of history, claims that the U.S. was established as a “Christian Nation” are historically inaccurate. Many Founding Fathers were Enlightenment Deists who drafted a secular Constitution with no reference to God, explicitly banning religious tests for office. Additionally, the unanimously ratified 1797 Treaty of Tripoli declares our government “is not founded in any sense on the Christian religion.”

Economic Philosophy: MAGA breaks, in my estimation, from traditional conservatism’s focus on free trade, fiscal restraint and stable institutions by embracing economic protectionism, broad tariffs and sweeping executive authority.

When an entity shifts from nonpartisan research to acting as the functional transition arm for a specific political faction, it risks its tax-exempt status. The IRS must initiate a formal examination to ensure partisan operations are not subsidized by the American taxpayer.

Jason L. Wolven

Ludington

Jimmy Carter’s example still defines servant leadership

President Trump desires a Nobel Peace Prize. Although former President Jimmy Carter is not remembered by many as a strong president, the years following his term in office defined him as a servant leader for the ages as he remained committed to the pursuit of peace for all people.

The Peace Prize he received in 2002 was awarded for decades of untiring effort to find peaceful solutions to international conflicts, to advance democracy and human rights, and to promote economic and social development. He continued to write, teach, build homes for Habitat for Humanity and do, in his words, “whatever I can, wherever I can, whenever I can, for as long as I can.”

The Creator asks us to turn our focus away from ourselves toward the troubles in our world. Sadly, the president does not appear to see a need to do that.

Karen Disegna

Ludington

Questions raised over past senior millage levies in Mason County

Not Levying Full Senior Millage Resulted in $1,079,177 Fewer Dollars for Senior Services

When I initially started looking at the amount of millage being levied for senior services, there was a seven-year period (2014-2020) that the full 0.2979 mill was not levied. The amount of money available but not received for senior citizen services for those seven years was a little over $402,000.

In a meeting with a county employee on Aug. 4, 2022, a friend and I were told that prior to the seven years we had been discussing, full voter-approved millage had been levied each year. Unfortunately, that turned out not to be true.

A deeper look into the history of senior millage in Mason County revealed that from 2006 through 2020, a period of 15 years, the full voter-approved millage was not levied by the county, resulting in $1,079,177 fewer dollars for senior citizen services.

I sent the data below to each county commissioner and the county administrator, asking that it be reviewed for accuracy. I received a response from the county administrator confirming the accuracy of the data below.

Total dollars not received for senior services, 2006 through 2020: $1,079,177

Note: In 2021 the full voter-approved millage was levied and has been levied each year since.

I’m sure some people will wonder why I am sharing this information. It’s old news and we can never get the money. I am sharing this information for three reasons.

My first reason is to remind people of the importance of being informed and involved regarding local government. Attend board meetings, talk with the board member representing you, ask questions, write letters and get involved. It is important to do these things, but it is also important to do them in the right way. Be reasonable, be respectful, don’t be belligerent, listen, and know that you can make a difference when things are not right.

My second reason is to use the information in this article to show what can happen when citizens are not involved, are not asking questions, are not informed, and a board is not transparent. Transparency is widely recognized as a core principle of good governance. Transparency provides access to information and includes sharing information and acting in an open manner. Leaders and organizations at any level that practice transparency send a strong message of integrity to those they lead and serve, as well as a feeling they can be trusted.

The third reason for writing this article is to make the public aware of what I believe is a definite concern regarding the millage amount currently levied to fund services for senior citizens.

  • In 2000, 17.3% of the population in Mason County was 65 and older.In 2025, that percentage was 27.5%,which is significantly higher than the state average of 19.6%.By 2029, the projected percentage is 29-31%.As that population percentage has increased, so have the needs of our senior citizens. And this isn’t going to change in the near future because the 65-and-older demographic is the fastest-growing population in the county.

Millage for senior citizen services was first passed in Mason County in 1988 at the rate of 0.2979 mill. This same millage rate has been renewed six times, each for a period of six years. The last renewal was in 2024 and will expire at the end of 2029.

While both our senior population and senior needs have increased dramatically in the last 25 years, when the millage rate expires at the end of 2029 we will have had the same millage rate for 41 years, while the percentage of the population 65 and older will have increased from 17.3% to more than 30%.

In addition, since 2024, revenue received to fund senior services has not covered expenses, and some previously funded programs have been reduced or eliminated. The time has come to start planning ahead, take a serious look at the current millage rate, and give serious consideration to providing Mason County voters the opportunity to consider an increase in millage for senior services.

Our seniors deserve nothing less. Wouldn’t it be nice to have that $1,079,177 now?

— U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts.

Gene Kyle

Ludington

Don’t Let Noise Pollution Change Mason County

Judging from the large number of volunteers who donate their time to preserve Mason County’s natural beauty and serene surroundings, we are a community that values these wonderful gifts.

However, our peaceful environment can be easily disrupted by man-made noise pollution. In my view, noise pollution is a serious issue that affects our health and welfare, and it could get worse. More than 200 people packed a recent Stronach Township meeting to voice their concerns over a proposed data center. As I understand it, Michigan is a desirable location for data centers because they require lots of water and electricity. As I see it, the noise is continuous and relentless.

I live in Hamlin Township. A recent announcement on the township website states, “we all live in Hamlin Township for the view — from the towering dunes to our quiet wooded roads.” Yet on my previously quiet, wooded road, the pounding noise coming from 40 outdoor concerts last summer and 50 in 2024 shattered our peace. In my experience, when a person has no control over a stress such as relentless noise, it leads to health issues. I believe neighbors experience increased anxiety, high blood pressure, lag in healing from cancer and more.

What can our community do? Support elected officials who care about residents, including the Mason County commissioners who are investigating how to set and enforce occupancy levels at outdoor venues. Ask the Mason County Health Department to do an educational campaign on the harmful effects of noise. Do not patronize businesses that produce excessive noise. Pay attention to local politics and voice your objections to businesses such as data centers and concert venues that, in my opinion, abuse our natural resources, waste electricity and produce relentless noise.

Be aware, use your voice, and stand up for our peace and quiet. We know what we’ve got and we should fight to keep it, rather than become victims as expressed in Joni Mitchell’s song Big Yellow Taxi: “Don’t it always seem to go, that you don’t know what you’ve got ’til it’s gone.”

Tiller Landick

Hamlin Township


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