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Dear Capitol Confidential Reader:

A family of four, already dealing with disabilities, saw their health care costs skyrocket because of Obamacare.

Law enforcement officials seized property and froze the bank accounts of two Michigan residents for months – without charging them with a crime.

A public school district contract discriminated against teachers of the Christian faith.

These were among Michigan Capitol Confidential’s top 10 articles of 2014. What do they have in common?

They all tell a story of someone harmed by a government policy.

If you wonder why government keeps getting bigger and more powerful, then one answer is that we are missing the kind of watchdog journalism that holds lawmakers and special interest groups in check.

That’s why the Mackinac Center publishes Capitol Confidential — to hold government accountable to the people.

As a nonprofit operation, we are funded by voluntary support from donors. We don’t charge for Capitol Confidential because we want to reach as many Michigan residents as possible. Of course, we also don’t receive any government funding – and we wouldn’t take it if offered!

That’s why I’m asking you today to consider a year-end gift to support Capitol Confidential. Your gift means we can get the truth to the people, challenge government overreach and change the public debate.

Capitol Confidential is a way to fight back against the “government knows best” attitude in Lansing, in Washington, D.C., and in so many city halls around our state.

Government certainly didn’t know best for the Daverts.

Ken has cerebral palsy. His wife, Melissa, and the couple's twin children have brittle bone disease and a high susceptibility to lung infections. They saw a 300 percent increase in costs after the Affordable Care Act took effect.

“We have such a unique family and we've overcome many obstacles,” Ken Davert told us in January. “Now it's a shame that one of the obstacles we have to overcome is our own government to pay for health insurance.”

Capitol Confidential has been reporting stories like this for more than seven years. We have a solid track record of uncovering government folly and special interest influence. Our reporting helped end the secretive “dues skim” under which the Service Employees International Union collected millions of dollars each year from caretakers of the elderly or disabled.

All of this has led to explosive growth in our readership.

But digging into government activity takes a dedicated news team.

Will you consider a tax-deductible gift for this work?

Please help us get the facts to the people on the debates facing us in the coming year on roads, schools and taxes.

Thank you for your consideration. Gifts to Michigan Capitol Confidential are tax-deductible to the full extent allowed by law.

Sincerely,