State Government Playing Favorites With Food Providers

State Government Playing Favorites With Food Providers [Michigan Capitol Confidential]:
"There are about 10 grocery stores in Marquette serving a population of about 21,355 in the Upper Peninsula city.
And one of them has been in the news recently for the financial aid it's receiving from state taxpayers to help with an expansion project.
The Marquette Food Cooperative will get $615,000 for an expansion from the Michigan Economic Development Program and a $115,000 tax abatement from the city of Marquette.
But is that fair?
On its website, the Marquette Food Cooperative boasts about paying its employees above the minimum wage. 
That, says Michael LaFaive, director of the Morey Fiscal Policy Initiative for the Mackinac Center for Public Policy, is evidence that the Co-op shouldn't need government handouts at the expense of its competitors.
If they can do the expansion and pay its employees above minimum wage, more power to them, LaFaive said.
"(But) why drag Michigan taxpayers into the equation?" he said.
"We all want people to do better, but at what price?
 … If the expansion is a worthwhile effort, it should require no government money.""