Nineteen U.S. senators, organized by global-warming alarmist groups, took to the Senate floor recently in an attempt to smear anyone who dares publicly criticize Big Government’s “green energy” schemes. Harry Reid led the charge — singling out the Nevada Policy Research Institute (NPRI), by name. “Those who ignore the climate crisis, or deny it exists, do not have a valid … [Read more...]
Public Sector Unions: Not pro-worker, rather Anti-Freedom
What level of service would private businesses provide if they knew their consumers had no choice but to purchase their product? In the real-world of private-sector industry, customers are retained by providing them with a good or a service at a price they are willing to pay. In the world of public-sector unions, however, coercion, cronyism and deceit are the favored methods … [Read more...]
If Cronyism Is the Problem, Maybe We Should Stop Empowering Its Enablers
America’s young adults don’t seem nearly as turned off by socialism as do their parents and grandparents. Actually, they seem pretty receptive to the concept. No doubt decades of class warfare have helped make younger generations feel more inclined to “soak the rich.” But, it also seems likely they’re more prone to flirting with socialism because of general disillusionment … [Read more...]
Teacher Unions Put Unions First, Not Students
Teachers in Detroit went on strike last month — demonstrating once again that union bosses are not nearly as interested in quality education for children, as they are in maintaining the political power of their unions. Of course, union apologists will argue that what happened in Detroit, where teachers are legally barred from striking, was not technically a “strike.” … [Read more...]
ESA’s Aren’t About Politics — They’re About the Students
If Nevada is serious about improving education throughout the state, it needs to begin focusing on children — not taxpayer-funded bureaucracies. By using students and teachers as little more than political props, the established public school system routinely pressures voters, taxpayers and politicians for an ever-increasing amount of funding. Governor Brian Sandoval used … [Read more...]
The Discriminatory Law Being Used to Torpedo Educational Choice in Nevada
It seems ironic that a group named something as benevolent as “The American Civil Liberties Union” would be using a discriminatory law from the 1800s to prohibit disadvantaged Nevadans from obtaining quality education. But, that’s exactly what is happening. In one of the two court cases aimed at stopping Nevada’s innovative Education Savings Accounts, the ACLU is arguing … [Read more...]
History Repeats Itself
One of the problems with “progressive” ideas is that they often turn out to be the recycled remains of already tried-and-failed concepts. Nevada’s Commerce Tax — set to take effect this summer — is a prime example. Billed as an innovative tax on large businesses, the Commerce Tax will soon slap a new cost of doing business on any company with more than $4 million in … [Read more...]
Good or Bad Financial Times, Government Just Keeps Growing
Many government workers are probably wondering what all the fuss is about when they think back to the “great recession.” Sure, home values dropped and things seemed to slow down a bit, but it wasn’t really that bad, right? Well, not for them. It’s no secret that government employees enjoy considerably more job security than their private-sector counterparts, but the … [Read more...]
The Minimum Wage is not Just Anti-Business – It’s Anti-Worker as Well
Workers who make the least are hit hardest by short-sighted minimum wage hikes As economist Murray Rothbard once put it, there is only one way to describe a minimum wage law: “It is compulsory unemployment.” If the activist group The Committee to Raise the Minimum Wage in Nevada gets their way, Nevadans will see exactly what Rothbard warned against. The group has filed a … [Read more...]
Report Card Shows which Lawmakers Stood up for Taxpayers: Only 20 of 63 Kept their Commitments to Taxpayers
It’s easy for elected officials to pay lip service to how well they’re doing and talk about their achievements but, just as in school, report cards show the world what actually happened. To that end, the Nevada Policy Research Institute (NPRI) has just released its 2015 Legislative Review & Report Card, which includes a narrative overview of the session and scores every … [Read more...]
The Issue of Land: A Key Discussion for Nevada’s Future
As Presidential candidates make their way to Nevada, the economy will undoubtedly be among their talking points, and in the West, the future of the economy has much to do with land. The issue of land ownership is perhaps nowhere more important than in Nevada, which is overwhelmingly hogtied by the federal government. Holding title to over 81 percent of Nevada land, the … [Read more...]
Businesses Needed for Scholarship Program: At No Net Cost to Firms, Donations will Improve the Lives of Students
Despite the spin from some, Nevada business people care deeply about education in Nevada and routinely donate millions towards K-12 and higher education. Unfortunately, politicians also routinely force “contributions” by raising taxes, including the largest tax hike in Nevada history during the last legislative session. For decades, business owners and employees have paid … [Read more...]
The Choice Union Members Don’t Know They Have: Why Employee Freedom Scares Union Bosses
Have you ever bought a new washer and dryer only to discover that the store down the street sold the same set for $750 less? It’s a frustrating experience to find out that you had better options than the ones you knew about. This is the situation that tens of thousands of Nevada union members unknowingly find themselves in. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics … [Read more...]
Learning the Minimum Wage Lesson
Nevada doesn’t have to learn the hard way when it comes to raising the minimum wage It’s always better to learn from someone else’s mistakes before being affected by those mistakes personally. Seattle didn’t have this luxury when its city council voted last year to raise its minimum wage to $15 an hour, making it the municipality with the highest minimum wage in the … [Read more...]
Death and Taxes: With Some Revision, Sandoval’s Tax Hikes Not Necessary
In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.” — Benjamin Franklin Had Benjamin Franklin been living in 21st century Nevada, his famous quote might have read something like this: In Nevada, nothing seems certain, except death and tax increases. It appears that — regardless of who is elected, which party holds the majority, or how hard those in … [Read more...]
Green Schools Not Right for Nevada
As districts begin to build new schools, they should focus on kids, not environmental activists New school buildings are coming to Nevada, and if recent years are any indication, the push to build those schools to “green” standards will be as strong as the push that led lawmakers to authorize 10 additional years of bonding without voter approval to fund the construction of … [Read more...]
Stop the Insanity of Runaway Education Spending
Wholesale reform needed to improve Nevada education Anyone who has had an appliance break, a vehicle die or a computer fail knows the inevitable realization that paying for repair after repair no longer makes sense. No matter how many fixes are made, nothing can be successfully repaired into eternity. For some things, initial fixes make sense. One might get another year … [Read more...]
Retiring in the Lap of Taxpayer-Funded Luxury
How pensions in Nevada are often better than paychecks Know a public employee in Nevada who is looking for a pay raise? Tell him to retire. According to a new analysis made possible by the court-ordered release of Nevada’s Public Employee Retirement System payment records, once-public employees in the Silver State are making golden pensions — so generous that their … [Read more...]
What to Expect from Carson City in 2015:Republican Sweep Creates New Opportunities for Policy Reforms
The November wave that swept Republicans to victory not only solidified their control of the governor’s mansion but also saw them capture both chambers of the Nevada Legislature for the first time in 85 years. So now what? In the lifetime since Republicans last controlled the legislative process, liberal policies, decade after decade, have generated many problems for the … [Read more...]
Medicaid Expansion Pressures Nevada’s Poor, Doctors, State Budget
Addition of 281,000 to state dole creating long waits for doctor openings Last year, almost 25,000 Nevadans found their health plans canceled, thanks to the so-called Affordable Care Act. The ACA also caused a dramatic increase in the price of individual insurance plans — with Nevada having the largest premium increases in the entire country, according to a national study … [Read more...]
