What happens when the “public square” is guarded by gatekeepers eager to censor anything they view as inappropriate political speech? That’s a question many conservative and libertarian activists are now asking, as “progressive” social-media companies accelerate their crusade against anything that gets labeled as hate speech, online bullying and fake news. At its outset, … [Read more...]
America’s Revolution: It Wasn’t About a Tax or Tariff – It Was About Consent
The America Revolution was not about a tax or tariff. It was about the consent of the governed or, more precisely, the lack thereof. Many Americans today seem to chalk the revolution up to years of oppressive government from a tyrannical English king. Punitive and unfair taxes, human rights abuses and crippling tariffs — so the simple story goes — led oppressed colonists to … [Read more...]
The Teacher’s Union Civil War: Worker freedom Needed
The union infighting across Nevada and especially in Clark County shows a real need for policy changes that empower workers, not union bosses. Last month, the Clark County Education Association (CCEA) voted to separate from its parent union, the Nevada State Education Association (NSEA). The decision was made, according to CCEA, because the state union regularly fails to … [Read more...]
Just Because It’s Bipartisan, Doesn’t Mean It’s a Good Idea
During the tumultuous presidential primaries in 2016, one candidate promised to impose huge tariffs on Chinese goods, “until they stop dumping steel into the United States,” thus restoring the American steel industry to its former glory. The candidate I’m thinking about was actually the self-described socialist senator from Vermont, Bernie Sanders — but it just as easily … [Read more...]
Encourage Businesses to Invest in Education: Expand Educational Choice
Democrat gubernatorial candidate Steve Sisolak unveiled his education platform last month and, despite his best efforts, he unintentionally made a strong case for expanding Nevada’s only funded educational-choice program: Opportunity Tax-Credit Scholarships. “People want to help” improve education, said Sisolak, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal. “Businesses want to … [Read more...]
The Doublethink of Modern Politics
In George Orwell’s dystopian novel, 1984, he introduced his readers to the concept of “doublethink” — the power of holding two contradictory beliefs in one’s mind simultaneously, and accepting both of them. Orwell concisely illustrated the concept with his fictional government’s contradictory slogan for the people: “War is peace. Freedom is slavery. Ignorance is … [Read more...]
The ‘End of the World’ Comes with a Bump in Pay
One wouldn’t know it listening to many media loudmouths, but the recently passed GOP tax reform bill is producing results that should earn the applause of “progressives.” Unfortunately, as is now par for the course, political tribalism — not legitimate policy concerns — has encouraged the political left to protest a tax plan that’s poised to benefit every income bracket and … [Read more...]
Where’s the ‘Progressive’ Outrage over Government’s Failures?
Fifty-four years ago this month, President Lyndon B. Johnson announced the beginning of what would turn out to be America’s longest running war: the “War on Poverty.” “This administration today, here and now, declares unconditional war on poverty in America,” boomed Johnson, basking in the applause the grand declaration guaranteed him during his State of the Union … [Read more...]
Political Contempt is Chilling Free Speech
Americans still largely believe in the right to free speech — but they are simultaneously less likely to exercise it than they have been in the past. And it’s not hard to see why. According to a recent Cato survey on the topic, nearly three-fourths of Americans say that “political correctness” has significantly silenced political speech on important issues. A quick … [Read more...]
Be Thankful for Our Ability to Fail
The late Steve Jobs once explained that “A lot of times, people don’t know what they want until you show it to them.” This is clearly the mentality of a successful entrepreneur. Part of this mindset is the ability to see the world, and the marketplace, with fresh eyes — to spot new ways of doing things and then exploit those opportunities while the rest of the world is … [Read more...]
Taxpayers Already Said “No” Once Before
Much like government entitlement programs, it seems there is nothing more permanent in this world than a newly-enacted tax. However, soon, Nevada taxpayers might have an opportunity to create an exception to this rule. The Commerce Tax — the state’s ill-advised tax on gross-receipts — might finally be brought before the voters. Currently, signatures are being gathered to … [Read more...]
Stop Calling Higher Taxes a ‘Reform’: Property Taxes in Nevada
It’s not very often that a bad tax system actually benefits taxpayers — but that’s the case with Nevada’s property tax. Both policy experts and local governments have repeatedly called for reform to the state’s convoluted property tax structure — albeit for entirely different reasons. Many policy experts dislike the current system because it’s unnecessarily complex, and … [Read more...]
Right-to-Work: Improving the Value of Labor Unions in 28 States and Counting
Union bosses often try to portray right-to-work laws — which allow workers to decline or opt out of union membership — as a direct attack on unionization itself, arguing that supporters of employee freedom secretly wish to see workers enslaved under a harsh and punitive employment system. The truth is, if right-to-work supporters were actually trying to destroy unions, … [Read more...]
Special Interests Wanted ESAs Dead: More Than Sandoval Wanted the Program Funded
Teacher unions care more about their share of tax revenue than they do about the quality education of children. More than anything else, that should be the takeaway from the 2017 legislative session — when opponents of educational choice called the Governor’s bluff on Education Savings Accounts (ESAs). Of course, the word “bluff” implies that, ultimately, Sandoval was not … [Read more...]
We Shouldn’t Have to Get Government Permission Slips to Earn a Living
Music therapy, according to Nevada law, is “the clinical use of music interventions” within a therapeutic relationship — including dance, song writing, lyric discussions and even simply listening to music. Nevada law also states that, without the government’s express permission, practicing “music therapy” is a criminal offense. So too is giving professional interior … [Read more...]
The “Green Energy” Lobby is About Cronyism —Not Polar Bears
It comes as no surprise that the Nevada legislature is, yet again, going to try to micromanage the energy market through a variety of new renewable energy mandates and subsidies. Sadly, it is even less of a shock that opposition to these initiatives is scarce, to say the least. After all, the “green energy” movement has done a fantastic job portraying itself as the … [Read more...]
‘Obamacare Lite’ Is Not the Free-Market Solution We Were Promised
When Republicans recently unveiled their first attempt to dismantle the Affordable Care Act, it became obvious the leadership was more focused on repackaging and rewriting than repealing and replacing. Certainly, some changes were suggested that would have boded well for businesses and individuals. While the individual and business mandates would remain a part of the law, … [Read more...]
Lawmakers Should Focus on Consequences of Minimum Wage Hikes – Not Mere Intentions
It didn’t take the new Nevada legislature long before it started toying with the idea of raising the minimum wage. Introduced within the first week of Nevada’s 79th legislative session, SB106 would incrementally increase the minimum wage from the current $8.25 per hour to a grand total of $12 per hour. Another more aggressive proposal — AB175 — was introduced the following … [Read more...]
Federal Land Is About Control, Not Conservation
In the final months of his presidency, President Obama used his executive authority to place millions of acres of western lands “off limits” to development — and big-government environmentalists cheered the move. Certainly the protections put in place by declaring large swaths of western lands “protected” is a policy result that pleases the ecologically concerned — but … [Read more...]
Thanks to Capitalism, the Future Is Quickly Arriving
The future is apparently upon us. It’s true that we don’t yet have flying cars, cities built on clouds or Back-to-the-Future-style hover boards. But we are on the verge of having self-driving cars. And we already have telephones with more computing power than the system that successfully landed men on the moon. And now, thanks to retail giant Amazon, we will soon have … [Read more...]
