Key arguments supporting President Joe Biden’s Build Back Better (BBB) tax-and-spend bill have been thoroughly debunked, including some in this space last month. So, let’s examine the major damage it would do to see why Nevada’s congressional representatives should oppose it. Its problems start with misrepresentations by proponents of the facts. Their most outrageous claim … [Read more...] about Let’s Define Better
Free Market Watch
Economic MobilityKeeping the American Dream Alive
With Nevada’s Congressional delegates facing votes on President Joe Biden’s proposed income tax increases, questions of wealth and income distribution, tax fairness, economic growth and economic mobility have become central in public debate. A study of literature and empirical studies on economic mobility show there is still substantial economic mobility from generation to … [Read more...] about Economic Mobility
Progressivism, the Administrative State and the Public Interest
Ron Knecht is Senior Policy Fellow at Nevada Policy Research Institute As Ben Franklin left the Constitutional Convention on September 17, 1787, he was asked what kind of government we would have. “A Republic,” he replied, “if you can keep it.” The Founders addressed that and other challenges by establishing checks and balances among three branches of the federal … [Read more...] about Progressivism, the Administrative State and the Public Interest
Vaccine Mandates are Everything that’s Wrong with Modern Politics
Not every “good” idea should be a government mandate, nor should every “bad” idea be made illegal. Receiving the COVID vaccine, for the vast majority of American adults, is a good idea. The vaccination is provably effective at lowering the risk of hospitalization or death. For those who have received it, the risk posed by the coronavirus is effectively the same as the common … [Read more...] about Vaccine Mandates are Everything that’s Wrong with Modern Politics
The Public Education Monopoly is Not Long for This World
Our one-size-fits-all public education model simply isn’t up to the challenges faced by a post-pandemic world. Although, to be fair, it wasn’t exactly knocking it out of the park prior to the pandemic either. Nonetheless, the seismic disruptions to our world—economically, socially and culturally—are demonstrating the full extent of such a system’s shortcomings. As usual, … [Read more...] about The Public Education Monopoly is Not Long for This World
Beware of Supposedly ‘Pro-Business’ Politicians
Being “pro-business” is a nice talking point for politicians— but often that’s all it is: A talking point. The truth is, the term doesn’t actually mean much in today’s political climate. Certainly, it looks good on campaign flyers, and sounds good in 30 second radio spots—however, businesses aren’t some monolithic demographic with universally recognized values. In fact, the … [Read more...] about Beware of Supposedly ‘Pro-Business’ Politicians
Are We Still a Free People?
This July Fourth, as we set off our illegal fireworks, ignore federally-required warnings about letting young children play with sparklers, and celebrate our liberation from government-mandated COVID protocols, it seems like a prescient time to ponder if we are still a “free people.” It’s a surprisingly complex question to answer. Obviously, to anyone who … [Read more...] about Are We Still a Free People?
Once Every Two Years is Often Enough
As the legislature mercifully comes to its predictably frantic close, we should be asking ourselves, “Why would anyone want this chaos every single year?” Nonetheless, there are plenty of activists, lawmakers, government agencies and special interests who would love to do just that—move to yearly legislative sessions rather than our usual biennial affair. In 2019, Senator … [Read more...] about Once Every Two Years is Often Enough
New Taxes Aren’t Just a Bad Idea, They’re an Insult to Struggling Nevadans
Even before the federal government decided to throw roughly $4.5 billion federal dollars Nevada’s way as part of a COVID relief package, state government had been spared most of the pain from the last year of arbitrary and devastating coronavirus restrictions. While Nevada workers suffer from some of the worst unemployment rates in the nation (Las Vegas has stubbornly rated … [Read more...] about New Taxes Aren’t Just a Bad Idea, They’re an Insult to Struggling Nevadans
A Zero-Risk Society is Not a Reasonable Policy Proposal
Some Nevadans might be old enough to remember when “two weeks to slow the spread” was the official position of most governors invoking vast emergency powers in response to the novel coronavirus. Long gone are those days. For more than a year, we have lived in a world where one-man-rule suddenly usurped representative democracy as the standard form of state government and … [Read more...] about A Zero-Risk Society is Not a Reasonable Policy Proposal
The Human Cost of Government Unions’ Political Power
The prolonged closure of in-person education across the nation isn’t merely a frustration for parents and students—it is a radical demonstration of just how destructive the political power of teacher unions has become to our system of education. Even during “normal times”, the priorities of teacher unions have often clashed with those of parents, students and taxpayers. For … [Read more...] about The Human Cost of Government Unions’ Political Power
It’s Time for Lawmakers to do More with Less
For private businesses trying to rebuild in a post-COVID world, their main task in 2021 will be “doing more with less.” Government should be doing the same. The good news for fiscal hawks going into the 2021 Legislative Session is that politicians in Carson City don’t really have much of a choice but to have a discussion that otherwise likely wouldn’t be taking place with … [Read more...] about It’s Time for Lawmakers to do More with Less
Be Optimistic: The World as We Know it is Ending
So, this decade didn’t really start off on the right foot. In the span of three months, we went from happily ringing in the 2020 New Year with friends and family, to being confined to effective house-arrest as a global pandemic brought out the authoritarian tendencies of our elected officials. On top of that, the nation reeled from cultural and political divides that resulted … [Read more...] about Be Optimistic: The World as We Know it is Ending
The Future Belongs to the Entrepreneurs
Thanks to the rise of the “gig economy” and a growing disinterest among young workers for the traditional nine-to-five day job, the way Americans think about work was evolving even before the chaos of the coronavirus shutdowns. The events of 2020, and the massive economic disruptions it has brought, has only further accelerated this trend—which could actually be good news for … [Read more...] about The Future Belongs to the Entrepreneurs
The Election Won’t Fix What’s Wrong with 2020
Mercifully, 2020 will soon be over. Given the way this year has been a non-stop exhibition of cultural, social and political crises, it’s tempting to think that maybe after the election things will begin to calm down. It’s a nice thought… but it’s one that is largely divorced from reality. The truth is, from the coronavirus to the social unrest we’ve seen in 2020, the … [Read more...] about The Election Won’t Fix What’s Wrong with 2020
Which ‘Emergency Orders’ Should We Just Start Ignoring?
At what point do government mandates become so absurd and arbitrary, that it is socially acceptable to start ignoring them outright? Well, if governors keep acting the way they have throughout the coronavirus crisis, we might soon find out. From the beginning, the response to the pandemic has been a dramatic demonstration of just how capricious and arrogant politicians can … [Read more...] about Which ‘Emergency Orders’ Should We Just Start Ignoring?
The New Intolerant America
Americans of all ideological stripes are growing more intolerant of people who don’t share their political outlook. According to a Cato Institute survey released this summer, fifty percent of “strong liberals” support the idea of firing business executives who donate to President Donald Trump’s reelection campaign—an unsurprising (though still appalling) statistic, given the … [Read more...] about The New Intolerant America
The Nevada Legislature Also Has a ProblemSeparation of Powers, Part II
The governor’s willingness to embrace near-dictatorial powers during a state of emergency isn’t the only instance where a blatant disregard for separation-of-powers doctrine is doing damage to Nevada’s democratic system of government. As it turns out, the legislature has also long demonstrated flagrant contempt for the concept of three co-equal branches of government—a core … [Read more...] about The Nevada Legislature Also Has a Problem
Separation of Powers Should Matter in Times of Emergency Too
For the next several months, maybe even years, we will be hearing about the long-lasting effects of the “coronavirus shutdown.” There will be ongoing public debate over how Nevada “should” have responded to the global pandemic as we learn more about the virus and the consequences of shutting down an entire state for months on end. However, that debate somewhat misses the … [Read more...] about Separation of Powers Should Matter in Times of Emergency Too
Backroom Labor Deals are a Disservice to Taxpayers and Public Workers Alike
In the months and years ahead, the economic reality of the coronavirus shutdown will collide in dramatic fashion with the priorities of public sector unions. This month, many government agencies will be negotiating new labor contracts with union officials — contracts that will set pay schedules, determine salary increases and govern the personnel costs for each agency. What … [Read more...] about Backroom Labor Deals are a Disservice to Taxpayers and Public Workers Alike