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...]
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...]
Transferable Tax Credits
Private hands in taxpayers’ pockets It might be illegal under the Nevada Constitution for the government to give any private business a direct “gift” or subsidy — but since when does the ruling class let little things like constitutional intentions get in their way? The purpose of the constitutional ban on giveaways and subsidies to private corporations makes sense. Such … [Read more...]
The Elections Aren’t the End: They’re Just the Beginning
For far too long now, Nevada has been increasing the regulatory and tax burden on businesses, while simultaneously giving special handouts to politically connected companies and industries. It’s an environment that is ripe for corruption, abuse and political shenanigans. It breeds “protectionist lobbying,” allowing politically connected companies to squeeze out small … [Read more...]
The Immoral Crusade for More: Government Intervention Needs to Stop
It seems that whenever someone attacks the core principles of free-market capitalism, they do so with a self-righteous attitude of moral supremacy. After all, the push for redistributing wealth, regulating businesses and expanding government always seems to be “for the greater good,” so it’s easy to see why big government advocates are so smitten with themselves. As such, … [Read more...]
Political Elites Send a Message: ‘Dissent Will Not Be Tolerated’
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...]
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...]
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...]
