In case you missed it…
Culture
Young Americans, we’re told, are increasingly fond of so-called “Democratic Socialism.” However judging young Americans by the way they act in the economy, rather than merely by the way they speak or even vote, one could easily find them even more pro-capitalist than many of the generations that preceded them. So, what can account for this dichotomy? Simply put, the word “socialism” in modern American politics doesn’t mean what it used to — and, as a result, a Grand Canyon-sized opportunity is open for the liberty movement to win the hearts and minds of young Americans. (Read more)
Free markets
The Clark County Education Association has endorsed choice… Well, sort of. Actually, the CCEA came out in support of Ballot Measure 3 — the “Energy Choice” proposal that would provide Nevada with a competitive consumer energy market. In its official statement, the union blasted the concept of government-sanctioned monopolies. It was an especially noteworthy line of attack, given that CCEA itself exercises a state-granted monopoly over teacher representation — and in a school district that itself exercises a government-granted monopoly over publicly funded education. As Nevada Policy Senior Policy Analyst Daniel Honchariw pointed out in a recent letter to the editor, “It’s refreshing to see the teacher union embrace the economic reality that free markets and competition serve consumers better than a monopoly. Now it’s time to apply that same mindset to education.” (Read Nevada Policy’s reaction to CCEA here)
Fiscal and taxes
Hopefully you’re better at saving money than Nevada’s politicians. Nevada’s rainy day fund doesn’t even have enough money to keep the government running for a mere week. With a just 3.6 days-worth of reserve funds, Nevada was one of only eight states with less than a week’s worth of emergency funding available. The reason? Well, certainly government dipped into the fund during the recession — but since then, politicians have been too busy spending every dime they collect in tax revenue to put any away for emergencies. As Nevada Policy’s Robert Fellner told the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Nevada’s poor ranking is reflective of a classic “tax-and-spend mentality.” (Read more)
Supreme Court
The confirmation hearings for Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination to the Supreme Court immediately devolved into little more than a political circus. Loony protests, wild-eyed outrage and over-the-top hysterics characterized the process. Senator Ben Sasse (R-NE) thinks he knows why: Americans no longer have a real understanding of what the Supreme Court is supposed to be, because our understanding of civics has been eroded by Washington D.C.’s dysfunction. Because federal lawmakers have increasingly passed off important political issues to unaccountable bureaucrats, the Supreme Court, according to Sasse, has become a “substitute political battleground.” His comments were long, but well worth it. (Watch the video)
Free speech
Recently, tech giants have decided to ban the blueprints for 3D-printed guns. And now, things have escalated. Not only have social media giants such as Facebook and YouTube censored “how-to” videos and guides for 3D-printed firearms, but even more mundane videos — such as press-conference videos and fundraising efforts — have been censored. (Read more about that here.) But that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Calls have been made for government to step in and place an outright ban on blueprints for similar 3D-printed firearms as well. What advocates of this kind of censorship don’t seem to understand, however, is that banning information is not only a violation of the First Amendment (when government does it), but such efforts are guaranteed to be ineffective — especially in our current digital age. As Reason.com points out, “efforts to restrict the distribution of digital contraband have a pretty lousy track record.” (Read more)
Government corruption
Corruption, abuse of power and arrogance have always characterized government. That’s why the work done by investigative journalists like Kimberley Strassel is more important than ever. Her groundbreaking reporting on the abuse and corruption within the FBI probe of the Trump campaign has been making headlines for months now, and so, naturally, NPRI is thrilled to announce Strassel is returning to Nevada to speak to our supporters about her crucial work this very month! Tickets are still available, so don’t miss out on your chance to hear Kimberley speak at Nevada Policy’s Anniversary Celebration in Las Vegas on September 20th. Click here to register today!