In case you missed it…

John Tsarpalas

 

Asset forfeiture:

Beyond violations of due process and individual rights, civil asset forfeiture is recognized as a serious criminal justice issue because it incentivizes abuse of the system. Why? Because assets seized through the process directly benefit the law enforcement agencies involved. Of course, some states are worse than others on this front. In Hawaii, for example, the seized assets must be used to “fight crime.” But that’s a term with a lot of latitude for interpretation. The Maui police department, for example, felt the best way to “fight crime” with seized assets was to purchase new ice makers. (Read more)

                                                                                                                                    

Cronyism:

Elon Musk likes to fashion himself as an environmental capitalist — but there’s not much about his business model that is actually capitalistic. Musk’s latest announcement is that he plans to produce “solar roofs” for homes — roof tiles that act as solar arrays, without creating the eyesore of traditional panels. Making the scheme affordable, however, is really only possible thanks to massive federal tax credits awarded to Musk’s company for each installed roof. Once again, Musk shows that he is extremely talented at using “environmentalism” to make money off unsuspecting taxpayers. (Read more)

 

Government corruption:

The larger the school district, the more corruption seems to follow. In late September 2013, CCSD Trustee Erin Cranor came across information indicating that she and fellow trustees had been misled about the actual costs of an insurance contract the district was expected to sign. Rather than costs falling, as trustees had been told, they were actually rising — between $6 and $7 million. Moreover, the new contract contained a massive, unacknowledged increase to the insurance broker’s commission. When Cranor raised the issue, it became clear that district corruption was running deeper than the public realized. (Read more)

 

Federal lands:

Before leaving office, the Obama Administration imposed land use restrictions on more than 72 million acres of western lands — but those protections may not remain in place for very long, thanks to a rarely used anti-regulatory tool. The Congressional Review Act of 1996 gives President Trump and the Republican congress the ability to reverse much of Obama’s last-minute actions on public lands. According to the Pacific Legal Foundation, the act allows Congress to essentially vote on the slew of land-use restrictions. (Read more)

 

John Tsarpalas

John Tsarpalas

President

John Tsarpalas is the President of the Nevada Policy, and is deeply committed to spreading limited government ideas and policy to create a better, more prosperous Nevada for all.

For over three decades, John has educated others in the ideals and benefits of limited government. In the 1980s, John joined the Illinois Libertarian Party and served on its State Central Committee. Later in the 90s, he transitioned to the Republican Party, and became active in the Steve Forbes for President Campaign and flat taxes.

In 2005, he was recruited to become the Executive Director of the Illinois Republican Party where he graduated from the Republican National Committee’s Campaign College, the RNC’s Field Management School, and the Leadership Institute’s activist training.

Additionally, John has served as President of the Sam Adams Alliance and Team Sam where he did issue education and advocacy work in over 10 states, with a focus on the web.

John also founded or helped start the following educational not-for-profits: Think Freely Media, the Haym Salomon Center – where he served as Chairman, the Franklin Center for Government & Public Integrity and Midwest Speaking Professionals.

A native of Chicago, John now lives in Las Vegas with his wife of more than 40 years.