In case you missed it…
Nevada legislature:
Last-minute negotiations over Education Savings Accounts are quickly heating up at the Nevada Legislature. Parents showed up in large numbers Monday to testify in support of SB506 — but that was just the beginning. On Thursday, negotiations broke down, causing Republicans to vote against a number of Democrat proposals. Democrats then retaliated by rejecting any funding for the program — leading one anti-ESA lawmaker to tell a parent that “payback is a bitch.” Despite the contentious back and forth, Sandoval continues to say that an agreement will be made between the two sides before the end of the legislative session on Monday. (Read more)
Government regulation:
An Obama Administration rule aimed at policing retirement investments could keep millions of average American investors from getting professional guidance, according to a new report from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. The Chamber’s Center for Capital Markets Competitiveness warns that the rules — which would allow regulators to oversee the relationship between advisers and clients — would effectively kill access to retirement consultants for large groups of Americans. So far, the Trump Administration has not indicated if it will kill the regulatory scheme. (Read more)
Free speech:
The newspaper for Wellesley College recently ran an editorial explaining that the college deeply values free speech — unless such speech is determined to be “hate” speech. The editorial, which nonsensically juggles the phrase “free speech” with the explicit call for censorship, even suggests that politically unpopular speech should, in certain circumstances, be countered with “hostility” from students. “If people are given the resources to learn and either continue to speak hate speech or refuse to adapt their beliefs,” it reads, “then hostility may be warranted. If people continue to support racist politicians or pay for speakers that prop up speech that will lead to the harm of others, then it is critical to take the appropriate measures to hold them accountable for their actions.” According to the editorial, censorship is necessary to address “problematic opinions.” (Read more)
Government waste and abuse:
Federal and state governments are usually the main focus when it comes to identifying government waste, fraud and abuse. But local governments often have just as much impact on our daily lives. One town government recently forced teenagers to get business licenses for, during the summer, cutting their neighbor’s grass. In New York, corrupt and incompetent teachers are often kept on the payroll, despite not being allowed to actually do any work. While, the examples are almost endless, Dan Mitchell provides some recent highlights. (Read more)
Labor unions:
One of the nation’s most influential labor unions, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), spent more money on partisan political activities than it did on actually representing its members. About $20 million more. In 2016 alone, the union spent $55.3 million on “political activities and lobbying” compared to the $36.4 million in “representational activities.” Think about that. That means over $55 million paid by taxpayers was used explicitly to lobby governments to take more money from taxpayers for ever-higher taxpayer-funded salaries. (Read more)