In case you missed it…
School Choice
Happy National School Choice Week! Despite the fact that Nevada failed to fund and implement the nation’s first-ever universal school choice program in 2017 — Education Savings Accounts — the landscape for increased choice in education continues to be promising both nationally and locally. Underreported, however, is the fact that the recently passed GOP tax reform plan is, in fact, a step toward greater school choice for many middle-income families. With the Child Tax Credit being increased, many families might soon find themselves in a better financial position to seek out educational options such as extra-curricular lessons, tutoring or even private school. (Read more)
Tax reform
It seems like every week since the passage of the GOP tax plan, we’ve seen multiple stories about businesses giving their workers raises, shelling out bonuses or bringing more money back to the United States — and this last week was no exception. FedEx is the latest company to announce it will be using tax savings to reinvest in its workforce. According to the announcement, employees will see more than $3 billion in raises and wage increases, thanks to the reform. Opponents of the tax plan, however, aren’t letting up. They continue to insist — despite the boosted paychecks and larger take-home pay for most Americans — that the reform is nothing but bad news. (Watch here)
Individual privacy
Do you own your information if it’s digitally held by a software company? What if that information is stored outside of the United States? Where, exactly, is the line that allows the federal government to treat digital property differently than other types of property? These are a few of the questions that are likely to be answered by a pending U.S. Supreme Court case. In short, the U.S. government is seeking access to electronic communications that Microsoft has stored in Ireland — but the software giant is arguing that users, not Microsoft, owns that data, and therefore the government should follow the process for pursuing foreign investigations. The government, unsurprisingly, disagrees. As Ilya Shapiro writes at The Federalist, “The online world relies on trust. If consumers cannot trust that their data is secure and private, they will be far less likely to engage in e-commerce or even to send email.” (Read more)
Healthcare
Nevada Policy Research Institute’s recent paper highlighting the possibility of work-requirements for able-bodied Medicaid enrollees is already making noise throughout the state. The Nevada Independent reported that, unsurprisingly, “progressive” groups and politicians are largely opposed to the idea — an idea that is conceptually similar to the welfare work-requirements implemented by the Clinton administration in the 1990s. But, as NPRI Policy Analyst Daniel Honchariw points out, “Unfortunately, as the system currently works, it actually encourages many able-bodied adults to stay out of the workforce. As a result, the program isn’t just draining public finances, it’s eroding the self-sufficiency of those it’s purportedly supposed to be trying to help.” (Read more)
Cronyism
Amazon is still pitting cities against each other, shopping around for the “best” crony deal politicians are willing to offer. Maryland's Republican governor, Larry Hogan, is pulling out all the stops in an effort to woo the corporation into his backyard. Hogan’s proposal includes $150 million in direct grants, as well as infrastructure upgrades, transit projects and tax abatements totaling roughly $5 billion. Maybe, rather than shelling out $5 billion to a private company, politicians in Maryland should focus on improving the state’s business climate for the entrepreneurs and corporations already in its backyard. (Read more and watch the video)
Fiscal and economic
Truth In Accounting has released its most recent evaluation of the finances of major cities — and the news isn’t great for Las Vegas. The City’s debt burden is roughly $241 million, or $1,200 for every Las Vegas taxpayer. Additionally, the city has more than $535 million in unfunded pension promises and almost $74 million in unfunded retiree healthcare benefits. But, there is a bright side: Las Vegas was transparent about some of its liabilities, which is more than we can say for many big cities. (Read more here — Las Vegas information is on page 62 of the study.)