In case you missed it…
Florida
Mike Rowe, famous for hosting the Discovery Channel’s “Dirty Jobs” series, has become known in recent years as a rare voice of reason in an otherwise hyper-partisan world of celebrities. When asked about his reaction to the deadly school shooting in Parkland, Florida, Rowe once again extended his unique brand of rational thinking to the conversation. “Should we discuss the impact of video games, accessible firearms, single-parents, no parents, powerful medications, social media, mental illness, bullying, or anything else we think might have encouraged [the shooter] to choose evil over good? Without question,” explained Rowe, “but we should also stop confusing the influence of such things, with the root cause.” (Read more)
Privatization
Hosting the Olympics has proven to be a budget-busting “privilege” for cities and their taxpayers. For example, it took Montréal 30 years to pay back the money it borrowed for hosting the 1976 games. The decaying ruins of the elaborate venues built specifically for the games often serve as visual reminders of the massive waste involved in hosting. The facilities in Athens already looks like a landscape from an apocalyptic future. Sochi’s Olympic village was described as a $50 billion “ghetto” just one year after the games ended. The 1984 games, however, were different. Far from leaving behind massive debts and abandoned ruins, the 1984 Olympics actually turned a profit! So, how did they do it? Well, let’s just say it wasn’t government’s doing. (Read more)
Educational choice
A top public school administrator in Washington D.C. was forced out of office this week, after it was discovered that he had conspired with other administrators to illegally place his daughter in the district’s highest-performing public school. As Reason.com explained, “At the end of the day, these self-dealing bureaucrats were trying to get what libertarians have long argued all parents deserve: meaningful choices about where to educate their kids.” (Read more)
Economic development
Nevada’s “economic development” officials are fighting to keep the crony handouts alive in the Silver State, through incentive packages like the one given Tesla to build a big factory in Storey County. Not all policy experts are on board, however. Pew Charitable Trust — hardly a libertarian or limited-government organization — has criticized Nevada’s tax incentive packages, pointing out the lack of accountability. NPRI Communication Director Michael Schaus went even further, pointing out that since low property taxes worked to attract a business such as Tesla, lawmakers should offer low taxes to all businesses — not just those with political clout. (Read more)
Minimum wage
A “progressive” Nevada group is once again pushing for a government-mandated $15 minimum wage — and it’s doing so while depending on the efforts of unpaid interns. As Victor Joecks points out in the Las Vegas Review-Journal, all political and advocacy campaigns depend on volunteers, but these interns are much more than that. According to the job description, interns must work 10 to 15 hours a week for a minimum of 15 weeks, commit to the internship “as they would a work schedule” and attend at least five events that are “often” held outside of regular work hours. Apparently, a $15 minimum wage only sounds good, so long as these progressives don’t actually have to pay their workforce. (Read more)
Continuing series on special education
Don’t miss the latest installment of Fixing Special Ed, NPRI Senior VP Steve Miller’s in-depth series documenting the abuse, law-breaking and deception that too frequently now characterizes public school districts’ administration of special education. Part Two, released this week, details the clear message sent by the U.S. Court of Appeal for the Ninth Circuit — where Nevada appeals must be heard. Not only did the justices of the Ninth oh-so-dispassionately hammer a California school district for its repeatedly attempted deceptions, but the lower district court and its hearing officer got clear reprimands as well. So, is the jig is really up for school districts that attempt to save money by misleading parents? (Read the series here)