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Michael Schaus
Communications Director
Michael Schaus is communications director at the Nevada Policy Research Institute and is responsible for managing the organization’s messaging with the public, the media and NPRI’s membership. He is also currently a policy advisor for the Heartland Institute.Prior to joining NPRI, Michael worked in media as a national columnist, a political humorist and a conservative talk show host in Denver, Colorado. Active in both print and radio, he shared his insights and free-market economics perspective with large local and national audiences.
Michael became interested in economic theory earlier in life while employed in the financial sector. As the liaison between a local community bank and the Federal Reserve, he acquired an in-depth understanding of just how manipulative big government can be toward industry and enterprise. It was that experience with big-government intervention that initially led him into public-affairs commentary.
The new intolerant America
Americans of all ideological stripes are growing more intolerant of people who don’t share their political outlook. According to a Cato Institute survey released this summer, fifty percent of…
Workers deserve the right to walk away from a union
Just ahead of National Employee Freedom Week (August 16-22) a majority of union members at the Boulder Station casino affirmed their desire to leave the union—and just like that,…
Lawmakers cut millions from education and healthcare to appease politically connected unions
Nevada lawmakers have put the concerns of politically connected government unions over those of taxpayers, students and at-risk Nevadans. Rather than restoring funding to education and healthcare services, the Legislature…
Note to governors: Self-government is still possible in times of emergency
For the next several months, maybe even years, we will be hearing about the long-lasting effects of the “coronavirus shutdown.” There will be ongoing public debate over how Nevada “should”…
The decision to ‘re-open’ the economy shouldn’t be government's to make
Destroying the financial hopes and dreams of thousands of Nevadans should have never been seen as the only way to combat a pandemic. And given the depth of the financial…
Government might not be up to the challenge — but individuals are
If you get the sense that government is not up to the challenge presented by a public health crisis, and the economic fallout that results from it, you’re probably right.
Poll: Nevadans, by a 4-1 margin, want transparency in collective bargaining
Sunshine Week (March 15 – 21) — Nearly three out of four likely Nevada voters want more transparency from public employee unions and government agencies, according to a new statewide public opinion poll conducted…
Making Nevadans pay the nation's highest sales tax won’t fix our schools
Nevadans deserve an education system that actually works for students, not merely one that takes more hard-earned money from working families. The Silver State already spends roughly $10,200 per student…
The twenties are already amazing, and no one is noticing
The roaring twenties are upon us — and no one seems to notice just how amazing the world actually is. Indeed, by virtually every metric, the human condition is better…