Free to Offend

Over the past several years there have been substantial changes to Nevada's election laws, and trust in the process has been on the decline. Walter Olson is a senior fellow at the Cato Institute and the author of a new report by Nevada Policy on election law here in the Silver State. He joined the program to discuss how Nevada can re-establish trust in voting and what states are actually getting it “right” when it comes to implementing election reform. Download your copy of the report here: https://www.npri.org/election-integrity/

Is ranked-choice voting best for Nevada? Jason Snead, Executive Director of the Honest Elections Project, joins Nevada Policy Outreach and Coalitions Director Marcos Lopez for a special interview, recorded live recently at The Dangers of Ranked Choice Voting: a Grassroots Seminar. 

How can a public policy think tank change the way Nevadans think about the greatest challenges facing the state? President  John Tsarpalas joined the program to talk about Nevada Policy's work over the past year and its ambitious plans for turning even more Nevadans into activists for a freer and more prosperous Silver State.  

We hear a lot about “economic inequality” as a growing problem in the nation. However, we don't hear nearly as much about what really matters to most people: economic mobility.  Economic mobility is the simple idea that we're capable of bettering our lot in life – that we have the ability to build a business, learn a new skill or find a better job and start climbing into higher socioeconomic classes.  Justin T. Callais, PhD, is a research fellow at the Archbridge Institute and the lead researcher for the institute's Social Mobility Index project. He joined the podcast to discuss why this metric should matter more to academics and policymakers than merely measuring the “inequalities” between social classes.   

Keeping government open, accessible and accountable is one of those few policy areas where groups on all sides of the political divide can agree – and yet, it remains one of the most challenging public-policy fights we face on a daily basis. From police departments to local school districts, public officials and institutions routinely deny activists and journalists access to otherwise “public” information.     Michelle Rindels is a journalist and the president of The Nevada Open Government Coalition, and she joined the program to talk about the importance of open government, the challenges we face in Nevada and what ordinary citizens can do to keep their public officials accountable to the people they serve.   

Innovators and entrepreneurs often find themselves stuck in a Catch-22 when it comes to bringing new ideas to the market: Regulators are skeptical to change laws and standards until there's evidence it's safe to do so, but innovators can't generate that evidence until those laws and standards are actually changed. Economist Cameron Belt joined the program to discuss his forthcoming paper on “regulatory sandboxes” for Nevada Policy — a policy concept that allows innovators and regulators to overcome that Catch-22 and build a more dynamic, and flexible, regulatory framework.

Free to Offend Episode 89 | Guest: Geoff Lawrence and Marcos Lopez    Sure, we've talked plenty about the outcome of Nevada's 2023 legislative session … but do you really know whether your lawmakers voted in your best interests?  Nevada Policy's Geoff Lawrence and Marcos Lopez joined the program to discuss Nevada Policy's Legislative Scorecard, which grades lawmakers on their votes and legislative priorities. Geoff and Marcos discuss the “inside baseball” of what happened in Carson City and why every voter should be looking at how the scorecard judges lawmakers on their roles in shaping policy during the session.    Download your free copy of the Legislative Scorecard https://nevadapolicy.org/scorecard

Guest: Victor Davis Hanson   From “woke” ideology to modern monetary policy and “critical legal theory,” there are plenty of reasons to be concerned about the future of our republic.   Victor Davis Hanson will be the keynote speaker at Nevada Policy's Spirit of Las Vegas Benefit Dinner on Oct. 24, and he joined the program ahead of his visit to share his thoughts on the cultural trends threatening the future of freedom and prosperity in America. 

Many of the biggest public sector unions actually spend more money on political activity than they do on their core mission of representing workers. No wonder so many public sector workers don't feel like they actually have a voice. After all, the union certainly isn't always fighting on their behalf.   Isabel Blank, the senior communications director at Americans for Fair Treatment, joined the program to discuss how public sector workers can reclaim their voice when their union starts putting its own concerns over that of its members.  

The American Southwest is a place like no other – culturally, economically, and even politically.   Dowd Muska, with the Southwest Public Policy Institute joined the program to talk about what makes the American Southwest – and Nevada specifically – such a unique place to call home, and why it's so well positioned to be a shining example for the rest of the nation.

Soon, Nevada will have a mandated $12 per hour minimum wage – but that's nothing compared to the minimum wage increases being pushed by activists nationally.  Rebekah Paxton, from the Employment Policies Institute, joined the program to discuss the consequences of this never-ending political drive to increase mandated minimum wage laws – specifically the way such mandates impact workers in Nevada's massive (and indispensable) hospitality industry. 

With a divided government, it's unsurprising the legislative scorecard would be “messy.”   Marcos Lopez from Nevada Policy joined the program to help sift through the wins and losses of the legislative session — and explain why Gov. Joe Lombardo's veto pen had some of the biggest wins of all.  

Unfortunately, even with $2 billion in additional funding for traditional K-12 education, the Democratic majority in Nevada's legislature couldn't be bothered to throw a few scraps toward educational choice programs.  Valeria Gurr, with the American Federation for Children, joined the program to discuss what we can learn from the 2023 legislative session … as well as what it will take for Nevada to (finally) join the growing number of states that offer families a choice of educational options. 

Public sector unions have long stood in the way of a more accountable and efficient government – obstructing both progressive and conservative reforms alike. However, what if they're something more than mere inconveniences to governmental reform?  What if they are also, at their core, an unconstitutional usurpation of our constitutionally guaranteed form of representative government? Philip K. Howard is Chair of Common Good and a bestselling author, and he joined the program to discuss this very idea – an idea he explores in depth in his latest book, Not Accountable: Rethinking the Constitutionality of Public Employee Unions. 

How many times have we heard that Lake Mead or Lake Powell are about to hit “Deadpool” status?  Water has always been a contentious issue in the American West – and with an ongoing drought, booming population and dwindling reservoirs, things don't look great for region's water supply.  However, not everyone believes the future is all doom-and-gloom. Katherine Wright, who is a research fellow at The Property and Environment Research Center and a water-policy expert, says there are still plenty of reasons we should be optimistic about the future of the Colorado River Basin. 

We take a lot of our rights in America for granted.  However, understanding our rights, how they've changed over time, and where they “come from” is critical to protecting them. Mark Iverson, who has been studying rights as they apply to citizenship, joined the program for a discussion on how – or even if – things like the 14th Amendment have changed how our rights are legally applied. 

Guest: James Lomax, founder of Life Skills Academy  Whether the public school establishment likes it or not, the educational sector is changing. And it's changing because innovators, entrepreneurs and parents are increasingly operating outside of the government-run system.  James Lomax, founder of Life Skills Academy in Henderson joined the program to talk about his micro-school's unique approach to teaching – and why the freedom to innovate is so critical to building a better educational future for our children. 

One of the most troubling aspects of censorship on college campuses isn't merely what it means for free speech in higher education – it's but also what it means for the rest of us as those young leaders enter the “real world.” Zoë Felbein is president of the Turning Point USA chapter at UNLV, and she joined the program to talk about the free-speech culture (or lack thereof) in higher education, and what we can do to bring it back for future generations.

There are plenty of headwinds facing housing affordability in Nevada – including everything from federal land management to local regulations and zoning ordinances that limit housing supply.    ERGS Properties President Greg Peek joined the program to discuss one of the largest obstacles facing the market: A political culture that is more interested feel-good regulations than actual (workable) solutions. 

Innovation is the key to economic prosperity. Unfortunately, regulatory frameworks that were written decades ago are often at odds with creative new ideas – stymying the innovation we need for continued economic growth. Rees Empey with the Libertas Institute joined the program to talk about a new regulatory framework that rewards and encourages innovation, “Regulatory Sandboxes.” In fact, these sandboxes are already being used in various industries throughout the nation – and have shown a surprising amount of bipartisan support in both red and blue states.

If there's one area of public policy that generates significant bipartisan support among activists and ordinary citizens, it's transparency in government.     Todd Maddison from Transparent California joined the program to discuss why transparency is so crucial to ensuring better government – regardless of one's political inclinations. 

There are massive changes occurring in education – and most of those changes are being driven by parents and educators, not politicians or bureaucratic school districts. As former educators and school administrators, Christina and Eric Threeton realized there was a better way to approach education than what was being done by large institutionalized public-school systems. And so, a couple of years ago, they began the journey of opening their own micro-school in Las Vegas, The Nevada School of Inquiry. They joined the program to talk about the challenges facing educational innovators and how important it is for there to be a marketplace where passionate people can pursue new ways of approaching education.

When we look at areas of the world where tyranny and oppression are tormenting people who wish to live free, it's a stark reminder of just how precious the freedoms we enjoy truly are to our way of life. Eric Kohn, director of marketing and communications at the Acton Institute, joined the program to talk about his work on a powerful new movie: The Hong Konger — a moving documentary about China's unprecedented assault on human freedoms in Hong Kong and the inspirational tale of one man who decided to stand up to Beijing's tyranny.

Nevada's legislative session is underway this month – which means the difficult work is about to begin for those who believe in a limited and accountable government.   Nevada Policy Outreach and Coalitions Director Marcos Lopez joined the show to discuss how activists can become more involved during the legislative session. From Nevada Policy's legislative bill tracker to regular updates for supporters and activists, Marcos explains how the institute is focused on keeping Nevadans informed and engaged so they can have an outsized influence on what happens in Carson City.  

A federal debt of $31 trillion certainly demands attention – but it's not the only slow-motion financial trainwreck taking place.   Mark Moses, author of The Municipal Financial Crisis, joins the program to discuss the way our cities and municipalities are spiraling into similar financial turmoil. As always, local politics matter – and the way your city is throwing away tax dollars deserves far more scrutiny than it generally receives.  

Politicians in Nevada might seem eager to emulate the absurdity of California politics – but is that really the fate of this great state? John Tsarpalas, president of Nevada Policy, joined the program to talk about the culture, history and people that make Nevada so distinct from our neighbor to the west – as well as all the hard work we have to do in the upcoming year to make sure we remain that way.

At first glance, it seems like divided government should make it harder to get meaningful reforms passed into law … but the truth is, there are still plenty of opportunities.   Geoffrey Lawrence, director of research for Nevada Policy and the Reason Foundation, joined the program to talk about the policy solutions we should focus on in the 2023 legislative session – and why a politically divided government might just benefit those of us who want to get important things done in the year ahead.  

Guest: Aaron Withe, Freedom Foundation    As unionization rates continue to decline across the nation, union bosses are getting increasingly political in an effort to reverse the trend.    Freedom Foundation Chief Executive Officer Aaron Withe joined the program to talk about the political business model both private-sector and public-sector unions are using to increase their revenue – and why such methods are not only a danger to taxpayers, but also bad for workers themselves. 

The elections are finally over!   So … what happens now? Nevada Policy President John Tsarpalas shares his take on the 2022 election outcome and gives his prediction of what comes next in Nevada as a Democrat-controlled legislature and Republican governor prepare to face off on numerous policy battles in the coming year.  

With ranked-choice voting on the ballot in Nevada, many eyes turned toward Alaska to see how the system actually works in practice. Sarah Montalbano from the Alaska Policy Forum joined the program to discuss the troubles Alaska had in its recent special election, including the way ranked-choice voting impacted the election outcome. Unlike backers of Question 3 in Nevada, Montalbano argues the process did little to help the political climate in the state and actually introduced numerous unintended challenges for voters and politicians alike.

Guest: Andrew Roth, State Freedom Caucus Network  While everyone likes to pay most of their attention to national politics, it's actually the local politics that usually matter the most for limiting the size and scope of government.   After all, there's a reason so many people from over-regulated and high-tax states are flocking to low-tax western states — it's because, regardless of what's going on nationally, states like Nevada still have a culture that prioritizes individual freedom. And preserving that culture is going to require keeping our efforts focused where it matters the most: In our own state's legislature.  Andrew Roth, president of the State Freedom Caucus Network, joined the program to talk about his effort to keep that culture of freedom alive in local politics throughout the nation.   

For decades, people's trust in journalism and “the news” has been declining—and probably for good reason. Wayne Hoffman, president of Idaho Freedom Foundation, is a former journalist and believe the changes we've seen within the media have made much of this declining trust inevitable. Wayne joins the program to discuss how journalism has changed in recent decades, how it's poisoning public policy debates, and how we, as individuals, can become better consumers of news in an era of distrust and decentralized information.

Let's face it, most public policy debates come down to one thing: How are our tax dollars actually being spent? Nevada Policy Research Institute Director of Open Records Shelby Fleshood joined the program to talk about the importance of greater financial transparency in government — and why, despite bipartisan support, it remains such a struggle to actually implement in the real world.

Culturally, we're definitely experiencing a “wave” of educational freedom throughout the nation. Not only are states like Arizona going “big” when it comes to educational-choice programs, but parents across the political spectrum are demanding it more than ever. Erin Phillips, co-founder and president of Power2Parent, joined the program to discuss when Nevada will finally come around to expanding the kind of choice in education that parents are demanding.

Politicians seemingly live by the motto “never let a crisis go to waste.” From Coronavirus to the financial crisis of 2008 to 9/11, one crisis after another has resulted in an explosion of the regulatory state, mountains of government debt and political predation from electeds eager to implement their pet projects. Wayne Crews, vice president for policy and senior fellow at the Competitive Enterprise Institute, joined the program to discuss how we can temper this trend — a topic he covers in detail in his latest report: The Case for Letting Crises Go to Waste.

How optimistic should we be about Nevada in the long term?  Marcos Lopez, Nevada Policy's new director of coalitions and outreach, joined the program to talk about the unique opportunities we have for the liberty movement in the Silver State – regardless of what happens in November.  

As unionization in the private sector continues to decline, many labor activists are getting ever-more desperate to force workers into union representation.   From the federal “PRO Act” in the private sector to state-level “opt-out” periods for public sector workers, unions are increasingly trying to make it more difficult for workers who don't want union representation to say “no” to membership.   Vincent Vernuccio, president of the Institute for the American Worker and senior fellow at the Mackinac Center, joined the program to talk about current labor policy in Nevada and the nation – and, more importantly, the way unions' political shenanigans have fundamentally failed to represent the workers they claim to champion

Guest: William Estrada, President of the Parental Rights Foundation Should parents or government officials be in charge of raising our children? Who should be in charge of making decisions on behalf of that child? If these seem like simple questions to answer, you're not alone. An overwhelming percentage of Americans believe parents should have a constitutional right to raise and make decisions for their child without undue government interference and yet, the basic concept of “parental rights” are consistently under attack from all levels of government. William Estrada, president of the Parental Rights Foundation and ParentalRights.org, joined the program to discuss the crucial concept of empowering families by putting parents back in charge.

Education today is largely treated as an industrial affair—as if curriculum and syllabuses should be rigidly structured to push kids through a K-12 conveyor belt toward higher education. In fact, much of parenting has adopted a similar notion that children should be micromanaged through most of their formative years. However, is this really the best way to ensure a generation of healthy and productive young adults? How will younger generations ever become “independent” if they're never given the chance to practice independence in their daily lives? Peter Gray, research professor at Boston College and author of Free to Learn, joined the program to talk about the importance of rethinking the way we parent and educate our children for the sake of their mental health, social development and personal independence

What happens when the public-school establishment — or even individual teachers — decide it is their duty to do more than merely instruct children, but also tell them how to think? From “Critical Race Theory” to sexual identity curriculum, many parents have raised concerns that certain classrooms are going beyond merely teaching about controversial topics — instead presenting certain cultural or political agendas as “fact” and trying to mold the worldview of their students. Bonnie Snyder, author of Undoctrinate: How Politicized Classrooms Harm Kids and Ruin Our Schools, joined the program to talk about the ethical, practical and cultural ramifications of such indoctrination in K-12 education — and what can be done by parents to guard against it.

No matter how much the teacher unions, politicians and special interests fight it, education is changing—and it's going to continue to do so. Eric Wearne is Director of the National Hybrid School Project, associate professor with the Education Economics Center at Kennesaw State University and author of: Defining Hybrid Homeschools in America. He joined the program to talk about the way changing expectations from parents are giving rise to a new form of “homeschooling” for families—regardless of what is happening in the world of politics.

Guest: Valeria Gurr, American Federation for Children Despite the frustrating lack of educational options in Nevada, there's one blindly obvious reason to be optimistic about the future of education reform in the Silver State: Parents aren't about to give up! Valeria Gurr, Director of External Affairs for the American Federation of Children, joined the program to discuss why educational choice is happening elsewhere in the nation, and what that means for Nevada families.

Guest: Dan Greenberg, Competitive Enterprise Institute The idea that police can seize property — cash, jewelry, cars or even houses — without ever charging someone with a crime seems like something that would happen in some corrupt soviet satellite rather than American cities. And yet, it happens every day with police using a practice known as “civil asset forfeiture.” Billions of dollars are seized from private citizens every year — often with police never having to prove in the court of law that such property was connected to any sort of criminal wrongdoing. Deputy General Counsel at the Competitive Enterprise Institute Dan Greenberg's new paper, Five Myths of Civil Asset Forfeiture, dives into how such an un-American policing practice has become worryingly commonplace among the law enforcement community and what we can do to fix it.

Guest: Emily Hamilton, Mercatus Center Nevada politicians are starting to toy with the idea “rent control” policies as a way to give relief to families facing skyrocketing housing costs. Sheesh… “Do you want California's housing issues? Because that's how you get California housing issues.” Despite the obvious failures of such policies elsewhere, politicians who are eager for quick political wins are, nonetheless, going to continue pushing such tried-and-failed proposals. Emily Hamilton, Director of the Urbanity Project at the Mercatus Center joined the program to discuss why rent control fails to deliver on its grandiose promises — and, more importantly, what kind of policies should be considered instead.

Guest: Mike Noble, OH Predictive Insights It's true that more people than ever are getting fed up with partisan politics—and one of the consequences of that partisan exhaustion is a huge swell in the number of “true, true” independent voters. Mike Noble, from OH Predictive Insights, joined the program to talk about the way Nevada's electorate is quickly becoming a case study for how truly undecided voters are going to behave in an increasingly partisan political environment. As partisan rhetoric has become more visceral and cutthroat, the number of voters walking away from “team red” or “team blue” is growing—and come the general election, they're going to be the ones that actually matter. In a state as important as Nevada, pretty much everyone wants to know, “what does that mean going forwar?"

Critical Race Theory is creeping into school curriculums, corporate trainings and even government policy… but what exactly is CRT, and why should anyone really care? Jonathan Butcher, the Will Skillman Fellow in Education at The Heritage Foundation, joined the program to talk about the origins of CRT, the progressive movement's obsession with viewing everything through the prism of racial oppression, and how this damaging worldview is creeping into every aspect of our culture—including our public and private educational institutions.

Prohibitionists, cultural scolds and Nannycrats exist in both major political tribes—and it's making us a significantly less-free society as a result. Steven Greenhut, western regional director for R Street Institute, joined the program to discuss the way legalized marijuana has been one of the great examples of where both conservatives and progressives tend to get things wrong. As we explore the topic, it becomes obvious that the populist fringes on both extremes often prioritize their political preferences over the underlying principles of individual freedom or personal autonomy… much to the detriment of “we the people.”

Could there really be a “free market solution” to moving forward criminal justice reform? Part of the problem is that the status quo makes it nearly impossible to hold individual officers accountable when they violate someone's constitutional rights. And even when individuals do face settlements or judgements for their bad behavior, it's usually taxpayers who actually end up paying the bill. Could some sort of insurance product—specifically designed for law enforcement officers—help municipalities and states move accountability back onto police officers themselves? Jeff Harrison, the CEO of Prymus Insurance, is confident it could… which is why his company has created a product to do exactly that.

Pretty much everyone seems to agree that our political world is pretty broken right now… How to fix it, however, is a matter of some debate. At least one group in Nevada believes changing the way we elect our representatives could have an outsized impact to improve political collaboration. Dough Goodman, founder and executive director of Nevadans for Election Reform, is one of the backers of an effort to bring “ranked choice voting” to Nevada. He explains his vision for our electoral system, why he thinks it will help with our political culture, and how it would actually work in practice.

As we enter year three of pandemic hysteria, the tsunami of parents looking for alternatives to government's education monopoly continues to grow. Indeed, parents are fed up with the state of our public school system, and the chaos of the last few years has incited an exodus among families looking to take matters into their own hands. Kerry McDonald, senior education fellow at FEE and adjunct scholar at Cato, joined the program to talk about the plethora of options available to parents—even to those who don't have access to educational choice programs like Opportunity Scholarships, ESAs or vouchers

If you've ordered something online recently or gone into your local grocery store, you have most likely noticed the difficulty retailers have experienced in getting products on their shelves. The “supply chain crisis” is a real thing, and it's wreaking havoc on the economy. Paul Enos, CEO of the Nevada Trucking Association, joined the program to discuss the intricate and systemic issues with America's supply chains—as well as what can be done to get the proverbial economic trains running on time once again.