Cronyism:

Citizens might have heard earlier this year that Tesla Motors sold $20 million of Transferable Tax Credits — gifted to them by the state of Nevada as part of their $1.3 billion incentive package — to MGM Resorts International. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg. As it turns out, there’s a serious amount of money to be made by schemes targeting tax credits from local governments — and a $17 million mansion on the north shore of Lake Tahoe is the proof. (Read more)

Federal overreach:

A small Hispanic church in rural Nevada won a major victory over the federal government Tuesday. Six years ago the U.S. Government’s Fish & Wildlife Service illegally and deliberately diverted a spring-fed stream to which the Solid Rock Ministry in Nye County had long-vested water rights — a move that resulted in massive flooding to the property. On Tuesday, a judge rejected arguments central to the federal government’s defense. (Read more)

Labor market:

The good news is that there is a record number of people — over 152 million — currently employed in the United States. The bad news, however, is that a record 95 million Americans are currently not in the labor market. Some economists claim the increase in non-working adults could be because baby-boomers are deciding to retire. Such a theory, however, runs contrary to a recent trend identified by the Labor Department showing that older Americans are increasingly remaining in the workforce. (Read more)

Taxation:

A man who inherited a house in Normandy from his deceased relative thought he had found treasure when he discovered thousands of gold coins and two gold bars stashed away on the property. However, what he really discovered was just how cruel taxation can be. Upon learning about the find, the French government levied a 45 percent inheritance tax on the gold, along with three years of back taxes because the man’s deceased relative failed to declare the hidden gold. (Read more)

Individual liberty:

America is known as “the land of the free” — but that title is slowly slipping away. According to the Cato Institute’s new Human Freedom Index, there are 22 other countries more free than America. Hong Kong, Switzerland, New Zealand and Ireland topped the list for individual liberty. On the other end of  the list of 157 nations, Saudi Arabia, Zimbabwe, Venezuela and Iran were among the least free. (Read more)