Separation of powers:
When the Nevada Policy Research Institute’s legal arm, the Center for Justice and Constitutional Litigation, filed suit against Republican state senator Heidi Gansert for violating Nevada’s separation of powers clause, we expected the move would turn a few heads. Well, it did. And the reason why is simple: This is a reoccurring problem in Nevada. More importantly, as columnist Thomas Mitchell points out, the violation has a direct impact on the lives of taxpayers. As Thomas Jefferson once wrote, the concentration of government power is “precisely the definition of despotic government.” (Read more)
Labor unions:
Teamsters Local 707, in New York, is slashing retirement benefits after declaring it would soon be insolvent. Payouts are being cut by more than 60 percent — and if something isn’t done soon, even that might not be enough to keep the fund afloat for much longer. The system’s defined benefit structure, the dwindling number of new members in recent decades and the 2008 financial downturn have all been blamed as factors leading to the pension’s current financial woes. With such a bleak outlook, some members argue it should be up to the federal government to bailout the system — with one member saying “they helped the automobile industry, why not us?” (Read more)
Minimum wage:
Contrary to what minimum-wage advocates profess when pushing for $15 per hour, it is a well-documented fact that increasing the minimum wage results in more joblessness among “disadvantaged” workers — primarily minority and low-income workers. What’s interesting, however, is that at one time, this was actually the declared intent of such wage laws. Certainly the motivations behind minimum wage laws have changed since the early 20th century — but the effects have not. (Read more)
Overreaching regulations:
Established industries routinely use occupational licensing laws as a way to discourage competition, and amass more control over the economy and political system. One recent example can be found in Tennessee, where the Tennessee Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners is threatening one woman with jail time and fines for practicing massage therapy on horses without a veterinarian license. The charge is made even more absurd by the fact that the government-mandated training requirements for the license wouldn’t even teach the very techniques used in massage therapy. (Read more)
Political correctness:
Illinois State University is now offering a “bystander training program on microaggressions.” The program is part of the University’s dedication to political correctness, and will “help to define what microaggressions are and provide strategies for people who encounter them in social, classroom, or professional settings.” (Read more)
