Yesterday, millions of Americans voted for Donald Trump for president – for good reason. They are tired of sluggish economic growth, a weak image abroad, and political correctness run amok. They also feel betrayed by politicians who offer change but fail to deliver. Just as in Britain, when voters chose Brexit rather than staying in […]
This is National Employee Freedom Week, organized by the Nevada Policy Research Institute and the Association of American Educators to support workers’ choice to leave their unions. The National Labor Relations Board has made it easier for workers to join unions. But if you want to leave, that’s a different story. It’s easy to get […]
Most people don’t care whether pensions are underfunded. After all, retirement is far in the future. But if their income taxes are going to go up because state pensions are underfunded — that’s another story. One advantage Illinois has is that the state has a low individual income tax rate. But now some legislators want […]
With Congress limiting the bailouts of insurance companies for two years in a row, business is not looking good for the industry that lobbied for Obamacare. The latest casualty is United Healthcare, which announced that it is withdrawing from most of its 34 Obamacare exchanges next year. Announcing the decision during a first quarter earnings […]
With California and New York moving to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour, it’s worth asking which factors generate higher earnings. Big Brother can mandate a $15 hourly minimum wage, but Big Brother cannot mandate that firms hire workers. As minimum wages have risen, cashiers have vanished from drug stores and food trucks […]
With the departure of former Florida Governor Jeb Bush from the Republican race, three candidates are vying for the nomination. Who will come out on top? Supporters of Senator Marco Rubio should not conclude that Senator Ted Cruz is stumbling because of accusations of dirty tricks and the firing of his communications director. Cruz is […]
In the Washington Post, Steven Greenhouse offers a novel reason for why the Supreme Court should require teachers to pay union dues: to avoid punishing unions. He explains that “public-sector unions are among the biggest donors to labor-friendly Democratic candidates, and their lobbyists use their influence to go to bat for workers on issues such […]
Today, the Supreme Court considers whether public sector employees are allowed to opt out of unions. Rebecca Friedrichs is suing the California Teachers Association on the grounds that compulsory union membership violates principles of free speech and association. Friedrichs v. California Teachers Association will be decided by June, 2016. Friedrichs wants to opt out of the […]
Real estate magnate Donald Trump is leading the RealClearPolitics average of Republican presidential polls nationally, followed by Texas Senator Ted Cruz. Florida Senator Marco Rubio is in third place, with about 12 percent of the Republican vote. Yet Rubio has many advantages. Here are three reasons why it’s better to be Rubio this Christmas season. […]
The student speech bullies have won at Yale. Erika Christakis, Assistant Master of Yale’s Silliman College, who had the temerity to suggest that college students should choose their own Halloween costumes, has resigned from teaching. Her husband, sociology professor Nicholas Christakis, Master of Silliman College, will take a sabbatical next semester. One of the bullies’ […]
With the terrorist attacks in Paris, look for immigration to play a greater role in the presidential campaign in the weeks ahead. That’s why it’s important to evaluate Senator Ted Cruz’s (R-TX) misguided attacks on Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL). The two 44-year old senators of Cuban descent are battling it out on immigration. Cruz, speaking […]
New employment data for October led many to assume that a rate increase from the Federal Reserve is in the offing. “Strong Growth in Jobs May Encourage Fed to Raise Rates,” wrote the New York Times, and “Strong Jobs Report Strengthens Case for December Fed Rate Liftoff,” stated the Wall Street Journal. Not only was […]
Reasonable people might assume that an American presidential candidate who has been governor of a major state, who is a leader in education policy, and who has raised the largest pool of funds would be a favorite for his party’s nomination.That’s a description of former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, son of former President George H.W. Bush […]
The departure of Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker from the U.S. Republican presidential race on Monday will primarily benefit Senator Marco Rubio. Even though Walker was polling practically at nought, he will no longer be a threat to Rubio when support wanes for other Republican candidates, as it undoubtedly will. Already a powerful politician in an […]
Britain has a long history of young people achieving more than their parents. Unfortunately, many young people today do not share that hope. The key to reviving it is not only more economic growth and less spending, but a way of evaluating effects of new policies on Generation Y, those born between 1980 and 2000. […]
On Monday, in her first economic address in New York City, Hillary Clinton declared, “The defining challenge of our time is clear: we must raise incomes for hardworking Americans so that they can afford a middle-class life.” Then Clinton proceeded to call for more taxes and economic regulation, and attacked economic policies put forward by […]
