On July 1, 2018, plastic straws will be banned in Seattle. No more will children be able to use the straw included with their juice box; no more will a couple on a date be able to order one drink with two plastic straws; you’ll have to navigate the ice in that vodka on the rocks without […]
The strong economy offers much to celebrate. Regulatory relief and the Trump tax cuts have sent the unemployment rate to historic lows, resulting in a booming business climate, higher wages, and more take home pay. Despite these rosy figures, food stamp use has declined only slightly in the last year; in 2017, it was significantly […]
A trickle of negative stories about New York Mayor Bill De Blasio’s (D) proposed Brooklyn-Queens waterfront trolley, known as the BQX, has turned into a deluge.
On November 6, 2018, Californians will elect their new governor, a U.S. Senator, 53 congressmen and women, 80 members of the State Assembly, and 20 state senators. For better or worse, as is usual in California, the ballot is likely also to contain numerous referendums. One of those questions will ask voters if they want […]
There is a lesson to be learned from the dispute between political insiders in New Jersey that has unfolded over the last couple of months regarding raising taxes. Throughout 2017, gubernatorial candidate Phil Murphy (D) pledged that, if elected, he would implement a millionaires’ tax in the state: a tax of 10.75 percent on all […]
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and New York City Mayor Bill De Blasio, both Democrats, are widely reported not to get along very well. But they have at least one thing in common: they are waging a war on plastic products. Plastic bags and plastic bottles, used by countless New Yorkers every day, are both […]
On April 11, 2018, Virginia legislators will return to Richmond for a special session in which they will aim to finish work on the Commonwealth’s budget. At center stage, yet again, is the issue of Medicaid expansion, still unresolved eight years after Obamacare became law. Medicaid is a deeply flawed program that was meant to […]
From every paycheck Mark Janus receives, an amount is deducted and sent to the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), one of the most powerful unions in America. Mark is an employee of the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services, and to keep his job over the years, he’s had to […]
So many iconic images and phrases come to mind when you think of California. The Gold Rush. The American Dream. Hollywood. The place where anything was possible and big dreams can come true—thanks to the smashing success of capitalism. “Go West, Young Man.” It was the pinnacle of American culture, industry, and innovation, and, at […]
For years, many conservatives have attacked the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program, and for good reason. It is true that SNAP is rife with waste, fraud, and abuse, and is part of a complicated mess of federal welfare programs that have overly broad eligibility requirements. However, conservatives looking to reform it by prohibiting people from using […]
