Free to Offend

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 Ameri...

As we ring in the new year, some of us are looking at the state of the world and wondering, "are we really still doing this?" There are plenty of reasons to be pessimistic about 2022—inflation and lingering "emergency" regulations dealing with COVID, just to name two. However, if we hunt around hard enough, there might just be some reasons to feel optimistic about the year ahead. Donald Boudreaux,...

Sure… Drugs are bad. But the war on drugs has been far worse—especially as an increasing number of states decide to legalize marijuana, to one extent or another. The continued prohibition on the federal level has wreaked havoc on individuals, entrepreneurs and legal marketplaces that have emerged in states like Nevada. Geoffrey Lawrence, director of drug policy for the Reason Foundation, joined th...

Many of today's political debates seem completely divorced from the fundamental economic truths of how individuals, communities and human beings actually behave. David Bahnsen, Managing Partner and Chief Investment Officer of The Bahnsen Group and author of There's No Free Lunch: 250 Economic Truths, joined the program to discuss the importance of rediscovering these basic principles of economics.

From Las Vegas to Goldfield, and from Reno to Elko, the diversity of this state is mind boggling. Each community is unique and distinct—and yet, they all still have something that makes them quintessentially "Nevadan." Patricia "Patty" Cafferata—a former Assemblyperson, State Treasurer and a one-time Republican nominee for Governor of Nevada—joined the podcast to discuss what, exactly, it is that...

When it comes to "affordable housing," politicians love selling the public on more mandates, larger subsidies and ever-more government "solutions" to the crisis. However, in reality, those are the very types of policies that caused much of our modern troubles with home affordability in the first place. In this episode of "Free to Offend," Howard Husock, author of the new book The Poor Side of Town...

After the political upset in Virginia, both Democrats and Republicans are scrambling to make sense of the political shifts taking place—with Republicans feeling confident about the trends they're seeing in the electorate. However, the all-important "independent" is a lot more complex than many political pundits would like to think. Figuring out the trends that are playing with those voters is goin...

So many bad government policies begin life as well-intended attempts to make the world a better place. Which is why "good intentions" simply aren't a useful metric for evaluating policy solutions. For free-market advocates, however, understanding these good intentions is a critical piece of understanding how we can connect with people who don't already think the way we do. Bob Zeidman, tech entrep...

What can a small group of activists actually accomplish… aside from little things like fundamentally altering the trajectory of humankind—because that is effectively what a handful of American colonists did in the late 1700's. Ned Ryun, founder and CEO of American Majority, joined the program to discuss his new book: The Adversaries: A story of Boston and Bunker Hill. He also discusses the way in...

As the economy continues to climb out of the hole dug by state leaders during the pandemic, brace yourself for ever-increasing calls for higher taxes and more government spending.    Of course, unlike the private sector, government never really suffered a massive drop in revenue—not to mention state and local governments are receiving billions of dollars from the federal government. Nonetheless, t...

More than 18 months in, we're still living under the same state of emergency that brought us the infamous "fifteen days to slow the spread" nonsense. So, what can we expect next? Nevada Policy's Robert Fellner joined the show to talk about the governor's never-ending emergency powers, the atrociously mixed messages coming from "experts" in government, and what (if anything) we should try to be opt...

In 2018, the U.S. Supreme Court made a groundbreaking decision in support of First Amendment rights: It ruled that government-sector unions are not allowed to force public-sector workers into paying dues or "agency fees" against their will.    Mark Janus was the government sector employee who stood up to one of the nation's largest and most powerful public-sector unions and brought the lawsuit. Hi...

Higher education isn't exactly the bastion of free ideas and critical thinking it once was. In fact, it is among the most intolerant landscapes in modern America for anyone who doesn't toe the progressive line on things like "anti-racism." Cornell Professor William Jacobson, founder of LegalInsurrection.com, joined the show to talk about how this culture of intolerance in academia and ideologies l...

Despite being controlled by Democrats, the 2021 legislative session proved to be a graveyard for (largely  bipartisan ) criminal justice issues.    Things got even worse when, in the last days of the session, Senate Majority Leader (and current Clark County Deputy District Attorney) Nicole Cannizzaro proposed a bill that looked more at home in Rudy Guilliani's "stop-and-frisk" New York City than a...

The partisan nature of modern journalism is just one of the ways the industry is broken nowadays. Sam Toll, a Nevada journalist and Libertarian activist, joined the program for a wide-ranging conversation on the state of modern journalism, partisan politics and the opportunity that exists to build a real liberty movement in Nevada's current political landscape.   

When otherwise wonky policy issues seem to be showing up on shows like  South Park, Bobs Burgers  and even  Spongebob Square Pants , it would seem like popular culture might actually "get it" on that issue. In fact, it would seem at  that  point like pretty much everyone "gets it."    So, what about politicians?    Shoshana Weissmann, from R Street Institute, joined the program to talk about one s...

The world is opening back up and government is finally telling people they can begin to act almost as if they were actually free human beings again…    So just how close to "normal" will we actually return?   Professor of Economics at George Mason University and Senior Fellow at the Mercatus Center Don Boudreaux joined the program to discuss the economic, social and political consequences of the C...

In a high profile ruling last week, the state Supreme Court ruled that the plain language of the constitution actually means something… and that's great news for Nevadans.    Robert Fellner, Nevada Policy's vice president, joined the program to discuss what that court case means, how it might influence a critical upcoming lawsuit brought by Nevada Policy and why such rulings are essential to prote...

We know that both the Republicans and Democrats are having "branding" issues nowadays with many voters  deciding to become unaffiliated or independent.    So, is that good news or bad news for refocusing our political debates on  ideas  rather than partisan  bickering? Brandon Davis, the executive director for Liberty for Nevada, joined the show to talk about the opportunity  we have in this  mode...

Short-term rentals—like the kind Airbnb helps facilitate—have earned the wrath of big players in the hospitality industry as more and more tourists look for alternatives to the high-priced traditional hotel-casinos along the strip. And so, how are casinos, hotels and hospitality unions responding? Well, they're running to government, asking lawmakers to effectively regulate away economic opportuni...

As partisanship rises, it seems like more and more people are finding themselves "politically homeless." So, what does that mean for moving policy forward in such a tribalistic political culture? Mike Noble, chief of research for OH Predictive Insights, joins the program to talk about the trending political shifts—and what that means for both major parties in the near future.

As is obvious to anyone who spends time perusing "political Twitter," social media  can be  an ugly place . From tech giants censoring unpopular political content to the general cultural rot that emanates from much of social media, there's plenty to hate about "big tech."    So, what should be done about it , if anything?   John  Hawkins , conservative writer and founder of  rightwingnews. com , s...

For most people, the idea of an "Innovation Zone" in  Storey  County  still raises more questions than answers right now— such as whether or not allowing a private tech company to build it's own autonomous community  is the 21 st  century equivalent of a "company town."    Pete  Ernaut   from R&R Partners  and   Jeremy Aguero  from  Applied Analysis  joined the program to  discuss the transformati...

Will partisan politics get in the way of greater government transparency?   Former Nevada Policy President and Freshman Assemblyman Andy Matthews (R-District 37) joined the show to talk about how the legislative session is unfolding, and where some of his priorities lie as a member of the minority party.    Some of his big proposals focus on something that  should  be non-partisan:  Government tra...

Even with schools slowly reopening, parents are growing  increasingly critical of  the one-size-fits-all public education system .     Valeria  Gurr , state director of the Nevada School Choice Coalition, joined the program to talk about the way Nevada parents have found creative options to public education during the pandemic—and what that means for education in this state moving forward.