Topic: Policy

People Have Few Protections Against Law Enforcement Civil Asset Forfeiture Practices

– October 1, 2021

“It doesn’t have to be this way. A few states – Maine, Nebraska, North Carolina, and New Mexico – have abolished civil forfeiture entirely. Perhaps more states will someday pass reforms to protect the property of their citizens.” ~ Dan Greenberg

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Fumento Misdiagnoses Remdesivir

– September 30, 2021

“Remdesivir gives a story of the triumph of innovation during a difficult period. The lesson we should take away is not ‘Do something, anything,’ it is to get government out of the way so we can find solutions.” ~ Raymond J. March

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Opportunity Costs and the Economic Impact Report: They Didn’t See That Coming

– September 19, 2021

“Good reporting helps people because they intuitively understand cost overruns are bad. What would also help people are more council members and commissioners who know to ask about what is not seen: opportunity costs.” ~ Jon Sanders

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Incremental or Radical Policy Reform?

– August 30, 2021

“Incrementalists and radical advocates of liberty should not joust each other too much because they face a formidable common enemy, paternalistic statists who assume, rather than establish, the superiority of top-down, one-size-fits-all government ‘solutions’ to individual problems.” ~ Robert E. Wright

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The Refusal to Acknowledge Trade-Offs

– August 5, 2021

“In every policy discussion including those around public health, understanding that trade-offs will occur is an important part of the policy process. When we refuse to engage with that reality, we will almost always pay far higher costs than are warranted.” ~ Amelia Janaskie & Ryan M. Yonk

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Explaining Ranked Choice

– July 10, 2021

“Ranked-choice voting, sometimes referred to as ‘single transferable vote,’ and sometimes as ‘instant run-off,’ is vulnerable to candidates that aren’t disliked by the majority but aren’t loved by many. Ranked-choice voting tends to favor candidates that are less disliked.” ~ Clifford F. Thies

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India Could Be Our Most Important Geo-Political Partner

– June 29, 2021

“It is becoming increasingly more difficult as well as imprudent to be the world’s policeman, which has placed a significant strain on American taxpayers as well as the health of America’s limited government. If both countries can play their cards right, US-India cooperation could become an unstoppable force, accomplishing everything from containing China to fostering a free and prosperous Indo-Pacific region.” ~ Ethan Yang

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What’s Going On Under the Masks?

– June 26, 2021

“Just as masks hide the condition of people’s mouths, so too do various commissions hide special interest policymaking. America needs to return to the commonsense view that regulations ought to have a solid empirical basis: a claim about the real world supported by data and the best available theory, not bureaucratic or commercial self-interest.” ~ Robert E. Wright

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Why School Choice Matters Beyond Academic Achievement!

– June 26, 2021

“It is always worthwhile to take account of the bigger picture. Schooling is not only about what government departments can easily measure; it is also about these harder to measure aspects of a child’s well-being which parents are often best incentivized to understand and identify.” ~ Vincent Geloso

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A Policy Wishlist for Summer 2021, Initially Composed While Stuck in Traffic

– June 21, 2021

“These may not be very likely, but a man can dream, can’t he–especially when he’s stuck in stop-and-go traffic? If, by some miracle, some of these actually happen, we can move on to other improvements when Fall rolls around.” ~ Art Carden

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Covid Outcomes: Rankings Versus Reality

– April 29, 2021

“In a court of law, the burden of proof falls on those who wish to take away the liberty of the accused. Likewise, in the realm of policy, the burden of proof should be on those who wish to impose laws and restrictions on an otherwise free population. This practice is not only morally sound but practically sound as well. Public health interventions ought to be justified through rigorous cost-benefit analysis and honest conversations about the limitations of the policies involved.” ~ Amelia Janaskie & Ethan Yang

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A Closer Look at Biden’s Court Reform Commission

– April 12, 2021

“Biden’s commission may not be the outright rejection of court packing that we should hope for but it seems to be a subtle way of doing so given the pressure from his progressive colleagues. Whether or not it will work is yet to be seen.” ~ Ethan Yang

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