The Latest

• How the Elite’s Rejection of Democracy Gave Rise to Populism

  In a recent post at the Law and Liberty blog, John McGinnis explains how, “Elite Constraints on Democracy Encourage Populism”: Over the weekend the New York Times published another in its stream of op-eds about how democracy is endangered by President Trump in particular and populism…

  Jon Guze, April 20, 2018, 455 words

• Examining the Right to Earn a Living Act, epilogue

  Many local governments have their own occupational licensing laws or equivalent regulations. Structural licensing reform must take those into account as well.

  Jon Sanders, April 20, 2018, 586 words

  

• There is hope in small towns and there are challenges in cities

  Can we save the small towns and rural areas that are losing people to booming metropolitan areas? Gracy Olmstead explores the options and some of the overlooked costs and benefits what we leave behind may not be all bad, as we go out in search of greater gains: “The…

  Joseph Coletti, April 20, 2018, 235 words

• Math from the Independent Weekly

  Jeffrey Billman provides a good rundown for Independent Weekly readers of how Wake County Commissioners could push property taxes up more than $200. Natural growth will provide $32 million for the county, but $10 million of that goes to already pledged debt service on recently passed bonds. By…

  Joseph Coletti, April 20, 2018, 189 words

• Martin Center takes second look at college faculty’s role

  Jay Schalin’s latest Martin Center column responds to an earlier piece from Fabio Rojas. It attempted to define a proper place for activism within college faculty members’ job descriptions. … [H]e described the proper role of a faculty member as one of “scholarship first, activist second.” I greatly…

  Mitch Kokai, April 20, 2018, 353 words

• Reversing Obama-era union rules

  Bill McMorris of the Washington Free Beacon reports on pleas to President Trump to reverse union rule changes adopted during Barack Obama’s administration. Management attorneys and trade groups are petitioning the Trump administration to reverse President Obama’s rule changes that drastically sped up the timeline of union elections.

  Mitch Kokai, April 20, 2018, 238 words

• Will praises ‘Little Pink House’

  With the film “Little Pink House” scheduled for an April 25 screening in Raleigh, you might be interested in George Will‘s review posted at National Review Online. Coming soon to a cinema near you—you can make this happen; read on—is a bite-your-nails true-story thriller featuring heroes, villains, and…

  Mitch Kokai, April 20, 2018, 352 words

• Rejoining a scrapped trade deal

  Editors at National Review endorse the prospect of President Trump returning the United States to the Trans-Pacific Partnership. The simplest reason why is that it would boost the American economy. The signatories of the agreement — including Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, and Chile — account…

  Mitch Kokai, April 20, 2018, 299 words