Over the past several years there have been substantial changes to Nevada’s election laws, and trust in the process has been on the decline. Walter Olson is a senior fellow at the Cato Institute and the author of a new report by Nevada Policy on election law here in the Silver State. He joined the program to discuss how Nevada can re-establish trust in voting and what states are actually getting it “right” when it comes to implementing election reform. Download your copy of the report here: https://www.npri.org/election-integrity/

Is ranked-choice voting best for Nevada? Jason Snead, Executive Director of the Honest Elections Project, joins Nevada Policy Outreach and Coalitions Director Marcos Lopez for a special interview, recorded live recently at The Dangers of Ranked Choice Voting: a Grassroots Seminar.

How can a public policy think tank change the way Nevadans think about the greatest challenges facing the state? President  John Tsarpalas joined the program to talk about Nevada Policy’s work over the past year and its ambitious plans for turning even more Nevadans into activists for a freer and more prosperous Silver State.

We hear a lot about “economic inequality” as a growing problem in the nation. However, we don’t hear nearly as much about what really matters to most people: economic mobility.  Economic mobility is the simple idea that we’re capable of bettering our lot in life – that we have the ability to build a business, learn a new skill or find a better job and start climbing into higher socioeconomic classes.  Justin T. Callais, PhD, is a research fellow at the Archbridge Institute and the lead researcher for the institute’s Social Mobility Index project. He joined the podcast to discuss why this metric should matter more to academics and policymakers than merely measuring the “inequalities” between social classes.

Keeping government open, accessible and accountable is one of those few policy areas where groups on all sides of the political divide can agree – and yet, it remains one of the most challenging public-policy fights we face on a daily basis. From police departments to local school districts, public officials and institutions routinely deny activists and journalists access to otherwise “public” information.     Michelle Rindels is a journalist and the president of The Nevada Open Government Coalition, and she joined the program to talk about the importance of open government, the challenges we face in Nevada and what ordinary citizens can do to keep their public officials accountable to the people they serve.

Innovators and entrepreneurs often find themselves stuck in a Catch-22 when it comes to bringing new ideas to the market: Regulators are skeptical to change laws and standards until there’s evidence it’s safe to do so, but innovators can’t generate that evidence until those laws and standards are actually changed. Economist Cameron Belt joined the program to discuss his forthcoming paper on “regulatory sandboxes” for Nevada Policy — a policy concept that allows innovators and regulators to overcome that Catch-22 and build a more dynamic, and flexible, regulatory framework.

Free to Offend Episode 89 | Guest: Geoff Lawrence and Marcos Lopez    Sure, we’ve talked plenty about the outcome of Nevada’s 2023 legislative session … but do you really know whether your lawmakers voted in your best interests?  Nevada Policy’s Geoff Lawrence and Marcos Lopez joined the program to discuss Nevada Policy’s Legislative Scorecard, which grades lawmakers on their votes and legislative priorities. Geoff and Marcos discuss the “inside baseball” of what happened in Carson City and why every voter should be looking at how the scorecard judges lawmakers on their roles in shaping policy during the session.    Download your free copy of the Legislative Scorecard https://nevadapolicy.org/scorecard

Guest: Victor Davis Hanson   From “woke” ideology to modern monetary policy and “critical legal theory,” there are plenty of reasons to be concerned about the future of our republic.   Victor Davis Hanson will be the keynote speaker at Nevada Policy’s Spirit of Las Vegas Benefit Dinner on Oct. 24, and he joined the program ahead of his visit to share his thoughts on the cultural trends threatening the future of freedom and prosperity in America.

Many of the biggest public sector unions actually spend more money on political activity than they do on their core mission of representing workers. No wonder so many public sector workers don’t feel like they actually have a voice. After all, the union certainly isn’t always fighting on their behalf.   Isabel Blank, the senior communications director at Americans for Fair Treatment, joined the program to discuss how public sector workers can reclaim their voice when their union starts putting its own concerns over that of its members.

The American Southwest is a place like no other – culturally, economically, and even politically.   Dowd Muska, with the Southwest Public Policy Institute joined the program to talk about what makes the American Southwest – and Nevada specifically – such a unique place to call home, and why it’s so well positioned to be a shining example for the rest of the nation.

Soon, Nevada will have a mandated $12 per hour minimum wage – but that’s nothing compared to the minimum wage increases being pushed by activists nationally.  Rebekah Paxton, from the Employment Policies Institute, joined the program to discuss the consequences of this never-ending political drive to increase mandated minimum wage laws – specifically the way such mandates impact workers in Nevada’s massive (and indispensable) hospitality industry.

With a divided government, it’s unsurprising the legislative scorecard would be “messy.”   Marcos Lopez from Nevada Policy joined the program to help sift through the wins and losses of the legislative session — and explain why Gov. Joe Lombardo’s veto pen had some of the biggest wins of all.

Unfortunately, even with $2 billion in additional funding for traditional K-12 education, the Democratic majority in Nevada’s legislature couldn’t be bothered to throw a few scraps toward educational choice programs.  Valeria Gurr, with the American Federation for Children, joined the program to discuss what we can learn from the 2023 legislative session … as well as what it will take for Nevada to (finally) join the growing number of states that offer families a choice of educational options.

Public sector unions have long stood in the way of a more accountable and efficient government – obstructing both progressive and conservative reforms alike. However, what if they’re something more than mere inconveniences to governmental reform?  What if they are also, at their core, an unconstitutional usurpation of our constitutionally guaranteed form of representative government? Philip K. Howard is Chair of Common Good and a bestselling author, and he joined the program to discuss this very idea – an idea he explores in depth in his latest book, Not Accountable: Rethinking the Constitutionality of Public Employee Unions.

How many times have we heard that Lake Mead or Lake Powell are about to hit “Deadpool” status?  Water has always been a contentious issue in the American West – and with an ongoing drought, booming population and dwindling reservoirs, things don’t look great for region’s water supply.  However, not everyone believes the future is all doom-and-gloom. Katherine Wright, who is a research fellow at The Property and Environment Research Center and a water-policy expert, says there are still plenty of reasons we should be optimistic about the future of the Colorado River Basin.

We take a lot of our rights in America for granted.  However, understanding our rights, how they’ve changed over time, and where they “come from” is critical to protecting them. Mark Iverson, who has been studying rights as they apply to citizenship, joined the program for a discussion on how – or even if – things like the 14th Amendment have changed how our rights are legally applied.

Guest: James Lomax, founder of Life Skills Academy  Whether the public school establishment likes it or not, the educational sector is changing. And it’s changing because innovators, entrepreneurs and parents are increasingly operating outside of the government-run system.  James Lomax, founder of Life Skills Academy in Henderson joined the program to talk about his micro-school’s unique approach to teaching – and why the freedom to innovate is so critical to building a better educational future for our children.

One of the most troubling aspects of censorship on college campuses isn’t merely what it means for free speech in higher education – it’s but also what it means for the rest of us as those young leaders enter the “real world.” Zoë Felbein is president of the Turning Point USA chapter at UNLV, and she joined the program to talk about the free-speech culture (or lack thereof) in higher education, and what we can do to bring it back for future generations.

There are plenty of headwinds facing housing affordability in Nevada – including everything from federal land management to local regulations and zoning ordinances that limit housing supply.    ERGS Properties President Greg Peek joined the program to discuss one of the largest obstacles facing the market: A political culture that is more interested feel-good regulations than actual (workable) solutions.

Innovation is the key to economic prosperity. Unfortunately, regulatory frameworks that were written decades ago are often at odds with creative new ideas – stymying the innovation we need for continued economic growth. Rees Empey with the Libertas Institute joined the program to talk about a new regulatory framework that rewards and encourages innovation, “Regulatory Sandboxes.” In fact, these sandboxes are already being used in various industries throughout the nation – and have shown a surprising amount of bipartisan support in both red and blue states.