Equality and Opportunity

The Jones Act is a demonstrably bad policy, strangling the economy, driving up costs for ordinary citizens and crippling local businesses in Alaska and Hawaii. Why, then, does it continue to exist? Because protecting a few powerful players from competition moves legislators more than economic freedom. And because lawsuits challenging the Act hav ...

Health care shortages are a nationwide problem, but they are particularly concerning in Oregon – the state with the second fewest hospital beds and second fewest rehabilitation beds per capita. This problem didn't pop up overnight. Instead, Oregon's "certificate of need" laws have been restricting growth for decades, leaving Oregonians witho ...

For many, going to college is a rite of passage—a step toward opportunity and realizing the American dream. College is where students meet like-minded peers, experience life away from home, and begin to find their place and purpose in the world. But if sky-high tuition and housing costs weren't already significant barriers for many prospective st ...

Thanksgiving is a time when many feel compelled to help those less fortunate. As temperatures drop and families gather for bountiful meals, the contrast with people lacking housing, blankets, warm clothing, and food becomes stark. Yet, in some localities, sharing food or clothing with the homeless without government permission is a punishable offen ...

The holiday season is a time for nostalgia, joy, and reflection, and few things capture the spirit of the season like the classic children's holiday specials that have graced television screens for decades. These beloved tales are more than just seasonal entertainment—believe it or not, they offer timeless lessons about the foundations of a free ...

Holiday season is upon us once again, which means it's the time of year when the world is collectively attuned to the importance of family, gratitude, and generosity to those in need. While the holiday spirit lasts only a couple of months, for the Ohio-based nonprofit organization Nourish our Neighbors (NON), helping the less fortunate is a year-ro ...

There's a reason James Carville once quipped, "It's the economy, stupid." The economy is a perpetual concern for people, because it affects their ability to put food on the table and pursue their calling. The economy was also front-and-center in the 2024 presidential election. Both candidates promised to grow the economy and help the economically d ...

Lawmakers across the country are proposing reparations to black Americans for slavery and America's history of racial discrimination. Proposals have included direct cash payments, grants, formal apologies from the government, and government programs with race-based eligibility.  Because certain reparations proposals would inevitably advantage a ...

Kamala Harris wants an "opportunity economy for black men." Invoking her experience attending civil rights marches as a child, she recently promised to "remove historic barriers" that have prevented "wealth creation, education, employment, earnings, and health." Economic opportunity is an important and underappreciated aspect of the civil rights mo ...