‘Smile, you’re on camera!’ The constitutional dangers of PhotoCop
Photo policing raises a tangle of ethical questions. Is it fair to ticket the owner of the car regardless of who was driving? Is it legal to use facial recognition for ticketing?
Standardized Tests Are Failing Students. What Can We Do About It?
End of level testing is wrapping up around the state. The tests are supposed to provide accountability and incentive for schools to improve. But do they?
The public needs protection from public safety agencies
Departmental failures involving state agencies undermine the public’s trust in government, which is a necessary ingredient to the healthy functioning of a free society.
Utah lawmakers just made it easier to earn a living
Utahns and local businesses across the state are still struggling to find the workers necessary to help run their businesses or provide necessary services — and the government is partly to blame.
Latest CIA revelations show clear need for privacy protections
The erosion of individual privacy rights within federal law enforcement agencies directly correlates with the rise of unchecked agency power, particularly in the realm of national security agencies such as the CIA and, post-9/11,...
Elderly people shouldn’t become homeless because of property taxes
If Utah does not provide property tax relief to this population, older Utahns across our state will continue to worry that their property tax bill will be larger than what they can afford, and they might be forced out of their...
Support the Hope Scholarship bill
As a sixth-grade teacher in a low-income school, I did what I could in the system to support parents, but the system has limits. Sometimes, the best fit for students wasn’t a public school at all.
Universal occupational licensing is the way for the future in Utah
Universal licensing refers to a state honoring an occupational license obtained in another state if an individual meets common-sense standards in the new state for which they are seeking a license.
Occupational licensing can make the labor shortage worse
A Utah State University study estimated that occupational licensing in the United States is responsible for 2.8 million fewer jobs and costs to consumers exceeding $20 billion annually.
Progressives have a point about Amazon’s special tax treatment
For Utah lawmakers interested in making a difference for small businesses and consumers, the answer looking forward is simple: Stop offering tax subsidies to big corporations.