Utah and the Fiscal Cliff
Most of the talk in Washington and in the news media lately has been regarding the notorious “Fiscal Cliff,” a combination of a raise in taxes and across-the-board spending cuts. The term Fiscal Cliff was coined to...
‘Twas the Night Before the Fiscal Cliff
‘Twas the night before the Fiscal Cliff, and all throughout the House, Few stood on principle, most cowered like a mouse; The reality seems obvious; we’re free-falling off the cliff, Why this is so hard for them to see has...
None of Your Beeswax!
According to Utah Administrative Code R68-1, “Every owner or person coming into possession of one or more colonies of bees within the State of Utah shall register with the Department of Agriculture and Food…”...
The Cyclical Interventions of the Nanny State
Conservatives throughout Utah have for years been strenuously objecting to federal bailouts of mismanaged and failing institutions. Their arguments, which themselves are logically sound, are predicated on the principle that when...
Liberty, Not Legislated Morality, Leads to Human Excellence
“The more prohibitions you have, the less virtuous people will be” (Lao-Tzu). “The more numerous the laws, the more corrupt the government” (Tacitus). In a recent article published by the Sutherland Institute on the...
Utah’s Hairbrained Scheme To Protect Special Interests Needs To Be Upbraided
A recent dust up in Utah courts pitted African hair braiding specialist, Jestina Clayton, against the State of Utah, over a current statute that requires 2000 hours of cosmetology coursework to become a licensed hair braider....
A Win for Court Transparency
In a 9-3 vote yesterday, the Utah Judicial Council voted to allow audio and video recordings of proceedings in trial courts around the state. This is a win for transparency in the court, and helps a variety of interested parties...
The Hope for Liberty Lies with the States
After being declared the winner last night in the race for his first full term as governor, Gary Herbert said that, “The best hope for America as we go forward is the states. And led by Republican governors, this country...
Liberty IS Violated: Highland Business Closure is Illegitimate
In July we published a post urging Highland City residents to oppose efforts to reinstate a city ordinance restricting the right of private individuals and businesses to engage in peaceful commerce on Sunday. I argued then that...
The 2012 Utah Constitutional Amendments
Two constitutional amendments have been submitted to Utah voters for consideration. Below is Libertas Institute’s brief analysis specifying our stance on both with our recommendation for how Utahns should vote....