by Charles Katebi Welfare was originally created as a safety-net of last resort for those unable to help themselves. But all too often it traps otherwise productive individuals in government dependency, sapping their potential and life prospects. According to a report by the Cato Institute titled The Work Versus Welfare Tradeoff, low-income individ...

by Stephen Klein In the Fall of 2013, I attended a presentation from the Cheyenne Police Department on marijuana enforcement in the city after Colorado's enactment of its recreational marijuana law the previous year. Chief Brian Kozak was matter-of-fact, and was not there to advocate but to simply update the audience. This was not, however, the pos...

by Wyoming Liberty Group Staff On Thursday April 28 the Bureau of Economic Analysis released its advance estimate of GDP growth for the first quarter of 2016: Real gross domestic product -- the value of the goods and services produced by the nation's economy less the value of the goods and services used up in production, adjusted for price changes ...

Charlie Katebi and Chuck Gray on KVOC discuss recent efforts by Arkansas lawmakers to roll back Obamacare's Medicaid expansion and why Wyoming was right to reject it. 

by Charles Katebi In civics 101, we learn how government works. Voters elect legislators, legislators pass bills, and bills become law. This side of government is transparent and accountable. But there is another side of government that is far less accountable. Once a bill becomes law, it's up to an agency to enforce it. Sometimes they effectively ...

by Charles Katebi Entitlements used to be considered the "third-rail" of American politics. Now the public recognizes that without major changes to Medicare and Medicaid, both programs threaten our fiscal future. Fortunately, there are reforms that not only save taxpayers money, but also deliver better healthcare to the elderly and needy. But befor...

Everybody wants the one percent Did you know the State of Wyoming has more than one fund with handy cash ready for the taking? While most people think of the Legislative Stabilization Reserve Account (LSRA) as the rainy day fund, the state has hundreds of spend-ready funds. One of those, the Strategic Investment and Project Account (SIPA), could ac...

The state of Wyoming earmarks tobacco settlement funds to certain programs — and guess what. The programs cost more than the revenue they receive. As you might expect, the knee jerk reaction to this is to raise tobacco taxes to cover the shortfall. But let's take a closer look. The Tobacco Settlement Trust Fund was set up after a 1998 settlement be...

In a rare example of decision making, the Capitol Oversight Committee voted unanimously to approve a new design option for the Herschler building, one without an executive building. This will likely be the first of many reductions in the scope of the over-budget Capitol Square project. It's too bad it takes a fiscal crisis for our governing class t...

As dreams of palaces turn into nightmares, Wyoming's Capitol renovation project muddles along to fiscal disaster. After paying millions to design and architectural consultants and having state employees work on the project for more than a year, the committee has decided it's time to hire someone to manage the project. But instead of hiring someone ...