By Austin Hein Job creation is among the most pivotal topics in American politics. People want and need to work to provide for their families and themselves. Unfortunately, the government has increasingly put restrictions on the workforce. Today, nearly a quarter of all jobs in the United States require occupational licensure — up from 5% sixty yea...

by Wyoming Liberty Group Staff The 2009 recession had a widespread negative impact on every state in the country. Much of the United States is still suffering from the recession now ten years removed, but there is increasing optimism around the country that recovery is occurring. President Trump boasted a 2.6% GDP growth rate for 2018, but not ever...

By Sven R Larson, Ph.D. The issue of tolling I-80 is once again at the top of the news cycle, courtesy of Senator von Flatern, who wants to add a third lane on each side that would be used by cars and passenger vehicles only. He proposes that tolls charged to Wyoming drivers would be paid through the state's federal mineral royalties. Senator von F...

By Sven R Larson, Ph.D. How would you feel about a new kind of tax to fund our highways, one that was based on the miles you drive? Would you like to see it added to the taxes we already pay? In anticipation of topics that will be discussed in the interim committee season, please take a moment and consider the following idea. Suppose the legislatur...

by Wyoming Liberty Group Staff What is a Health Savings Account (HSA), and how can it help you? In the most basic of terms, a healthcare savings account (HSA) is a high-deductible savings account that is tax-deductible and can be drawn from to pay for pre-approved healthcare expenses. The idea behind HSA's is that you can set aside money for health...

by Wyoming Liberty Group Staff The persistent deficits in the federal budget, as well as in the Wyoming state finances, are painful reminders of government overspending. Understandably, we often hear calls for drastic spending reductions, and they will become necessary soon enough, unless we begin reforming our state and local governments in the di...

by Wyoming Liberty Group Staff In response to questions from a couple of blog readers, here is a short review of the industrial structure of the Wyoming economy. One reader wanted to know how much each industry contributes to our state's economy; the other asked what industries provide the biggest tax base. These two questions are about the same to...

by Wyoming Liberty Group Staff >>Due to travel, the second part of the report on government revenue has been postpone one week.<< Private-sector employment in Wyoming is up by 5,000 in January 2019 over the same month a year earlier. This 2.4-percent increase is the largest since 2015. The construction industry led the state in jobs cre...

by Wyoming Liberty Group Staff As I have noted on a couple of occasions now, 2019 is shaping up to be a great year to start reforming government spending here in Wyoming. Two sessions in a row, the legislature has rejected massive tax hikes and even refused to appoint a commission to overhaul our tax system. Time is ripe to talk about spending refo...

by Wyoming Liberty Group Staff This year is a great time to discuss the future of Wyoming, especially in terms of what role government should play in our state's economy. On February 22 I proposed a list of topics for this conversation, ranging from comprehensive transparency and efficiency reforms to school choice and free-market reforms in health...

by Philip Baron According to a Wyoming Taxpayers Association report, that was distributed to the legislators in the 2019 session, a three-person household pays in $3,070 in taxes and receives $27,600 in public services. This analysis only considers taxes as a source of revenue and does not look at all of the funding through fees and other sources o...

Natrona County School District faced scrutiny after the non-profit group OpenTheBooks published records of nearly $10 million in credit card purchases – highlighting voids in financial transparency breeding excessive spending culture throughout Wyoming. More than a year's worth of credit card records for Natrona County published demonstrated a shoc...

by Wyoming Liberty Group Staff The Bureau of Labor Statistics is slightly behind in releasing state and county level employment data. We will have state-level numbers for January on March 11 and the February numbers on March 22. We can also look forward to the county-level numbers for the third and fourth quarters of 2018. In the meantime, here is ...

by Wyoming Liberty Group Staff Setting the Scene: America's Opioid Epidemic According to the Wyoming Department of Health, 67% of drug-related deaths in Wyoming occurred because of prescription drug overdoses. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that in 2017, 49,000 Americans died from opioid overdoses, with overall overd...

Six full years of Wyoming state spending records are now available with the click of a button thanks to Wyoming's new State Auditor Racines. She produced all records for less than $180 and refunded the previous payments for requests made totalling $7,820. Next up? Saving Wyoming taxpayers millions of dollars in avoided wasteful spending. It is time...

March 4, 2019 In a sweeping 600-plus-page bill, the federal government proposes to seize millions of acres and hundreds of miles of rivers from almost every state. This land grab expands the federal estate yet again. The US Senate's bill, S. 47, the Natural Resources Management Act, passed 92-8, and passed the House with only 62 NO votes. Senator B...

by Wyoming Liberty Group Staff The Wyoming legislature killed every major proposal for higher taxes, from a sales tax on services and higher property taxes to new special districts with taxation powers and a corporate income tax. This is good news for two reasons, the first being that we may now see a shift in the public conversation about ways to ...

by Wyoming Liberty Group Staff The Supreme Court recently delivered a landmark decision regarding the constitutionality of civil asset forfeiture as it applies to the Eighth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States. Civil Asset Forfeiture is a mechanism law enforcement agencies use to seize property which they determine as associated with...

by Wyoming Liberty Group Staff Some progressive outlets are targeting Wyoming as a state that could be flipped to support Democratic causes such as expanding Medicaid coverage to able-bodied adults. Do you want to support their efforts, or do you want to keep Wyoming healthcare privately controlled? The Wyoming legislature is considering Senate Fil...

In the 2018 Budget Session, the Wyoming Legislature passed a bill that clarified the enforcement process of state campaign finance laws. In local elections, citizens may now file complaints with their county clerk, who may refer the complaint to the district attorney for investigation and prosecution. A recent episode in Rock Springs shows the dark...