Policy Brief: UMass Has a Spending Problem

In recent years the cost of childcare has skyrocketed in Massachusetts, contributing to the state being one of the least affordable places to raise a child in the country. At the center of the problem are three structural issues: rigid unnecessary government regulations that seek to ensure quality and safety but oftentimes significantly increase costs and decrease the supply of providers without a proportional benefit; high labor costs and the inability to increase the productivity of workers limiting the profitability of providers; and the demands of high income parents to outfit providers with every available perk. State policymakers often see subsidies as the best solution, but while transferring the cost to taxpayers subsidies do little to address the structural supply constraints at the crux of the affordability crisis.

Joe Selvaggi talks with energy journalist Robert Bryce about his views on the benefits and barriers to bringing cheap, abundant electricity to the nearly 4 billion people without access.

In a conversation between Joe Selvaggi and George Mason law professor Ilya Somin, Somin presents his viewpoint on the moral and strategic case for allowing free emigration of Palestinian refugees from the conflict zone to bolster Israel’s fight against Hamas terrorism.

Joe Selvaggi discusses the consequences of record structural deficits and debt with budget expert Brian Riedl, a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute. They delve into how these factors could impact the financial stability of Medicare and Social Security and examine the limited time available to avert a potential crisis.

Prof. Broadwater delves into Mason's views on constitutionalism, federalism, leadership among Anti-Federalists, and concerns regarding emerging commercial interests. He emphasizes Mason's belief in civic virtue as the bedrock of American self-governance and even provides a reading from his biography on George Mason.