Moving from campaigns to governance
Voters recently made their voices heard and in this issue of American Habits, we’re highlighting state and federal policy solutions for many of the problems that are affecting everyday Americans the most. We hear from experts and explore solutions for housing, understand how AI will shape public policy, grapple with what states can do to protect themselves from unsustainable federal spending, and more. As one of our contributors, Nikhil Agarwal writes, localism and the dispersion of power from Washington, D.C. plays a critical role in igniting the American spirit of self-government that has led to unmatched levels of human flourishing in world history. This is an important reminder as newly elected representatives head to their own state capitals and D.C. to enact policy changes on behalf of their constituents.
When I moved to Hawaii as a kid in the late 1980s, I remember the cost of housing being insane. In retrospect, that was likely more of a golden age of affordability compared to today. Housing costs are unbelievably high for most Americans, but Hawaii has unique problems that require unique solutions. When I started mapping out this issue and the obstacles to homeownership, Hawaii is the state I wanted to place at the forefront. In part, because if you can solve a lot of the problems there, most everybody else is out of excuses. I’ve met quite a few families who have left Hawaii to live on the mainland even though they desired to stay in their native home. Ted Kefalas of the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii gives us an inside view of the current crisis in Hawaii and how it can be solved.
While housing affordability is nowhere near the crisis in Pennsylvania like Hawaii, Anthony Hennen makes the case that addressing the problem gives the Keystone State a competitive advantage in the race to retain or grow its population. I love this line he penned, “…the vanishing American dream is a policy choice, not an unstoppable force.”
Kileen Lindgren and Mark Miller of the Pacific Legal Foundation write about how state legislatures are equipped to address the housing cost crisis. Related, John Hendrickson of Iowans for Tax Relief Foundation maps out how his state can be the model for property tax reform.
I also take a look at the world of public housing in Chicago’s now demolished Cabrini-Green with a review of “We Grown Now.”
One must spend time out West to fully comprehend how much of the land is owned by the federal government. Peter Reichard of the Sutherland Institute looks at how the Trump administration is likely to be favorable for allowing Western states and especially Utah to achieve their quest to wrestle back federal overreach that is preventing land usage and rights.
Artificial intelligence is another way state governments can harness this technology for the betterment of society. Edward Longe of the James Madison Institute takes a big picture approach with “The battle to regulate America’s AI future.” Reilly Stephens contributes a piece on AI, preserving First Amendment protections, and why the states are best equipped to serve as laboratories of democracy in this space.
Rea Hederman of the Buckeye Institute focuses on how AI can improve healthcare outcomes assuming the government takes a responsible approach instead of relying on their heavy-handed impulse.
Also on healthcare, Caden Rosenbaum of the Libertas Institute delivers with a piece on how lawmakers can improve coverage options for those who are part of a surging gig economy.
One of the most fundamental questions going forward is how much states are going to tie themselves to a broken federal government and its unsustainable spending path. I asked Nic Horton of Opportunity Arkansas, and it was good to hear about the efforts Arkansas is working on to change its reputation as a state mired in federal dependency. Horton talks about Arkansas being a state where the government was lagging behind its population on a lot of reforms, but they are quickly catching up to the will of the people.
We also explore recommendations on criminal justice reform, the power of philanthropy in shaping our free society, and see why Tennessee is paving the way as a champion of federalism. Another piece outlines how federalism is empowered by state action and sovereignty in light of the Loper Bright U.S. Supreme Court decision.
Frank DeVito looks at why states need greater religious freedom protections and how they can address it and Jake Curtis of the Institute for Reforming Government looks at the burden of illegal immigration on a small town in Wisconsin.
This issue’s local hero is David Hoyt, who is helping to equip school boards to transform our education system.
Lastly, Tony Woodlief of State Policy Network and the Center for Practical Federalism puts this in perspective and looks at how public policy emerges and how we can solve the tensions wrapped up in it.
While we fully recognize states as being the much-needed laboratories of democracy, wisdom always reminds us to stay tethered to the first principles of our self-governing heritage. The progressive impulse constantly begs that we “do something,” but I hope this issue and content reinforce that doing something means not just impacting our spheres of influence but making change with great clarity and effectiveness.
