The Blog at MSPC

Mountain States Policy Center today released a major new study examining Montana’s 1972 Constitution and making the case that voters should seriously consider calling a new constitutional convention when the question returns to the statewide ballot in 2030.

Idaho should keep two-year terms for members of the House but move state senators to four-year terms, staggered so roughly half the Senate is elected every two years.

An economy is simply too complicated for any individual, committee, government agency, or computer system to know everything necessary to plan it from the top down. The information required to make good economic decisions is scattered among millions of people, and much of that information changes constantly.

Before Idaho's next property-tax debate becomes another argument about assessments, exemptions and tax shifts, let's put government spending on the table too.

One of the reasons socialism continues to appeal to new generations is that it begins with goals that almost everyone shares.

A one-stop portal can reduce these barriers by allowing citizens to securely access government services from virtually any location while improving operational efficiency across state governments.

In the U.S. Supreme Court term that just ended, the justices issued three decisions that represent important victories for free enterprise.

Before there could be a declaration, there had to be a decision. That decision came on July 2, 1776.

Americans should not take the wisdom and thoughtful deliberation of the founders for granted, and we can’t be deceived into thinking that the American experiment can continue to thrive without the participation of an informed and engaged citizenry.

Part of a citizen’s job is to inform the rising generation of what the Declaration really said, what it really means, and why it is important. May we continue that effort long after this 250th anniversary has receded into history.

Governments have only those powers that the people, by consent, have given them. When a government no longer serves its rightful purpose, the people may reorganize or remove it.

The study, Tax increase ballot measures: How to increase voter participation, authored by Policy Fellow Sam Cardwell, finds that local tax increases are frequently decided during special elections that attract significantly fewer voters than primary or general elections.

Government officials should strive to maximize voter participation on important issues, and requiring tax increases to be considered at a primary or general election does just that.

Amidst evidence of signature gatherers being harassed, Washington State Attorney General Nick Brown is offering support to prosecute those trying to interfere with the initiative and referendum process. This is a refreshing and much-needed defense of the people’s sacred constitutional rights and the rule of law.

Most of us understand that the Constitution is a statement of positive law—that is, man-made law—but ask whether the Declaration is law as well.

The job of drafting a declaration of independence was handed to a group historians call the “committee of five.”

July 1, 1776, witnessed one of the most consequential debates in American history. The topic was whether America should declare independence. The principal participants were the passionate John Adams of Massachusetts for the affirmative and the eloquent John Dickinson of Pennsylvania for the negative.

Americans knew of the long struggle for liberty waged against the Crown by their British ancestors. Absolute submission to a government in which they had no representation was not a condition they were prepared to accept.

Civic participation in the United States has been weakening for years, and rural states like Montana and Wyoming feel those effects more intensely.

Franklin stood on the idea that no government could be truly representative if the taxing power (whether in exercise or forbearance) lay wholly elsewhere.