The Cardinal's Nest Blog
The political events of 2020 and 2021 have shown how important it is to know our Constitution. Unfortunately, most of us don’t. Even worse, it’s hard to raise money for people who teach the Constitution because of state laws that restrict free speech. There are great organizations that help teachers prepare for civics classes. For…
Not Free to Speak about the First Amendment
By:Cardinal Team
Alex Brill is a resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), where he studies the impact of tax policy on the US economy as well as the fiscal, economic, and political consequences of tax, budget, health care, retirement security, and trade policies. He also works on health care reform, pharmaceutical spending and drug innovation,…
Ep.011: The Costs of the Opioid Crisis
By:Cardinal Team
Ask any American about the core problems with government, and you’re sure to hear stories of the “good ol’ boys’ club”. That group that tosses good bills, sneaks in bad pork, and generally twists the arm of government into making themselves even richer. It's no secret that nearly everyone has a problem with this group, in whatever form they take depending on political preferences. From stories about…
How Tax Credits Built the “Good Ol’ Boys’ System”
By:Cardinal Team
Emma Ayers, Managing Opinion Editor at Young Voices and native of northeast Tennessee, joins Garrett on today’s episode to talk about the importance of tradition and religion in Appalachian culture. Together, they also explore the importance of meaningful work to the future prosperity of the Appalachian region, share the history of the mysterious Melungeons of…
Ep.010: Spirit of the Mountains
By:Cardinal Team
There’s no question that children throughout the country have suffered learning losses since the onset of the pandemic and the transition to virtual learning. The vital questions now center around how much learning loss has occurred and how can those losses most effectively be overcome. Thanks to new research from The Center for Research on…
Pandemic Learning Loss in West Virginia and the Path Forward
By:Cardinal Team
Casey Pifer is the Director of Institute Relations for the Atlas Network, a nonprofit organization connecting a global network of more than 475 free-market organizations in over 90 countries to the ideas and resources needed to advance the cause of liberty. She’s also a native West Virginian. Today she joins Garrett on the Forgotten America…
Ep.009: Girl Meets World
By:Cardinal Team
State legislators are considering the elimination of the personal income tax in the upcoming Spring session. These discussions have sparked a conversation about taxation and why it is essential to a government's functioning. Opponents to abolishing the income tax claim that West Virginia would lose 43% of the state budget after the bill's passage;…
Income Taxes, Kansas, and the Mountain State
By:Cardinal Team
Bradley Foster is the newest member of our team at the Cardinal Institute - joining us as our Community Engagement Associate. Similar to many mountaineers, his family has ties to mining, but instead of coal, Bradley’s family mined iron in Minnesota. Garrett invited Bradley onto the podcast today to share his experiences growing up in…
Ep.008: North Country Blues
By:Cardinal Team
“If there is no struggle, there is no progress. Those who profess to favor freedom, and yet depreciate agitation, are men who want crops without plowing up the ground. They want rain without thunder and lightning. They want the ocean without the awful roar of its many waters. This struggle may be a moral one;…
Two Steps Forward, One Step Back
By:Cardinal Team
Joshua & Jared Crenshaw are brothers from Massachusetts who moved to Louisville, Kentucky to found the Pegasus Institute, a free market, state policy think tank. In this episode, Garrett speaks with them about their experience moving from the Bay State to the Bluegrass State, cultural misunderstandings about Kentucky, the New South, and a variety of…
Ep. 007: From Bay State to Bluegrass
By:Cardinal Team