Week in Review: A Turning Point for Free Speech on Campus

April 20, 2019

Way too many of today’s college students have an alarmingly deficient understanding of the U.S. Constitution. This is particularly true of the First Amendment. 

Rather than appreciate the inherent beauty and value of free speech, including speech they find disagreeable, many students think they should be perennially shielded from dissenting opinions. Some go so far as to shout down speakers and even resort to violence in order to avoid being subjected to new ideas, much like a baby being weaned off its bottle. 

However, all is not lost. A recent incident at the University of Arizona shows that there is still hope in the effort to defend the First Amendment.

Read more on our In Defense of Liberty blog.

Arizona Frees Blow-Dry Stylists from Regulation

Arizona has officially put an end to the overregulation tangling up its blow-dry stylists by freeing them to work without costly licenses. The Goldwater Institute strongly advocated for policy change in yet another victory for citizens’ right to earn a living without permission from the government.

This week, Governor Doug Ducey signed the bipartisan, Goldwater-backed law that removes the requirement that blow-dry salon workers—stylists who dry and style hair, but do not cut, perm, or permanently alter hair—must obtain a cosmetology license in order to do their job. With the bill now signed, Arizona is the second state in the country—after Virginia—not to require a costly, time-consuming license for blow-dry stylists. The law is based on Goldwater Institute research and follows a recent Goldwater reportcalling for action on the issue.

Read more about this latest Goldwater victory in expanding workers’ freedom. 

Minimum Wage Laws are Punishing Young Workers across the Country

The left’s war to impose high government-mandated minimum wages—across the country and at all levels of government—is in full force. Already we are seeing that some of the most vulnerable and inexperienced workers—particularly young workers—are falling victim to these destructive policies.

The unemployment rate for young workers in the United States has generally averaged about twice the unemployment rate for older workers. Meanwhile, the youth unemployment rate in states that permit a lower minimum wage for students and young workers, such as Colorado and Utah, is nearly half that of neighboring states, such as Arizona, that do not.

Read more about the negative impact government-mandated minimum wage can have on young workersin a new article by Jon Riches, the Director of National Litigation at the Goldwater Institute.