Week in Review: Following in Sen. Goldwater’s Footsteps

In the first week of January 1909, Senator Barry Goldwater was born in Phoenix, Arizona. At that time, Phoenix was a city in a remote desert territory that was not even yet a state. Over the next 89 years, Sen. Goldwater devoted his life to ensuring that his native state would be a beacon of liberty for the rest of the nation—and today, the Grand Canyon State remains a nationwide leader for the cause of freedom and a shining example for other states to follow.

At the Goldwater Institute, we’re not only proud to sport the Goldwater name—we’re proud to carry on the fight for liberty that characterized Sen. Goldwater’s life and career, taking that fight throughout Arizona and across the country. We’re pushing back against government overreach, pushing back against the creep of growing regulation and government intrusion in people’s lives. As we kick off 2020, you’ll find us all over the country making the case for liberty—just as Sen. Goldwater did throughout his life.

Read more about the work we’re doing to carry the torch for freedom—and how you can support that work—on In Defense of Liberty.

An Education Spending Déjà vu?

We just started a new decade earlier this week, but is this new Roaring ‘20s about to take us back to 1965? Goldwater Director of Education Policy Matt Beienburg writes on In Defense of Liberty that when it comes to education spending, we might be.

Many of the current Democratic presidential candidates are vowing to hike federal education spending if elected. But in his review of the new book The Not-So-Great Society (co-authored by Goldwater Senior Fellow Jonathan Butcher), Beienburg recommends that these candidates read through the book’s essays, which “offer a glimpse into this future federal bonanza…by looking at the one Washington already unleashed in 1965.”

“At the very least, before proposing to massively multiply existing federal programs in the 2020s, political leaders ought to familiarize themselves with the costs and consequences of such efforts over the last 50 years. The Not-So-Great Society is an excellent place to start,” Beienburg writes. Read his full book review here.

How States Can Help Control Soaring Funeral Costs

After a loved one’s passing, families are paying more for funeral services than ever before. Fortunately, state lawmakers across the country can ease these burdens.

A new In Defense of Liberty post by Goldwater Policy Analyst Fellow Trevor Bratton sheds light on how expensive and time-consuming occupational licensing requirements are contributing to a short supply of funeral providers, which means higher costs for grieving families. But fortunately, there are actions

states can take to help, including deregulating and moving toward a voluntary private certification system for the funeral industry. Read more from Bratton here.