The American Dream shouldn’t require a Certificate of Need

The American Dream, at its core, is about the freedom to compete. As an entrepreneur, PLF’s newest client, Phillip Truesdell, understands that freedom well. Unfortunately, Phillip also understands the pain when government-sponsored protectionism takes away our economic freedom.

Phillip’s family company, Legacy Medical Transport, launched in 2017 with one ambulance. Today, it’s a thriving non-emergency medical transport company with seven vehicles. Legacy is located just miles from the Kentucky border and often takes clients from Ohio to Kentucky. But Kentucky law prohibits Legacy from returning their patients back to their homes in Ohio without first obtaining a Certificate of Need.

The state grants these certificates only with permission from existing businesses—a so called “Competitor’s Veto.” Phillip applied for a Certificate of Need but was denied after spending thousands of dollars in attorney fees and appearing before a brutal government tribunal.

Now, as Anastasia Boden explains, Phillip and his family are fighting for the right to earn a living free of crony Competitor’s Veto laws.

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Battling discrimination in Connecticut schools

America’s civil rights movement ended the legalized segregation that forced black students into separate—and very much unequal—schools. But decades later, the quality of education for too many of the country’s minority children has still not improved. And unfortunately, instead of fighting for better-quality education for all students regardless of their race, some school districts are reverting to discrimination.

Connecticut, for instance, has deployed racial quotas in a misguided scheme to integrate the state’s world-class magnet schools. Some families are fighting back. So Scott Barton is posing the bigger question: Is there a better way?

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The Hill: Supreme Court should further affirm importance of property rights

Dartmond and Esther Cherk just wanted to divide their Marin County, California, property into two lots, sell one, and use the proceeds to build a retirement home on the other. Easy, right? Far from it.

After nearly 20 years of back-and-forth, Marin County finally gave permission for the Cherks’ modest development plan—but only if they pay a fee of almost $40,000, which the county claims will help alleviate its affordable-housing crisis.

In his op-ed for The Hill, Oliver Dunford tells us how the Cherks are asking the U.S. Supreme Court to step in and end this government extortion.

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