No Asterisk

We don’t trust the government with our money, our property, or our freedom. So why are we willing to trust it with the power to take a life?

In this episode of No Asterisk, we’re examining the death penalty through the lens of limited government. From wrongful convictions and irreversible mistakes to the cases of Jeffery Lee in Alabama and Christa Pike in Tennessee, we’re asking whether the state should possess a power that leaves absolutely no room for error.

This isn’t just a debate about crime and punishment. It’s about the limits of government authority, the consequences of getting it wrong, and whether our principles still apply when the circumstances make them uncomfortable.

If you own your property, why isn’t “no” enough?

When Alabama Power sought to use eminent domain against Fenn Church in Shelby County, it raised a question that goes far beyond one property dispute: How much does private property ownership actually mean when someone else has the power to take it?

In this episode of No Asterisk, we examine eminent domain, Alabama’s property rights protections, and the power government grants to private companies to take property against an owner’s wishes.

Because if ownership means anything, the right to refuse should mean something too.

Alabama’s race for governor is taking shape, with Doug Jones and Tommy Tuberville offering very different approaches to the state’s future.

In Episode 06 of No Asterisk, we take a closer look at their campaign platforms, policy proposals, and what those positions could mean for Alabamians.

From taxes and education to immigration, individual liberty, and the role of government, we’re examining the issues beyond the campaign rhetoric.

Because agreeing with a candidate doesn’t mean giving them a free pass, and disagreeing with one doesn’t mean dismissing everything they have to say.

Getting elected is supposed to be difficult. But how difficult should it be just to get your name on the ballot?

In Episode 5 of No Asterisk, we look at Alabama’s ballot-access system, the different paths available to major-party, minor-party, and independent candidates, and the barriers candidates face before voters ever get a chance to decide for themselves.

Who should determine which candidates get to compete? And how high should the barrier be?

For sixteen years, Republicans have controlled the Alabama Legislature. They’ve held the governor’s office even longer. So what has all that power actually produced?

In Episode 4 of No Asterisk, We look past the campaign promises and party labels to examine Alabama’s Republican supermajority on spending, taxes, regulation, transparency, individual liberty, and the size and scope of state government.

When one party has held the keys this long, eventually the record matters more than the promise.

How much government permission should it take to earn a living? This week, we look at occupational licensing in Alabama, why it exists, what it costs, and where protecting the public ends and unnecessary barriers begin.

You can pay off your mortgage. You can own your home free and clear. But the property tax bill never goes away.

In Episode 2 of No Asterisk, we examines Alabama’s property tax system and the larger question underneath it: If the government can ultimately take your home for failing to pay a recurring tax, what does it really mean to own property?

We look at the strongest case for property taxes, what they fund, the limits Alabama places on them, and whether government needing revenue is enough to justify a permanent claim on private property.

Then we put property taxes through The Liberty Test.

Thousands of license plate readers are watching Alabama’s roads. They can help solve crimes, but how much surveillance power should we give the government in the name of public safety? In Episode 1, we put Flock cameras to the Liberty Test.

Principles are easy when they’re convenient. The real test is whether they still hold when they’re not.

No Asterisk digs past the talking points and puts ideas and government power to the test without giving any side a free pass.

Liberty without exceptions.

New episodes every Saturday.