Cut out the middle man a you get lower drug prices? Sound too good to be true? That's because it is. On this week's Pegasus podcast we discuss with John Inman why a Medicaid Carve Out in hopes of driving down drug prices is not the best solution.

The 2020 legislative session is hitting its stride, and legislation is starting to move quickly. On today's episode we update you on a couple pieces of legislation that our organization is watching, and why we are in support of them.

One of our focuses this legislation session will continue to be charter schools in urban areas. After releasing a white paper on the topic just last week, we break down some of our biggest takeaways from our newest research. Stay tuned for an interview with author Corey DeAngelis coming soon!

Finally, we discuss the continuing crisis across the country with the recruitment and retention of police officers. A new piece in City Journal highlights the growing concerns across the country of finding good recruits to keep our streets safe.

On January 23, US Attorney Russell Coleman held the 2020 Violent Crime Summit at his offices. Along with Christopher 2X, of Game Changers, the two aimed to spend 3 hours providing attendees with a comprehensive look at the impact of violent crime in Louisville.

Today's conversation focuses on the reasons why these two wanted to host this event, and what they wanted the takeaways to be. For the many of our listeners who could not be in the room, I wanted them to be able to convey the incredibly emotional parts of the event. To help our listeners understand the gravity of the situation, but also feel like there is a pathway forward.

This podcast is almost certainly one of the hardest topics we have tackled. It is a deeply emotional and serious issue. I hope with this conversation, a completely unfiltered, unedited, hour long talk, that we can reach more people to understand just how serious this issue is.

In 2018 Kentucky began the process of reforming its tax code. With an emphasis on moving from production side taxes to consumption based taxes, the process was the first of its kind in nearly 80 years for the commonwealth.

The 2018 tax package focused largely on reforming state wide taxes, a necessary first step. however, nearly as important will be Kentucky reforming the ways it local governments can tax. As we saw with the battle in Louisville this summer, tight budget and growing pension obligations are forcing cities to reevaluate the way they tax.

So, we decided to sit down with JD Chaney, Executive Director of the Kentucky League of Cities, to discuss just what the problem is, and what lawmakers can do to best help our cities. For many, it starts with just taking off the handcuffs so they can do what they need.

Why can't Kentucky legislators just leave the vaping industry alone?

On today's Pegasus Podcast we are joined by Paul Blair, Director of Strategic Initiatives for Americans for Tax Reform, to discuss why legislators should stop trying to destroy the vaping industry. Fueled by half-truths, misinformation and junk science, legislators and organization have aimed to take down vaping through as many regulations and taxes as possible.

Paul talks us through why legislators in Kentucky should stop pushing these harmful taxes and embrace the thousands of adults who are quitting cigarettes in favor of the much healthier alternative of vape and e-cigs.

What even is tort? And why does it need reform?

On today's Pegasus Podcast get the background on tort law, what it pertains to, and how it affects Kentucky businesses. Want Kentucky to be more competitive? Our lawmakers must reform some of our tort laws.

We sat down with Janet Norton, vice president and chief legal & regulatory affairs officer for Baptist Health, to discuss her experience with tort law, and provide some policies that Kentucky could enact to stay competitive with its neighbor. Many policies are common sense, so much that all of our neighboring states have passed them. We discuss why Kentucky needs to do the same, and soon.

Dr. Emily Bonistall Postel, the new Director of Outreach for Marsy's Law Kentucky, joins us on the first podcast episode of 2020 to discuss an incredibly important topic, victims. Whether it be a victim's trauma, constitutional rights, or role in our criminal justice system, focusing on victims is incredibly important.

On today's episode we work through some of the science behind victimology and why it all adds up to getting Marsy's Law passed again in 2020.

Please enjoy our first podcast of 2020 and get ready for a great year of guests and topics!

What were some of our team's favorite moments from 2019? Join us for the last Pegasus podcast episode of 2019 where Jared, Josh, Erinn and Jonathan breakdown our favorite moments, biggest regrets, and more from 2019. We discuss some of the biggest policy moments, favorite memories and more and have some fun chatting about everything that happened this year. Join us as we recap 2019 and get ready for a great 2020!

Economic Freedom of North America with Dean Stansel by Pegasus Institute

This week's topics:

Senator Rand Paul has rebased his Fall 2019 Waste Report! We work through some of the most ridiculous uses of taxpayer dollars, and discuss what it all means.

Are public school teachers really underpaid? Is their salary really why we have such poor outcomes? A new piece in National Review takes a look at why salaries and teacher pay should not be the only proposed solution to poor outcomes. Spoiler alert: schools need more choice, freedom and competition.