Waste of the Week: Museum of Natural Sciences | Eastern North Carolina Now

    Publisher's note: This post, by Brian Balfour, was originally published in the Bad Bill of the Week section(s) of Civitas's online edition.

    The Museum of Natural Sciences in Raleigh excitedly touts that "General Admission to all facilities is FREE!"

    But as the economist Milton Friedman famously taught us: there's no such thing as a free lunch.

    The Natural Science Museum may be free to attendees, but it costs millions of taxpayer dollars to operate.

    The 2014-15 state budget appropriates roughly $12 million for the museum.

    The science museum is a fun place to visit, I've taken my children several times, but it is not a core function of state government. The museum should be funded by voluntary donations and fees, not through the coercive force of tax collections.

    Moreover, the $12 million in taxpayer dollars takes away from other state priorities that fall more in line with the proper functions of government.

    For these reasons, government funding for the Natural Science Museum in Raleigh in this week's Waste of the Week.


Go Back


Leave a Guest Comment

Your Name or Alias
Your Email Address ( your email address will not be published)
Enter Your Comment ( no code or urls allowed, text only please )




Mattie's Remarks: Paul Tine Leaves Democrat Party Civitas Institute, Editorials, Op-Ed & Politics How The Legislature Could Craft Better Education Laws


HbAD0

Latest Op-Ed & Politics

and also reject transgender medical procedures for chidlren
The N.C. State Board of Elections is updating voter registration forms to comply with the state Supreme Court's ruling against felon voting.
A senior Belarusian official on Sunday reportedly threatened to use recently transported tactical nuclear weapons in a warning to Western politicians urging them not to cross strategic issue “red lines” with their Russian ally.
Actor Tom Hanks talked about the use of Artificial Intelligence in Hollywood and said that technology exists now such that he could die tomorrow and his “performances can go on and on and on.”
At a recent PDGA Tour event, professional disc golfer Andy Consulas found himself disqualified after officials subjected him to a random drug test and discovered his urine was negative for cannabis.
“Reacher” and “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire” star Alan Ritchson talked about being a Christian in Hollywood and said it’s important that faith-based films are supported, calling movie theaters a new “pulpit.”

HbAD1

A university researcher felt threatened when pressed by a staffer to Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) and a Democrat senator seeking help to suss out alleged links between former President Donald Trump and Russia, special counsel John Durham revealed this week.
In a trio of rulings Friday, the N.C. Supreme Court restored the state's voter ID law, took state courts out of partisan gerrymandering disputes, and ended voting for felons who have not completed their sentences.
Florida Republican governor and 2024 presidential candidate Ron DeSantis (R) recently signed a bill that bans children from attending events that include “sexually explicit content,” such as drag shows or drag brunches.
Against all odds, the U.S. Navy has somehow managed to become even gayer, sources say.
Robbert F. Kennedy Jr., the nephew of the late President John F. Kennedy, on Wednesday formally launched his 2024 Democratic presidential campaign, vowing to end the merger of state and corporate power.
RALEIGH: Today, Governor Roy Cooper held a roundtable discussion about women’s reproductive health and the dangers that Senate Bill 20’s extreme abortion ban would have on reproductive freedom in the state.
Lawyers for The Covenant School in Nashville filed a motion on Monday to intervene in lawsuits calling for the release of the 28-year-old female mass shooter’s manifesto, citing security and safety concerns for staff and students at the private education institution.
Democrat Gov. Roy Cooper has appointed state Capitol Police Chief R.E. “Chip” Hawley to serve as the director of the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation. Hawley will fill the vacancy left when Director Robert Schurmeier’s term ends on June 30, 2023.

HbAD2

Sen. Jim Perry, gambling man, and the RINOs for sale
Last August the State Board of Education approved a 6-month delay in the standards revision timeline for Healthful Living Standards. Under the timeline, the first draft of the new standards was scheduled to be released in February 2023.
Special counsel John Durham is set to testify on Capitol Hill next month after releasing his report excoriating the FBI over its handling of investigations into the 2016 Trump campaign and Russia.
Twitter owner Elon Musk warned during an interview this week that U.S. policymakers should take China’s threats of taking over Taiwan “seriously” because the communist nation is not kidding around when it comes to its intent to do so.
"This is proof positive that North Carolina politicians and bureaucrats are prepared to trample on the rights of private property owners in order to benefit favored business interests,” said Jon Guze, Senior Fellow for Legal Studies at the John Locke Foundation.
Canadian police reportedly arrested a teenager handing out bibles after an altercation broke out between his “Save Canada” group and pro-transgender counter-protestors during a demonstration on Wednesday in Calgary, Alberta.
24 yeaer old healthy student died of vaccine-related myocarditis
Documentary free while available
Democrats love having illegal aliens flood the country. No, not because they are children of God, or whatever platitudes the Dems throw around in vain.

HbAD3

 
Back to Top