Labor

2/7/2026 By Brooke Faulkner Leave a Comment

The Pros and Cons of Working in the Gig Economy

It’s likely you know or have heard of at least one person within your social network who has a flexible working arrangement. It could be they have the luxury of working from home a few days a week, or perhaps they’re full-on freelancers. This schedule may be enviable to someone who works full-time in a brick and mortar building. Who wouldn’t want to have the flexibility to work from the comfort of their bed during the workweek? This growing trend of freelance and short-term work is also referred to as the gig economy. Forbes recently pointed to a Bureau of Labor Statistics report that noted 35% of the U.S. workforce in 2018 was gig workers. By 2020, the number is expected to jump to 43%. So why is nearly half of the American … [Read more...]

2/7/2026 By Guest Blogger Leave a Comment

4 Work from Home Jobs You Can Do While Studying

Studying for a masters accounting degree online using one of the many online masters of accounting courses is a great feeling, but it doesn’t come without its difficulties. One of the main difficulties of studying for a degree is trying to find the time to work to help pay for it. While there are plenty of courses that you can fit around working hours, it’s still hard to fit studying and down time around a full-time. If you’re looking to earn money whilst studying for your degree, have a look at some of the possible jobs that can work around you. 1. Affiliate Marketing Affiliate marketing with websites isn’t easy to achieve, but with a little research and trial and error, it could make you plenty of cash. The … [Read more...]

2/7/2026 By Guest Blogger Leave a Comment

How the EB5 Visa has Encouraged Investment in the U.S.

For people who want to move to the U.S. and work or start a business, there are a number of routes to go down to get the rights to do this, and not all of them are easy or available to everyone. Some people apply for jobs in the USA and are able to move here because their companies sponsor them or because they can’t fill these roles with local people, for example. This is obviously something only people with specialist skills who want to be employed can do. For those who actually want to start their own businesses in America, there has for some time now been another option: the EB5 visa. What Is The EB5 Visa? The EB5 visa is a program under which foreign nationals can gain a green card for two years by investing at least $500,000 in the … [Read more...]

2/7/2026 By Brooke Faulkner Leave a Comment

Going to School with a Full-Time Job or Career

When 18-year-olds are pushed into higher education before really knowing who they are, it creates an unfortunate chance that they’ll spend a lot of time and money earning a degree in something they don’t care about, aren’t very good at, or just don’t see themselves focusing on for the rest of their lives. Going back to school becomes a desire for many working adults who already have degrees. Similarly, there are working adults who weren’t able to go to college when they graduated high school or turned the chance down because they didn’t know what they wanted to study. However, they have full-time jobs now, and though they want to go to school, their time and resources are a bit scarce. This article is for those two groups of people. … [Read more...]

2/7/2026 By Ben Leave a Comment

May 17: Week in Review

This week the Greeley Tribune published my column on the progress Colorado is making -- and still needs to make -- in order to ensure fair funding for public charter schools. More from the Independence Institute Amy Oliver Show: Charter Schools Look for Fairer Funding (Podcast) Amy Oliver Show: An Outside Look at Douglas County Reform (Podcast) How Can Jeffco Union Leaders' Bad Faith Bargaining Be Good for Kids? (Ed Is Watching) International Report Shines Light on Colorado Education Performance Gap (Ed Is Watching) So Glad to Find Insights and Direction for HB 1382's K-12 Online Pilot Programs (Ed Is Watching) Finished One Good(read) Book This Week Life After Art: What You Forgot about Life and Faith since Leaving the Art … [Read more...]

2/7/2026 By Ben Leave a Comment

May 31: Week in Review

A short work week was hollowed out by the fitting remembrance of those "who here gave the last full measure of devotion" in service to our nation. On the morning of Memorial Day, a small band of veterans, relatives, and respectful citizens gathered at our local cemetery for a modest and uplifting ceremony. No doubt many such activities took place across the nation. Here, our kids wouldn't let us miss the Memorial Day parade either. I also did something a little different. To go along with the Ken Burns project "Learn the Address," I made a two-minute recording of a memorized recitation of the Gettysburg Address. "Fourscore and seven years ago...." On a much different note, I was quoted in a Tuesday Denver Post story regarding the new … [Read more...]

2/7/2026 By Ben Leave a Comment

June 7: Week in Review

In a couple of major ways, and some minor ones, this week certainly didn't go according to my plans. But I've already had the chance to see clearly how one of those unwanted developments probably worked out for a better purpose. Despite the challenges and setbacks, this week also included my first gubernatorial bill signing (as pictured above -- House Bill 1382, K-12 Online Education) and National Donut Day. So there's no need to complain too much, right? All that and my latest Complete Colorado column led to a Thursday morning appearance on the Mandy Connell Show (630 KHOW). From the Independence Institute Amy Oliver Show: Orsch Private School Tests Education Ideas (Podcast) New ACE Study Opens Mind on Comparing Public, Private … [Read more...]

2/7/2026 By Ben Leave a Comment

Mile High City Prepares to Welcome Embattled Teachers Union

Denver is preparing to welcome the annual meeting of the nation’s largest teachers union, while the union and key state and local affiliates face challenging setbacks. The National Education Association’s Representative Assembly is slated to arrive in the Mile High City in the wake of two well-publicized judicial rebukes and a local contract dispute that strongly question the union’s defense of ineffective teachers. …Read the rest of my article at Watchdog Wire Colorado…. … [Read more...]

2/7/2026 By Ben Leave a Comment

July 5: (Two) Week(s) in Review

Last week the Virtus clan was on a mini-vacation in the Colorado mountains. With very little to miss, today's entry recaps the best of the past fortnight. Highlight? The Franklin Center shined its Citizen Spotlight on me and co-editor Joshua Sharf. Hope everyone had a Happy Independence Day! From the Ed Is Watching Blog Friedman Survey Finds Big Shift on Standardized Testing, Not to Mention…. Florida Doubles Number of States with Cutting-Edge Choice through ESAs Holyoke’s Pursuit of Innovation Status Raises Real Questions to Answer Finished One Good(read) Book This Fortnight Frozen in Time: An Epic Story of Survival and a Modern Quest for Lost Heroes of World War II by Mitchell Zuckoff My rating: 4 of 5 stars Zuckoff recaps … [Read more...]