Sally C. Pipes
Commentary
Canadians seeking health care have a ‘wait problem’
Washington Examiner (Washington, DC), June 3, 2009 First of a two-part series It’s the start of what promises to be a beautiful spring day. But not for you. As the first rays of sunshine filter through your bedroom window, a searing pain settles into your head. You pop an aspirin ...
Business & Economics
Does California Need a Commission on the Status of Women?
The California Commission on the Status of Women bills itself as an “independent, non-partisan agency working to advance the causes of women.” That claim invites scrutiny of the Commission’s 2009-2010 priorities. Look at what we find at the very top of their list. “Establish a universal health care system to ...
Commentary
Taming Runaway Health Care Costs
The New York Times, May 16, 2009 To the Editor: David Leonhardt claims that research into the effectiveness of different treatment options would “tell us how to reduce spending without damaging people’s health.” Nonsense. Medical-effectiveness research will simply provide the government with cover to ration treatment. That’s exactly what happens ...
Commentary
Under Obama Healthcare Scheme, Big Government Rations Care for Sick Patients
U.S. News & World Report (Washington, DC), May 13, 2009 American healthcare may not be perfect. But it’s not on the verge of collapse either—unless President Obama succeeds with his various healthcare reform efforts. Exhibit A: The $787-billion stimulus bill, which became law on February 19. The measure builds on ...
Business & Economics
A swift re-tort: How to fight lawsuit abuse
America’s economy remains in terrible shape and federal lawmakers are trying to kick-start a recovery by spending money. A better strategy would be to reform the country’s inefficient tort system, which is failing to promptly compensate true victims. Instead, meritless lawsuits clog courtrooms while outsized monetary awards cripple businesses and ...
Business & Economics
Nanny Government Plays from the Rough
As readers of the Contrarian know from the recent piece on Billie Jean King, my game is tennis. I’m not much of a golfer, but I can recognize a wild tee shot that lands deep in the rough. That is especially true when the shot comes from a politically correct ...
Commentary
What made vaccine industry so sickly?
Red tape, price controls, lawsuits have decimated U.S. vaccine makers. The United States isn’t ready for the possibility of a swine flu pandemic. We could have been, we should have been, but we’re not. While officials have done their best to stockpile antiviral treatments like Tamiflu and Relenza, the most ...
Climate Change
On Earth Day, don’t buy into the eco-doomsaying
Environmental Index Report: 2009 What would Earth Day be without hand wringing over the supposedly dire state of the planet? Concern over climate change seems to have reached a fever pitch. And the American economy has been fingered as the culprit. President Obama’s recent budget proposal pours a whopping $150 ...
Commentary
Obama’s public plan will be a disaster for American health care
High-ranking Democrats recently signaled that they might exploit a procedural maneuver in congressional protocol to pass major healthcare legislation without a single Republican vote. Through “budget reconciliation,” a fast-track process that allows the Senate to pass the government’s budget without debate and with just a simple majority, Democratic leaders hope ...
Commentary
A Backdoor Plan for Rationing
Imagine you’re sick. You find out there’s only one drug that can cure you, but your insurance company won’t pay for it because it’s too expensive. Remarkably, such a scenario may soon become a reality in this country. The stimulus bill that President Obama just signed contains $1.1 billion for ...
Canadians seeking health care have a ‘wait problem’
Washington Examiner (Washington, DC), June 3, 2009 First of a two-part series It’s the start of what promises to be a beautiful spring day. But not for you. As the first rays of sunshine filter through your bedroom window, a searing pain settles into your head. You pop an aspirin ...
Does California Need a Commission on the Status of Women?
The California Commission on the Status of Women bills itself as an “independent, non-partisan agency working to advance the causes of women.” That claim invites scrutiny of the Commission’s 2009-2010 priorities. Look at what we find at the very top of their list. “Establish a universal health care system to ...
Taming Runaway Health Care Costs
The New York Times, May 16, 2009 To the Editor: David Leonhardt claims that research into the effectiveness of different treatment options would “tell us how to reduce spending without damaging people’s health.” Nonsense. Medical-effectiveness research will simply provide the government with cover to ration treatment. That’s exactly what happens ...
Under Obama Healthcare Scheme, Big Government Rations Care for Sick Patients
U.S. News & World Report (Washington, DC), May 13, 2009 American healthcare may not be perfect. But it’s not on the verge of collapse either—unless President Obama succeeds with his various healthcare reform efforts. Exhibit A: The $787-billion stimulus bill, which became law on February 19. The measure builds on ...
A swift re-tort: How to fight lawsuit abuse
America’s economy remains in terrible shape and federal lawmakers are trying to kick-start a recovery by spending money. A better strategy would be to reform the country’s inefficient tort system, which is failing to promptly compensate true victims. Instead, meritless lawsuits clog courtrooms while outsized monetary awards cripple businesses and ...
Nanny Government Plays from the Rough
As readers of the Contrarian know from the recent piece on Billie Jean King, my game is tennis. I’m not much of a golfer, but I can recognize a wild tee shot that lands deep in the rough. That is especially true when the shot comes from a politically correct ...
What made vaccine industry so sickly?
Red tape, price controls, lawsuits have decimated U.S. vaccine makers. The United States isn’t ready for the possibility of a swine flu pandemic. We could have been, we should have been, but we’re not. While officials have done their best to stockpile antiviral treatments like Tamiflu and Relenza, the most ...
On Earth Day, don’t buy into the eco-doomsaying
Environmental Index Report: 2009 What would Earth Day be without hand wringing over the supposedly dire state of the planet? Concern over climate change seems to have reached a fever pitch. And the American economy has been fingered as the culprit. President Obama’s recent budget proposal pours a whopping $150 ...
Obama’s public plan will be a disaster for American health care
High-ranking Democrats recently signaled that they might exploit a procedural maneuver in congressional protocol to pass major healthcare legislation without a single Republican vote. Through “budget reconciliation,” a fast-track process that allows the Senate to pass the government’s budget without debate and with just a simple majority, Democratic leaders hope ...
A Backdoor Plan for Rationing
Imagine you’re sick. You find out there’s only one drug that can cure you, but your insurance company won’t pay for it because it’s too expensive. Remarkably, such a scenario may soon become a reality in this country. The stimulus bill that President Obama just signed contains $1.1 billion for ...
