Business & Economics
Business & Economics
Lawsuit Lottery Must End
In 2004, a Hazelton-area community pool closed after a man jumped into the water, slightly cutting his heel, and then filed a lawsuit claiming $100,000 in damages. While the settlement was significantly less, the owner, fearing future lawsuits, shut down the pool. Now, this once-thriving business, beloved as a summer ...
Business & Economics
Going Down Swinging in 2010
Here at the Contrarian we would be lax in our duties if we ignored the sporting world. Our readers will recall that we took notice of Billy-Jean King, still crowing about her 1973 win over Bobby Riggs, a washed-up player old enough to be her father. We also noted that ...
Business & Economics
More pension abuses, not enough reform ideas
Nearly every day, the public learns of new tales of pension-abusing public employees. Yet reform efforts are still miles away despite new state and federal proposals that attempt to rein in the problem. For instance, the Los Angeles Times reported recently that “More than 100 lawyers and auditors working for ...
Business & Economics
OPINION: Alaska’s legal climate far from harsh
Obamacare has been passed with great fanfare, but many Americans, unsure how the massive government program will work for them, are taking to the streets voicing their protests. Personal injury lawyers, on the other hand, are drinking champagne and voicing their approval, because they know Obamacare will work well for ...
Business & Economics
In Uncle Sam, You’ve Got a Friend… Who Wants Everybody’s DNA
In the latest WikiLeaks data dump, around a quarter-million confidential American diplomatic cables were published online. “Cablegate,” as it is being called, has revealed some rather startling information. Among the tech-relevant secrets, the State Department tasked agents to collect DNA and other biometric information on foreigners of interest. Specifically, U.S. ...
Business & Economics
Radical rethink for state workers’ pay
Never-ending deficits and unemployment at 12-percent-plus are just two illustrations of a seriously sick California economy. Many sensible solutions have been discarded out of hand because of the power of public-sector unions. The challenge for state leaders is to make these unions part of the solution instead of the problem. ...
Business & Economics
California ignores the truth
Anyone who has dealt with a loved one deeply involved in some destructive behavior understands that there is only so much you can do until the person hits whatever low point is necessary to spark a commitment to turn around their life. I think of my beloved California in the ...
Business & Economics
NH is among many states that could boost manufacturing with lawsuit reform
THE UNEMPLOYMENT rate in manufacturing is 10 percent, above the overall national level. If state lawmakers are serious about putting nearly 1.6 million people back to work in manufacturing, they should enact desperately needed lawsuit reforms. The newly released U.S. Tort Liability Index: 2010 Report ranks each of the 50 ...
Business & Economics
Tort reform boosts growth
Politicians have spent billions on so-called stimulus and bailouts, yet today’s unemployment rate is about two times greater than in January 2008. If state legislators want an effective solution — one that will actually create jobs — they should enact tort reforms, an area where many states need help. In ...
Business & Economics
Groping our way toward tyranny
The Transportation Security Administration obviously knows with 100 percent certainty that John Tyner, the 31-year-old Oceanside man who refused to submit to one of those embarrassing body scans or be searched by TSA groin-checkers during his recent attempt to fly from San Diego to South Dakota, poses no security threat ...
Lawsuit Lottery Must End
In 2004, a Hazelton-area community pool closed after a man jumped into the water, slightly cutting his heel, and then filed a lawsuit claiming $100,000 in damages. While the settlement was significantly less, the owner, fearing future lawsuits, shut down the pool. Now, this once-thriving business, beloved as a summer ...
Going Down Swinging in 2010
Here at the Contrarian we would be lax in our duties if we ignored the sporting world. Our readers will recall that we took notice of Billy-Jean King, still crowing about her 1973 win over Bobby Riggs, a washed-up player old enough to be her father. We also noted that ...
More pension abuses, not enough reform ideas
Nearly every day, the public learns of new tales of pension-abusing public employees. Yet reform efforts are still miles away despite new state and federal proposals that attempt to rein in the problem. For instance, the Los Angeles Times reported recently that “More than 100 lawyers and auditors working for ...
OPINION: Alaska’s legal climate far from harsh
Obamacare has been passed with great fanfare, but many Americans, unsure how the massive government program will work for them, are taking to the streets voicing their protests. Personal injury lawyers, on the other hand, are drinking champagne and voicing their approval, because they know Obamacare will work well for ...
In Uncle Sam, You’ve Got a Friend… Who Wants Everybody’s DNA
In the latest WikiLeaks data dump, around a quarter-million confidential American diplomatic cables were published online. “Cablegate,” as it is being called, has revealed some rather startling information. Among the tech-relevant secrets, the State Department tasked agents to collect DNA and other biometric information on foreigners of interest. Specifically, U.S. ...
Radical rethink for state workers’ pay
Never-ending deficits and unemployment at 12-percent-plus are just two illustrations of a seriously sick California economy. Many sensible solutions have been discarded out of hand because of the power of public-sector unions. The challenge for state leaders is to make these unions part of the solution instead of the problem. ...
California ignores the truth
Anyone who has dealt with a loved one deeply involved in some destructive behavior understands that there is only so much you can do until the person hits whatever low point is necessary to spark a commitment to turn around their life. I think of my beloved California in the ...
NH is among many states that could boost manufacturing with lawsuit reform
THE UNEMPLOYMENT rate in manufacturing is 10 percent, above the overall national level. If state lawmakers are serious about putting nearly 1.6 million people back to work in manufacturing, they should enact desperately needed lawsuit reforms. The newly released U.S. Tort Liability Index: 2010 Report ranks each of the 50 ...
Tort reform boosts growth
Politicians have spent billions on so-called stimulus and bailouts, yet today’s unemployment rate is about two times greater than in January 2008. If state legislators want an effective solution — one that will actually create jobs — they should enact tort reforms, an area where many states need help. In ...
Groping our way toward tyranny
The Transportation Security Administration obviously knows with 100 percent certainty that John Tyner, the 31-year-old Oceanside man who refused to submit to one of those embarrassing body scans or be searched by TSA groin-checkers during his recent attempt to fly from San Diego to South Dakota, poses no security threat ...
