Business & Economics
Business & Economics
Good Riddance to the Paycheck Fairness Act
Republicans in the Senate have successfully blocked the Paycheck Fairness Act. That is something to celebrate in 2011 because the Act had little to do with fairness. It would have empowered the federal government to regulate compensation and work arrangements in private businesses. Supporters lament that Congress has missed a ...
Business & Economics
Where the Nanny Statists Begin, the Trial Lawyers Surely Follow
Of course, bad ideas migrate quickly through the political class, so San Francisco soon passed a similar law. In this case, the momentum was achieved with help from a bloated public-health department, gorged on freshly minted tax revenue. But two counties are not enough for the trial-lawyers lobby, so they’ve ...
Business & Economics
Jerry Brown’s game of chicken
SACRAMENTO – We’re about to witness a new twist on Sacramento’s annual high-stakes budget game. Many Capitol observers believe that incoming Gov. Jerry Brown and his fellow Democrats, who no longer need GOP budget support thanks to the Nov. 2 passage of Proposition 25, which allows budget approval with a ...
Business & Economics
The Pension Problem is not Going Away
Pacific Research Institute Director Steven Greenhut on the lack of effort to reform state pensions. Watch atvideo.foxbusiness.com/v/4452319/pension-problem-not-going-away-/
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. ...
Good Riddance to the Paycheck Fairness Act
Republicans in the Senate have successfully blocked the Paycheck Fairness Act. That is something to celebrate in 2011 because the Act had little to do with fairness. It would have empowered the federal government to regulate compensation and work arrangements in private businesses. Supporters lament that Congress has missed a ...
Where the Nanny Statists Begin, the Trial Lawyers Surely Follow
Of course, bad ideas migrate quickly through the political class, so San Francisco soon passed a similar law. In this case, the momentum was achieved with help from a bloated public-health department, gorged on freshly minted tax revenue. But two counties are not enough for the trial-lawyers lobby, so they’ve ...
Jerry Brown’s game of chicken
SACRAMENTO – We’re about to witness a new twist on Sacramento’s annual high-stakes budget game. Many Capitol observers believe that incoming Gov. Jerry Brown and his fellow Democrats, who no longer need GOP budget support thanks to the Nov. 2 passage of Proposition 25, which allows budget approval with a ...
The Pension Problem is not Going Away
Pacific Research Institute Director Steven Greenhut on the lack of effort to reform state pensions. Watch atvideo.foxbusiness.com/v/4452319/pension-problem-not-going-away-/
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. ...
