Business & Economics
Blog
Should We Fear the Government Knowing How Much We Drive?
Earlier this year, when discussing a laughable proposal to ban the sale of gasoline-powered cars in California, my colleague Kerry Jackson asked a critical question – “What happens to the $52 billion in revenue the state is expecting from tax hikes on gasoline and diesel sales for road repair over ...
Business & Economics
Well-Meaning Drug Discount Program Encourages Hospitals to Profit Rather than Effectively Serve Poor
A new study released today by the Pacific Research Institute finds that a program to give discounted prescription drugs to poor Americans is riddled with abuse, has created a perverse incentive for providers to profit instead of effectively serve the poor, and is hurting overall health care quality. Click here ...
Blog
Why Did the Government Swallow the 340B Fly?
Much like the old lady who swallowed a fly, the federal government has swallowed a fly over a well-meaning program designed to help the poor afford prescription drugs called 340B. Instead of ensuring the poor have low-cost drugs, 340B has created an incentive for hospitals to profit. Click here to ...
Business & Economics
Foreign Experiments With Trickle-Down Tax Cuts: A Rare Proposition For A Robust Economy
By Jason Margolis “The Word”/Public Radio International In the late 1970s, Ireland’s economy was struggling. So they decided to cut business taxes dramatically while also increasing individual taxes including on the middle class. The idea was that stronger businesses would benefit everyone. It worked. “For the following 25 years, they had really rapid ...
Blog
Political Investment Decisions Hurt Taxpayers, State Retirees
The most recent estimate says that California Public Employees Retirement System, the largest public employee pension fund in the nation with about 1.8 million beneficiaries, has an unfunded liability of roughly $138 billion with total obligations of around $435 billion. While part of that gap is due to the government ...
Blog
What If We Created a “Free-Market Hall of Fame”?
Last week, I had the great pleasure of attending the annual California Hall of Fame ceremony. Every year, the Governor presents our state’s highest honor to a group of Californians past and present who have made a lasting contribution to the fabric of the Golden State in business, arts and ...
Blog
Robots, Work, and Retirement
If you’re thinking about giving a robot to someone this Christmas, on Amazon.com you’ll find 290,991 choices. I bought my brother a robot for Christmas last year when he announced that he will be retiring from his job as a computer engineer after 35 years. Overnight, he went from being ...
Blog
Is Prop. 54 Needed in Congress?
Over the weekend, I made the rounds of various bipartisan holiday parties filled with California politicos. The late-night vote on the Senate GOP tax plan was certainly the conversation du jour. My liberal friends decried the harried, last-minute nature of the vote, specifically hundreds of pages of bill language being ...
Business & Economics
Michael Ramirez – The Art of Political Cartooning
Two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning political cartoonist Michael Ramirez joins us to discuss his approach to cartooning, some of his favorite and noteworthy cartoons from over the years, and the important role that political cartoons play in shaping public opinion and inspiring grassroots activism.
Business & Economics
House And Senate Tax Plans Have Major Differences That Need to Be Reconciled
On Saturday, the Senate joined the House in passing its version of tax reform known as the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. While the two versions are very similar, there are 18 major differences that still need to be discussed between the two chambers in conference committee before the measure ...
Should We Fear the Government Knowing How Much We Drive?
Earlier this year, when discussing a laughable proposal to ban the sale of gasoline-powered cars in California, my colleague Kerry Jackson asked a critical question – “What happens to the $52 billion in revenue the state is expecting from tax hikes on gasoline and diesel sales for road repair over ...
Well-Meaning Drug Discount Program Encourages Hospitals to Profit Rather than Effectively Serve Poor
A new study released today by the Pacific Research Institute finds that a program to give discounted prescription drugs to poor Americans is riddled with abuse, has created a perverse incentive for providers to profit instead of effectively serve the poor, and is hurting overall health care quality. Click here ...
Why Did the Government Swallow the 340B Fly?
Much like the old lady who swallowed a fly, the federal government has swallowed a fly over a well-meaning program designed to help the poor afford prescription drugs called 340B. Instead of ensuring the poor have low-cost drugs, 340B has created an incentive for hospitals to profit. Click here to ...
Foreign Experiments With Trickle-Down Tax Cuts: A Rare Proposition For A Robust Economy
By Jason Margolis “The Word”/Public Radio International In the late 1970s, Ireland’s economy was struggling. So they decided to cut business taxes dramatically while also increasing individual taxes including on the middle class. The idea was that stronger businesses would benefit everyone. It worked. “For the following 25 years, they had really rapid ...
Political Investment Decisions Hurt Taxpayers, State Retirees
The most recent estimate says that California Public Employees Retirement System, the largest public employee pension fund in the nation with about 1.8 million beneficiaries, has an unfunded liability of roughly $138 billion with total obligations of around $435 billion. While part of that gap is due to the government ...
What If We Created a “Free-Market Hall of Fame”?
Last week, I had the great pleasure of attending the annual California Hall of Fame ceremony. Every year, the Governor presents our state’s highest honor to a group of Californians past and present who have made a lasting contribution to the fabric of the Golden State in business, arts and ...
Robots, Work, and Retirement
If you’re thinking about giving a robot to someone this Christmas, on Amazon.com you’ll find 290,991 choices. I bought my brother a robot for Christmas last year when he announced that he will be retiring from his job as a computer engineer after 35 years. Overnight, he went from being ...
Is Prop. 54 Needed in Congress?
Over the weekend, I made the rounds of various bipartisan holiday parties filled with California politicos. The late-night vote on the Senate GOP tax plan was certainly the conversation du jour. My liberal friends decried the harried, last-minute nature of the vote, specifically hundreds of pages of bill language being ...
Michael Ramirez – The Art of Political Cartooning
Two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning political cartoonist Michael Ramirez joins us to discuss his approach to cartooning, some of his favorite and noteworthy cartoons from over the years, and the important role that political cartoons play in shaping public opinion and inspiring grassroots activism.
House And Senate Tax Plans Have Major Differences That Need to Be Reconciled
On Saturday, the Senate joined the House in passing its version of tax reform known as the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. While the two versions are very similar, there are 18 major differences that still need to be discussed between the two chambers in conference committee before the measure ...
