California

Commentary

Milwaukee School Choice Program Sets Example for California, Nation

Low-income Milwaukee students using vouchers to attend independent schools have a graduation rate 18 percent higher than students in Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS), according to Graduation Rates for Choice and Public School Students in Milwaukee, 2003-2008, a new report by John Robert Warren of the University of Minnesota. California would ...
Commentary

What Are Republicans Talking about When Republicans Talk about ‘Buying Health Insurance Across State

The Republican health-reform bill (H.R. 4038 § 221) also retains this discriminatory tax-treatment, but contains 27 pages of legalese that purports to make it easier for Americans to buy health insurance across state lines. Unfortunately, it makes little sense once you get past the crowd-pleasing title. For example: “The primary ...
California

Why Race to the Middle? Massachusetts and California K-12 State Standards Far Exceed National Standards Drafts

BOSTON/SAN FRANCISCO — A day after President Obama and Secretary of Education Duncan laid out an aggressive plan to expand federal control over K-12 academic standards at the National Governors Association (NGA) winter meetings, a new report criticizes the national standards process as “opaque” and the federal push harmful not ...
Business & Economics

State not exactly the well-oiled machine

SACRAMENTO A new report from the California State Auditor should throw cold water on those who believe that the best way to solve the state’s problems is by expanding government power, increasing government funding and creating new regulatory powers and agencies. The auditor has released its annual report analyzing how ...
Business & Economics

The War Against Free Parking

From San Diego to Susanville, Californians know that a free parking space is hard to find. Such spaces may be even harder to find under SB 518, proposed by state senator Alan Lowenthal. Like much of what emerges from Sacramento, the measure is at least instructive. Free parking only encourages ...
Business & Economics

Insurance czar’s cheap political ploy

One of the best ways to evaluate the merits of any politicians’ proposed new rule or power grab is to first consider whether it’s something you would support if your political foes were in power. Unfortunately, Republican Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner apparently hasn’t employed that (or any other) common-sense test ...
Business & Economics

Repair California’s Fiscal Problems Ourselves – or the Capital Markets Will

Events in Washington, D.C. have overshadowed the ongoing fiscal calamity in Sacramento, where earlier this month state legislators basically rejected the governor’s reforms almost as soon as they were released. Despite the uncertainty shrouding the capital, the budget crisis will be solved – one way or another. This certainty is ...
California

California’s New HMO Regulations

There are standards that a single-payer plan could not hope to achieve. Indeed, California’s current government-run health plans can’t achieve them. The new regulations are a result of years of negotiations between HMOs, the government, and self-styled “consumer advocates”, who lobby for laws and regulation friendly to trial lawyers. Indeed, ...
California

Deadly Irony: California’s New HMO Regulations Versus Single-Payer Health Care

California has the unique distinction of being the only state that deploys two regulators of health plans: the Department of Managed Health Care (DMHC) as well as the Department of Insurance. Unsurprisingly, these departments busy themselves issuing ever-growing and more detailed regulations. The DMHC has been developing these regulations since ...
Education

The President’s Budget: “No Justifiable Reason” for Killing the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program

Still, buried within the appendix of president’s budget (p. 1244) is a $3.8 million cut to the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program (DC OSP), which reduces funding for this much-needed program from $13.2 million to $9.4 million. To put this into better perspective, consider that eliminating about $4 million from a ...
Commentary

Milwaukee School Choice Program Sets Example for California, Nation

Low-income Milwaukee students using vouchers to attend independent schools have a graduation rate 18 percent higher than students in Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS), according to Graduation Rates for Choice and Public School Students in Milwaukee, 2003-2008, a new report by John Robert Warren of the University of Minnesota. California would ...
Commentary

What Are Republicans Talking about When Republicans Talk about ‘Buying Health Insurance Across State

The Republican health-reform bill (H.R. 4038 § 221) also retains this discriminatory tax-treatment, but contains 27 pages of legalese that purports to make it easier for Americans to buy health insurance across state lines. Unfortunately, it makes little sense once you get past the crowd-pleasing title. For example: “The primary ...
California

Why Race to the Middle? Massachusetts and California K-12 State Standards Far Exceed National Standards Drafts

BOSTON/SAN FRANCISCO — A day after President Obama and Secretary of Education Duncan laid out an aggressive plan to expand federal control over K-12 academic standards at the National Governors Association (NGA) winter meetings, a new report criticizes the national standards process as “opaque” and the federal push harmful not ...
Business & Economics

State not exactly the well-oiled machine

SACRAMENTO A new report from the California State Auditor should throw cold water on those who believe that the best way to solve the state’s problems is by expanding government power, increasing government funding and creating new regulatory powers and agencies. The auditor has released its annual report analyzing how ...
Business & Economics

The War Against Free Parking

From San Diego to Susanville, Californians know that a free parking space is hard to find. Such spaces may be even harder to find under SB 518, proposed by state senator Alan Lowenthal. Like much of what emerges from Sacramento, the measure is at least instructive. Free parking only encourages ...
Business & Economics

Insurance czar’s cheap political ploy

One of the best ways to evaluate the merits of any politicians’ proposed new rule or power grab is to first consider whether it’s something you would support if your political foes were in power. Unfortunately, Republican Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner apparently hasn’t employed that (or any other) common-sense test ...
Business & Economics

Repair California’s Fiscal Problems Ourselves – or the Capital Markets Will

Events in Washington, D.C. have overshadowed the ongoing fiscal calamity in Sacramento, where earlier this month state legislators basically rejected the governor’s reforms almost as soon as they were released. Despite the uncertainty shrouding the capital, the budget crisis will be solved – one way or another. This certainty is ...
California

California’s New HMO Regulations

There are standards that a single-payer plan could not hope to achieve. Indeed, California’s current government-run health plans can’t achieve them. The new regulations are a result of years of negotiations between HMOs, the government, and self-styled “consumer advocates”, who lobby for laws and regulation friendly to trial lawyers. Indeed, ...
California

Deadly Irony: California’s New HMO Regulations Versus Single-Payer Health Care

California has the unique distinction of being the only state that deploys two regulators of health plans: the Department of Managed Health Care (DMHC) as well as the Department of Insurance. Unsurprisingly, these departments busy themselves issuing ever-growing and more detailed regulations. The DMHC has been developing these regulations since ...
Education

The President’s Budget: “No Justifiable Reason” for Killing the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program

Still, buried within the appendix of president’s budget (p. 1244) is a $3.8 million cut to the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program (DC OSP), which reduces funding for this much-needed program from $13.2 million to $9.4 million. To put this into better perspective, consider that eliminating about $4 million from a ...
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