Environment
Agriculture
Ruling risks interstate water pacts
A “neighborhood” dispute between Oklahoma and Texas could upset decades of water agreements that have facilitated the nation’s urban, agricultural and industrial growth. At issue in Tarrant Regional Water District v. Herrmann is Oklahoma’s refusal to allow Texas to draw water to which it is entitled under the Red River ...
Education
Next-Gen Education
San Francisco, CA December 12, 2012 The Pacific Research Institute is pleased to co-sponsor the study Education Savings Accounts: A Path to Give All Children an Effective Education and Prepare Them for Life by Jonathan Butcher, Education Director at the Goldwater Institute. Education savings accounts provide an innovative solution ...
Business & Economics
Deep Reform, Not Window Dressing, for a Cooler, Cleaner California
The California Air Resources Board (CARB) wants car companies to install metallic reflective windows, which regulators believe will reduce energy use and fight global warming. Though possibly well intentioned this plan amounts only to window dressing. Legislators should pursue deeper environmental reforms with more benefits and fewer disadvantages. CARB believes ...
Commentary
States looking to exchange Obamacare’s insurance exchanges
The next act in the Obamacare saga is about to begin — and it’s going to be tragic. December 14 marks the deadline for states to reveal their plans for constructing insurance exchanges in line with the healthcare law’s dictates. Many are opting out — leaving the federal government to ...
Business & Economics
The Crusade Against Plastic Bags
KEY POINTS An ever-growing number of municipalities are instituting bans on plastic grocery bags in the name of environmental protection; Studies are mixed regarding whether or not such bans offer significant environmental benefits, but claims of rampant environmental harms are suspect; Proponents of bag-bans omit the most important consideration, which ...
California
Is The Fix In Higher Taxes And Less School Accountability
Supporters of Gov. Jerry Browns tax-hike ballot measure, Proposition 30, argue that the added tax revenues are needed so schools can, among other things, turn out high-achieving students. The head of the San Diego teachers union claims that without revenues to pay for programs and personnel, our schools are struggling ...
California
Implementing AB 32 will increase unemployment, household expenses
With the passage of California’s Assembly Bill 32, the Golden State has embarked upon an experiment in energy policy that has no modern parallel. Several recent studies have shown that the consequences to the state could be dire, and that California faces a choice between continuing on its current trajectory ...
California
Win some, lose some on bill signing
We take selective note of bills signed or vetoed the past week by Gov. Jerry Brown. Commendably, the governor vetoed Senate Bill 1235, by Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg, D-Sacramento. It would have required the state superintendent of public instruction and the Department of Education to “provide training and ...
California
California Recovery Project
In early February, we had the privilege of hosting Dr. Art Laffer at PRI’s Ronald Reagan Centennial Tribute in Orange County. At this event, we were pleased to announce that Dr. Laffer had agreed to work with us on a new California Recovery Project, an initiative that will take direct ...
Health Care
Feed the Beast: Renewing the Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA)
Key Points: There is a crisis in biopharmaceutical R&D in all segments of the industry – large, mid-market, and new ventures. Much of the responsibility for this can be laid at the door of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which is slow to approve new drugs. The law that ...
Ruling risks interstate water pacts
A “neighborhood” dispute between Oklahoma and Texas could upset decades of water agreements that have facilitated the nation’s urban, agricultural and industrial growth. At issue in Tarrant Regional Water District v. Herrmann is Oklahoma’s refusal to allow Texas to draw water to which it is entitled under the Red River ...
Next-Gen Education
San Francisco, CA December 12, 2012 The Pacific Research Institute is pleased to co-sponsor the study Education Savings Accounts: A Path to Give All Children an Effective Education and Prepare Them for Life by Jonathan Butcher, Education Director at the Goldwater Institute. Education savings accounts provide an innovative solution ...
Deep Reform, Not Window Dressing, for a Cooler, Cleaner California
The California Air Resources Board (CARB) wants car companies to install metallic reflective windows, which regulators believe will reduce energy use and fight global warming. Though possibly well intentioned this plan amounts only to window dressing. Legislators should pursue deeper environmental reforms with more benefits and fewer disadvantages. CARB believes ...
States looking to exchange Obamacare’s insurance exchanges
The next act in the Obamacare saga is about to begin — and it’s going to be tragic. December 14 marks the deadline for states to reveal their plans for constructing insurance exchanges in line with the healthcare law’s dictates. Many are opting out — leaving the federal government to ...
The Crusade Against Plastic Bags
KEY POINTS An ever-growing number of municipalities are instituting bans on plastic grocery bags in the name of environmental protection; Studies are mixed regarding whether or not such bans offer significant environmental benefits, but claims of rampant environmental harms are suspect; Proponents of bag-bans omit the most important consideration, which ...
Is The Fix In Higher Taxes And Less School Accountability
Supporters of Gov. Jerry Browns tax-hike ballot measure, Proposition 30, argue that the added tax revenues are needed so schools can, among other things, turn out high-achieving students. The head of the San Diego teachers union claims that without revenues to pay for programs and personnel, our schools are struggling ...
Implementing AB 32 will increase unemployment, household expenses
With the passage of California’s Assembly Bill 32, the Golden State has embarked upon an experiment in energy policy that has no modern parallel. Several recent studies have shown that the consequences to the state could be dire, and that California faces a choice between continuing on its current trajectory ...
Win some, lose some on bill signing
We take selective note of bills signed or vetoed the past week by Gov. Jerry Brown. Commendably, the governor vetoed Senate Bill 1235, by Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg, D-Sacramento. It would have required the state superintendent of public instruction and the Department of Education to “provide training and ...
California Recovery Project
In early February, we had the privilege of hosting Dr. Art Laffer at PRI’s Ronald Reagan Centennial Tribute in Orange County. At this event, we were pleased to announce that Dr. Laffer had agreed to work with us on a new California Recovery Project, an initiative that will take direct ...
Feed the Beast: Renewing the Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA)
Key Points: There is a crisis in biopharmaceutical R&D in all segments of the industry – large, mid-market, and new ventures. Much of the responsibility for this can be laid at the door of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which is slow to approve new drugs. The law that ...
