Blog

Sacramento Rent Fund Just Another Name for Basic Income

Last week, I wrote about a controversial plan in the City of Stockton to essentially hand a selected group of people wads of cash each month to do nothing.  Under this universal basic income scheme, they wouldn’t have to work or adhere to some milestone to be eligible for the ...
Blog

The Streets of San Francisco

Lt. Mike Stone: You saw what he did, arrest him! Inspector Steve Keller: No. I didn’t become a cop to arrest street poopers. I quit. Lt. Mike Stone: Oh yeah, where you gonna go? Inspector Steve Keller: I’m going back to school — Berkeley Law. [A conversation between Stone and ...
Blog

California Greens — Not As Woke As They Think They Are

Californians regard themselves as members of the environmentally aware aristocracy. Polls consistently show that large numbers of Golden Staters agonize over Gaia’s plight. An SFGate headline last year that declared “Californians put high priority on environment” was news to no one. But have they been misled by a political left ...
Blog

What We’re Watching – July 20

Kerry Jackson – Exposing Myths of Plastic Straw Bans If you’ve enjoyed reading my recent posts on efforts to ban plastic straws in California, watch this new video from Reason showing the futility of efforts to ban plastic straws. Tim Anaya – Dr. Arthur Laffer on Universal Basic Income Following ...
Blog

Giving People Cash to Do Nothing Won’t Reduce California Poverty

The latest hot social theory in California is universal basic income. Essentially, it’s about paying people to do nothing.  Academics and tech titans have promoted it to address poverty, rising costs of living, and even the temporarily disruptive effects of innovation. Stockton Mayor Michael Tubbs has generated national headlines for ...
Blog

A Real Life “Up by the Bootstraps” Story Every Student Should Read

When Andy Puzder was 10, he went with his father, a Ford salesman, to deliver a new car to a wealthy customer. “Mr. Humphrey” lived in opulence on the east side of Cleveland. Puzder marveled at the treasure before him, the enormous house, the grand horse stables, the stunning view, ...
Blog

You Should’ve Been There – On PRI’s Vancouver Conference on Free-Market Environmentalism

Whenever you hear about efforts to preserve our environment, it always involves ill-conceived policy prescriptions, taxpayer-funded subsidies, or heavy-handed government mandates. Take, for example, the work by PRI’s Wayne Winegarden on electric car subsidies.  While noble in intent, the subsidies amount to government playing car salesman.  Using your money, government ...
Blog

A post-Janus California — will we look more like Wisconsin or Michigan?

On the heels of the Supreme Court’s decision on Janus, the State Controller’s Office announced that beginning in July, it would stop deducting “fair share fees” from the paychecks of state workers who are not full union members.  The fair share fee, or agency fee, is the fee that’s charged ...
Blog

What We’re Watching – July 13

Rowena Itchon – The Case for a Political Elite? Really? Check out this lecture from Professor Richard Samuelson, historian and John Adams expert of Cal State San Bernardino. We’ll be airing a podcast with Prof. Samuelson later this summer. Here’s a sneak preview: Kerry Jackson – Why We’re Losing Liberty ...
Blog

Is Crony Capitalism Alive and Well in California?

If there’s one thing that unites Californians, it’s a disdain for crony capitalism. What is crony capitalism, you ask?  We see it all the time.  Think local elected officials throwing everything but the kitchen sink at Amazon to try and lure their second global headquarters to their city.  PRI’s senior ...
Blog

Sacramento Rent Fund Just Another Name for Basic Income

Last week, I wrote about a controversial plan in the City of Stockton to essentially hand a selected group of people wads of cash each month to do nothing.  Under this universal basic income scheme, they wouldn’t have to work or adhere to some milestone to be eligible for the ...
Blog

The Streets of San Francisco

Lt. Mike Stone: You saw what he did, arrest him! Inspector Steve Keller: No. I didn’t become a cop to arrest street poopers. I quit. Lt. Mike Stone: Oh yeah, where you gonna go? Inspector Steve Keller: I’m going back to school — Berkeley Law. [A conversation between Stone and ...
Blog

California Greens — Not As Woke As They Think They Are

Californians regard themselves as members of the environmentally aware aristocracy. Polls consistently show that large numbers of Golden Staters agonize over Gaia’s plight. An SFGate headline last year that declared “Californians put high priority on environment” was news to no one. But have they been misled by a political left ...
Blog

What We’re Watching – July 20

Kerry Jackson – Exposing Myths of Plastic Straw Bans If you’ve enjoyed reading my recent posts on efforts to ban plastic straws in California, watch this new video from Reason showing the futility of efforts to ban plastic straws. Tim Anaya – Dr. Arthur Laffer on Universal Basic Income Following ...
Blog

Giving People Cash to Do Nothing Won’t Reduce California Poverty

The latest hot social theory in California is universal basic income. Essentially, it’s about paying people to do nothing.  Academics and tech titans have promoted it to address poverty, rising costs of living, and even the temporarily disruptive effects of innovation. Stockton Mayor Michael Tubbs has generated national headlines for ...
Blog

A Real Life “Up by the Bootstraps” Story Every Student Should Read

When Andy Puzder was 10, he went with his father, a Ford salesman, to deliver a new car to a wealthy customer. “Mr. Humphrey” lived in opulence on the east side of Cleveland. Puzder marveled at the treasure before him, the enormous house, the grand horse stables, the stunning view, ...
Blog

You Should’ve Been There – On PRI’s Vancouver Conference on Free-Market Environmentalism

Whenever you hear about efforts to preserve our environment, it always involves ill-conceived policy prescriptions, taxpayer-funded subsidies, or heavy-handed government mandates. Take, for example, the work by PRI’s Wayne Winegarden on electric car subsidies.  While noble in intent, the subsidies amount to government playing car salesman.  Using your money, government ...
Blog

A post-Janus California — will we look more like Wisconsin or Michigan?

On the heels of the Supreme Court’s decision on Janus, the State Controller’s Office announced that beginning in July, it would stop deducting “fair share fees” from the paychecks of state workers who are not full union members.  The fair share fee, or agency fee, is the fee that’s charged ...
Blog

What We’re Watching – July 13

Rowena Itchon – The Case for a Political Elite? Really? Check out this lecture from Professor Richard Samuelson, historian and John Adams expert of Cal State San Bernardino. We’ll be airing a podcast with Prof. Samuelson later this summer. Here’s a sneak preview: Kerry Jackson – Why We’re Losing Liberty ...
Blog

Is Crony Capitalism Alive and Well in California?

If there’s one thing that unites Californians, it’s a disdain for crony capitalism. What is crony capitalism, you ask?  We see it all the time.  Think local elected officials throwing everything but the kitchen sink at Amazon to try and lure their second global headquarters to their city.  PRI’s senior ...
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