Blog
Blog
Spiraling pension costs still crowding out city services
Spiraling pension costs still crowding out city services by Edward Ring About 20 years ago, I read an ad in a local Sacramento newspaper that said, “Get a government job and become an instant millionaire.” The ad described how public officials in California enjoyed benefits private sector employees can rarely ...
Blog
‘Free market’ cities give urban fiefdoms some competition
A tangle of encrusted bureaucracies and counterproductive regulations has made it inordinately difficult for urban residents to live productive and affluent lives. Rent control. Zoning. Central planning. Tenant boards. Parking minimums. Most urban problems, from decrepit housing to street crime, are largely solvable, but politics is typically the enemy of ...
Blog
Three Market-Based Reforms That Could Win Bipartisan Support in a Divided Washington
While the dust continues to settle from last week’s midterm elections, divided government will continue to reign supreme in Washington when the new Congress convenes in January. As of this writing, Republicans will win an extremely narrow majority in the House of Representatives, while Democrats will claim at least 50 ...
Blog
Solving Two Problems At Once: Desalination And Nuclear Go Hand In Hand
Two of California’s most pressing problems are a growing scarcity of both water and power. Solving them does not require two separate efforts, though. They can be done together. Declaring atomic energy to be a renewable source of energy and then embarking on a building campaign would relieve the strain ...
Blog
A Personal Story for Veterans Day
Of all of our nation’s armed services, Americans probably know the least about the United States Coast Guard. One hears the stories of soldiers, sailors, Marines, and air men and women, but rarely does one hear a Coast Guard story. Well, let me tell you the story of my father, ...
Blog
Pothole vigilantes fill in for the government’s failure
One of my favorite movies is “Brazil,” by the Monty Python comedy troupe’s alum Terry Gilliam. In the most-telling scene, Harry Tuttle, played by Robert De Niro, breaks into an apartment, not to rob it, but to fix a broken air conditioning system. That’s because the vast government bureaucracy, Central ...
Blog
The Campus Sexual Assault Epidemic – Our laws make it worse
The State of California has released its 2021 annual crime report and crime is up across the board. Of particular concern are the sexual assault statistics. According to California Attorney General Rob Bonta’s office, “the rape rate increased 8.6 percent in 2021 (from 33.8 in 2020 to 36.7 in ...
Blog
Would A Vacancy Tax Reduce State’s Housing Shortage? History Says No.
While it might seem impossible given the state’s perpetual housing shortage, there are empty homes in California. Some policymakers believe that forcing the owners to put tenants in their properties will help solve an unaffordability problem that has priced so many out of the market. Sounds simple. Of course it’s ...
Blog
Simple solutions that boost neighborhood healthcare
Simple solutions that boost neighborhood healthcare by McKenzie Richards Perhaps I should not have moved to Los Angeles given that I hate driving. Driving here – and in any city, really – can be chaotic, unpredictable and time-consuming. For a recent doctor’s appointment, I opted to walk instead. Never having ...
Blog
Free money plan is thin gruel for cities’ starving artists
Starve no more, Sacramento artists. The City Council is apparently moving forward with a plan to offer guaranteed income to creative types in the city. Guaranteed income, often called Universal Basic Income, gives free money to those deemed in need of it by the government. Focusing this latest effort on ...
Spiraling pension costs still crowding out city services
Spiraling pension costs still crowding out city services by Edward Ring About 20 years ago, I read an ad in a local Sacramento newspaper that said, “Get a government job and become an instant millionaire.” The ad described how public officials in California enjoyed benefits private sector employees can rarely ...
‘Free market’ cities give urban fiefdoms some competition
A tangle of encrusted bureaucracies and counterproductive regulations has made it inordinately difficult for urban residents to live productive and affluent lives. Rent control. Zoning. Central planning. Tenant boards. Parking minimums. Most urban problems, from decrepit housing to street crime, are largely solvable, but politics is typically the enemy of ...
Three Market-Based Reforms That Could Win Bipartisan Support in a Divided Washington
While the dust continues to settle from last week’s midterm elections, divided government will continue to reign supreme in Washington when the new Congress convenes in January. As of this writing, Republicans will win an extremely narrow majority in the House of Representatives, while Democrats will claim at least 50 ...
Solving Two Problems At Once: Desalination And Nuclear Go Hand In Hand
Two of California’s most pressing problems are a growing scarcity of both water and power. Solving them does not require two separate efforts, though. They can be done together. Declaring atomic energy to be a renewable source of energy and then embarking on a building campaign would relieve the strain ...
A Personal Story for Veterans Day
Of all of our nation’s armed services, Americans probably know the least about the United States Coast Guard. One hears the stories of soldiers, sailors, Marines, and air men and women, but rarely does one hear a Coast Guard story. Well, let me tell you the story of my father, ...
Pothole vigilantes fill in for the government’s failure
One of my favorite movies is “Brazil,” by the Monty Python comedy troupe’s alum Terry Gilliam. In the most-telling scene, Harry Tuttle, played by Robert De Niro, breaks into an apartment, not to rob it, but to fix a broken air conditioning system. That’s because the vast government bureaucracy, Central ...
The Campus Sexual Assault Epidemic – Our laws make it worse
The State of California has released its 2021 annual crime report and crime is up across the board. Of particular concern are the sexual assault statistics. According to California Attorney General Rob Bonta’s office, “the rape rate increased 8.6 percent in 2021 (from 33.8 in 2020 to 36.7 in ...
Would A Vacancy Tax Reduce State’s Housing Shortage? History Says No.
While it might seem impossible given the state’s perpetual housing shortage, there are empty homes in California. Some policymakers believe that forcing the owners to put tenants in their properties will help solve an unaffordability problem that has priced so many out of the market. Sounds simple. Of course it’s ...
Simple solutions that boost neighborhood healthcare
Simple solutions that boost neighborhood healthcare by McKenzie Richards Perhaps I should not have moved to Los Angeles given that I hate driving. Driving here – and in any city, really – can be chaotic, unpredictable and time-consuming. For a recent doctor’s appointment, I opted to walk instead. Never having ...
Free money plan is thin gruel for cities’ starving artists
Starve no more, Sacramento artists. The City Council is apparently moving forward with a plan to offer guaranteed income to creative types in the city. Guaranteed income, often called Universal Basic Income, gives free money to those deemed in need of it by the government. Focusing this latest effort on ...
