Blog
Getting it all wrong about the other city by the bay
To be charitable, miners brave enough to go digging can discover occasional nuggets of value in Madrigal’s ponderous, and entirely predictable, jeremiad. For example: Oakland had its own version of the urban-renewal thuggery that would eventually lead to the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Kelo v. City of New London. In ...
Blog
Learn why California's unemployment rate is rising
Disaster looms with California’s high unemployment
Currently, California currently ranks as the fourth-highest unemployment rate of any state (including the District of Columbia) in the nation, at 5.3 percent. California’s unemployment rate steadily increased by a full percentage point between March 2023 and September 2024 and, despite continued economic growth, has plateaued ever since. By contrast, ...
Blog
India, China, and Pakistan: The Big War is Coming
READ THE PDF India, China, and Pakistan: The Big War is Coming “Communist China will never leave democratic India alone,” says Maura Moynihan, who as the daughter of the late Daniel Patrick Moynihan lived in India when he was ambassador there in the 1970s. “The Chinese are afraid of the ...
Blog
The 340B Discounts Hospitals Receive Will Often Exceed Total Drug Prices in Europe
Table 1: PBM Fees and Rebates Can Exceed International Prescription Medicine Prices by As Much As 900% I previously highlighted how estimated rebates and fees PBMs receive for 10 commonly used brand medicines far exceed the total prices of those medicines in eight OECD countries (see Table 1). For example, ...
Agriculture
Empathy for ag could save lives
American farmers and ranchers are 3.5 times more likely to die by suicide than the general population. The stressors for farmers and ranchers are difficult for many in the general population to understand because many of them are difficult to quantify. However, they are not impossible to empathize with when ...
Blog
Irony alert: California Dems tackle ‘cost of living’
Irony alert: California Dems tackle ‘cost of living’ Don’t expect high-priced California cities to become more affordable any time soon. By Steven Greenhut | June 13, 2025 The latest news about the California Legislature’s efforts to tackle the state’s preposterously high cost of living should cause Californians to snigger. “California ...
Blog
California cities may now dodge bullet train destruction
In his May budget revision for fiscal year 2025-26, which began on July 1, Gov. Gavin Newsom earmarked $1 billion a year for the next 20 years from the state’s cap-and-trade system toward the rail project. Like the wounded Black Knight in the “Tis but a scratch scene” in “Monty ...
Blog
Read the latest about the LA ICE riots
The Challenge of Democratic Policing
News of the fairly small federal enforcement action spread quickly amongst opponents of immigration enforcement, and based on the flags and signs, a host of other political causes as well, resulting in days of riots, assaults on police officers, arson, and vandalism. The situation is made more confusing in California ...
Blog
Reparations Bill Back, Opposed by Everyone
Two important events recently happened on the “reparations” beat. First, the U.S. House, led by Representative Ayanna Pressley, re-introduced H.R. 40, “federal legislation to study reparations for slavery.” At the same time, 2024-25 data began to circulate widely – showing greatly increased opposition to reparations and support for President Donald ...
Blog
Spending Watch
Budget Gimmicks Will Not Solve The State’s Fiscal Crisis
Budget Gimmicks Will Not Solve The State’s Fiscal Crisis Wayne Winegarden June 2025 It’s budget crunch time for Gov. Newsom and legislative leaders. The immediate problem is closing the estimated $12 billion budget shortfall for the FY2025-26 budget. Despite this serious fiscal challenge, the Governor’s budget proposal demonstrates an unseriousness ...
Getting it all wrong about the other city by the bay
To be charitable, miners brave enough to go digging can discover occasional nuggets of value in Madrigal’s ponderous, and entirely predictable, jeremiad. For example: Oakland had its own version of the urban-renewal thuggery that would eventually lead to the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Kelo v. City of New London. In ...
Learn why California's unemployment rate is rising
Disaster looms with California’s high unemployment
Currently, California currently ranks as the fourth-highest unemployment rate of any state (including the District of Columbia) in the nation, at 5.3 percent. California’s unemployment rate steadily increased by a full percentage point between March 2023 and September 2024 and, despite continued economic growth, has plateaued ever since. By contrast, ...
India, China, and Pakistan: The Big War is Coming
READ THE PDF India, China, and Pakistan: The Big War is Coming “Communist China will never leave democratic India alone,” says Maura Moynihan, who as the daughter of the late Daniel Patrick Moynihan lived in India when he was ambassador there in the 1970s. “The Chinese are afraid of the ...
The 340B Discounts Hospitals Receive Will Often Exceed Total Drug Prices in Europe
Table 1: PBM Fees and Rebates Can Exceed International Prescription Medicine Prices by As Much As 900% I previously highlighted how estimated rebates and fees PBMs receive for 10 commonly used brand medicines far exceed the total prices of those medicines in eight OECD countries (see Table 1). For example, ...
Empathy for ag could save lives
American farmers and ranchers are 3.5 times more likely to die by suicide than the general population. The stressors for farmers and ranchers are difficult for many in the general population to understand because many of them are difficult to quantify. However, they are not impossible to empathize with when ...
Irony alert: California Dems tackle ‘cost of living’
Irony alert: California Dems tackle ‘cost of living’ Don’t expect high-priced California cities to become more affordable any time soon. By Steven Greenhut | June 13, 2025 The latest news about the California Legislature’s efforts to tackle the state’s preposterously high cost of living should cause Californians to snigger. “California ...
California cities may now dodge bullet train destruction
In his May budget revision for fiscal year 2025-26, which began on July 1, Gov. Gavin Newsom earmarked $1 billion a year for the next 20 years from the state’s cap-and-trade system toward the rail project. Like the wounded Black Knight in the “Tis but a scratch scene” in “Monty ...
Read the latest about the LA ICE riots
The Challenge of Democratic Policing
News of the fairly small federal enforcement action spread quickly amongst opponents of immigration enforcement, and based on the flags and signs, a host of other political causes as well, resulting in days of riots, assaults on police officers, arson, and vandalism. The situation is made more confusing in California ...
Reparations Bill Back, Opposed by Everyone
Two important events recently happened on the “reparations” beat. First, the U.S. House, led by Representative Ayanna Pressley, re-introduced H.R. 40, “federal legislation to study reparations for slavery.” At the same time, 2024-25 data began to circulate widely – showing greatly increased opposition to reparations and support for President Donald ...
Spending Watch
Budget Gimmicks Will Not Solve The State’s Fiscal Crisis
Budget Gimmicks Will Not Solve The State’s Fiscal Crisis Wayne Winegarden June 2025 It’s budget crunch time for Gov. Newsom and legislative leaders. The immediate problem is closing the estimated $12 billion budget shortfall for the FY2025-26 budget. Despite this serious fiscal challenge, the Governor’s budget proposal demonstrates an unseriousness ...
