Commentary
Commentary
Lessons from Virginia to California
Sacramento Union, January 28, 2009 Last week, the Thomas Jefferson Institute for Public Policy, along with the Black Alliance for Education Options, released a new survey on parents’ views about educational choice. The survey was given to residents throughout Petersburg, Norfolk and Richmond, Va., but the results speak volumes to ...
Business & Economics
CNBC News – Central Bank’s Next Move
What to expect from the Fed, with Michelle Girard, RBS Greenwich Capital and Lee Hoskins former Cleveland Federal Reserve president, senior fellow at Pacific Research Institute.
Commentary
The CTA’s radio ads: Don’t believe a word of ’em
I was going to do a post dissecting the CTA’s absurd radio ads claiming that schools had faced billions of dollars in cuts in recent years — not true — and saying state schools had the worst funding in the nation — not true. But Vicki Murrary of the Pacific ...
Commentary
Reform, Not Report Cards, Will Cure Schools
In an effort to show greater accountability for results, school districts across the country from Florida to Missouri to California are issuing so-called school report cards, which contain data on various indicators of student and school performance. Ray Cortines, superintendent of the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), recently announced ...
Business & Economics
Mixed-bag of recommendations
Which state policies would California’s small-business owners like to change? To find out, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger recently convened a two-day conference in Los Angeles. The first-ever “Governor’s Conference on Small Business and Entrepreneurship” included small-business owners, community-college administrators, state employment and development officials, trade-group representatives, and policy researchers, including me. ...
Business & Economics
Economic Freedom Is The Best Cure For Recession
As Americans buckle down for what could be a severe recession, many state governments are scrambling to find ways to keep their economies afloat. Unfortunately, when it comes to economic freedom—a major component of a state’s business climate—New Jersey is falling far behind. According to the U.S. Economic Freedom Index, ...
Commentary
Chicago Hospital Pricing: Is a 40% Discount Enough?
The Chicago Tribune reports that area hospitals are giving discounts of up to 40% to uninsured patients, or even “anyone who asks”. This may be a result of a law passed last year that attempted to compel some transparency and common-sense pricing for Illinois hospitals. As I’ve noted before (p. ...
Commentary
Our View: Despite qualms of some, universal health care becoming a reality
When Juan Figueroa, president of Meriden-based Universal Health Care Foundation, introduced “SustiNet” two weeks ago the response was, for the most part, enthusiastic. And why shouldn’t it be? Foundation officials said that if implemented over a five-year timeline, SustiNet would save households and businesses a combined total of $1.75 billion ...
Commentary
Overhauling health care could boost the economy
There are plenty of reasons to overhaul our creaky health care system, ranging from its status as the most expensive system in the world to its failure to provide for the health of millions of our fellow citizens. But several recent studies suggest that there’s one more reason for reform: ...
Business & Economics
Antioch business workshops try to keep small employers afloat
Contra Costa Times (CA), January 24, 2009 Parwin Fazli is determined to keep her company afloat even as every week seems to bring word of another business caving to the weak economy. “We have to make it,” said Fazli, co-owner of the Antioch limousine service All Vital Transportation. “We have ...
Lessons from Virginia to California
Sacramento Union, January 28, 2009 Last week, the Thomas Jefferson Institute for Public Policy, along with the Black Alliance for Education Options, released a new survey on parents’ views about educational choice. The survey was given to residents throughout Petersburg, Norfolk and Richmond, Va., but the results speak volumes to ...
CNBC News – Central Bank’s Next Move
What to expect from the Fed, with Michelle Girard, RBS Greenwich Capital and Lee Hoskins former Cleveland Federal Reserve president, senior fellow at Pacific Research Institute.
The CTA’s radio ads: Don’t believe a word of ’em
I was going to do a post dissecting the CTA’s absurd radio ads claiming that schools had faced billions of dollars in cuts in recent years — not true — and saying state schools had the worst funding in the nation — not true. But Vicki Murrary of the Pacific ...
Reform, Not Report Cards, Will Cure Schools
In an effort to show greater accountability for results, school districts across the country from Florida to Missouri to California are issuing so-called school report cards, which contain data on various indicators of student and school performance. Ray Cortines, superintendent of the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), recently announced ...
Mixed-bag of recommendations
Which state policies would California’s small-business owners like to change? To find out, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger recently convened a two-day conference in Los Angeles. The first-ever “Governor’s Conference on Small Business and Entrepreneurship” included small-business owners, community-college administrators, state employment and development officials, trade-group representatives, and policy researchers, including me. ...
Economic Freedom Is The Best Cure For Recession
As Americans buckle down for what could be a severe recession, many state governments are scrambling to find ways to keep their economies afloat. Unfortunately, when it comes to economic freedom—a major component of a state’s business climate—New Jersey is falling far behind. According to the U.S. Economic Freedom Index, ...
Chicago Hospital Pricing: Is a 40% Discount Enough?
The Chicago Tribune reports that area hospitals are giving discounts of up to 40% to uninsured patients, or even “anyone who asks”. This may be a result of a law passed last year that attempted to compel some transparency and common-sense pricing for Illinois hospitals. As I’ve noted before (p. ...
Our View: Despite qualms of some, universal health care becoming a reality
When Juan Figueroa, president of Meriden-based Universal Health Care Foundation, introduced “SustiNet” two weeks ago the response was, for the most part, enthusiastic. And why shouldn’t it be? Foundation officials said that if implemented over a five-year timeline, SustiNet would save households and businesses a combined total of $1.75 billion ...
Overhauling health care could boost the economy
There are plenty of reasons to overhaul our creaky health care system, ranging from its status as the most expensive system in the world to its failure to provide for the health of millions of our fellow citizens. But several recent studies suggest that there’s one more reason for reform: ...
Antioch business workshops try to keep small employers afloat
Contra Costa Times (CA), January 24, 2009 Parwin Fazli is determined to keep her company afloat even as every week seems to bring word of another business caving to the weak economy. “We have to make it,” said Fazli, co-owner of the Antioch limousine service All Vital Transportation. “We have ...
