Commentary
Commentary
It’s a “Wrap”: Brokers Harm Consumer-Driven Health Care
For months now, I’ve heard stories about a technique that insurance brokers use to sell health insurance to small businesses, which want the lower premiums that come with a consumer-directed health plan, but are nervous about convincing their employees to face a deductible of at least $2,200 for a family ...
Commentary
California Tobacco Control Program Wants More Money
I have spent (undoubtedly too much) time today struggling with a new article from the tobacconistas at the University of California, San Francisco’s Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education, a group of scholars funded by tobacco taxes, which publishes research calling for more…..(you guessed it)…..tobacco taxes. But not only ...
Business & Economics
The “Vanilla Gender Assumption” and Life in “A Postfeminist Western Democracy”
Susan Pinker is a psychologist who has taught at McGill University in Montreal. Her new book, The Sexual Paradox: Men, Women, and the Real Gender Gap, is about what women want, “and whether it makes sense to see males as the base model when we think about women and work.” ...
Commentary
Health IT Initiatives Less Likely To Be Hijacked, Officials Say
This is a cautionary tale. The morals of the story may not apply to health IT applications the same way they do to other parts of the information technology world, according to some industry experts. Others say they do, indirectly. Either way, the saga of how a network administrator held ...
Business & Economics
Labor Day: What Are We Celebrating?
On September 1st, Labor Day, cities across the country will hold barbecues, parades, and picnics. On this reprieve from our work routine, it’s worth reflecting on what we’re celebrating. It is also a good time to ponder some proposed labor-law changes that would affect all workers. Human labor, coupled with ...
Commentary
New York State Investigates Wind Companies for Improper Business and Political Dealings
Environment & Climate News (Heartland Institute), September 1, 2008 New York State Attorney General Andrew M. Cuomo (D) has opened an investigation into two companies developing and operating wind farms in the state. Cuomo, who announced the investigation July 15, said the focus will be on allegations of anti-competitive business ...
Commentary
Eco Group Calls for Oil Recovery
The press for more offshore drilling has opened a rift among California environmentalists. Many are calling for increased oil recovery to reduce the amount of natural oil seepage, while others continue to fear the risk of major spills. In Santa Barbara, a new environmentalist group, Stop Oil Seeps (SOS California), ...
Commentary
Charter Students Outperforming Their Public School Counterparts in California
Charter schools in the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) outperform traditional public schools on nearly every student achievement measure, according to a new study from the California Charter School Association. The study, Charter School Performance in Los Angeles Unified School District: A District and Neighborhood Matched Comparison Analysis, compared ...
Business & Economics
Impact – August 2008
PRI Ideas in Action – August 2008 Policy Update and Monthly Impact Report PRI continues to impactpublic policy in California, the nation, and abroad. Click below to view PRI’s recent contributions. Read PDF
Commentary
Prop 13 and the education-funding blame game
North County Times (Escondido, CA), August 31, 2008 Sacramento Union, September 17, 2008 Under today’s complicated system: schools with poor results rewarded more than those with good results Earlier this summer California marked the 30th anniversary of the passage of Proposition 13, the historic ballot measure to limit property taxes. ...
It’s a “Wrap”: Brokers Harm Consumer-Driven Health Care
For months now, I’ve heard stories about a technique that insurance brokers use to sell health insurance to small businesses, which want the lower premiums that come with a consumer-directed health plan, but are nervous about convincing their employees to face a deductible of at least $2,200 for a family ...
California Tobacco Control Program Wants More Money
I have spent (undoubtedly too much) time today struggling with a new article from the tobacconistas at the University of California, San Francisco’s Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education, a group of scholars funded by tobacco taxes, which publishes research calling for more…..(you guessed it)…..tobacco taxes. But not only ...
The “Vanilla Gender Assumption” and Life in “A Postfeminist Western Democracy”
Susan Pinker is a psychologist who has taught at McGill University in Montreal. Her new book, The Sexual Paradox: Men, Women, and the Real Gender Gap, is about what women want, “and whether it makes sense to see males as the base model when we think about women and work.” ...
Health IT Initiatives Less Likely To Be Hijacked, Officials Say
This is a cautionary tale. The morals of the story may not apply to health IT applications the same way they do to other parts of the information technology world, according to some industry experts. Others say they do, indirectly. Either way, the saga of how a network administrator held ...
Labor Day: What Are We Celebrating?
On September 1st, Labor Day, cities across the country will hold barbecues, parades, and picnics. On this reprieve from our work routine, it’s worth reflecting on what we’re celebrating. It is also a good time to ponder some proposed labor-law changes that would affect all workers. Human labor, coupled with ...
New York State Investigates Wind Companies for Improper Business and Political Dealings
Environment & Climate News (Heartland Institute), September 1, 2008 New York State Attorney General Andrew M. Cuomo (D) has opened an investigation into two companies developing and operating wind farms in the state. Cuomo, who announced the investigation July 15, said the focus will be on allegations of anti-competitive business ...
Eco Group Calls for Oil Recovery
The press for more offshore drilling has opened a rift among California environmentalists. Many are calling for increased oil recovery to reduce the amount of natural oil seepage, while others continue to fear the risk of major spills. In Santa Barbara, a new environmentalist group, Stop Oil Seeps (SOS California), ...
Charter Students Outperforming Their Public School Counterparts in California
Charter schools in the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) outperform traditional public schools on nearly every student achievement measure, according to a new study from the California Charter School Association. The study, Charter School Performance in Los Angeles Unified School District: A District and Neighborhood Matched Comparison Analysis, compared ...
Impact – August 2008
PRI Ideas in Action – August 2008 Policy Update and Monthly Impact Report PRI continues to impactpublic policy in California, the nation, and abroad. Click below to view PRI’s recent contributions. Read PDF
Prop 13 and the education-funding blame game
North County Times (Escondido, CA), August 31, 2008 Sacramento Union, September 17, 2008 Under today’s complicated system: schools with poor results rewarded more than those with good results Earlier this summer California marked the 30th anniversary of the passage of Proposition 13, the historic ballot measure to limit property taxes. ...
