Studies
Education
English Immersion or Law Evasion?
On June 2, 1998, Californians overwhelmingly passed Proposition 227, which significantly limited bilingual education for students not fluent in English in favor of structured English immersion (SEI). Bilingual education emphasizes the use of the native language of English-language-learner (EL) students for instruction in core subjects, while SEI requires teachers to ...
California
10 Years After Prop. 227: Bilingual Education Still Hanging On
SACRAMENTO – On June 2, California celebrates the 10th anniversary of Proposition 227, the “English for the Children” initiative many believed would end bilingual education in the state’s classrooms. While 227 has resulted in numerous positive changes, guerrilla warfare by bilingual-education adherents has ensured that bilingual education continues to be ...
Business & Economics
Burdening Foundations: Economic Costs of Assembly Bill 624
As California goes, so goes the nation. California is now leading the quest to impose new racial and gender reporting requirements on foundations as well as the charities that receive grants from them and the businesses that work with them. Such legislation will have national consequences as the framework is ...
Business & Economics
Ending the Revenue Rollercoaster – The Benefits of a Three Percent Flat Income Tax for California
The PRI flat-tax plan for California will greatly simplify the current tax code. It will completely eliminate the alternative minimum tax, as well as estate, inheritance, and gift taxes. It will also revamp the convoluted, loophole-ridden corporate and personal income-tax codes with a simple flat rate of 3 percent on ...
Health Care
Escaping From Unhealthy Health Care Dependency: Lessons from Down Under
Many politicos advocate more government as the “solution” du jour for American health care – as if we don’t have enough already. But government interference could come at the expense of new medical technology and competitive ventures that promise to improve quality, reduce costs, and increase choices for individuals. Americans ...
Business & Economics
PRI Introduces a 3% Flat Income Tax Rate Plan for Californians
PRI Introduces a 3% Flat Income Tax Rate Plan for Californians SACRAMENTO, MAY 6, 2008 – The Pacific Research Institute (PRI), a free-market think tank based in California, today released the results of a study to determine a revenue-neutral flat income tax rate for California. The report found that a ...
California
California Can Learn Health Care Lessons From Down Under
Health care reform is still on the table in California, which should consider carefully the achievements and failings of foreign systems. Canada is the usual candidate but Australia’s health care strategies deserve a closer look. The negative effects of Australia’s government-run health system are predictable and apparent: limited distribution of ...
Publications
President’s Message – Spring 2008
Life in America After the Election SAN FRANCISCO – On Wednesday, November 12, the Pacific Research Institute welcomes columnist George F. Will as keynote speaker for PRI’s annual gala dinner at the Ritz-Carlton in San Francisco. The event comes barely eight days after the November 4 presidential election. George F. ...
California
National Report Card Confirms That Most California Kids Still Can’t Write
SACRAMENTO – Recent results from a national student writing test confirm the lament that writing is becoming a lost art, especially in California. Contrary to the sound bites of educators, the inability to write coherent sentences is not just a problem of kids who are learning English. The National Assessment ...
Climate Change
Index of Leading Environmental Indicators: 2008 Report
As this report and others like it have explored for more than a decade, environmental improvement in the United States has been substantial and dramatic, almost across the board. The chief drivers of this improvement are economic growth, constantly increasing resource efficiency, technological innovation in pollution control, and the deepening ...
English Immersion or Law Evasion?
On June 2, 1998, Californians overwhelmingly passed Proposition 227, which significantly limited bilingual education for students not fluent in English in favor of structured English immersion (SEI). Bilingual education emphasizes the use of the native language of English-language-learner (EL) students for instruction in core subjects, while SEI requires teachers to ...
10 Years After Prop. 227: Bilingual Education Still Hanging On
SACRAMENTO – On June 2, California celebrates the 10th anniversary of Proposition 227, the “English for the Children” initiative many believed would end bilingual education in the state’s classrooms. While 227 has resulted in numerous positive changes, guerrilla warfare by bilingual-education adherents has ensured that bilingual education continues to be ...
Burdening Foundations: Economic Costs of Assembly Bill 624
As California goes, so goes the nation. California is now leading the quest to impose new racial and gender reporting requirements on foundations as well as the charities that receive grants from them and the businesses that work with them. Such legislation will have national consequences as the framework is ...
Ending the Revenue Rollercoaster – The Benefits of a Three Percent Flat Income Tax for California
The PRI flat-tax plan for California will greatly simplify the current tax code. It will completely eliminate the alternative minimum tax, as well as estate, inheritance, and gift taxes. It will also revamp the convoluted, loophole-ridden corporate and personal income-tax codes with a simple flat rate of 3 percent on ...
Escaping From Unhealthy Health Care Dependency: Lessons from Down Under
Many politicos advocate more government as the “solution” du jour for American health care – as if we don’t have enough already. But government interference could come at the expense of new medical technology and competitive ventures that promise to improve quality, reduce costs, and increase choices for individuals. Americans ...
PRI Introduces a 3% Flat Income Tax Rate Plan for Californians
PRI Introduces a 3% Flat Income Tax Rate Plan for Californians SACRAMENTO, MAY 6, 2008 – The Pacific Research Institute (PRI), a free-market think tank based in California, today released the results of a study to determine a revenue-neutral flat income tax rate for California. The report found that a ...
California Can Learn Health Care Lessons From Down Under
Health care reform is still on the table in California, which should consider carefully the achievements and failings of foreign systems. Canada is the usual candidate but Australia’s health care strategies deserve a closer look. The negative effects of Australia’s government-run health system are predictable and apparent: limited distribution of ...
President’s Message – Spring 2008
Life in America After the Election SAN FRANCISCO – On Wednesday, November 12, the Pacific Research Institute welcomes columnist George F. Will as keynote speaker for PRI’s annual gala dinner at the Ritz-Carlton in San Francisco. The event comes barely eight days after the November 4 presidential election. George F. ...
National Report Card Confirms That Most California Kids Still Can’t Write
SACRAMENTO – Recent results from a national student writing test confirm the lament that writing is becoming a lost art, especially in California. Contrary to the sound bites of educators, the inability to write coherent sentences is not just a problem of kids who are learning English. The National Assessment ...
Index of Leading Environmental Indicators: 2008 Report
As this report and others like it have explored for more than a decade, environmental improvement in the United States has been substantial and dramatic, almost across the board. The chief drivers of this improvement are economic growth, constantly increasing resource efficiency, technological innovation in pollution control, and the deepening ...
