Job Market
Blog
A New Year, A Promising New Education Model
With the disastrous education landscape of 2020 now in the rear-view mirror, the New Year offers the opportunity to consider new ways of delivering effective learning to America’s children. Portal Schools is one such promising model. Confronted with student-learning catastrophes during the COVID crisis, some states, according to a new ...
Lance Izumi
January 13, 2021
Blog
Populist Politicians Meet Antitrust Cancel Culture
The ill-winds of populism are again blowing across the American political landscape. This thin veneer of ideology only seeks to divide people, diving a wedge between “the people,” presented as the forces of good, against “the elite,” portrayed as evil. The most recent iteration of this divisive approach to politics ...
Bartlett Cleland
December 23, 2020
Blog
Will Gen Z Make America Socialist?
Last week, I wrote about a proposition on the California ballot that would give 17-year-olds the right to vote in some California elections. California’s push for the youth vote got me thinking about how recent college graduates and others entering the workforce are dealing with the economic and career implications ...
Evan Harris
October 14, 2020
Business & Economics
It’s time to bring our economy back to life. Paying workers to stay home won’t help
The federal government’s emergency unemployment benefits are set to expire this week. Set at $600 a week by the CARES Act — the economic rescue package Congress passed back in March — the emergency benefits were intended to supplement state unemployment insurance and offset the economic carnage caused by the coronavirus lockdowns. That extra ...
Sally C. Pipes
July 25, 2020
California
How Newsom could use his powers to revive California’s economy
With Californians facing double-digit unemployment in the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, California’s governor should be using his emergency powers to mitigate the pandemic’s effects on our economy. Unfortunately, he has interpreted his emergency powers to authorize him to legislate additional costs on employing Californians. Perhaps in good ...
Daniel Kolkey
June 29, 2020
Blog
Budget Debate Setting the Stage for Massive Tax Increase Push This Fall
At long last, Gov. Newsom and Democratic leaders have reached a budget agreement. Now lawmakers will race to pass the final legislation as the clock ticks down toward the June 30th deadline for the Gov. to sign a balanced budget. For many days, Newsom and the Legislature’s Democratic leadership disagreed ...
Tim Anaya
June 23, 2020
Blog
‘Fixing’ Assembly Bill 5: Better If It Never Existed At All
California’s Assembly Bill 5 has not been broken, but given a couple of recent developments, it might soon be showing some cracks. On May 20, Assembly Bill 1850, which would exempt some professions from AB5, a law that virtually outlaws independent contract work, was passed 7-0 by the Assembly Labor ...
Kerry Jackson
June 2, 2020
California
NEW STUDY: Californians Could Save More Than $2,000 Annually if Lawmakers Enacted Free-Market Energy Policies
If lawmakers acted to alleviate the unnecessary costs from state energy mandates, Californians living through these unprecedented times could save more than $2,000 annually – while still lowering emissions – finds a new study released today by the nonpartisan Pacific Research Institute and Power the Future. Click here to download ...
Wayne H Winegarden
May 13, 2020
Commentary
Losing to China: US students perform poorly on key international test
Results for the latest administration of the Program for International Student Assessment, a key exam given to 15-year-old students worldwide, show poor performance in reading and math among U.S. students, with the Common Core national standards and aligned curriculum a likely significant contributing factor. The PISA exam tests reading, math, ...
Lance Izumi
December 6, 2019
Commentary
Understanding ‘Medicare for All’ Could Make Seniors Vote Red
Politicians can be amazingly adept at blowing smoke, especially while electioneering. With the 2020 presidential race unfolding, there is no better example of the phenomenon than the Democrats’ mantra of “Medicare for All.” Healthcare is certainly top-of-mind for many seniors, who are projected to make up nearly a quarter of the ...
Pacific Research Institute
November 19, 2019
A New Year, A Promising New Education Model
With the disastrous education landscape of 2020 now in the rear-view mirror, the New Year offers the opportunity to consider new ways of delivering effective learning to America’s children. Portal Schools is one such promising model. Confronted with student-learning catastrophes during the COVID crisis, some states, according to a new ...
Populist Politicians Meet Antitrust Cancel Culture
The ill-winds of populism are again blowing across the American political landscape. This thin veneer of ideology only seeks to divide people, diving a wedge between “the people,” presented as the forces of good, against “the elite,” portrayed as evil. The most recent iteration of this divisive approach to politics ...
Will Gen Z Make America Socialist?
Last week, I wrote about a proposition on the California ballot that would give 17-year-olds the right to vote in some California elections. California’s push for the youth vote got me thinking about how recent college graduates and others entering the workforce are dealing with the economic and career implications ...
It’s time to bring our economy back to life. Paying workers to stay home won’t help
The federal government’s emergency unemployment benefits are set to expire this week. Set at $600 a week by the CARES Act — the economic rescue package Congress passed back in March — the emergency benefits were intended to supplement state unemployment insurance and offset the economic carnage caused by the coronavirus lockdowns. That extra ...
How Newsom could use his powers to revive California’s economy
With Californians facing double-digit unemployment in the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, California’s governor should be using his emergency powers to mitigate the pandemic’s effects on our economy. Unfortunately, he has interpreted his emergency powers to authorize him to legislate additional costs on employing Californians. Perhaps in good ...
Budget Debate Setting the Stage for Massive Tax Increase Push This Fall
At long last, Gov. Newsom and Democratic leaders have reached a budget agreement. Now lawmakers will race to pass the final legislation as the clock ticks down toward the June 30th deadline for the Gov. to sign a balanced budget. For many days, Newsom and the Legislature’s Democratic leadership disagreed ...
‘Fixing’ Assembly Bill 5: Better If It Never Existed At All
California’s Assembly Bill 5 has not been broken, but given a couple of recent developments, it might soon be showing some cracks. On May 20, Assembly Bill 1850, which would exempt some professions from AB5, a law that virtually outlaws independent contract work, was passed 7-0 by the Assembly Labor ...
NEW STUDY: Californians Could Save More Than $2,000 Annually if Lawmakers Enacted Free-Market Energy Policies
If lawmakers acted to alleviate the unnecessary costs from state energy mandates, Californians living through these unprecedented times could save more than $2,000 annually – while still lowering emissions – finds a new study released today by the nonpartisan Pacific Research Institute and Power the Future. Click here to download ...
Losing to China: US students perform poorly on key international test
Results for the latest administration of the Program for International Student Assessment, a key exam given to 15-year-old students worldwide, show poor performance in reading and math among U.S. students, with the Common Core national standards and aligned curriculum a likely significant contributing factor. The PISA exam tests reading, math, ...
Understanding ‘Medicare for All’ Could Make Seniors Vote Red
Politicians can be amazingly adept at blowing smoke, especially while electioneering. With the 2020 presidential race unfolding, there is no better example of the phenomenon than the Democrats’ mantra of “Medicare for All.” Healthcare is certainly top-of-mind for many seniors, who are projected to make up nearly a quarter of the ...