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Genomics Meets Sacramento
Tech News World
6.27.2008
Personalized medicine is touted as the wave of the future, but recent government action points to problems for Americans looking to join the health revolution.
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How California can graduate more students
Sacramento Union Op-Ed
By: Ian Randolph
6.27.2008
On June 5, Education Week magazine released “Diplomas Count 2008: School to College.” The report finds that three in 10 students who enroll in California public high schools fail to graduate. The statistics mask a more dismal reality, but there is a way the Golden State can improve.
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Remembering Prop. 227 and the "End" of Bilingual Education
Flash Report
By: Lance T. Izumi, J.D.
6.26.2008
Ten years ago, most major California media opposed Proposition 227, the “English for the Children” initiative that sought to end bilingual education. Unsurprisingly, the same media ignored the anniversary of the landmark ballot measure. In fact, virtually the only publication to take a serious look at 227’s ten-year record was The Economist, a British newsmagazine.
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Opinion column ignored real concerns about GMOs
The Eureka Reporter
By: David Lippman
6.21.2008
The opinion column by Amy Kaleita of the Pacific Research Institute reads as if it was written by and for the benefit of Monsanto Corp. Many consumers are concerned about the effects of GMOs on food security and believe that GMOs are being forced upon the public due to the lobbying power of the chemical industry.
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Izumi Reflects on 10 Years of Prop. 227--And Krashen Rebuts
Education Week News Clipping
By: Mary Ann Zehr
6.20.2008
It was only yesterday that FlashReport published a commentary by Lance Izumi, the senior director of education studies for the Pacific Research Institute, that praises Proposition 227, the ballot measure approved by California voters 10 years ago this month that greatly curtailed bilingual education in California.
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How state violates students’ right to safe schools
Lincoln News Messenger Op-Ed
By: Vicki E. Murray, Ph.D
6.19.2008
Nine out of 10 elementary and secondary students statewide, including those in Placer County, attend schools reporting incidents involving violence, physical injuries or weapons. Yet earlier this legislative session, the Assembly Education Committee failed to uphold California students’ “inalienable” right under the state constitution to attend schools that are “safe, secure and peaceful.”
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New legislation could lower credit card interchange fees
Home Accents Today News Clipping
By: Susan Dickenson
6.19.2008
A subcommittee of the U.S. House Judiciary Committee recently began considering legislation that would control the rising interchange fees credit card companies charge to merchants who accept plastic from their customers.
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How Should California Schools Teach Climate Change?
Sacramento Union Op-Ed
By: Thomas Tanton
6.18.2008
One California lawmaker is gaining momentum with a bill that would include “climate change” among the science topics in public schools. Senate Bill 908, authored by Joe Simitian, a Palo Alto Democrat, would include climate change in science textbooks approved for California public schools.
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Taking It to the Streets
Edspresso News Clipping
By: Ian Randolph
6.18.2008
Earlier this month, thousands of parents took to the streets of Los Angeles to protest the ongoing assault against their children's charter schools by the powerful Los Angeles Unified School District.
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Bye Bye Nerdy!
The Sacramento Union Op-Ed
By: Daniel R. Ballon, Ph.D
6.18.2008
Last week, the House Judiciary Committee considered a proposal by Silicon Valley Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren, D-San Jose, to end restrictions on the most critical resource driving technological innovation.
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Let seniors control Medicare's exploding expenses
Detroit News Op-Ed
By: John R. Graham
6.17.2008
This year, Medicare will begin paying out more in benefits than it collects in payroll taxes. If trends continue, the so-called trust fund will bust by 2019. This is all according to the Medicare Board of Trustees, who recently warned that the "projected long run program costs are not sustainable under current financing arrangements."
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Intel punished for being too competitive
Palot Alto Daily News Op-Ed
By: Daniel R. Ballon, Ph.D
6.16.2008
European authorities recently stormed Intel's offices in a surprise early morning raid. The "raids should come as good news to consumers across Europe," exclaimed Thomas McCoy, a spokesperson for rival microchip-maker Advanced Micro Devices.
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Congress slams the door on California’s scientists and engineers
The Eureka Reporter Op-Ed
By: Daniel R. Ballon, Ph.D
6.15.2008
The House Judiciary Committee has been considering a proposal by Silicon Valley Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren to end restrictions on the most critical resource driving technological innovation. This resource is human talent, and with the greatest public university system in the world, California should be fertile ground.
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The ball's in Crist's court
Orlando Sentinel News Clipping
By: Carlos Muhletaler
6.14.2008
Charlie Crist will pick four new justices to serve on Florida's highest court. Two justices have announced their plans to resign, and two are scheduled to retire. This presents the governor with the opportunities to fill four vacancies on the Florida Supreme Court.
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Intel Antitrust: Trouble for All Tech Companies
Tech News World Op-Ed
6.13.2008
The United States Federal Trade Commission recently began a formal antitrust investigation into Intel's (Nasdaq: INTC) business practices. This action is not simply a problem for Intel, but should serve as a wake-up call for the entire technology industry and anyone who values innovation.
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Reshuffling is not reform
Arizona Capital Times Op-Ed
By: Vicki E. Murray, Ph.D
6.13.2008
This November, Arizona voters will decide whether 76 school districts should be combined into 27 larger, unified districts. Prompting the ballot initiative is the fact that fewer than six cents of every education dollar ever reaches the classroom. But don’t bank on statewide unification plans to increase classroom spending or improve student achievement in Arizona.
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Why Rent Control Is Bad for California
Sacramento Union Op-Ed
6.12.2008
Proposition 98, the eminent domain measure that also would have phased out rent control, failed to pass on the June 3 ballot. That means rent control will continue to hurt both landlords and tenants in California because rent control laws restrict what owners can do with their property.
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Court picks are key
St. Petersburg Times News Clipping
By: Carlos Muhletaler
6.11.2008
In this opinion piece, Martin Dyckman is correct in stating that Gov. Charlie Crist will be making one of the most important decisions of his entire governorship in the coming months.
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Proposition 13 turns 30
Eureka Reporter Op-Ed
By: K. Lloyd Billingsley
6.10.2008
Thirty years last ago Friday, on June 6, 1978, Californians passed Proposition 13, the “People’s Initiative to Limit Property Taxation.” It helped California homeowners, but is now blamed for many of the state’s woes.
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California lawmakers must help economy with tort reform
San Jose Mercury News Op-Ed
By: Lawrence J. McQuillan, Ph.D
6.9.2008
The United States saw 324,000 jobs disappear in the first five months of the year - more evidence of a shaky economy. The news will surely prompt legislation intended to bolster jobs with "temporary" government programs. But the best jobs program for California is not more spending we can't afford. Meaningful legal reform, on the other hand, will deliver results.
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A Primer for Follow-On Biologics
Real Clear Politics Op-Ed
By: Sally C. Pipes
6.7.2008
Generic drugs are chemically identical to their brand-name counterparts. And they cost about 70 percent less. That's why, with healthcare costs escalating, policymakers want to expand the use of generics.
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Adopt a flax tax to avoid chronic budget crises
Press Enterprise Op-Ed
6.7.2008
Tax time has come and gone, and California finds itself in yet another fiscal crisis. Gov. Schwarzenegger proposed 10 percent across-the-board spending cuts to help close the state's now-$15 billion projected budget deficit through June 2009.
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Writing skills lacking across the spectrum
Sacramento Union Op-Ed
By: Lance T. Izumi, J.D.
6.5.2008
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.
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Plastic or paper? The jury’s still out
Eureka Reporter News Clipping
6.5.2008
It began as a breeze, but soon took on the power of a gale. We’re referring to the campaign intended to replace plastic bags used by many stores with paper ones. The argument was and is that plastic bags will take hundreds of years to degrade, whereas paper can return to Mother Nature in no time.
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Do Our Candidates Need Their Vision Corrected?
Hawaii Reporter Op-Ed
By: Sally C. Pipes
6.3.2008
The campaign trail is awash with promises to make universal health care a reality in the next presidential term. Candidates from both parties claim they can lower costs — and insure everyone — through legislative mandates and increased government intervention in the healthcare market.
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Study Doubts Benefits of Insurance Regulation
Health Care News (Heartland Institute) News Cllipping
6.1.2008
Although the number of state initiatives intended to improve access to affordable health care has been rising, it is not clear what effect the proposed programs will have on the health status of the newly insured population or the population in general, says a report from the American Enterprise Institute.
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Md. Tax Records Are Scoured for SCHIP-Eligibles
Health Care News (Heartland Institute) News Clipping
By: Sanjit Bagchi, M.D.
6.1.2008
Health officials in Maryland are working with state Comptroller Peter Franchot to identify children eligible for, but not enrolled in, the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). The comptroller's office will use state income tax records to locate families whose incomes qualify their children for enrollment.
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Bogus Figures
Eagle (Reading, PA) News Clipping
By: Dr. Christopher J. Beetel
6.1.2008
It has been stated by many politicians that 47 million Americans do not have health insurance. This number is bogus.
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