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Publication Archive |
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Will Electric Cars Jolt California’s Economy?
Capital Ideas
By: Daniel R. Ballon, Ph.D
11.26.2008
With the support of Governor Schwarzenegger, the mayors of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose last week announced a $1-billion joint plan to make the Bay Area “the electric-vehicle capital of the world.” The announcement follows President-elect Obama’s pledge to reinvigorate the nation’s economy with millions of “green collar” jobs. Such well-intentioned government policies, however, could turn the “green collar” into a “green noose.”
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California’s Newest Chronic Disease: “Preventionitis”
Capital Ideas
By: John R. Graham
11.19.2008
A major driver of health costs over the last couple of decades is chronic illness such as diabetes and heart disease. It's time to add another chronic ailment to the list: "preventionitis." Because much chronic disease is associated with bad lifestyle choices, many succumb to the utopian delusion that investment in "prevention" – eating better, exercising more, and so on – will cut society's health bill.
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Subsidies and Pricing Key to Significant Water Conservation in California Agriculture
Environmental Notes
By: Amy Kaleita, Ph.D
11.18.2008
In September, the Pacific Institute, an Oakland-based environmental think tank, released More with Less: Agricultural Conservation and Efficiency in California, a report that analyzes opportunities for reductions in agricultural water use, particularly in the water-stressed Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta region. That fragile ecosystem is home to the court-protected Delta smelt and a significant source of irrigation water to a large percentage of California’s agricultural production. More with Less makes a number of valid and valuable points but, unfortunately, is also misleading.
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Election 2008: An Unhealthy Outcome
Health Policy Prescriptions
By: John R. Graham
11.12.2008
The federal outcome of the 2008 election bodes ill for Americans’ ability to regain control of their health care dollars. Before the election, PRI compared the candidates’ health plans and concluded that Senator McCain’s proposal was generally superior. Senator Obama’s plan was ambitious and weakly defined, but with strong Democratic majorities in both houses of Congress, his administration’s health reforms will quickly take legislative shape.
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