September 1999 PRI Ideas in Action
Policy Update and Monthly Impact Report

PRI continues to impact public policy in California, the nation, and abroad. The following is just a sample of PRI's recent contributions.

Enterprise and Opportunity

"Canada’s Health Care Still Ill," by PRI president Sally C. Pipes, ran in the Ottawa Citizen on September 2.

The September 13 issue of Insight magazine published "Killing the profit motive will slow down the creation of new anti-AIDS drugs," by Naomi Lopez, director of PRI’s Center for Enterprise and Opportunity. On September 13, Naomi, public policy fellow Joanna Elachi, and Mark Schiller, M.D., PRI senior fellow in medical studies, met with legislators in Sacramento to discuss health-care policy.

"Entrepreneurship is key to poverty fight," by Naomi Lopez, ran in the September 10-16 Dallas Business Journal. Phillip Burgess, president and senior fellow of the Center for the New West, wrote that a PRI Action Alert by Naomi Lopez, about small business and the need to reduce the role of government in our economy, was "a sweet way to bring in Labor Day."

On September 4th, Naomi Lopez discussed barriers to entrepreneurship and Social Security privatization on "Financial Focus" in Frederick, Maryland

On September 21st, Naomi Lopez discussed barriers to entrepreneurship on syndicated radio talk show host Herb Titus’ "It’s the Law."

Education

The September 28 Washington Post mentions PRI’s Expanding the Charter Idea: A Template for Legislative and Policy Reform, in "The Ideas Industry," by Richard Morin and Claudia Dean. "PACE Report Flunks," by PRI Policy Fellow Tom Dawson, ran in the Orange County Register on September 30. The September 3 La Prensa, a bilingual weekly in San Diego, published "Mission Impossible for California Schools," by PRI Policy Fellow Gwynne Coburn.

Copies of "California Kleptocracy," a Capital Ideas by PRI Editorial Director Lloyd Billingsley, and "State Auditor Finds California Department of Education Fraudulent," by Tom Dawson, were distributed to members of the Senate Judiciary Committee in Sacramento. "Extending pre-school," a September 5 Orange County Register editorial, quotes Lloyd Billingsley whose article "Boxer-Eastin plans political child abuse," ran in the Los Angeles Daily News on September 7, 1999. On September 10, the San Francisco Business Times published Lloyd’s "State-funded preschool too costly to make the grade."

Developing and Implementing Academic Standards, a PRI education template by Lance Izumi, was cited in the August 26 Indianapolis Star. On September 8, the Orange County Register interviewed Lance about the effectiveness of zero-tolerance drug policies at schools. Lance was invited to discuss education issues at a September 8 breakfast with former U.S. Secretary of Education William Bennett. Lance discussed the current state of education and his upcoming California Index of Leading Education Indicators at a September 18 meeting of the Banbury Foundation. The September issue of the California Journal carried Lance’s column "Teaching Character Through Religion." "Manteca board mulls adviser for bond vote," by Ken Carlson, quotes Lance in the August 31 Modesto Bee.

Pam Riley, co-director with Lance Izumi of PRI’s Center for School Reform, was invited to serve on the Charter School Application Review Panel for the Charter Schools Institute at State University of New York. On September 14, KPFA radio in Berkeley interviewed Pam on charter schools.

Freedom and Technology

Sonia Arrison, director of PRI’s Center for Freedom and Technology, and PRI Policy Fellow Jessica Melugin, discussed high-tech policy with legislators in Sacramento on September 23. Jessica was interviewed on the Microsoft case by Bill Anthony of WKZO Radio (Kalamazoo, MI) on September 9. Justin Matlick, author of PRI studies on Internet privacy and encryption policy, was interviewed on Internet privacy by Greg Garrison from WIBC Radio (Indianapolis, IN) on September 9. Justin was quoted in "True privacy pirates," a September 10 editorial in the Sun Journal and "Privacy and grocery shopping," a September 8 editorial in the Orange County Register. Justin’s "Surveillance proposals upend our Constitution" ran in the September 1 Erie Morning News and the August 31 News Herald and Pine Bluff Commercial.

Environment

Steven Hayward, director of PRI’s Center for Environmental and Regulatory Reform, debated John Fregonese, the planner behind Portland’s regional government planning scheme, on "smart growth" before the annual convention of the Utah Association of Realtors, on September 23 in Sun Valley, Idaho.

PRI Policy Fellow Liz Fowler attended the Society of Environmental Journalists Ninth National Conference, September 16-19, 1999 at UCLA. The September 1 Bozeman Daily Chronicle published "Property rights at the root of good stewardship," by Terry Anderson, author of PRI’s Free Market Environmentalism, and senior fellow in environmental studies.

Notables

In August, Lance Izumi was selected for inclusion in the National Registry of Who’s Who which recognizes individuals for their accomplishments in their professions. In September, Lance was elected as a trustee of the Western States Arts Federation, the association of arts councils for the 13 western states. On September 24, Lance served as a co-facilitator at a Federation conference in Aspen, where he gave a speech on cultural policy. On September 9, KQED-FM in San Francisco broadcast Lance’s commentary criticizing efforts in the state legislature to outlaw future construction of large warehouse stores such as Costco and Sam’s Club. California Governor Gray Davis subsequently vetoed the union-backed bill.

PRI Policy Fellow Tom Dawson was a Liberty Fund Scholar at the 1999 Mont Pelerin Society Regional Meeting in Vancouver from August 29 to September 1. Idea House, a news service of the National Center for Policy Analysis, mentioned the PRI book Times Change: The Minimum Wage and the New York Times on September 22. Investor’s Business Daily published "Nose For The Nonstory," by Steven Hayward, on August 23. Steve attended a Liberty Fund conference on "Liberty and Tyranny" in Montana, September 24 and 25.

Register Now: Saturday, October 30, 1999, Lady Thatcher will address PRI’s 20^th anniversary gala privatization dinner at the Ritz-Carlton in San Francisco. Call Cindy Sparks at 415-989-0833.