Economy

Business & Economics

CAFE Standards versus Public Opinion

Calls for stricter environmental mandates contradict the broad public consensus on global warming. According to a 2018 report by the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication, seven out of ten Americans believe global warming is happening and six out of ten say they are at least “somewhat worried”. Other polls differ ...
Blog

California Supreme Court Ruling Takes Its First Scalp

It didn’t take long for a California Supreme Court decision to start claiming victims. Bottle & Barlow, a “get loose stay sharp” joint on trendy R Street in Sacramento, where a gentleman can sip whisky and also be stylishly shorn, has lost its entire staff of freelance barbers because seven ...
Business & Economics

Trump vs. Obama on the Economy. Read Wayne Winegarden’s Analysis in The Hill

Trump, Obama spar over economy. Who’s right? By Niv Elis By many metrics, the economy is booming, and both President Trump and former President Obama want you to know that they are the one to thank. Under Trump, the stock market hit new highs, the unemployment rate dropped to lows not seen ...
Blog

New PRI Chartbook Shows California’s Public Pension Monster Has Grown to Nearly $1 Trillion

A new chartbook released today from the Pacific Research Institute shows that California’s unfunded public employee pension debt problem is far worse than imagined – nearly $1 trillion. Click here to download a copy of the PRI chartbook. Click here to download a copy of the accompanying study. Click here ...
Blog

Labor Day and the End of Work

Heading into the Labor Day weekend, we thought we would take a contrarian view of the holiday by reviewing Forbes columnist John Tamny’s new book, The End of Work.  Last year, we interviewed him on our podcast on his previous book, Who Needs the Fed? No Fed? No jobs?  Is ...
Blog

Sacramento’s Urge To ‘Police’ The Internet Is A Foolish Gesture

Just after the New Year began, California lawmakers, sore that the Federal Communications Commission restored a stolen freedom and repealed the Obama-era net neutrality rule, introduced their own net neutrality bill. The California Internet Consumer Protection and Net Neutrality Act was gutted in June, but it has returned, as ugly ...
Blog

To Succeed in Today’s Political Dynamic, Conservatives Must Embrace “Skill-Based Economics”

The United States benefits every day from the policy victories won by President Reagan’s administration. Enough time has passed since his tenure in the White House that many fair-minded observers, regardless of their political orientation, recognize that many of the changes he implemented were victories for America at least as ...
Blog

Red or White, or Blue: How the Trade War is Hurting California’s Wine Industry

Tim and I have a little shtick on the PRI podcast where on the last question we ask each of our guests for a favorite wine recommendation. Our headquarters in San Francisco is just down the road from Wine Country and most everyone loves wine at PRI.  So perhaps more ...
Blog

Is Crony Capitalism Alive and Well in California?

If there’s one thing that unites Californians, it’s a disdain for crony capitalism. What is crony capitalism, you ask?  We see it all the time.  Think local elected officials throwing everything but the kitchen sink at Amazon to try and lure their second global headquarters to their city.  PRI’s senior ...
Business & Economics

From Hooverville To Trumpville

In June of 1930 President Hoover signed the Smoot-Hawley Act. This Act imposed steep tariffs on over 20,000 different goods that Americans imported from other countries. As of its time, it was one of the largest tax increases in history. It was also one of the driving factors that turned ...
Business & Economics

CAFE Standards versus Public Opinion

Calls for stricter environmental mandates contradict the broad public consensus on global warming. According to a 2018 report by the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication, seven out of ten Americans believe global warming is happening and six out of ten say they are at least “somewhat worried”. Other polls differ ...
Blog

California Supreme Court Ruling Takes Its First Scalp

It didn’t take long for a California Supreme Court decision to start claiming victims. Bottle & Barlow, a “get loose stay sharp” joint on trendy R Street in Sacramento, where a gentleman can sip whisky and also be stylishly shorn, has lost its entire staff of freelance barbers because seven ...
Business & Economics

Trump vs. Obama on the Economy. Read Wayne Winegarden’s Analysis in The Hill

Trump, Obama spar over economy. Who’s right? By Niv Elis By many metrics, the economy is booming, and both President Trump and former President Obama want you to know that they are the one to thank. Under Trump, the stock market hit new highs, the unemployment rate dropped to lows not seen ...
Blog

New PRI Chartbook Shows California’s Public Pension Monster Has Grown to Nearly $1 Trillion

A new chartbook released today from the Pacific Research Institute shows that California’s unfunded public employee pension debt problem is far worse than imagined – nearly $1 trillion. Click here to download a copy of the PRI chartbook. Click here to download a copy of the accompanying study. Click here ...
Blog

Labor Day and the End of Work

Heading into the Labor Day weekend, we thought we would take a contrarian view of the holiday by reviewing Forbes columnist John Tamny’s new book, The End of Work.  Last year, we interviewed him on our podcast on his previous book, Who Needs the Fed? No Fed? No jobs?  Is ...
Blog

Sacramento’s Urge To ‘Police’ The Internet Is A Foolish Gesture

Just after the New Year began, California lawmakers, sore that the Federal Communications Commission restored a stolen freedom and repealed the Obama-era net neutrality rule, introduced their own net neutrality bill. The California Internet Consumer Protection and Net Neutrality Act was gutted in June, but it has returned, as ugly ...
Blog

To Succeed in Today’s Political Dynamic, Conservatives Must Embrace “Skill-Based Economics”

The United States benefits every day from the policy victories won by President Reagan’s administration. Enough time has passed since his tenure in the White House that many fair-minded observers, regardless of their political orientation, recognize that many of the changes he implemented were victories for America at least as ...
Blog

Red or White, or Blue: How the Trade War is Hurting California’s Wine Industry

Tim and I have a little shtick on the PRI podcast where on the last question we ask each of our guests for a favorite wine recommendation. Our headquarters in San Francisco is just down the road from Wine Country and most everyone loves wine at PRI.  So perhaps more ...
Blog

Is Crony Capitalism Alive and Well in California?

If there’s one thing that unites Californians, it’s a disdain for crony capitalism. What is crony capitalism, you ask?  We see it all the time.  Think local elected officials throwing everything but the kitchen sink at Amazon to try and lure their second global headquarters to their city.  PRI’s senior ...
Business & Economics

From Hooverville To Trumpville

In June of 1930 President Hoover signed the Smoot-Hawley Act. This Act imposed steep tariffs on over 20,000 different goods that Americans imported from other countries. As of its time, it was one of the largest tax increases in history. It was also one of the driving factors that turned ...
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