Business & Economics
California
Governor Schwarzenegger Misunderstands California’s Lessons for Federal Health Reform
California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger recently wrote a letter to congressional leaders expressing concern about three elements of the looming federal health care take-over: increasing Medicaid costs; wellness, prevention, and quality; and coverage for all. The July 31 letter shows that the governor has failed to learn the lessons of his ...
Business & Economics
The Case Against A Tobacco Tax Increase
California lawmakers have proposed an increase in cigarette taxes by $1.50 a pack, estimated to raise $1.2 billion in annual revenues. Given the state’s massive fiscal deficit, such an increase may appear to be a sensible part of a longer-term budget solution. Appearances can be deceiving. An increase in the ...
Business & Economics
The Golden State’s Golden Tax Opportunity
Next month, California legislators may have the opportunity for a long-term solution to the Golden State’s notorious boom-bust cycle, currently in its “bust” stage. A state commission launched by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger may recommend a flat tax on income, which would stabilize revenue and help launch a recovery. If so, ...
Business & Economics
Santa Is a Hoosier
For Barack Claus, if it’s Wednesday, this must be Indiana. The state’s recreational-vehicle industry is hurting badly — the local unemployment rate is around 17 percent — and his empathy knows no bounds, particularly since the land of the Hoosiers is a swing state. But what sort of gifts should ...
Business & Economics
How California Can Avoid a Sequel of the Budget Crisis
At long last Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has signed the budget, but Californians may want to hold off on any celebration. The blockbuster $84.6 billion deal is packed with accounting tricks that virtually guarantee a sequel of the crisis. A long-term solution could be at hand, but only if legislators come ...
Business & Economics
Will a California-Style Texting Ban Make the Nation Safer?
Four Senate Democrats last week introduced the Avoiding Life-Endangering and Reckless Texting by Drivers (ALERT) which bans text messaging while driving in all 50 states. Lead sponsor Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) believes that “drivers will finally be held responsible for dangerous behavior that puts the public at risk.” ALERT is ...
Business & Economics
The Gender Gap in Happiness
“By many objective measures the lives of women in the United States have improved over the past 35 years, yet we show that measures of subjective well-being indicate that women’s happiness had declined both absolutely and relative to men. . . These declines have continued and a new gender gap ...
Business & Economics
Obama’s Big Spending Fallacy Could Ruin the US Economy: A History Lesson
I’m inclined to the view that the Great Depression was a seminal turning point in the history of economic thought. Thanks to that politically-induced tragedy something like 150 years of sound economic reasoning was overturned by two mercantilist fallacies that we now call Keynesianism, the first of which was the ...
Business & Economics
Bill Could Mean Jail for Cyberbullies
A bill in Congress aimed at preventing cyberbullying could ensnare millions of people who comment on the Internet and has raised concerns about violating free speech rights. The Megan Meier Cyberbullying Prevention Act (HR 1966), which moved to the subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security of the House Judiciary ...
Commentary
Opponents of Obama Health Plan Hit Street
Opponents of runaway government spending have staged Boston Tea Party-inspired protests across the country since April to show their displeasure with what they see as an out-of-touch presidential administration. On June 11, protestors hit the streets of Green Bay, Wisconsin, where more than 1,000 rallied to express their dissatisfaction with ...
Governor Schwarzenegger Misunderstands California’s Lessons for Federal Health Reform
California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger recently wrote a letter to congressional leaders expressing concern about three elements of the looming federal health care take-over: increasing Medicaid costs; wellness, prevention, and quality; and coverage for all. The July 31 letter shows that the governor has failed to learn the lessons of his ...
The Case Against A Tobacco Tax Increase
California lawmakers have proposed an increase in cigarette taxes by $1.50 a pack, estimated to raise $1.2 billion in annual revenues. Given the state’s massive fiscal deficit, such an increase may appear to be a sensible part of a longer-term budget solution. Appearances can be deceiving. An increase in the ...
The Golden State’s Golden Tax Opportunity
Next month, California legislators may have the opportunity for a long-term solution to the Golden State’s notorious boom-bust cycle, currently in its “bust” stage. A state commission launched by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger may recommend a flat tax on income, which would stabilize revenue and help launch a recovery. If so, ...
Santa Is a Hoosier
For Barack Claus, if it’s Wednesday, this must be Indiana. The state’s recreational-vehicle industry is hurting badly — the local unemployment rate is around 17 percent — and his empathy knows no bounds, particularly since the land of the Hoosiers is a swing state. But what sort of gifts should ...
How California Can Avoid a Sequel of the Budget Crisis
At long last Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has signed the budget, but Californians may want to hold off on any celebration. The blockbuster $84.6 billion deal is packed with accounting tricks that virtually guarantee a sequel of the crisis. A long-term solution could be at hand, but only if legislators come ...
Will a California-Style Texting Ban Make the Nation Safer?
Four Senate Democrats last week introduced the Avoiding Life-Endangering and Reckless Texting by Drivers (ALERT) which bans text messaging while driving in all 50 states. Lead sponsor Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) believes that “drivers will finally be held responsible for dangerous behavior that puts the public at risk.” ALERT is ...
The Gender Gap in Happiness
“By many objective measures the lives of women in the United States have improved over the past 35 years, yet we show that measures of subjective well-being indicate that women’s happiness had declined both absolutely and relative to men. . . These declines have continued and a new gender gap ...
Obama’s Big Spending Fallacy Could Ruin the US Economy: A History Lesson
I’m inclined to the view that the Great Depression was a seminal turning point in the history of economic thought. Thanks to that politically-induced tragedy something like 150 years of sound economic reasoning was overturned by two mercantilist fallacies that we now call Keynesianism, the first of which was the ...
Bill Could Mean Jail for Cyberbullies
A bill in Congress aimed at preventing cyberbullying could ensnare millions of people who comment on the Internet and has raised concerns about violating free speech rights. The Megan Meier Cyberbullying Prevention Act (HR 1966), which moved to the subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security of the House Judiciary ...
Opponents of Obama Health Plan Hit Street
Opponents of runaway government spending have staged Boston Tea Party-inspired protests across the country since April to show their displeasure with what they see as an out-of-touch presidential administration. On June 11, protestors hit the streets of Green Bay, Wisconsin, where more than 1,000 rallied to express their dissatisfaction with ...
