Business & Economics
Business & Economics
Why Cracking Down on Oil Speculators Will Hurt Consumers
California drivers are relieved that oil prices have retreated from record highs in July but all Americans should be concerned that the government is still scrambling to “do something” about oil prices. Proposals to curb “excessive speculation” in commodity futures enjoy bipartisan support. Yet cracking down on oil speculators will ...
Agriculture
Why McCain needs to read Goldwater
Those who aspire to elected office, and all those who hold office, would do well to heed the advice of Barry Goldwater, former Arizona senator and presidential candidate. None would benefit more than presidential nominee John McCain, Goldwater’s Arizona successor in the U.S. Senate. Goldwater’s ideas, and the principles upon ...
Business & Economics
Will a lawsuit today keep Apple away?
Last week Psystar, an obscure Miami-based company, launched a legal attack on Apple that could cripple one of California’s key high-tech innovators. The case offers lessons for entrepreneurs and gives the courts an opportunity to end a legal scam that hurts consumers. In April, Psystar began selling inexpensive Mac knock-offs ...
Business & Economics
The “Vanilla Gender Assumption” and Life in “A Postfeminist Western Democracy”
Susan Pinker is a psychologist who has taught at McGill University in Montreal. Her new book, The Sexual Paradox: Men, Women, and the Real Gender Gap, is about what women want, “and whether it makes sense to see males as the base model when we think about women and work.” ...
Business & Economics
Labor Day: What Are We Celebrating?
On September 1st, Labor Day, cities across the country will hold barbecues, parades, and picnics. On this reprieve from our work routine, it’s worth reflecting on what we’re celebrating. It is also a good time to ponder some proposed labor-law changes that would affect all workers. Human labor, coupled with ...
Business & Economics
Impact – August 2008
PRI Ideas in Action – August 2008 Policy Update and Monthly Impact Report PRI continues to impactpublic policy in California, the nation, and abroad. Click below to view PRI’s recent contributions. Read PDF
Commentary
New York Times’ Funny Math on Massachusetts Health Care
Only in government-run health care, or in the editorial offices of the New York Times, would it be considered a “success” to spend over $3 to solve a $1 problem. Dazzled by the lure of so-called “universal” health care, the NY Times editorial board enthuses that two thirds of the ...
Business & Economics
Sarah Palin on legal reform, Exxon Valdez and polar bears
Not much to say about Alaska’s governor, Sarah Palin, on legal reform issues (certainly a lot less than Sen. Joe Biden). The Pacific Research Institute’s 2008 State Liability Index ranks Alaska as having the No. 2 legal climate in outputs (costs) and No. 16 in inputs (laws). Both Sen. McCain ...
Commentary
What you don’t hear about health care
Health care reform will be front-and-center in the presidential debates. It’s a topic that’s full of complicated issues, so it can be hard to cut through all the rhetoric and figure out exactly what each candidate is proposing. So here’s the skinny on five questions that you’ll likely hear many ...
Business & Economics
Medical Malpractice Update in Wisconsin, W. Virginia, & New York
The Kaiser Daily Health Report gave us an update today on med-mal developments in three states. In West Virginia, the number of med-mal lawsuits increased by 34 percent over a three year period. It looks like a warning sign that something is unravelling since the Mountain State capped non-economic damages ...
Why Cracking Down on Oil Speculators Will Hurt Consumers
California drivers are relieved that oil prices have retreated from record highs in July but all Americans should be concerned that the government is still scrambling to “do something” about oil prices. Proposals to curb “excessive speculation” in commodity futures enjoy bipartisan support. Yet cracking down on oil speculators will ...
Why McCain needs to read Goldwater
Those who aspire to elected office, and all those who hold office, would do well to heed the advice of Barry Goldwater, former Arizona senator and presidential candidate. None would benefit more than presidential nominee John McCain, Goldwater’s Arizona successor in the U.S. Senate. Goldwater’s ideas, and the principles upon ...
Will a lawsuit today keep Apple away?
Last week Psystar, an obscure Miami-based company, launched a legal attack on Apple that could cripple one of California’s key high-tech innovators. The case offers lessons for entrepreneurs and gives the courts an opportunity to end a legal scam that hurts consumers. In April, Psystar began selling inexpensive Mac knock-offs ...
The “Vanilla Gender Assumption” and Life in “A Postfeminist Western Democracy”
Susan Pinker is a psychologist who has taught at McGill University in Montreal. Her new book, The Sexual Paradox: Men, Women, and the Real Gender Gap, is about what women want, “and whether it makes sense to see males as the base model when we think about women and work.” ...
Labor Day: What Are We Celebrating?
On September 1st, Labor Day, cities across the country will hold barbecues, parades, and picnics. On this reprieve from our work routine, it’s worth reflecting on what we’re celebrating. It is also a good time to ponder some proposed labor-law changes that would affect all workers. Human labor, coupled with ...
Impact – August 2008
PRI Ideas in Action – August 2008 Policy Update and Monthly Impact Report PRI continues to impactpublic policy in California, the nation, and abroad. Click below to view PRI’s recent contributions. Read PDF
New York Times’ Funny Math on Massachusetts Health Care
Only in government-run health care, or in the editorial offices of the New York Times, would it be considered a “success” to spend over $3 to solve a $1 problem. Dazzled by the lure of so-called “universal” health care, the NY Times editorial board enthuses that two thirds of the ...
Sarah Palin on legal reform, Exxon Valdez and polar bears
Not much to say about Alaska’s governor, Sarah Palin, on legal reform issues (certainly a lot less than Sen. Joe Biden). The Pacific Research Institute’s 2008 State Liability Index ranks Alaska as having the No. 2 legal climate in outputs (costs) and No. 16 in inputs (laws). Both Sen. McCain ...
What you don’t hear about health care
Health care reform will be front-and-center in the presidential debates. It’s a topic that’s full of complicated issues, so it can be hard to cut through all the rhetoric and figure out exactly what each candidate is proposing. So here’s the skinny on five questions that you’ll likely hear many ...
Medical Malpractice Update in Wisconsin, W. Virginia, & New York
The Kaiser Daily Health Report gave us an update today on med-mal developments in three states. In West Virginia, the number of med-mal lawsuits increased by 34 percent over a three year period. It looks like a warning sign that something is unravelling since the Mountain State capped non-economic damages ...
