Commentary
Commentary
Health care lessons from Down Under
Health care reform is still on the table in California, which should consider carefully the achievements and failings of foreign systems. Canada is the usual candidate, but Australia’s health care strategies deserve a closer look. The negative effects of Australia’s government-run health system are predictable and apparent: limited distribution of ...
Agriculture
An effective stimulus package
The Department of Labor recently revealed that the economy lost 80,000 jobs in March. In response, politicians have cried out for more generous government bailouts and stimulus packages. But if our leaders were serious about stimulating the economy, they’d turn to something more unorthodox — meaningful tort reforms. Abuse of ...
Business & Economics
Free speech on the Internet, after taxes
California lawmakers have met to consider a new $500-million tax on Internet commerce. Some have dubbed this the “iTax” because of its application to Apple’s iTunes digital music store, but Assemblyman Charles Calderon, D-Whittier, is targeting more than just songs. In reality, AB 1956 is a “free speech tax” imposing ...
Commentary
San Francisco’s Health Access Plan Has Raised $6 Million
Thrilling news from my fair town: San Francisco’s Health Access Plan has managed to rope in 743 businesses, with 12,900 employees, before their deadline for enrolment in the City & County’s new mandatory health care scheme. The San Francisco Health Access Plan promises to bring “universal” health care to our ...
Commentary
If a Religion of Global Warming follower asks you why the US won’t sign the Kyoto treaty…
If a Religion of Global Warming follower asks you why the US won’t sign the Kyoto treaty… show them this graph. It should shut them up immediately. Hat Tips to Red State and WILLisms Of course, it probably won’t shut them up. So make sure you have a copy of ...
Business & Economics
Issue of taxation worthwhile topic for the candidates
Instead of all the mudslinging between Senators Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, wouldn’t it be refreshing to have them engage in some serious political discussion? Many American citizens might appreciate some in-depth exploration of the nature of taxation. The federal income tax, in particular, would deserve thoughtful examination. Senator John ...
Business & Economics
Longevity as a Commodity
Last week, GlaxoSmithKline announced it will buy Sirtris Pharmaceuticals for US$720 million, giving weight to the claim that anti-aging biotech firms can be a good bet. This is good news for Americans, given that a recent Harvard-affiliated study showed that some parts of the country have seen declines in expected ...
Commentary
A more primitive life might be required
Some readers recoiled at my depiction last year of Gov. Bill Ritter’s Climate Action Plan as a “faith-based document” that barely hints at the “grueling acrobatics” needed to reach its goals of a 20 percent reduction in greenhouse gases by 2020 and 80 percent by 2050. How dare I suggest ...
Commentary
California Report Card Shows Dismal Results
School Reform News (The Heartland Institute), May 1, 2008 A February 15 report card from the Pacific Research Institute (PRI), a free-market think tank based in California, evaluated and graded 17 aspects of California’s K-12 education system, finding the state’s performance disastrously poor. Among the factors evaluated are the state’s ...
Commentary
Circuit Court Backs San Francisco’s Draconian Health Care Mandate
Businesses and employees in San Francisco are facing higher health costs and likely job losses after a three-judge panel from the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals overruled a federal district court judge’s finding that San Francisco’s new health care ordinance violated the 1974 federal Employee Retirement Income Security Act ...
Health care lessons from Down Under
Health care reform is still on the table in California, which should consider carefully the achievements and failings of foreign systems. Canada is the usual candidate, but Australia’s health care strategies deserve a closer look. The negative effects of Australia’s government-run health system are predictable and apparent: limited distribution of ...
An effective stimulus package
The Department of Labor recently revealed that the economy lost 80,000 jobs in March. In response, politicians have cried out for more generous government bailouts and stimulus packages. But if our leaders were serious about stimulating the economy, they’d turn to something more unorthodox — meaningful tort reforms. Abuse of ...
Free speech on the Internet, after taxes
California lawmakers have met to consider a new $500-million tax on Internet commerce. Some have dubbed this the “iTax” because of its application to Apple’s iTunes digital music store, but Assemblyman Charles Calderon, D-Whittier, is targeting more than just songs. In reality, AB 1956 is a “free speech tax” imposing ...
San Francisco’s Health Access Plan Has Raised $6 Million
Thrilling news from my fair town: San Francisco’s Health Access Plan has managed to rope in 743 businesses, with 12,900 employees, before their deadline for enrolment in the City & County’s new mandatory health care scheme. The San Francisco Health Access Plan promises to bring “universal” health care to our ...
If a Religion of Global Warming follower asks you why the US won’t sign the Kyoto treaty…
If a Religion of Global Warming follower asks you why the US won’t sign the Kyoto treaty… show them this graph. It should shut them up immediately. Hat Tips to Red State and WILLisms Of course, it probably won’t shut them up. So make sure you have a copy of ...
Issue of taxation worthwhile topic for the candidates
Instead of all the mudslinging between Senators Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, wouldn’t it be refreshing to have them engage in some serious political discussion? Many American citizens might appreciate some in-depth exploration of the nature of taxation. The federal income tax, in particular, would deserve thoughtful examination. Senator John ...
Longevity as a Commodity
Last week, GlaxoSmithKline announced it will buy Sirtris Pharmaceuticals for US$720 million, giving weight to the claim that anti-aging biotech firms can be a good bet. This is good news for Americans, given that a recent Harvard-affiliated study showed that some parts of the country have seen declines in expected ...
A more primitive life might be required
Some readers recoiled at my depiction last year of Gov. Bill Ritter’s Climate Action Plan as a “faith-based document” that barely hints at the “grueling acrobatics” needed to reach its goals of a 20 percent reduction in greenhouse gases by 2020 and 80 percent by 2050. How dare I suggest ...
California Report Card Shows Dismal Results
School Reform News (The Heartland Institute), May 1, 2008 A February 15 report card from the Pacific Research Institute (PRI), a free-market think tank based in California, evaluated and graded 17 aspects of California’s K-12 education system, finding the state’s performance disastrously poor. Among the factors evaluated are the state’s ...
Circuit Court Backs San Francisco’s Draconian Health Care Mandate
Businesses and employees in San Francisco are facing higher health costs and likely job losses after a three-judge panel from the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals overruled a federal district court judge’s finding that San Francisco’s new health care ordinance violated the 1974 federal Employee Retirement Income Security Act ...
