Living Lightly in Portland
The New York Times loves to tell stories of people who got off the “work-spend treadmill” by selling off all but about 100 personal items and moving into a 400-square-foot studio apartment in Portland. Even the Wall Street Journal has jumped on board by telling the heartwarming story of someone who bought and remodeled a […]
8/18/10
Newsletter August 18 2010
Ben DeGrow’s Denver Post Edujobs Critique Riles Up Some Responses
I’m pleased to report that my Education Policy Center friend Ben DeGrow’s guest column in the Denver Post taking on the edujobs bailout has garnered some attention — you know, the one I told you about a couple days ago. Without further ado, here they are:
Reason’s Nick Gillespie quotes the op-ed, observing that Congress is […]
How to Save a Billion Dollars in Other Post-Employment Benefit Costs
This study focuses on the retiree health plan administered by the Colorado Public Employees’ Retirement Association (PERA). The PERA Health Care Program is a cost sharing multiple-employer plan. The “employers” in this context are the various governments that hire most public employees, such as public school teachers, fire fighters, police officers and state employees. Under this program, PERA subsidizes a portion of the premium for health care coverage, and the retiree pays any remaining amount of that premium. The Colorado legislature created the Health Care Trust Fund in 1999 to provide state subsidies to the Health Care Program.
Advice to Ken Buck & other candidates: aim to repeal ObamaCare, not just revise
Republican candidate for U.S. Senate Ken Buck has said that ObamaCare (HR 3590) is wrong. In Human Events, Sally Pipes of the Pacific Research Institute makes the case that “lawmakers need to scrap the measure in its entirety” and that “incremental revisions just won’t do.” Some excerpts: Incremental revisions just won’t do. This 2,400-page law […]
A Light-Rail Line That Pays for Itself?
Faithful Antiplanner ally Craig sends this amusing article from the Portland Oregonian in 1988. Unfortunately, a subscription to NewBank is required to view the link, but the gist of the article is that Congress gave Portland’s TriMet transit agency $6.2 million to subsidize a development on the city’s light-rail line that would make the light […]
Obama Bans over 100,000 Rifles
Originally published on Volokh.com According to The Korea Times, the Obama administration has blocked efforts by the South Korean government to sell over a hundred thousand surplus M1 Garand and Carbine rifles into the United States market. These self-loading were rifles introduced in 1926 and 1941. As rifles, they are especially well-suited to community defense in an […]
Education Jobs Bailout Can't Be Justified
Last week, the House of Representatives passed legislation that included a $10 billion payout to states to preserve K-12 school jobs. Retaining or adding school employees may be a priority for the Democrat majority in Congress and their union backers, which stand to gain more than $20 million. But as a national policy, Congress’ Education Jobs Fund — or “edujobs” — bailout is excessive, shortsighted and fiscally irresponsible.
Video: Some Colorado Unions Abuse Non-Union Teacher Paychecks
My Education Policy Center friends truly have done it this time. They produced a 4-minute video about a Colorado school employee’s story that highlights an unjust policy:
Thank you, Colorado teachers unions. From the YouTube summary:
Due to family medical hardships, non-union Pueblo school employee Becky Robertson missed an annual deadline to opt out of union fee […]
Health care innovation: good and bad
John Goodman of the National Center for Policy Analysis has an excellent column abut health care innovation. He summarizes: Wherever there is third-party payment [insurance, a health plan, Medicare, Medicaid], the goal of innovation is to produce more products that qualify for reimbursement, even if the effects on patient outcomes are only marginal. Wherever there […]
A Free Parking Space Grows in Manhattan
The Antiplanner blew it yesterday by saying there was no free parking in Manhattan, which shows this Oregon resident doesn’t spend much time in the Big Apple. It turns out Manhattan has lots of free on-street parking, though on many streets you have to move your car to the alternate side of the street every […]
Video: Unions Abuse Non-Union Teacher Paychecks
Check out this new Independent Teachers video about what happens when a non-union school employee who is forced to opt out of paying union fees every year misses the deadline because of family medical emergencies:
From the YouTube summary:
Due to family medical hardships, non-union Pueblo school employee Becky Robertson missed an annual deadline to opt out […]
