Harvard’s homeschool haters
Harvard’s homeschool haters
“It’s the state that’s empowering parents to do anything with children. To take them home, to have custody, to make any kind of decision about that.” No, the subheading is not a twisted thought of the late Joe Stalin or some other power-mad foreign dictator. It was uttered by visiting Harvard law professor James Dwyer,...
By Larry Sand
The Needs of the Few and the Paralysis of Perfectionism
The Needs of the Few and the Paralysis of Perfectionism
“Logic clearly dictates that the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few.” – Leonard Nimoy’s character Spock, Wrath of Khan, 1982 For anyone who has questioned whether or not the COVID-19 pandemic constitutes a severe enough threat to justify a soft version of martial law and a possible economic depression, Spock’s classic claim...
By Edward Ring
How the Homeless Industrial Complex Will Destroy Venice Beach
How the Homeless Industrial Complex Will Destroy Venice Beach
“I intend on putting in another proposal in the next week or two that asks the city to look at the federal bailout or stimulus funds we’ll be getting as a result of this crisis…and using some of that to either buy hotels that go belly up or to buy the distressed properties that are...
By Edward Ring
Do Black and Hispanic lives really matter to progressives?
Do Black and Hispanic lives really matter to progressives?
An illuminating study comparing education in America’s progressive and conservative cities opens a major can of worms. A stunning report that came out in January of this year received little attention at first, and was then completely buried due to the avalanche of coronavirus-related stories. “The Secret Shame: How America’s Most Progressive Cities Betray Their...
By Larry Sand
Huntington Beach denies pandemic reality, dispenses pay raises
Huntington Beach denies pandemic reality, dispenses pay raises
On Monday, April 6 the Huntington Beach City Council voted to increase pay for its police officers and city employees. The cost for these raises over the next three years is estimated at $5 million. In a city that reported general revenues of $188 million in the fiscal year ended June 2019, this raise can accurately be described as...
By Edward Ring
Rating California counties on the thoroughness of their COVID-19 data dashboards
Rating California counties on the thoroughness of their COVID-19 data dashboards
Editor’s Note: The following was originally published on Reason. In terms of providing quality information that researchers, hospitals, public health officials, and taxpayers would find the most useful, the best portals are offered by San Diego, Santa Clara, San Mateo and Marin counties. County governments across California are providing an array of public coronavirus data...
By Marc Joffe
COVID-19 Worsens Fiscal Distress for Lindsay California
COVID-19 Worsens Fiscal Distress for Lindsay California
The city of Lindsay, in Tulare County, is California’s fourth highest risk city according to the California state auditor. And that was before the COVID-19 pandemic. Its fiscal condition will likely deteriorate further as residents shelter at home, raising the specter of sharp service cuts or even Chapter 9 bankruptcy for the city. The mistakes...
By Marc Joffe
Freedom for me, but not for thee
Freedom for me, but not for thee
Temporary Los Angeles teacher union contract, inspired by COVID-19, liberates teachers, but parents and kids are still held captive, of course. On Thursday, April 9th the Los Angeles Unified School District struck a distance-learning pact with the United Teachers of Los Angeles. The seat-of-the-pants labor agreement was necessitated by the closing of all district schools...
By Larry Sand
California Cities Hike Minimum Wage as Economy Falters
California Cities Hike Minimum Wage as Economy Falters
Until further notice, California’s economy is in free fall. As of April 6, California’s Employment Development Department reported receiving 1.9 million new unemployment insurance claims within barely three weeks. As reported in the San Jose Mercury, during the entire 2008 Great Recession, only 2.2. million unemployment claims were submitted. It’s impossible to know how long these unemployment claims...
By Edward Ring
Suggested Executive Orders for Governor Gavin Newsom
Suggested Executive Orders for Governor Gavin Newsom
Throughout the last several weeks, Governor Gavin Newsom has issued a number of executive orders to combat the spread of the COVID-19 virus. Without criticizing the tremendous efforts that are already being made, I want to propose a few additional steps that California’s governor could further contain the damage this virus is wreaking. Some of...
By Edward Ring
The coronavirus and rigid education policy
The coronavirus and rigid education policy
As the COVID-19 crisis continues, much of the Big-Ed/Big Union complex maintains its inflexibility. With U.S. schools closed, educators across the land are scrambling to figure out how to provide instruction to millions of students via computers. Granted, an immediate switch to distance learning is not easy for school districts, which by and large...
By Larry Sand
Plastic Bags and the Recycling and Reuse Scam
Plastic Bags and the Recycling and Reuse Scam
Back in 2014, the California Legislature passed Senate Bill 207, which banned grocery stores from offering customers “single use” carryout bags. Permanent implementation was delayed by a November 2016 voter referendum, Prop. 67, that unsuccessfully attempted to repeal the measure. Today it is well established law. The only way SB 207 was sold to the grocery industry...
By Edward Ring
Venice Beach shut down except for homeless encampments
Venice Beach shut down except for homeless encampments
California’s 40 million residents have now been under house arrest for over a week. But in the homeless haven known as Venice Beach, the party hasn’t skipped a beat. Law abiding residents have deserted the Los Angeles coast after a crackdown by Mayor Eric Garcetti, who condemned people getting “too close together, too often” the previous weekend....
By Edward Ring
Black Swans and Super Bubbles
Black Swans and Super Bubbles
Black Swan: an unpredictable event that is beyond what is normally expected of a situation and has potentially severe consequences.” – Investopedia For decades there have been so-called “permabears” claiming that investment returns in the stock market were unsustainable. When the internet bubble popped in 1999, the permabears felt vindicated. But then, starting around 2003, the...
By Edward Ring