The Lighthouse®
As the missteps of federal agencies show, errors are compounded when bureaucratic decision-making is centralized. In contrast, free markets encourage decentralized approaches, fostering nimbler and more creative problem-solving from individuals, businesses, and non-profit groups.
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By Richard K. Vedder (Forbes, 5/7/20)
More than one crisis has taught higher-education entrepreneur Andrew Clark to pivot quickly to face the needs of a rapidly changing marketplace. His latest venture, Zovio, is moving toward delivering support services for universities moving to online learning, including helping them combat fraudsters trying to exploit the pandemic for personal gain.
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By Alvaro Vargas Llosa (The Free Lance-Star, 4/30/20)
The best results against the novel coronavirus have not come from countries that have shut down massive numbers of private businesses or have severely restricted freedom of movement. They’ve come from countries, such as South Korea and Germany, that have intelligently avoided major intrusions.
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By Benjamin Powell (Washington Examiner, 5/5/20)
President Trump signed an executive order temporarily halting the issuance of green cards for permanent residency in the United States. A wiser policy would be to issue more immigration visas to healthcare providers worldwide and to encourage states to liberalize their medical licensing laws to allow qualified immigrants to practice medicine.
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By Kevin D. Gomez, Diana W. Thomas and Ryan M. Yonk (Independent Institute Briefing, 5/15/20)
Governments may well deploy the precautionary principle with the best of intentions, but almost invariably such unwarranted bureaucratic risk-aversion hurts people. It can even kill them.
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By Williamson M. Evers, Ze’ev Wurman (Real Clear Education, 5/11/20)
The National Assessment of Educational Progress has long been a reliable report card of what America’s schoolchildren know and can do. Unfortunately, California and most other states saw declining scores in 2015, 2017, and 2019—which may be the real reason why Common Core advocates don’t like the test.
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By K. Lloyd Billingsley (American Thinker, 5/2/20)
Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed numerous executive orders to deal with the pandemic and recession. Unfortunately, his failure to confront AB-5, California’s law restricting independent contractors, makes it hard to believe he truly has workers’ best interests in mind.
READ MORE »
By Patrick Hoge (East Bay Express, 5/13/20)
It’s no surprise that the governmental response to the Covid-19 pandemic has attracted the attention of Oakland’s feisty Independent Institute. “We’re in the business of raising questions,” says President David J. Theroux, who founded the nonprofit enterprise to challenge orthodoxies across the political spectrum.
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The Lighthouse® is the weekly email newsletter of the Independent Institute.
Subscribe now, or browse Back Issues.
Volume 22, Issue 19: May 19, 2020
By Adam B. Summers (The Orange County Register, 4/26/20)
As the missteps of federal agencies show, errors are compounded when bureaucratic decision-making is centralized. In contrast, free markets encourage decentralized approaches, fostering nimbler and more creative problem-solving from individuals, businesses, and non-profit groups.
READ MORE »
By Richard K. Vedder (Forbes, 5/7/20)
More than one crisis has taught higher-education entrepreneur Andrew Clark to pivot quickly to face the needs of a rapidly changing marketplace. His latest venture, Zovio, is moving toward delivering support services for universities moving to online learning, including helping them combat fraudsters trying to exploit the pandemic for personal gain.
READ MORE »
By Alvaro Vargas Llosa (The Free Lance-Star, 4/30/20)
The best results against the novel coronavirus have not come from countries that have shut down massive numbers of private businesses or have severely restricted freedom of movement. They’ve come from countries, such as South Korea and Germany, that have intelligently avoided major intrusions.
READ MORE »By Benjamin Powell (Washington Examiner, 5/5/20)
President Trump signed an executive order temporarily halting the issuance of green cards for permanent residency in the United States. A wiser policy would be to issue more immigration visas to healthcare providers worldwide and to encourage states to liberalize their medical licensing laws to allow qualified immigrants to practice medicine.
READ MORE »By Kevin D. Gomez, Diana W. Thomas and Ryan M. Yonk (Independent Institute Briefing, 5/15/20)
Governments may well deploy the precautionary principle with the best of intentions, but almost invariably such unwarranted bureaucratic risk-aversion hurts people. It can even kill them.
READ MORE »By Williamson M. Evers, Ze’ev Wurman (Real Clear Education, 5/11/20)
The National Assessment of Educational Progress has long been a reliable report card of what America’s schoolchildren know and can do. Unfortunately, California and most other states saw declining scores in 2015, 2017, and 2019—which may be the real reason why Common Core advocates don’t like the test.
READ MORE »
By K. Lloyd Billingsley (American Thinker, 5/2/20)
Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed numerous executive orders to deal with the pandemic and recession. Unfortunately, his failure to confront AB-5, California’s law restricting independent contractors, makes it hard to believe he truly has workers’ best interests in mind.
READ MORE »
Open Letter to Suspend California AB-5
From 153 Economists and Political Scientists in California
From 153 Economists and Political Scientists in California
By Williamson M. Evers, David J. Theroux
By Patrick Hoge (East Bay Express, 5/13/20)
It’s no surprise that the governmental response to the Covid-19 pandemic has attracted the attention of Oakland’s feisty Independent Institute. “We’re in the business of raising questions,” says President David J. Theroux, who founded the nonprofit enterprise to challenge orthodoxies across the political spectrum.
READ MORE »The Beacon: New Blog Posts
- Waco Demonstrates the Real Dangers of Militarizing Law Enforcement, by Samuel R. Staley
- Pandemic Pushback, by K. Lloyd Billingsley
- Fed Chief Jerome Powell Tells Uncle Sam To Spend More, by Craig Eyermann
- Bureaucratic Incompetence and the Coronavirus: New York Edition, by Craig Eyermann
- Pandemic Reading Tips: Part Deux, by K. Lloyd Billingsley
- Queen and Slim’s Cynicism Should Prompt Serious Discourse on Race and Criminal Justice, by Samuel R. Staley
- Stem Cell Scammers Go Signature Harvesting, by K. Lloyd Billingsley
Catalyst: New Articles
- Federal Rules Holding Up Lab-Developed COVID-19 Tests, by Ross Marchand
- Why Sweden’s COVID-19 Strategy Is Quietly Becoming the World’s Strategy, by Jon Miltimore
- Elon Musk Might Move Tesla From California, by Scott Beyer
- Universal Licensing Reciprocity Helps Moving Americans, by Conor Norris
- How Sheriffs and Police Chiefs Have Handled COVID-19, by Keith Hanson
- Washington Passes Deficient Facial Recognition Bill, by Jonathan Hofer
- Zoning Can Not Be Replaced by Deed Restrictions, by Scott Beyer
- Localities Must Take the Lead in Reopening America, by Ross Marchand
- Where Is the Small Business Advocacy in Normal Times?, by Luka Ladan
