The Lighthouse®
The 1994 federal law banning semiautomatic rifles was allowed to expire because the data showed it had no effect on crime. Along with gun registration and universal background checks, such measures fail to address the underlying causes of gun violence and bring us closer to repeating the worst tragedies of gun control.
READ MORE »
By Richard K. Vedder (Forbes, 9/9/19)
Neither party in Congress is likely to push hard for major federal education reforms before the 2020 elections. However, three smaller reforms have a chance of adoption: the simplification of the federal student aid form, Income-Share Agreements (ISAs) that help students to pay tuition with future earnings, and “skin in the game” legislation that puts colleges on the hook for some of liabilities they foist on taxpayers when students default on student loans.
READ MORE »
By John C. Goodman (Forbes, 8/20/19)
About 42 percent of all hospital admissions result in out-of-network charges, but most of the patients think their care is in-network until they see the final bill. The Senate Labor Committee offers an ugly solution—imposing price controls on provider fees—when a far better approach is available: encouraging insurers and providers to negotiate fee arrangements in advance.
READ MORE »
By Luka Ladan (Catalyst, 9/5/19)
Nearly 60 percent of Americans believe the U.S. government is moving in the wrong direction regarding its record-high national debt of more than $22 trillion, roughly $61,539 per person. Federal spending trends bode poorly for Millennials, who are inheriting public debt levels once thought unimaginable by their predecessors.
READ MORE »
By Ronald L. Trowbridge (The Hill, 8/14/19)
In today’s political world, the terms “hate speech,” “racist,” “fascist,” “socialist” and “commie” have become mechanical, empty clichés that replace thinking. Rather than using labels to ridicule and sideline our adversaries, we must engage the opposition vigorously but respectfully—and make it safe for everyone to voice their opinions.
READ MORE »
The Lighthouse® is the weekly email newsletter of the Independent Institute.
Subscribe now, or browse Back Issues.
Volume 21, Issue 37: September 17, 2019
By Stephen P. Halbrook (The American Spectator, 9/4/19)
The 1994 federal law banning semiautomatic rifles was allowed to expire because the data showed it had no effect on crime. Along with gun registration and universal background checks, such measures fail to address the underlying causes of gun violence and bring us closer to repeating the worst tragedies of gun control.
READ MORE »
By Richard K. Vedder (Forbes, 9/9/19)
Neither party in Congress is likely to push hard for major federal education reforms before the 2020 elections. However, three smaller reforms have a chance of adoption: the simplification of the federal student aid form, Income-Share Agreements (ISAs) that help students to pay tuition with future earnings, and “skin in the game” legislation that puts colleges on the hook for some of liabilities they foist on taxpayers when students default on student loans.
READ MORE »
By John C. Goodman (Forbes, 8/20/19)
About 42 percent of all hospital admissions result in out-of-network charges, but most of the patients think their care is in-network until they see the final bill. The Senate Labor Committee offers an ugly solution—imposing price controls on provider fees—when a far better approach is available: encouraging insurers and providers to negotiate fee arrangements in advance.
READ MORE »
By Luka Ladan (Catalyst, 9/5/19)
Nearly 60 percent of Americans believe the U.S. government is moving in the wrong direction regarding its record-high national debt of more than $22 trillion, roughly $61,539 per person. Federal spending trends bode poorly for Millennials, who are inheriting public debt levels once thought unimaginable by their predecessors.
READ MORE »By Ronald L. Trowbridge (The Hill, 8/14/19)
In today’s political world, the terms “hate speech,” “racist,” “fascist,” “socialist” and “commie” have become mechanical, empty clichés that replace thinking. Rather than using labels to ridicule and sideline our adversaries, we must engage the opposition vigorously but respectfully—and make it safe for everyone to voice their opinions.
READ MORE »
The Beacon: New Blog Posts
- U.S. National Debt Hits Crisis Levels, by Craig Eyermann
- Football Follies and Economic Realities, by K. Lloyd Billingsley
- The Fonda Freedom Manifesto, by K. Lloyd Billingsley
- Liberty in Peril, by Randall G. Holcombe
- A Surprise Trillion Dollar Deficit, by Craig Eyermann
Catalyst: New Articles
- Why Nothing Is Near Your Office: How Land-Use Rules Make Life Inconvenient, by Nick Zaiac
- Wind Power Sources Remain More Fantasy than Reality, by William F. Shughart II
- Banning E-Cigarette Sales Will Do More Harm than Good, by Raymond J. March
- Lawmakers, Bureaucrats Need to End War on Video Games, by Ross Marchand
- Bill de Blasio’s Hotel Cronyism, by Scott Beyer
- Lunacy on Loans and Licensing, by Conor Norris
