The Lighthouse®
A college degree isn’t what it used to be. Too often, it’s merely a ticket for barista jobs rather than a reliable door opener to upward mobility and economic security. Moreover, today’s crushing burden of student loan debt is stifling household formation and birth rates, which in turn shrinks the pool of future college students. Independent Institute Senior Fellow Richard K. Vedder offers solutions in the most thoughtful book on the crisis, Restoring the Promise: Higher Education in America.
READ FULL REVIEW ON WSJ.COM (SUBSCRIPTION REQUIRED) »
By Lawrence J. McQuillan, Hayeon Carol Park, Adam B. Summers, and Katherine Dwyer (6/25/19)
California’s wildfires of 2017 and 2018 were its worst ever, claiming at least 3 million acres of land, 34,447 structures, and 146 human lives. Cal Fire bears primary responsibility for failing to curb the growth of fuel loads to dangerous levels, but other government agencies are also blameworthy. The Independent Institute’s eighth California Golden Fleece® Award report examines the causes and makes 26 recommendations to improve wildfire safety.
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California Golden Fleece® Awards
By Ivan Eland (The American Conservative, 5/24/19)
American presidents have aggressively expanded their reach beyond what the U.S. Constitution authorizes, especially after the start of the Cold War and in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Although Congress abetted the trend of the imperial presidency, Congress may be the only hope for a restoration of constitutional norms.
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William J. Watkins Jr. (The Hill, 6/20/19)
Last week the Supreme Court ruled that a person can be tried in a state court and a federal court for the same criminal acts. Rather than bemoaning the 7-2 decision for violating the Constitution’s double-jeopardy clause, pundits should celebrate the Court for upholding the venerable separate-sovereigns doctrine and the principle of federalism.
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By Richard K. Vedder (Forbes, 6/20/19)
Two high-school seniors, both survivors of school shootings, got acceptance letters from Harvard University, but the student with the superior academic record had his offer rescinded. Harvard’s failure to acknowledge the young man’s apologies for his offensive remarks speaks volumes about the admissions office’s own immaturity.
READ MORE »
By Scott Beyer (Catalyst, 6/6/19)
Used cars are cheap because new ones keep coming onto the market. Similarly, in unfettered housing markets, the more new home and rental units that are built, the more “used housing” that is freed up to be purchased or rented by low-income residents. This dynamic explains why housing is more affordable in development-friendly Tokyo than in NIMBY-dominated San Francisco.
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The Lighthouse® is the weekly email newsletter of the Independent Institute.
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Volume 21, Issue 25: June 25, 2019
By Allen C. Guelzo (The Wall Street Journal, 6/24/19)
A college degree isn’t what it used to be. Too often, it’s merely a ticket for barista jobs rather than a reliable door opener to upward mobility and economic security. Moreover, today’s crushing burden of student loan debt is stifling household formation and birth rates, which in turn shrinks the pool of future college students. Independent Institute Senior Fellow Richard K. Vedder offers solutions in the most thoughtful book on the crisis, Restoring the Promise: Higher Education in America.
READ FULL REVIEW ON WSJ.COM (SUBSCRIPTION REQUIRED) »
By Lawrence J. McQuillan, Hayeon Carol Park, Adam B. Summers, and Katherine Dwyer (6/25/19)
California’s wildfires of 2017 and 2018 were its worst ever, claiming at least 3 million acres of land, 34,447 structures, and 146 human lives. Cal Fire bears primary responsibility for failing to curb the growth of fuel loads to dangerous levels, but other government agencies are also blameworthy. The Independent Institute’s eighth California Golden Fleece® Award report examines the causes and makes 26 recommendations to improve wildfire safety.
READ MORE »California Golden Fleece® Awards
By Ivan Eland (The American Conservative, 5/24/19)
American presidents have aggressively expanded their reach beyond what the U.S. Constitution authorizes, especially after the start of the Cold War and in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Although Congress abetted the trend of the imperial presidency, Congress may be the only hope for a restoration of constitutional norms.
READ MORE »
William J. Watkins Jr. (The Hill, 6/20/19)
Last week the Supreme Court ruled that a person can be tried in a state court and a federal court for the same criminal acts. Rather than bemoaning the 7-2 decision for violating the Constitution’s double-jeopardy clause, pundits should celebrate the Court for upholding the venerable separate-sovereigns doctrine and the principle of federalism.
READ MORE »
Crossroads for Liberty
Recovering the Anti-Federalist Values of America’s First Constitution
Recovering the Anti-Federalist Values of America’s First Constitution
By William J. Watkins, Jr.
By Richard K. Vedder (Forbes, 6/20/19)
Two high-school seniors, both survivors of school shootings, got acceptance letters from Harvard University, but the student with the superior academic record had his offer rescinded. Harvard’s failure to acknowledge the young man’s apologies for his offensive remarks speaks volumes about the admissions office’s own immaturity.
READ MORE »By Scott Beyer (Catalyst, 6/6/19)
Used cars are cheap because new ones keep coming onto the market. Similarly, in unfettered housing markets, the more new home and rental units that are built, the more “used housing” that is freed up to be purchased or rented by low-income residents. This dynamic explains why housing is more affordable in development-friendly Tokyo than in NIMBY-dominated San Francisco.
READ MORE »The Beacon: New Blog Posts
- Right-to-Try Legislation Helps Patient Battling Bone Cancer, by Raymond J. March
- California Air Resources Board Evades Public Oversight, by K. Lloyd Billingsley
- Historic Landmark Status Punishes Manhattan’s Iconic Strand Bookstore, by Lawrence J. McQuillan
- California Farmers Waiting on a Train That Will Never Come, by Craig Eyermann
- Trump’s Mexican Poodle, by Alvaro Vargas Llosa
- California Coastal Commission Fines Ritz-Carlton $1.6 Million for Sins of Omission, by K. Lloyd Billingsley
- Even in Reverse, California’s Bullet Train Rips Off Landowners and Taxpayers, by K. Lloyd Billingsley
Catalyst: New Articles
- In Defense of Blowouts: People Respond to Incentives, Even on the Soccer Field, by Art Carden
- No Home When You Get Out: Zoning Reform for the Formerly Incarcerated, by Nick Zaiac
- Walmart Models Next-Level Business-Education Partnership, by Kristiana Bolzman
- California’s High-Speed Rail Is the Very Definition of a Boondoggle, by Adam B. Summers
- Decline of the M.B.A., Fall of the Humanities: What’s Left?, by Richard Vedder
- Cigarette and Soda Taxes Don’t Save Many Lives, by William F. Shughart II
