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Joseph Perkins
Declare war on lawsuit abuse
Feb. 12, 2013 By Joseph Perkins Inmate lawsuits have become a cottage industry here in California. The Associated Press reports that such litigation has cost the state’s taxpayers more than $200 million over the past 15 years. Gov. Jerry Brown
Read MoreDisinvest in higher education
Feb. 5, 2013 By Joseph Perkins College is overrated. That’s the ineluctable conclusion to be drawn from a new study published by the Center for College Affordability and Productivity. The study’s co-authors, Richard Vedder, Jonathan Robe and Christopher Denhart, examined
Read MoreCalifornia, the union state
Jan. 27, 2013 By Joseph Perkins The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported this week that the national union membership rate (the percentage of wage and salary workers who are members of a union) fell to 11.3 last year from
Read MoreGov. Brown turns attention to immigration
Jan. 18, 2013 By Joseph Perkins California is home to nearly one-quarter of the nation’s 11 million or so illegal immigrants. So it is understandable, laudable even, that Gov. Jerry Brown intends to be a player in upcoming discussions back
Read MoreReal Culprits in CA Housing Crash
Jan. 11, 2013 By Joseph Perkins As the California economy continues slowly to recover from the collapse of its once-thriving housing sector, the banking industry is trying to close its books on the financial disaster. This week, Bank of America
Read MoreCA strikes blow for privacy rights
Jan. 5, 2013 By Joseph Perkins Randi Zuckerberg made news recently when a family photo she posted on her Facebook account was reposted on Twitter without her knowledge or consent. The big sis of Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg was not
Read MoreSolar power fries ratepayers
Dec. 29, 2012 By Joseph Perkins Most lawmakers in Sacramento have no idea who Robert K. Merton was. But they almost certainly are familiar with terms the late great American social scientist introduced into the popular lexicon, including “unintended consequences.”
Read MoreCalifornia encourages business flight
Dec. 21, 2012 By Joseph Perkins Employees at Chevron’s San Ramon corporate headquarters received an unexpected email yesterday. It notified them that a quarter of their jobs are being moved from California to Texas. The oil giant, the Golden State’s
Read MoreMuch required of Democratic Legislature
Dec. 14, 2012 By Joseph Perkins I met Darrell Steinberg last week. The state Senate president pro tem said that he and his fellow Democrats recognize the awesome responsibility that comes with the supermajorities they now enjoy in both chambers
Read MoreThe Tobacco Settlement Bait-And-Switch
Dec. 08, 2012 By Joseph Perkins “California’s lawsuit against the tobacco industry has reached a successful conclusion that provides a major victory in the fight against smoking.” So said Bill Lockyer, then the state’s attorney general, back in 1999. The
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