In case you missed it…
Nanny state
The nannycrats in California want you to know that your morning cup of coffee has chemicals that could, in vastly larger quantities, potentially increase one’s chance of cancer. California's Proposition 65 requires such warnings on any products that contain chemicals that could cause cancer — even if the quantity of such chemicals is so low it poses no actual health risk. The law is so sweeping that even generally benign chemicals and compounds can land companies (in this case, coffee roasters) in legal trouble. In fact, lawsuits have become so commonplace, Wells Fargo now offers businesses “Prop. 65 Insurance,” to use in the event of a lawsuit. As time goes on, it’s becoming pretty obvious that Prop. 65 does a lot more for trial lawyers than it does for public health. (Read more)
Fiscal and taxes
President Donald Trump continues to pledge more tariffs on China, citing America’s trade deficit with China as justification. However, as economist Milton Friedman once pointed out, panic over trade deficits is an “upside down” way of thinking. After all, “the goods and services we send abroad, are goods and services not available to us. On the other hand, the goods and services we import, they provide us with TV sets we can watch, with automobiles we can drive, with all sorts of nice things for us to use.” In other words, shouldn’t it be considered a good thing for Americans to get more stuff from abroad than we give up to other nations? After all, all the “trade deficit” shows is that we get more valuable stuff from China than we send to them. Really, that should be seen as a surplus, and a major win for American consumers. (Read more)
Teacher unions
Until recently, Michigan teachers wanting to opt-out of their union faced similar trouble as Nevada teachers. Among other obstacles, teachers in Michigan were only afforded a short one-month window within which they could request to leave the union. (Nevada’s window of time is actually worse, at a mere two weeks in the middle of summer.) But thanks to a recent Michigan Supreme Court decision, unions will now be required to allow members to opt out any time they wish. The elimination of an “opt out window” is a huge win for teachers who hope to exercise their right to not belong to a union, which probably explains why union bosses are worried other states might soon follow suit. (Read more)
Health care
Most people understand that medical prices are climbing at an alarming rate, but few Americans are aware of how much most medical procedures actually cost — nor are they that concerned with finding out. After all, most of us don’t directly pay for these services. Almost 90 percent of medical payments are made by “third parties,” such as private insurance companies, Department of Veterans Affairs and government programs such as Medicare and Medicaid. Indeed, depending on “other people” to pay the bill has become commonplace, as consumers relied on these third parties as a way to keep out-of-pocket costs down. However, evidence demonstrates that it’s this very disconnect between consumers and medical providers that has helped to drive up the costs in the first place. (Read more)
Continuing series on special education
Don’t miss the latest installment of Fixing Special Ed, NPRI Senior VP Steve Miller’s in-depth series documenting the abuse, law-breaking and deception that all too frequently still today characterizes public-school districts’ administration of special education. Las Vegas attorney Marianne Lanuti has represented special-needs parents in lawsuits against the Clark County School District for more than 20 years, and she says many of those parents are desperate for a larger role in their children’s education. (Read the series here)