Happy New Year!
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December 18, 2024
Welcome to The Lighthouse ([link removed]) , the weekly email newsletter of the Independent Institute covering politics, economics, current events, and everything in between.
Dear Readers,
Happy New Year!
As we look toward the new year, let’s take a moment to reflect on the year passed—and let’s be bold enough to hope for change.
This week’s articles provide valuable insights into the challenges and solutions that shaped 2024, covering topics from healthcare to government spending and bureaucracy. Raymond J. March discusses the ongoing drug shortages and the potential of telemedicine as a modern solution. Kristian Fors highlights how California’s DMV is making positive changes, while Craig Eyermann, in a pair of articles, takes us inside the surprising defeat of a massive spending bill during the government shutdown saga, exploring where the funds went and what areas may need attention in 2025.
Here's to learning from 2024 and striving for improvement in the year ahead!
Jonathan Hofer
Managing Editor
Top picks this week
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** Ozempic Shortage Exposes FDA Challenges—but Telemedicine Offers Hope ([link removed])
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** by Raymond J. March
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All weight loss injection treatments have been in short supply for months. Fortunately, while the broader healthcare system and FDA flounder, telemedicine is hard at work bringing pioneering medicine to patients.
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** From Golden Fleece® to Gold Star: How the California DMV Cut Red Tape and Improved Customer Satisfaction ([link removed])
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** by Kristian Fors
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The California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) has a reputation for inefficiency and bureaucracy, earning the California Golden Fleece® Award in 2019 for government failures. However, it has significantly improved customer experience by adopting entrepreneurial thinking and private sector technology … in other words, by adopting many of our recommendations!
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** A Monster Spending Bill Is Defeated After Public Protests ([link removed])
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** by Craig Eyermann
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The latest episode of Government Shutdown Theater did not go according to the usual script. Unfortunately, Congress’ leaders didn't learn to stop playing the game with the public. The next performance is scheduled for its cliffhanger on March 14, 2025.
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** Closing the Government’s Books on 2024 ([link removed])
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** by Craig Eyermann
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The end of the calendar year traditionally represents a time when many people take stock of their personal finances. How much did your income change during the last year? How much did your spending change? And is the U.S. government asking itself these same questions?
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** FEATURED BOOK - COMING SOON!
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** Race & Liberty (Updated Edition) ([link removed])
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** The Essential Reader ([link removed])
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** Edited by Jonathan J. Bean
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With new contributions from Thomas Sowell, Coleman Hughes, Thomas Chatteron Williams, Kenny Xu, David Bernstein, and Ilya Somin—as well as a plethora of primary source evidence from recent landmark US Supreme Court decisions—Bean champions the values of colorblindness, freedom, and equal constitutional protection for all individuals—regardless of race. It’s a message that couldn’t be more timely.
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