California’s recent law reclassifying certain independent contractors as regular W-2 employees—AB-5—not only harms their ability to earn a living...

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May 27, 2020 | Weekly Newsletter

Independent Institute Urges Federal Court to Uphold Freelancers’ Constitutional Rights ([link removed])
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California’s recent law reclassifying certain independent contractors as regular W-2 employees—AB-5—not only harms their ability to earn a living, but in some cases the law violates their First and Fourteenth Amendment rights. Independent Institute joins with the nation’s largest professional associations of freelance writers and press photographers in urging the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit to strike down those provisions in AB-5 and to uphold rights guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution. READ MORE » ([link removed])

[link removed] California’s Anti-Freelancer Law AB-5 Infringes Foundational Constitutional Liberties Brief of Amicus Curiae Before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit ([link removed])
By Frank H. Chang, Krystal B. Swendsboe
COVID-19 Policies Place Liberty in Peril ([link removed])
By Randall G. Holcombe (The Hill, 5/19/20)
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People are understandably alarmed that governments have responded to COVID-19 by imposing draconian restrictions, mandating business closures, and requiring people to remain at home. Liberty has been compromised, and today’s policies set precedents that can be called on to restrict liberty down the road. READ MORE » ([link removed])

[link removed] Liberty in Peril Democracy and Power in American History ([link removed])
By Randall G. Holcombe
Parents Who Home-School Are a Danger to Their Kids? That’s What These Academics Think ([link removed])
By Vicki E. Alger (Houston Chronicle, 5/20/20)
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Contrary to what a certain Harvard Law School professor suggests, homeschooled students are a diverse group who enjoy higher academic achievement and better life outcomes than their conventionally educated peers. Rather than learn from these successes, “progressive” academicians seem to prefer eliminating the competition. READ MORE » ([link removed])

[link removed] Failure The Federal Misedukation of America’s Children ([link removed])
By Vicki E. Alger
United States Needs Freedom, Not Fascism ([link removed])
By Benjamin Powell (American Institute for Economic Research, 4/29/20)
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Invoking the Defense Production Act to force companies to make hospital ventilators isn’t socialism—it’s fascism. To deal with the COVID-19 pandemic, America would be far better served with more deregulation and market-driven innovation, not command-and-control edicts that violate the property rights of private business owners. READ MORE » ([link removed])

Best Books on the Folly of Socialism ([link removed])
California Lawmakers Unwittingly Make Surgery Much More Dangerous ([link removed])
By Lee E. Ohanian (California on Your Mind, 4/7/20)
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Along with many other occupations in California, certified registered nurse anesthesiologists under the state’s new AB-5 law can work as regular employees but not as independent contractors. Consequently, the law is worsening the Golden State’s anesthesiologist shortage and making surgery riskier. READ MORE » ([link removed])

Open Letter to Suspend California AB-5 From 153 Economists and Political Scientists in California ([link removed])
Six Ways to Keep American Universities Alive ([link removed])
By Richard K. Vedder (Forbes, 5/4/20)
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Unless they soon take major corrective action, 500 to 1,000 institutions of higher learning will be forced into bankruptcy or face-saving mergers. Many schools could take preventive steps by cutting their personnel costs and better deploying their underutilized physical assets. READ MORE » ([link removed])

[link removed] Restoring the Promise Higher Education in America ([link removed])
By Richard K. Vedder
The Beacon: New Blog Posts
* California Exploits Ammunition Background Checks to Confiscate Guns ([link removed]) , by K. Lloyd Billingsley
* Pandemics Are Not Recessions, And Pessimism Isn’t Logic ([link removed]) , by R. David Ranson
* More Executive Orders Will Not Fix Healthcare ([link removed]) , by Raymond J. March
* Is a Coronavirus Fall Classic in Store for America? ([link removed]) , by K. Lloyd Billingsley
* Newsom to California Taxpayers: Enslave Yourselves or Die ([link removed]) , by Mary L. G. Theroux
* USA PATRIOT Act: Leviathan in Search of a Crisis ([link removed]) , by Mary L. G. Theroux
* CHiPs Are Down in California, and Federal Judge Is Down With It ([link removed]) , by K. Lloyd Billingsley
* The Smart Ones in the Time of Pandemic ([link removed]) , by Alvaro Vargas Llosa
* COVID-19 Policy: Yet Another Intergenerational Transfer ([link removed]) , by Randall G. Holcombe
* Tesla Restart Defies Lockdown, Stares Down County Officials, and Gives Workers Hope ([link removed]) , by K. Lloyd Billingsley


Catalyst: New Articles
* COVID-19 Brings Out the Best in American Entrepreneurs ([link removed]) , by Luka Ladan
* The Smart Ones in the Time of Pandemic ([link removed]) , by Alvaro Vargas Llosa
* Private Cities Are a Needed Experiment ([link removed]) , by Scott Beyer


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