Dear Friends,
As we celebrate the Fourth of July, I'd like to take the opportunity to thank you, our loyal supporters, for your continued commitment to our shared vision of a free and civil society where individuals can achieve their full potential.
Every day, our team works to advance the principles established by America's Founding Fathers. Whether the struggle is over health care, economic opportunity, poverty, energy, or education, PRI's policy solutions are inspired by the ideas set forth in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.
The defense of freedom, opportunity, and personal responsibility is more necessary than ever, as these principles are under attack by progressive activists and politicians seeking to permanently expand government control. More than that, however, we are committed to advancing free-market policy solutions that will lead to a stronger, freer America.
I would like to share a few highlights of our recent accomplishments.
Educational Freedom
Time and time again, we’ve seen how school boards and powerful teachers’ unions stifle innovation in order to protect their own interests. But PRI continues to fight for each family’s right to choose the best education for their children. Never has the case for educational freedom been more urgent. The Biden administration is preparing to copy California’s Assembly Bill 1505, a regulation that makes it harder for new charter schools to form. The administration wants local school boards to have the ability to deny proposed charters for a host of weak reasons.
PRI Center for Education Director Lance Izumi and Policy Associate McKenzie Richards examined the threat that this legislation poses in an op-ed published in the Times of San Diego. They showed that this is simply another way of appeasing the powerful teachers’ unions that favor the status quo over the needs of students and the desires of families. Families—especially those whose children languish in dysfunctional government schools—have suffered disproportionately while California’s politicians and unions focus on keeping each other in power. And thanks to you, these families’ voices and concerns are being heard in California and across the nation.
Continuing the Fight Against Socialized Medicine
We continue to combat attempts to enact socialized medicine, most recently fighting at the state level to educate the public and policymakers on the problems with progressive health care ideas that will inevitably result in a “Medicare for All” heath care system. At a recent debate hosted by the University of Iowa, I highlighted the dangers of a single-payer insurance model. I went head-to-head with leading "Medicare for All" advocate Professor Gerald Friedman from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.
As I pointed out during the debate, "Medicare for All" will ultimately lead to longer waits for procedures, health care provider burnout, and the rationing of patient care. PRI is determined to ensure that this is never a future Americans have to face. Click here to read my opening remarks from the debate.
The CEQA Gauntlet
Authored by one of California’s top land use attorneys, Chris Carr—along with his colleagues from Paul Hastings, LLP, Navi Dhillon and Lucas Grunbaum—"The CEQA Gauntlet" shows how the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) adds expense and delay to (and in some cases halts) critical California projects, including housing, schools, infrastructure, renewable energy, homeless shelters, and wildfire prevention. It was released in the aftermath of a court ruling that jeopardized the admission of 3,000 prospective UC Berkeley students due to a CEQA lawsuit. Public outrage prompted lawmakers to take swift action to ensure CEQA wouldn’t deny admission to these students.
The project has garnered widespread media attention. The Southern California News Group newspapers ran a full-size version of the eye-opening CEQA Gauntlet flowchart in its Sunday opinion section, along with a column by Carr and Ken Broad. Outlets such as CalMatters, Bloomberg News, the San Jose Mercury News, and Northern California Record have covered the study’s findings.
Promoting Rational Environmental Policies
PRI is committed to educating the public and policymakers on the negative economic consequences of ill-conceived energy and environmental policies. On June 30, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled to limit the EPA's ability to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from existing power plants under the Clean Power Plan. PRI's influential study "The Clean Power Plan's Economic Impact" was cited in the state of Kentucky's amicus brief in the case.
I encourage you to follow us on Twitter at @PacificResearch and on Facebook, and visit our website for regular commentary, videos, and podcasts.
On behalf of everyone at PRI, I wish you a safe and healthy Fourth of July weekend.
With gratitude,
Sally C. Pipes
President, CEO, and Thomas W. Smith Fellow in Health Care Policy
Pacific Research Institute
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