Tag archives: policy

The Argentinization of America
By Jeff Harding   |   May 7, 2024

Argentina is what happens to a country when the people running it have no idea what they are doing. They think they know what they are doing and are undeterred when things don’t turn out so well. Socialist countries suffer this fate. Ditto most government-run economies. I call this process “Argentinization.” I mention Argentina because […]

Policy Makers Don’t Care About You?
By Robert Bernstein   |   June 7, 2022

“When the preferences of economic elites and the stands of organized interest groups are controlled for, the preferences of the average American appear to have only a minuscule, near-zero, statistically non-significant impact upon public policy.” This was the conclusion of a Princeton University study by Martin Gilens and Benjamin Page, “Testing Theories of American Politics: […]

Congressman Carbajal Talks Policy, Democracy, and Coming of Age in the People’s House
By Gwyn Lurie   |   February 8, 2022

The last time I sat face-to-face with Congressman Salud Carbajal was in September of 2020, when we were all optimistic that the pandemic’s end was in sight. That was three years into his stint in Congress. And as honored as he was to be representing this district in the People’s House, he nonetheless seemed burdened […]

Statistics vs Stories?
By Robert Bernstein   |   October 13, 2020

As a teen in the ‘70s I had very little money to pursue my many passions. So I was grateful for various suppliers of surplus electronics that I used to build my creations. I was surprised one day that one of my favorite suppliers was having a going-out-of-business sale. I showed up at the event […]

Homeowner’s Coverage Issues
By Jerold Oshinsky   |   February 13, 2020

Many of us living here in Montecito have confronted actual or potential risk of loss to our homes in the last several years from the massive fires and mudslides that attacked our community. A question, critical to our economic well-being, is whether our homeowner’s insurance protects us against such calamities. We would hope that the […]