Archive for the ‘Commentary’ Category

When Congress Cuts Spending: Consequences for New Jersey

By Sven Larson, PhD. Governor Christie is relentless in his fight for spending restraint. An early example of his fiscal fortitude was his famous response to threats from the legislature to shut down state government over a budget fight. The governor promised he would go back to the governor’s mansion,...
November 19th, 2012 | Commentary, Featured | Read More

OP-ED: A Recipe for Higher Taxes?

By Sven R. Larson, Ph.D. There are some signs here and there that the New Jersey economy is recovering. One of them is a slow uptick in private-sector employment. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, in June 2012 there were 3,346,000 private-sector employees in the state, up from 3,275,000 two...
August 14th, 2012 | Commentary, Featured | Read More

New Jersey Should Approach Health Insurance Exchanges Cautiously

Poonam Alaigh MD, MSHCPM, FACP Board of Directors, Former Commissioner of the Department of Health and Senior Services We, in the state of New Jersey under the leadership of Governor Christie, continue to implement provisions of health reform law as deemed appropriate to improving the health of the...
March 30th, 2012 | Commentary | Read More

Medicaid Safety Net Needs Mending

Dr. Poonam Alaigh Board of Directors More than 1.2 million lives in New Jersey rely on the safety net provided by Medicaid. However, the viability of that safety net will be put at risk if we do not understand and prepare for the potential repercussions of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act...
March 6th, 2012 | Commentary | Read More

Paper Grade-books Are Not Sufficient to Measure Student Learning

Mark ‘Jay’ Williams Economics Fellow While educators have been working to bring about technology in the classroom through the use of devices such as smart boards and interactive learning, the assessment of all that learning is often put into the same paper-based grade-books that were used when most...
January 13th, 2012 | Commentary, Featured | Read More

Cantrell: Taxpayers Must Demand Transparency in Local Education Spending

by Jerry Cantrell President Every year, New Jerseyans get to vote directly on one and only one spending plan — their local school budget. Research developed by the Common Sense Institute of New Jersey details how voters are confused, promised too much and outright misled before they walk into the voting...
December 1st, 2011 | Commentary | Read More

Verizon, Unions, Working with 21st Century Products, 19th Century Rules

by Jerry Cantrell President The return of 45,000 unionized workers to Verizon is welcome news to the customers, company and families of the striking employees. However, this reprieve, with or without a bargaining agreement, leaves all parties where they were before: trapped in a system better suited...
September 29th, 2011 | Commentary | Read More