Dayton, Ohio Correspondent — Gig work gives flexibility that a lot of people genuinely want and that some employers genuinely need. It also shifts risk onto the individual, and health coverage and retirement savings go from default to optional. The word optional is doing a lot of work there. Almost nobody opts in on their … Continue reading Will the continued growth of the gig economy ultimately undermine traditional employment benefits and retirement security for a large portion of the workforce?
Author: thinkingoutsidetheboxe
Should the federal government take a more active role in setting national standards for election security and voting systems?
Prescott Valley, Arizona Correspondent — Elections remain state and local responsibilities and that structure has real value, including the value of not presenting a single target. At the same time, the legitimacy of federal offices depends on the integrity of those elections, and the systems are now exposed to threats that didn't exist a generation … Continue reading Should the federal government take a more active role in setting national standards for election security and voting systems?
How can the United States reduce its dependence on foreign sources for critical pharmaceuticals and medical supplies without significantly raising costs?
Clermont, Florida Correspondent — The saline shortage after Maria showed how thin some of these chains had become. One storm, and hospitals in this state were rationing IV bags and mixing drugs by hand, because most of the supply came off an island that had no power. It took most of a year to work … Continue reading How can the United States reduce its dependence on foreign sources for critical pharmaceuticals and medical supplies without significantly raising costs?
Is planned obsolescence still a viable long-term strategy for manufacturers, or will consumer and regulatory pressure force a shift toward durability?
Dayton, Ohio Correspondent — From a manufacturing standpoint, planned obsolescence is just a set of design and pricing decisions. There's no room where somebody twirls a mustache. There's a target cost, a warranty reserve, and a decision about which bearing goes in. If enough customers pay a premium for longevity and repairability, the industry responds. … Continue reading Is planned obsolescence still a viable long-term strategy for manufacturers, or will consumer and regulatory pressure force a shift toward durability?
Will the opioid epidemic ultimately force a fundamental rethinking of both pharmaceutical regulation and criminal justice approaches to addiction?
Wheeling, West Virginia Correspondent — We lived this in real time. Entire communities were hollowed out while the rest of the country was still deciding whether it was a story. The companies that pushed the pills and the distributors that shipped absurd quantities into towns of four hundred people should have faced harder consequences years … Continue reading Will the opioid epidemic ultimately force a fundamental rethinking of both pharmaceutical regulation and criminal justice approaches to addiction?
Should large coastal cities begin planning and funding major retreat or adaptation strategies for rising sea levels, or is that still premature?
Clermont, Florida Correspondent — I live in a state that already deals with water, insurance markets, and storm recovery as facts of life rather than as a forecast. Planning for higher water is not premature. Refusing to plan is. That doesn't mean every coastal neighborhood should be scheduled for managed retreat tomorrow. The near-term tools … Continue reading Should large coastal cities begin planning and funding major retreat or adaptation strategies for rising sea levels, or is that still premature?
Is the current model of college education sustainable given rising student debt and questions about the actual value of many degrees?
Wheeling, West Virginia Correspondent — In my part of the country a lot of families borrowed heavily for degrees that never produced the jobs or the earnings they were promised. I know men who worked thirty years in a mill, got out with nothing, and then cosigned for a child who's now carrying forty thousand … Continue reading Is the current model of college education sustainable given rising student debt and questions about the actual value of many degrees?
How should the United States address the long-term fiscal consequences of repeated short-term continuing resolutions and debt-ceiling crises?
Dayton, Ohio Correspondent — You can't run a serious manufacturing operation on three-month continuing resolutions, and you can't run a government that way either. We've had two shutdowns this year and we're sitting in a third as I speak. The brinkmanship raises uncertainty for everyone who depends on federal funding and distracts from the actual … Continue reading How should the United States address the long-term fiscal consequences of repeated short-term continuing resolutions and debt-ceiling crises?
Will the increasing concentration of economic and political power in a small number of technology companies eventually require structural remedies similar to earlier antitrust actions?
Clermont, Florida Correspondent — Most people don't wake up wanting to break up large technology companies. They want the services to work and they don't want to feel manipulated, and I'd say this spring did more to move the second half of that sentence than a decade of antitrust commentary did. My concern is narrower … Continue reading Will the increasing concentration of economic and political power in a small number of technology companies eventually require structural remedies similar to earlier antitrust actions?
Should members of Congress who used taxpayer funds to settle sexual misconduct claims be required to repay those funds, resign, or face prosecution?
Wheeling, West Virginia Correspondent — We've watched powerful people protect each other for a long time in this country, and I spent thirty years on the union side of that arrangement, so I'm not new to it. When the settlement money comes out of public funds, it stops being a private personnel matter. Ordinary workers … Continue reading Should members of Congress who used taxpayer funds to settle sexual misconduct claims be required to repay those funds, resign, or face prosecution?
