Richard Vedder of The Chronicle of Higher Education demolishes the notion that college enrollment, and even college degree attainment, has been a worthwhile investment for the last decade and a half:

With the help of a small army of researchers and associates (most importantly, Chris Matgouranis, Jonathan Robe, and Chris Denhart) and starting with help from Douglas Himes of the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the Center for College Affordability and Productivity (CCAP) has unearthed what I think is the single most scandalous statistic in higher education. It reveals many current problems and ones that will grow enormously as policymakers mindlessly push enrollment expansion amidst what must become greater public-sector resource limits. More »

And thus were declared in the Golden State a new host of commandments:

Californians welcomed 725 new laws on Jan. 1. Here’s a glance at some of the laws that took effect when we rang in the new year:

• AB 119 prevents insurance companies from charging different rates for men and women for identical coverage.
• SB 782 prevents landlords from evicting tenants who are victims of domestic or sexual abuse or stalking.
• AB 1844—informally known as Chelsea’s Law and authored by local Assemblyman Nathan Fletcher—will increase penalties, parole provisions and oversight of sex offenders, including a “one-strike, life-without-parole penalty” for some. ?
• AB 1871 allows people to lease out their cars when they are not being used—alleviating the need to purchase additional insurance.
• AB 537 will make food stamps an acceptable form of payment at farmers markets through an EBT process.
• SB 1411 makes it a misdemeanor to maliciously impersonate someone via a social media outlet or through e-mails.?
• SB 1317 allows the state to slap parents with a $2,000 fine if their K-8 child misses more than 10 percent of the school year without a valid excuse. It also allows the state to punish parents with up to a year in prison for the misdemeanor?.?
• AB 715 makes a change to the California Green Building Standards code. The change will require new California buildings to be energy efficient.
• SB 1449 makes the possession of up to one ounce of marijuana an infraction with a penalty of a $100 fine.
• AB 12 allows foster youth to acquire state services until the age of 21.
• SB 1399 allows California to medically parole state prison inmates with physical incapacitating conditions and ultimately? shifts some of the cost of care to the federal government.
• AB 97 bans the use of trans-fats in food facilities.?

More »

Having recently been unfortunate enough to visit a local Radioshack store, I can heartily support the CEO’s assessment:

Despite having been on the job for nine months, RadioShack CEO Julian Day said Monday that he still has “no idea” how the home electronics store manages to stay open. More »

In Europe, amidst the ghastly youth unemployment and with eyes toward the inevitable end of the unsustainable social welfare states, behold an awakening: More »

Apple’s New Year surprise:

Pat Kiernan, a morning anchor on NY1, the New York City cable news channel, is no stranger to alarm clock problems. That’s why he usually relies on several clocks, phones and other devices to wake him in time for his early newscasts. More »

David B. Rivkin Jr. and Elizabeth Price Foley examine the FDA’s restrictions on the cancer drug Avastin and its implications for future rationing under ObamaCare:

Earlier this month, the Food and Drug Administration banned doctors from prescribing Avastin, a potent but costly drug, to patients with advanced-stage breast cancer. According to the FDA, the drug doesn’t offer “a sufficient benefit in slowing disease progression to outweigh the significant risk to patients.” Yet in some clinical trials Avastin has halted the spread of patients’ cancer for months, providing respite to women and their families wracked by physical and psychological pain. More »

Statistics from September showed that in China there are about 64 million apartments and houses that have remained empty during the past six months. Based on an average family size of three, there are enough vacant properties to accommodate 200 million people, which is more than 15% of the country’s 1.3 billion inhabitants. Vincent Fernando of Business Insider explains: More »

Even “green” energy has a “real green” loss limit:

After 30 months, countless TV appearances, and $80 million spent on an extravagant PR campaign, T. Boone Pickens has finally admitted the obvious: The wind energy business isn’t a very good one. More »

From the Los Angeles Times:

Rep. Charles B. Rangel, whose 40 years in the House have come under a cloud because of an ethics scandal, announced Tuesday he has established a new defense fund to help pay off past legal expenses and to deal with pending and new complaints. More »