Written

A water drop and ripples

Canada’s crackdown on the trucker protest is a major warning sign.

By Justin Katz | February 22, 2022 |

Jordan Peterson has shared a note from one of the organizers of the Ottawa protests: From BJ Dichter, one of the organizers of the Ottawa protest. If you don’t think this could happen to you or someone you love you’re a fool. He’s been made a nonperson. Without being charged or tried. Is this what…

A water drop and ripples

Just when I was beginning to respect the Projo again, Katherine Gregg lets loose some partisan COVID propaganda.

By Justin Katz | February 22, 2022 |

As much of the local, state, and national media goes woke, established publications like the Providence Journal have seemed more even-handed in contrast.  An article by Katherine Gregg about a Rhode Island psychiatrist who dissents from the demanded view on COVID blows that impression up.  Some of the paragraphs that make me wonder whether the Projo…

Two seniors on a bench with a view

The cost of assisted living was up 38% in RI last year.

By Justin Katz | February 22, 2022 |

According to a comprehensive national survey by Genworth Financial, long-term care costs were up in most out-of-the-home settings and are uniformly well above national levels: Keep in mind that these were the increases and costs before the state began enforcing legislation making Rhode Island’s minimum staffing mandates for nursing homes perhaps the most extreme on…

A water drop and ripples

Neronha’s denial of the hospital merger offers an important lesson.

By Justin Katz | February 21, 2022 |

Whether or not one agrees with Attorney General Peter Neronha’s decision to block a major merger of Rhode Island hospital companies, the fact that it wasn’t really a typical Rhode Island decision-making process cannot be denied.  From that fact we can learn an important lesson. Personal integrity probably played a role, of course, but one…

An empty classroom

Yes, we have a near-monopoly in education.

By Justin Katz | February 21, 2022 |

The following sentence, concerning the attorney general’s scuttling of a hospital merger deal, from Ted Nesi’s weekend roundup column brought to mind a different industry: Yet in the end, their plans were derailed by a concern raised on day one: how could a hospital group with roughly 80% market share be stopped from abusing its…

A water drop and ripples

Enjoy the next adventure, Ken Rix.

By Justin Katz | February 19, 2022 |

Ken has moved on.  I’m confident he knows he made a difference in many lives.

Man reading newspaper

Local journalism must see past the mists of its romantic self-vision.

By Justin Katz | February 19, 2022 |

The Valley Breeze is a notable standout in local journalism, with observable quality and dedication.  Indeed, the fact that its chief editor, Ethan Shorey, spends hours each week actually delivering the paper has a back-to-our-roots feel that one can’t help but admire and encourage for the paper’s peers. But zooming out to the whole industry, rather than…

Construction workers reviewing a site

“Wage theft” legislation is a good illustration of unions’ destructive activism.

By Justin Katz | February 18, 2022 |

If you’re only a casual observer of legislation and/or labor law, you might find news coverage of Rhode Island labor unions’ study on “wage theft” confusing.  The study is about misclassification of workers as independent contractors, yet the rhetoric is about “wage theft.” Are those the same thing?  It’s an important question, because the push…

A water drop and ripples

The “woman” crushing Ivy League swimming competitions continues to date women.

By Justin Katz | February 18, 2022 |

That’s a detail that I hadn’t seen reported until Dennis Prager mentioned it in a recent column: “‘We’re uncomfortable in our own locker room.’ Lia Thomas’ UPenn teammate tells how the trans swimmer doesn’t always cover up her male genitals when changing and their concerns go ignored by their coach… “‘It’s definitely awkward because Lia…

A water drop and ripples

Huh. Paying people not to work increases the number of people not working.

By Justin Katz | February 18, 2022 |

Patrick Tyrrell and Anthony Kim summarize a recent study of the effect of enhanced unemployment on the job market: If common sense and reports from thousands of employers weren’t enough, a recent National Bureau of Economic Research paper found conclusively that paying people not to work during the COVID-19 pandemic was why many of them…