Common Sense Unfiltered

Iowa’s policymakers, providers, and insurers operate within a state comprised of an aging population and large rural areas. According to the Iowa Department of Justice, the state ranks 16th nationally for the number of residents 50-years-old and over. Approximately 18% of Iowa’s more-than-three-million residents are 65 years old and older while 23% are under 18 years old. The average life expectancy in Iowa is 78.12—21st highest in the country. In addition, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) considers 77 of the state’s 99 counties “rural” based on the amount of open countryside and rural towns. These are only some of the findings in our report titled "Iowa's Healthcare Landscape." The full report explores and presents data on Iowa’s healthcare business climate, healthcare expenditures, insurance, and rural healthcare. In doing so, it highlights Iowa’s unique healthcare landscape to help public- and private-sector decision makers understand the state’s challenges and identify where to focus solutions to improve the state’s healthcare system.  

On this episode of Common Sense Digest, Host and CSI Chairman Earl Wright dives into all of these issues and more with one of the report's authors, Dr. Chelsea Lensing, CSI's Health & Wellness Fellow. Dr. Lensing shares her insights from writing this report including trends regarding the ages of doctors, access to care, obesity, diabetes and Alzheimer's rates, and much more. This episode paints a very clear picture of the state of affairs of healthcare in Iowa. To read our complete report, you can find it here.

Thank you for listening to Common Sense Digest. Please rate, review, and subscribe on your favorite podcatcher. All of our podcasts can be found here.

Dr. Chelsea Lensing is an assistant professor at the Stead Department of Business Administration and Economics at Coe College where she teaches Principles of Microeconomics, Health Economics, Intermediate Economics, International Economics, and Econometrics II. She previously instructed at the University of Iowa in Principles of Microeconomics and Business Statistics. Her research focuses on health, labor, and public economics with an emphasis on understanding the relationship between nutrition, obesity, and healthcare costs. Her academic work explores how health behaviors and nutrition decisions intersect, manifesting in externalities that reverberate within our healthcare system. Dr. Lensing earned a B.A. in Mathematics at Coe College and a Ph.D. in Economics at the University of Iowa.

In this episode, DJ Summers is joined by Former Chief of Police Paul Pazen to discuss the pressing issue of rising crime rates and the upcoming November Ballot Initiative, Proposition 130.

This critical measure aims to allocate funding to agencies across the state to enhance public safety and support law enforcement efforts. With his extensive experience and unique perspective, Paul Pazen is ideally suited to provide insights into the implications of this ballot measure and its potential impact on our communities.

Join us for an in-depth conversation about the challenges we face and the solutions that Proposition 130 offers.

Read the full report here: https://www.commonsenseinstituteus.org/colorado/research/ballot-issues/initiative-157-funding-for-law-enforcement

In this episode, DJ Summers is joined by Kelly Caufield, CSI Colorado’s Executive Director, to discuss Amendment 80, a key proposition on the upcoming November ballot. If passed, this amendment would embed school choice into the Colorado Constitution.

Tune in to learn what this could mean for education, families, and the future of schooling in the state.

This November Oregon voters will decide on Ballot Measure 118, which would increase Oregon’s taxes on corporations six-fold, with the proceeds to be distributed equally across all eligible individuals. Under the proposal, Oregonians would face the most aggressive gross receipts tax in the nation by far.

Host and Chairman Earl Wright welcomes Mark McMullen, Vice President of Research and Policy for CSI Oregon, and CSI Oregon Board Member Lynn Snodgrass, CEO of the Gresham Area Chamber of Commerce and former Speaker of the Oregon House of Representatives. They unpack what the measure seeks to do, the reasoning behind it, and ultimately what would happen if this measure is passed. Every voter in Oregon should listen to this episode to understand the likely impacts of Ballot Measure 118. You can read our research about it here. 

Thank you for listening to Common Sense Digest. Please rate, review, and subscribe on your favorite podcatcher. All of our podcasts can be found here.

In this special edition of Common Sense Digest, we feature discussion from one of our recent events. On Tuesday, September 10, Common Sense Institute hosted its quarterly Eggs & The Economy Event. This edition was titled: "Unscrambling the 2024 November Ballot" Our panelists included:

Paul Pazen - CSI Public Safety Fellow and Former Denver Police Chief

Lang Sias - CSI Mike A. Leprino Free Enterprise Fellow

Paul Andrews - President & CEO of the National Western Stock Show

Kelly Caufield - CSI Colorado Executive Director

Thank you for listening to Common Sense Digest. Please rate, review, and subscribe on your favorite podcatcher. All of our podcasts can be found here.

Our President and CEO Kristin Strohm fills in for Earl Wright on this edition of Common Sense Digest as she welcomes four full-time Daniels Fund Scholars to the show to discuss the work of four remarkable summer interns. 

These young men and women are working to help advance CSI’s mission of examining the fiscal impacts of policies and legislation by crafting reports that better inform citizens. Over the course of the summer, the Daniels Scholar Junior Fellows have conducted informative research, assisted with data collection, and are each working with a CSI

Join us in welcoming Josh Green, Sr. Vice President of Scholarships for the Daniels Fund who spearheaded this partnership along with Avery Martinez, Toby Lee, Jade Gromer, and Rasheed Garza Archuleta as they discuss their experience this summer, share what they've learned, and reflect on the work they did with our CSI fellows.

Thank you for listening to Common Sense Digest. Please rate, review, and subscribe on your favorite podcatcher. All of our podcasts can be found here.

Ballot Initiative 91, a bold move to ban big cat hunting in Colorado. The group "Cats Aren't Trophies" is leading the charge to stop the killing, wounding, pursuing, or trapping of mountain lions, bobcats, and lynxes. This quirky yet crucial issue is stirring up debates across the state, especially among rural residents and hunters.

How will this impact Colorado's economy? Will taxpayers foot the bill? And what can we learn from California's experience with similar legislation? Tune in to explore the complexities and potential consequences of this contentious proposal.

Deep diving into one of the most contentious issues on Colorado's 2024 state-wide ballot: the proposed ban on slaughterhouses. With only one slaughterhouse in Denver and a wave of complaints driving the proposal, we explore how this ban could impact Coloradans.

Is there a tangible benefit to banning these establishments, or is the push fueled by emotion rather than economic sense? We also discuss the implications for Colorado's cattle industry and the broader economic effects of such a ban in a state that is more about cattle than crops.

Read the full report as we unpack the facts beyond the rhetoric and consider what this decision means for the future of Colorado – https://commonsenseinstituteco.org/the-economic-impacts-of-the-proposed-denver-slaughterhouse-ban/

What exactly is PERA? Are state and public employees getting the short end of the stick? Is PERA financially sound? And how is Colorado managing these challenges?

PERA obligations might sound dull at first, but this is a conversation that affects nearly 140,000 public employees in Colorado. Join us as we delve into these vital questions and more.

For more information - visit www.commonsenseinstituteco.org

What is the state of our city? How is Mayor Mike Johnston addressing homelessness? Will housing prices continue to soar unaddressed? Are migrants top of mind for the administration?

DJ Summers & Cole Anderson dive into Denver Mayor Mike Johnston's State of the City address, examining the challenges faced in the past year and his plans for the future. Coloradans need affordable housing, homelessness is draining city resources, the migrant population is growing, and a different approach to Denver's Public Safety issue.